Four recent lifers on a trip to Israel - Sinai Rosefinch (16.02.19), Crested Honey Buzzard (16.0.19), African Swamphen (18.02.19) & Vinous-breasted Starling (20.02.19).
The next day - though not a lifer - Tengmalm's Owl (21.02.19) - was a British tick.
All the best
Paul
Great stuff Paul! Hopefully there's a trip report in the offing?
All the best,
Chris
Chris
Many thanks.
I'm planning to write it up. The order is ebird checklists, photo editing & then write up but I've only got a window of a week before I am way again and I do need to reappear in work in between.
All the best
Tengmalm's Owl, last week in Sauerland, Germany. Despite having lived in Germany for 7½ years now, this was only my third lifer in Germany (the others are Hawfinch and -surprisingly- Iberian Chiffchaff, both of which were within 100 m from the Dutch border).
Common in Berlin Tiergarten last summer :t:I’ve always assumed that Hawfinch was not uncommon on the near continent?
Cheers
Common in many places in Germany, which is a major stronghold for the species (along with Red Kite and Middle Spotted Woodpecker, which apparently also have their largest populations here). It's possible though that its distribution is more fragmented in other countries even on the continent.Common in Berlin Tiergarten last summer :t:
It didn't occur in the part of the Netherlands where I grew up (it used to be common in the centre and the southeast only). I saw my first one on a day trip to our only "tripoint" – where I saw it on the German side of the border. It still took me 4½ years to see one in the Netherlands after that....it's also possible that Hawfinch was a lifer for Xenospiza many many years ago on a holiday to Germany 😊