Spring birds and migrating Ducks

This week has definitely been interesting for new birds.
On Tuesday, we saw about 150 Black-headed Gulls (Lachmöwem) hanging out on the Inn River near the Innsbruck Airport, and the next day, I saw my first swallows of the year - about a dozen Crag Martins (Felsenschwalben) feeding over the Inn River near the Innsbruck Altstadt.

This morning I went out to my regular birding patch (the Inzinger Gaisau). The woods were still brown and dull, the pond 80% frozen over, but the birds were loud and proud!


A quick dip down to the Inn produced three Eurasian Widgeon (Pfeifenten), hundreds of White Wagtails (Bachstelzen) and a single Grey Wagtail.

I spend some time digiscoping the various tits that were about.

Marsh Tit

Long-tailed Tit (Schwanzmeise)

Blue Tits (Blaumeisen)

Great Tit (Kohlmeise)

Eurasian Nuthatch (Kleiber)

At the back of the pond, I kept on hearing all sorts of strange sounds. A train flushed the ducks long before I had a chance to get a look at them. They circled the pond for the next 10 minutes and I got some great views of them:
Eurasian Widgeon (Pfeifenten)
Common Teal (Krickenten)
Garganey (Knäkenten) - my first record for the area



Unfortunately, wherever they eventually decided to settle was a long way from where I was. I did, however, find another group of four Common Teal in a little wooded side pond near the fishermen's cabin.

On my way home, I saw another group of 6-8 Crag Martins flying and feeding (?) over the Inn between Kematen and Zirl, and up against the stone quarry on Martinswand (Steinbruch).

Tirol is really coming alive with the sound of bird song!

Happy birding
Dale

Snow shoe birding in the Alps / Tirol

Christmas time saw great weather in the mountains - we had had fresh snow just before Christmas and lots of blue skies since. I tried to play in the snow every day - skiing, sledding, walking and - thanks to Father Chistmas - show shoe hiking.


It really is wonderful to spend hours of quiet and solitude in the tranquil mountains. There is something about the woods in winter - there is a stillness that the snow brings that I can't quite describe. It is as though everything is holding its breath, waiting for something.

Just before New Year's, I took a hike from Axams to Axamerkogel. The forest down near Axams was alive with life. Well, maybe not dripping with life, but pretty cool for winter birding at least. What I have noticed is that one can walk for long periods of time without hearing one little peep from a bird and not seeing anything anywhere, and then suddenly you stumble upon a mixed-species bird party. It seems that the birds form the roaving groups that can have as many as a dozen bird species in them, all feeding together. Common winter party-goers include Coal Tits, Great Tits, groups of Firecrests, Eurasian and Short-toed Treecreepers, and Eurasian Nuthatches (Tannenmeisen, Kohlmeisen, Wintergoldhänchen, Waldbaumläufer, Gartenbaumläufer, Kleiber). Sometimes one of the other tit species will join - Crested Tits, Blue Tits (Habenmeisen, Blaumeisen). The Long-tailed Tits seem to join these mixed-species feeding parties occassionally, but their association seems to be a lot more loose: groups of five/six Long-tailed Tits will move around foraging together, join a foraging party for a while, and then slowly drift off in their own direction...

Heading out of Axams in the morning, I saw a flash of a raptor (looking very Accipiter-like) through the trees but did not get a good enough look to make an ID. Later on, coming down the mountain, a beautiful, big female Northern Goshawk rushed through the trees overhead (Habicht). So the other, smaller Accipiter was probably the male.

I have seen a few Northern Goshawks lately - always deep in the forests and always rather shy. But lovely to see nonetheless.

The raptor life here is - at the moment - dominated by tons of Common Buzzards (Mäusebussards). Everywhere we go, we see them circling overhead, sitting in the fields and peering out from their telephone-pole lookouts. The Common Kestrels continue to pester the pigeons in town.

I have seen very few Golden Eagles recently. Their daily range is much increased in Winter and this may have something to do with it. But, a couple of times I have seen them right down low in the valleys - and on one occassion we even saw a pair circling over the Inn between Kematen and Zirl. It is very unusual to see them so low down. I wonder what they were doing...?

Winter might not be the most exciting time for birding in the Alps, but the beauty of the forest and mountains certain keep one entertained between birds!

Happy birding
Dale Forbes