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SWITZERLAND 2025 (2 Viewers)

Headed back via Inkwilersee hoping to see the resident Bittern.

Had to wait yesterday until about 10 minutes after official sunset before the Bitterns came out and flew around for a bit. Another 15 or so minutes later about 80 Starlings dove into the reeds for roosting actually flushing another Bittern. (Saw the LEO a bit after than, and when I got home it was almost past my bedtime ;) ).
 
At inkwilersee we found dead fish in the lake.
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This was very worrying, so I contacted the local fishing club who were already aware of the issue.


Hopefully the solution can be found!
 

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Had to wait yesterday until about 10 minutes after official sunset before the Bitterns came out and flew around for a bit. Another 15 or so minutes later about 80 Starlings dove into the reeds for roosting actually flushing another Bittern. (Saw the LEO a bit after than, and when I got home it was almost past my bedtime ;) ).
I hope the cocoa hadn’t gone cold by the time you got home Frank ;) Snow returned overnight which often shakes things up a bit in March/April, the Ring Ousels won’t be long in arriving. I was just south of Lyon yesterday and saw Black Kite, Short-toed Eagle, a Swift (!!!!) and heard my first Blackcap. It’s another world down there!
 
Saw my first Blackcap of the year, heard it while watching a Black Woodpecker in a tree. Took me a bit to find it, a bit earlier than other years -- since the weather was rather unpleasant today, I hadn't expected it. :D
 
As the Slavonian Grebe (or as our American Cousins say " Horned Grebe") was still reported at the Lock /Stau at Birsfelden, I decided to risk the cold wet weather and go for it!
I eventually found it after 30 minutes, however too far away for decent photos.
Some 25 bird species in the area including Kingfishers, Great Crested Grebes, Egyptian Geese, Hawfinches, and Blackcaps.
The Biotop am Stausee is a great little site and I have seen nice birds in the past including Nightingale, Sardinian Warbler, Yellow Browed Warbler and Redwings.
 
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We spend the weekend at Cudrefin (arrived there yesterday around 16:30). It was really awesome, though a tad cold. We stayed in the hotel next to the bird centre, and had dinner there at the restau too. The hotel had nice rooms, very quiet and we had a great night. Just before dark on Saturday, we walked up and down the jetty on the Vaud site with about 30 species seen or heard. I repeated that this morning at 7:00, while my wife stayed in bed ;)

There were both Water and Meadow Pipits, loads of Reed Buntings a Yellow Hammer and my first ever Swiss Egyption Geese. The only slight disappointment was that the hoped for waders at the sand banks in the Lac de Neuchatel were simply not there. Just Yellow Legged Gulls and some Carrion Crows, with a few distant Black Headed Gulls. This was compensated though by my first ever Otter sighting this morning, very stoked for that one!!

We visited the bird center after breakfast, as all Swiss Bird Centers I visited so far, very nice hides, but rather small. This one claims to be knows for it Kingfishers; it displayed quite well indeed, but not better than I've seen in other. There was a variety of ducks and a Green Sandpiper. We then walked along the canal on the Bern side, and went up an observation tower there. Lots and lots of Mute Swans, quite a few Greylag Geese and the Egyption Geese had been joined by a number of equally exotic Ruddy Shelduck.

With al the reeds on both sides, I had hoped for some Penduline Tits, but no luck on that front, but I think overall at least 100 Reed Buntings seen :ROFLMAO: Then at the far end, between the Gulls on the sand banks we saw one wader.... had to look at the enlarged photos I shot here at home to make out a Curlew.

Overall, a very pleasant weekend with a grand total of 55 species, definitely worth a visit!! For sure, we will go again!!
 

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