Belgian Birder
@belgianbirder.bsky.social
Some heavily cropped pics of the leucistic Zitting Cisticola I saw in the late morning at the 'halve maan' in Ostend.
October 17, 2025 at 12:55 PM
Some heavily cropped pics of the leucistic Zitting Cisticola I saw in the late morning at the 'halve maan' in Ostend.
Yesterday morning a 1cy Black-winged Kite was found a few km from my door. Although it was not seen in the afternoon, I still decided to give it a go in the early evening. Luckily it was still present and quite busy eating its prey. Not more than a scarcity these days, but still...
August 27, 2025 at 8:35 AM
Yesterday morning a 1cy Black-winged Kite was found a few km from my door. Although it was not seen in the afternoon, I still decided to give it a go in the early evening. Luckily it was still present and quite busy eating its prey. Not more than a scarcity these days, but still...
Ik wou er toch ook eens één gezien hebben. Toch wel een zeer mooie rups. En groot! Net iets korter dan mijn wijsvinger. Wolfsmelkpijlstaart, Baai van Heist.
August 6, 2025 at 12:28 PM
Ik wou er toch ook eens één gezien hebben. Toch wel een zeer mooie rups. En groot! Net iets korter dan mijn wijsvinger. Wolfsmelkpijlstaart, Baai van Heist.
Amazingly I had a 2cy ♀ Smew today on a small pond in a meadow in June in Bredene!!!! It is a rare bird at the Flemish coast even during the winter!!!
June 14, 2025 at 8:11 PM
Amazingly I had a 2cy ♀ Smew today on a small pond in a meadow in June in Bredene!!!! It is a rare bird at the Flemish coast even during the winter!!!
Went back to see if the second bird was back and it was. And it finally gave superb views. Turned out to be a common reed warbler.
June 1, 2025 at 5:05 PM
Went back to see if the second bird was back and it was. And it finally gave superb views. Turned out to be a common reed warbler.
Today I came across at least one Blyth's Reed Warbler in the outer port of Zeebrugge. Possibly 2 together, but the other one was less obliging, and for now out of sight uncertain.
June 1, 2025 at 2:01 PM
Today I came across at least one Blyth's Reed Warbler in the outer port of Zeebrugge. Possibly 2 together, but the other one was less obliging, and for now out of sight uncertain.
Birding friends of mine were surprised by this fly-over Ferruginous Hawk yesterday at raptor watchpoint Chartreuse in Bruges. Also ST Eagle, Osprey, 2+1 HBs, 1 Hobby and 2 Black Kites.
June 1, 2025 at 10:13 AM
Birding friends of mine were surprised by this fly-over Ferruginous Hawk yesterday at raptor watchpoint Chartreuse in Bruges. Also ST Eagle, Osprey, 2+1 HBs, 1 Hobby and 2 Black Kites.
A decent week of wader migration (mainly ringed plovers) was topped of yesterday eve by this scarce Glossy Ibis at the Zwaanhoek in Oudenburg. Also, in May, I encountered at least 43 Temminck's Stints so far, including a personal record breaking group of 15 individuals!
May 19, 2025 at 2:33 PM
A decent week of wader migration (mainly ringed plovers) was topped of yesterday eve by this scarce Glossy Ibis at the Zwaanhoek in Oudenburg. Also, in May, I encountered at least 43 Temminck's Stints so far, including a personal record breaking group of 15 individuals!
We had a good morning too at the migration watchpoint 'De Fonteintjes' in Zeebrugge:
www.trektellen.nl/count/view/7...
Highlights: black-winged kite, a lingering White-winged Black Tern and an adult male red-footed falcon. Better pics here sooner or later: waarnemingen.be/locations/31...
www.trektellen.nl/count/view/7...
Highlights: black-winged kite, a lingering White-winged Black Tern and an adult male red-footed falcon. Better pics here sooner or later: waarnemingen.be/locations/31...
May 1, 2025 at 12:30 PM
We had a good morning too at the migration watchpoint 'De Fonteintjes' in Zeebrugge:
www.trektellen.nl/count/view/7...
Highlights: black-winged kite, a lingering White-winged Black Tern and an adult male red-footed falcon. Better pics here sooner or later: waarnemingen.be/locations/31...
www.trektellen.nl/count/view/7...
Highlights: black-winged kite, a lingering White-winged Black Tern and an adult male red-footed falcon. Better pics here sooner or later: waarnemingen.be/locations/31...
