22-05-2022 - Roseate Tern
Yesterday the Roseate Tern was reported late. We were too tired to pick to go and assumed it would still be there the next day.
Around 8 o'clock in the morning we leave for the Putten near Schoorl in the hope that the Roseate Tern is still there. On the way the bird is reported so that gave a good feeling. A little later a Woodchat Shrike was also reported in almost the same spot.
Upon arrival, there is no one except a photographer at the site of the Roseate Tern. The bird has not been seen for quite some time, he said. The scopes are set up and it is Maartje who finds the Tern almost immediately. The Roseate Tern is preening and not long after takes off. Despite the bright backlight, some records can still be taken.
My attention now turns to the Woodchat Shrike. The bird occasionally flies by at eye level, according to Arnaut Linckens. A great opportunity to try out the R3. I had to search for a while because the Woodchat Shrike was very flighty. Indeed, I managed to make some nice records. The R3's auto tracking works exceptionally well to track this smaller bird.
With the target species in the pocket, we decided to drive to the Flevopolder for a Short-toed Snake Eagle that has been here for a few days. A Baillon's Crake was also reported that night in the polder, so it could be taken along.
The Short-toed Snake Eagle was found fairly quickly from the Grote Praambult. Unfortunately too far for a photo opportunity. We now drove to the site of the Baillon's Crake. It was the middle of the day and the chances were therefore not optimal, but who knows. We parked the car and had to walk a little over a kilometer.
Here we met Martijn van der Meij who had already heard the Baillon's Crake. It was not long before we also heard the courtship call. The bird was very close in the reeds and could occasionally be seen through the reeds. We stayed here for a few hours and enjoyed the courtship call that we had never heard so close.
Today 3 new species for the annual list that is now at 289.
