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ZEISS DTI thermal imaging cameras. For more discoveries at night, and during the day.

Recent content by bittern

  1. bittern

    Switzerland 2024

    They are visiting the nest boxes for Common Swifts that are installed on a number of buildings and also the spaces behind window shutters where they have bred in the past. This will be their third year in Geneva. Mike
  2. bittern

    Switzerland 2024

    Plenty of both around Geneva, a person doing a count of Nightingales around one site noted 40 singing males. There are singing Golden Orioles in most of the woods around here with tall trees. The Bee-eaters are present in force now as well. We also had an influx of birders from the Zurich area...
  3. bittern

    Switzerland 2024

    Well there are literally hundreds of Nightingales singing loudly around Geneva at the moment, the problem is that they are so loud that it is tough detecting singing warblers that should be arriving! Quite a lot of Wryneck here but they have pretty well stopped singing, they are much easier to...
  4. bittern

    Switzerland 2024

    It took me until yesterday to get good views of a Willow Warbler, they seem to have been in short supply this year. I agree that Merlin can sometimes produce "surprising" results and shouldn't be depended on as the only means by which a species is identified. Sometimes it doesn't manage to...
  5. bittern

    Switzerland 2024

    Forgetting the Spotted Sandpiper, there has also been a big influx of spring migrants in the last couple of days, I saw 6 Red-backed Shrike this morning as well as 8 Northern Wheatears and a couple of Winchats. Mike
  6. bittern

    Switzerland 2024

    A Spotted Sandpiper has just been found at the Verbois dam, this one is wearing its summer spots. It would be really interesting to know whether this is the same bird that spent several month on the lakeside by the WTO. Mike
  7. bittern

    Switzerland 2024

    There was also an early Whiskered Tern at Verbois (GE) the other day and a Savi's Warbler is still present at Sionnet. Several Hoopoes have also been seen in the last few days. Mike
  8. bittern

    Switzerland 2024

    There are still two long staying female Greater Scaup in Geneva, close by the Jet d'Eau! Mike
  9. bittern

    Switzerland 2023

    It's not so much the million Brambling but the tens of raptors waiting for them to arrive. Many years ago there was a flock of Brambling in the Jura reputed to be 5 or 6 million strong. The numbers of Sparrowhawks, Goshawks and Peregrines were quite extraordinary. Mike
  10. bittern

    Switzerland 2023

    The Spotted Sandpiper is still present by the lakeside in the Perle du Lac area in Geneva.
  11. bittern

    Interesting aspects of birding culture in non-Anglosphere countries?

    I was also going to recommend Géroudet for his evocative language. Reading his descriptions one can imagine oneself in exactly the environment where one can find the bird. Unfortunately I think that most of his books are out of print, the earliest were published in the 1950s and 60s, but he...
  12. bittern

    Switzerland 2023

    Unfortunately the Surf Scoter could not be refound today, we spent much time in the cold looking but only a Velvet Scoter was found. The Spotted Sandpiper was in the usual area however on the opposite side of the lake. Mike
  13. bittern

    Switzerland 2023

    In addition Sempach talks about 2'800 to 3'500 breeding pairs, which is about 10% of the world's population. There are roosts that are controlled. Mike
  14. bittern

    Switzerland 2023

    The Surf Scoter was showing very well this morning and I guess that Geneva will be seeing some visitors from beyond the Sarine:) Mike
  15. bittern

    Switzerland 2023

    I finally had excellent views of the Spotted Sandpiper this morning, the bird is not shy and put on quite a performance. A single Turnstone remaining from the original group of three was present this morning at Pâquis and on the opposite side of the lake we managed to get some rather poor views...
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