Buzzard-time

Last week I spend another few hours in the hide. Still the same birds visiting but I saw a great Common Buzzard (Buizerd) - show. Four different birds were around the hide at the same time. First a young Buzzard came over to eat from the prey, being chased away by an adult one after a short fight. The younger one stayed close to the hide while the older one started eating. Two other birds were also around, shouting all the time and trying to chase away the older one. The older one had no fear and just kept eating. Now it's just waiting for the winter and cold to come. The last couple of weeks it's way to warm for the time of the year, about 10°C above the normal average temperature. Normally cold will bring more and different kind of birds to the hide ... .

 Common Buzzard

 Common Buzzard

 Common Buzzard

 Chaffinch

 Crested tit

 Nuthatch

 Great tit

Sparrowhawk

This week I spend 1 morning and 1 afternoon in my hide. Winter isn't coming yet but I had some nice species. Regular visitors are still there (Blue tit, Great tit, Crested tit, Chaffinch, Robin, Nuthatch, Short-toed treecreeper, Wren, Common Buzzard, ...) and 2 new species. I had the honour to have a male Eurasian Sparrowhawk (Sperwer) at the hide. First he came out of nothing and tried to catch one of the smaller birds at the feeders. He missed and flew away, coming back after 15 seconds to sit on a branch nearby for a short moment. I was able to make a few shots before he flew off again. A Coal tit (Zwarte mees) was also visiting (very short) for the first time. In the morning I saw 3 Roe deer (Ree) walking in the distance. Regarding the Common buzzards (Buizerd), at least 3 different birds were visiting that afternoon. More photos of the Sparrowhawk on my website here.

 male Sparrowhawk

male Sparrowhawk

 record shot Coal tit

 Short-toed treecreeper

Common buzzard

Black woodpecker

Last week only 2 hours in my hide gave me 2 new species. I was already wondering why there were no Great spotted woodpeckers (Grote bonte specht) visiting the feeders. Now finally they found the hide and the Great spotted woodpecker is a regular visitor. A more remarkable visitor last week was a male Black woodpecker (Zwarte specht). I heard he was looking for food on the trees around the hide all the time. Once I saw him a brief moment on a tree within reach and I took some shots. Not the shots I dreamed about but it's proof he was there. I hope the Black woodpecker will become a regular visitor ! Besides the woodpeckers all the normal visitors are still coming over. Every time I go to the hide new visitors are showing. I hope to be able to spend more time at the hide in the future... .

 Great spotted woodpecker

Great spotted woodpecker

 record shot Black woodpecker

  record shot Black woodpecker

European robin

Finally getting colder ...

I haven't been able to spend a lot of time at the hide lately, only 1 short session. Still the same visitors: Great tits (Koolmees), Blue tits (Pimpelmees), Crested tits (Kuifmees), Eurasian jay (Gaai), Blackbird (Merel), European robin (Roodborst), Eurasian nuthatches (Boomklever), Eurasian wren (Winterkoning), 2 Common buzzards (Buizerd), Squirrel (Eekhoorn) and 2 Roe deer (Ree). Also1 new species, Eurasian siskin (Sijsje). I hope to spend more time in the hide the next few weeks to discover more new visitors as winter and cold are (hopefully) coming.

 Eurasian nuthatch

 Crested tit

 Blue tit

 Roe deer

Common buzzard

Hawfinch !

Last week I went to the new hide to make some photos. For the first time I stayed in the hide for a few hours to check out the activity and the visitors. I was very happy when one of my 'objectives' appeared in front of the hide: the Hawfinch (Appelvink). He just came over the drink a short time before he flew off again, but gave me just enough time for 1 photo. Other visitors: Great tits (Koolmees), Blue tits (Pimpelmees), Crested tits (Kuifmees), Eurasian jay (Gaai), Blackbird (Merel), European robin (Roodborst), Short-toed treecreeper (Boomkruiper), Eurasian nuthatches (Boomklever), Common chaffinch (Vink), Eurasian wren (Winterkoning) and 2 Common buzzards (Buizerd).

 Hawfinch

 Eurasian nuthatch

 Eurasian wren

 Crested tit

 European robin

 Short-toed treecreeper

 Common buzzard

 Common buzzard

Eurasian jay

Visitor update

First update of the visitors at the new hide. I spend very little time in the hide so most of the visitors were seen by the trailcam (which mostly doesn't register the smaller birds). Who's visiting ? Regular birds are Eurasian jay (Gaai), Great tit (Koolmees), Blue tit (Pimpelmees), Eurasian wren (Winterkoning), Eurasian nuthatch (Boomklever) and European robin (Roodborst). Also Red squirrel (Eekhoorn) and Roe deer (Ree) are seen regulary.
Last week I started to put out prey to in order to attract birds of prey. Already 3 different Common buzzards (of which 2 young birds) are regular visitors.

 Eurasian wren

 Eurasian nuthatch

 Roe deer

 Red squirrel

 Juvenile Common buzzard

 Another Common Buzzard

Juvenile Common buzzard

Construction of the hide - first visitors

Finally I had some time to finish the hide ... .I recovered the wooden front and roof of my previous hide. The sides are covers of big wooden boxes. I covered the roof with plastic to be waterproof. Afterwards I covered the hide with branches. The backside is closed with removable canvas. On the front I use plexiglas with mirror foil to have a better view and I have an opening for my lens.

A little while ago I already put my trailcam in place to see what's visiting. It is a new pool and it were rainy days so not that many birds were registered (small birds are most of the time not registered by the trailcam). But ... one of my objectives already came over to drink: a Hawfinch (Appelvink). I hope they'll become regular visitors. Other birds are Eurasian jay (Gaai), Common blackbird (Merel), Song thrush (Zanglijster) and European robin (Roodborst). I hope to have some time the next few weeks to check out the visiting birds and to take some photos.

 Finally (almost) finished !

 View from the hide

Another view from the hide

 Eurasian jay, the first visitor !

Hawfinch

Work in progress

I finally started with the construction of the new forest hide and drinking pool. It will be located in a mainly pine forest with parts of deciduous trees in the neighbourhood of a town called Arendonk. The pool is almost finished, now the hide is next. I'll keep you updated.