The Iberian Chiffchaff was still present for its third day.
April 25, 2025 at 12:15 PM
The Iberian Chiffchaff was still present for its third day.
I had a group of 5 purple sandpipers in Oostende this morning. One was in complete or at least near complete summer plumage. A rare sight in Belgium. I was a first for me.
April 25, 2025 at 11:29 AM
I had a group of 5 purple sandpipers in Oostende this morning. One was in complete or at least near complete summer plumage. A rare sight in Belgium. I was a first for me.
In the late afternoon on my way to the shop I decided to quickly take a look in the local park of my hometown. Good idea as I came across this singing male Iberian Chiffchaff!
ebird.org/checklist/S2...
ebird.org/checklist/S2...
April 23, 2025 at 6:30 PM
In the late afternoon on my way to the shop I decided to quickly take a look in the local park of my hometown. Good idea as I came across this singing male Iberian Chiffchaff!
ebird.org/checklist/S2...
ebird.org/checklist/S2...
Not a bad day! Decent passage of purple herons, a short-toed owl and an osprey. But best bird of the day, for me, this crane flying over 't Pompje in Oudenburg at 19h26.
April 7, 2025 at 7:07 PM
Not a bad day! Decent passage of purple herons, a short-toed owl and an osprey. But best bird of the day, for me, this crane flying over 't Pompje in Oudenburg at 19h26.
A 2cy Caspian Gull on the beach this afternoon.
March 25, 2025 at 5:36 PM
A 2cy Caspian Gull on the beach this afternoon.
While the sea was still riddled with RT divers, I also connected with two 2w/3cy Caspian Gulls during my stroll on the beach of Bredene this morning. Pretty much ignored the first one, but overcame my laziness and took out my camera for the second one.
February 17, 2025 at 11:27 AM
While the sea was still riddled with RT divers, I also connected with two 2w/3cy Caspian Gulls during my stroll on the beach of Bredene this morning. Pretty much ignored the first one, but overcame my laziness and took out my camera for the second one.
This morning there were hundreds of Red-throated Divers close-in at sea before Bredene with individuals/small groups up to ten foraging just behind the surf. At one moment there was a massive displacement northwards yielding a loose flock/stream of...I stopped counting at 150.
February 16, 2025 at 12:40 PM
This morning there were hundreds of Red-throated Divers close-in at sea before Bredene with individuals/small groups up to ten foraging just behind the surf. At one moment there was a massive displacement northwards yielding a loose flock/stream of...I stopped counting at 150.
I was pretty pleased with this female Smew at the NR of the Zwaanhoek in Oudenburg. Although an annual winter guest in relatively small numbers inland, it is rather rare at the Flemish coast. It is nothing less than a mega at the Zwaanhoek where it was last seen and reported on wnm in December 1973!
January 27, 2025 at 7:45 PM
I was pretty pleased with this female Smew at the NR of the Zwaanhoek in Oudenburg. Although an annual winter guest in relatively small numbers inland, it is rather rare at the Flemish coast. It is nothing less than a mega at the Zwaanhoek where it was last seen and reported on wnm in December 1973!
Likely 6cy Caspian x Herring Gull from the mixed colony in East Germany in Ostend on january 14th. Unknown parentage. A score of ≥ 13 for 7 of the 9 traits possible to assess, while a score of 9 is the upper limit to safely id an adult Caspian Gull according to Gibbins et al. 2011. See also ALT.
January 19, 2025 at 1:43 PM
Likely 6cy Caspian x Herring Gull from the mixed colony in East Germany in Ostend on january 14th. Unknown parentage. A score of ≥ 13 for 7 of the 9 traits possible to assess, while a score of 9 is the upper limit to safely id an adult Caspian Gull according to Gibbins et al. 2011. See also ALT.
In the dunestrip in front of the military base in Lombardsijde I had up to 5, possibly 6 crested larks today. At least 2 pairs, and possibly a third pair. Personally it has been a while that I have seen so many crested larks in one place, certainly North of the Yser estuary!
January 17, 2025 at 6:15 PM
In the dunestrip in front of the military base in Lombardsijde I had up to 5, possibly 6 crested larks today. At least 2 pairs, and possibly a third pair. Personally it has been a while that I have seen so many crested larks in one place, certainly North of the Yser estuary!