Spotted Nutcracker, Swiss Alps (1 Viewer)

[SimonG4ELI]

I'm really after confirmation - due to the dry weather over the last months the birds have been turing up in oddish locations, many visiting the lake here early in the morning.

While photographing magpies (not much else around) I saw this bird which initially was a bit of a mystery. On closer examination with the (nice new) 30D's LCD I am sure it's a spotted nutcracker.

Normally they are about 600m higher up, not down by the lake here at 1,000masl. I've only seen a few this year and they have all been much higher up, I've even launched expeditions to take some decent shots and have not had any success.

 

[Woodchatshrike]

I'm really after confirmation - due to the dry weather over the last months the birds have been turing up in oddish locations, many visiting the lake here early in the morning.

While photographing magpies (not much else around) I saw this bird which initially was a bit of a mystery. On closer examination with the (nice new) 30D's LCD I am sure it's a spotted nutcracker.

Normally they are about 600m higher up, not down by the lake here at 1,000masl. I've only seen a few this year and they have all been much higher up, I've even launched expeditions to take some decent shots and have not had any success.

These are Nutcrackers. Great birds.

 

[wintibird]

Hi Simon,

It is one. The tend to come down after breeding season.

Greetings
André

 

[SimonG4ELI]

These are Nutcrackers. Great birds.

Thanks - confirms I'm not going crackers. Hard to see when they are sitting in the trees - my only previous photo was of a mother feeding a juvenile in a tree a long way off the beaten track.

 

[SimonG4ELI]

Hi Simon,

It is one. The tend to come down after breeding season.

Greetings
André

That also makes sense - things have changed quite a bit over the last two weeks here. It's got much quieter and the juveniles seem to be asserting themselves a bit. Downside is that Laax is a tourist village so the visitors scare the birds off during the day.

I'll keep an extra eye open over the next weeks.

 

[Capercaillie71]

These are Nutcrackers

Yes, although the middle photo is a magpie.

 

[SimonG4ELI]

Yes, although the middle photo is a magpie.

Well spotted

Actually I just added the magpie for the hell of it - I was photographing it when I saw the nutcracker heading off in the other direction.

There are zillions of magpies here at the moment.