Pannonian Bird Experience

The last weekend a fair for birdwatching took place in the national park where I work right now. A more detailed description of this event can be found on: http://www.club300.at/node/24644 . I was involved in this event in several ways, partly as a guide for Carl Zeiss Sports Optics and partly at the stand of the Club 300 Austria. In addition, my pictures were used to attract people to come to the stand of Birdlife Austria:

In the exkursions we could see most of the ornithological highlights of the bird experience, including Austria's 5th Dalmatian Pelican at Graurinderkoppel/Apetlon and a singing Aquatic Warbler at Geiselsteller/Illmitz:

Other interesting observations were four Whimbrels at the 16th near Lange Lacke, a White-winged Tern at the 16th at Graurinderkoppel/Illmitz, a Lesser Black-backed Gull at Lange Lacke at the 16th and a Goshawk at Geiselsteller/Illmitz at the 17th:

Furthermore, I could make fotos of Yellow Wagtails near Lange Lacke and a Wood Sandpiper at Warmblüterkoppel/Illmitz:

During the fair I also had the opportunity to talk with the Hungarian-German bird painter (http://www.stefanboensch.de/ ), who gave me some valuable advices to improve my painting skills, for instance, not immediately starting to sketch when I see a bird but to take much more time to simply watch the bird. Here are my newest pictures:

 Greyleg Geese with Goslings at Geiselsteller/Illmitz

 Great Bustard in Hansag

Kentish Plover in the evening light at Geiselsteller/Illmitz

April in Seewinkel/Burgenland 2

As I mostly only have time in the early morning and the evening, I still haven't visited all the different locations for birding in the Seewinkel. Yet I've been able to make some nice watchings: White-fronted Goose (at Östliche Wörthenlacke at the 6th), Greylag Goose (the first goslings at Zicklacke at the 5th), Barnacle Goose (7 at Östliche Wörthenlacke at the 6th) Ferruginous Duck (4 at Warmblüterkoppel Illmitz at the 9th),  Pygmy Cormorant (Warmblüterkoppel Illmitz), Bittern (calling everywhere), Purple Heron (Warmblüterkoppel Illmitz), Spoonbill (Warmblüterkoppel Illmitz), Snipe, Wood Sandpiper, Spotted Redshank (10 Warmblüterkoppel Illmitz), Mediterranean Gull (at least 35 at Östliche Wörthenlacke at the 6th), Lesser Black-backed Gull (1 adult at Östliche Wörthenlacke at the 6th, probably subspecies fuscus), Caspian Tern (2 at Warmblüterkoppel Illmitz at the 10th), Common Tern (my first one for this year at the 9th at Warmblüterkoppel Illmitz), Long-eared Owl (one sitting in its nest near Illmitz), Barn-Swallow (my first for this year at the 5th), House Martin (my first for this year at the 9th), Wheatear (1 male at Geiselsteller/Illmitz at the 6th), Coal Tit (4 near Informationszentrum Illmitz at the 6th) etc.

I also made some new fotos and field sketches:

Common Teal at Albersee

 

 Barnacle Geese at Östliche Wörthenlacke

 Great Egret near Biological Station Illmitz

 Black-winged Stilt near Zicklacke

 Black-headed Gull at Westliche Wörthenlacke

 Breeding colony of Rooks in Illmitz

 Great Egret near Zicklacke

 Little Ringed Plover near Biological Station Illmitz

 Little Ringed Plover near Biological Station Illmitz

 Spoonbills near Biological Station Illmitz

First days of April in Seewinkel/Burgenland

This month I'm working in the Nationalpark Neusiedler See-Seewinkel, without doubt Austria's best place for birdwatching. Therefore I'm looking forward to many opportunities to watch, digiscope and paint birds. Here are some pictures from the first days of April:

  Common Shelduck at Illmitzer Zicksee

 Ruff at St.Andräer Zicksee

 Kentish Plover at Geiselsteller

 Black-tailed Godwit at Neubruchlacke

 Garganey near Informationszentrum Illmitz

 Black-winged Stilt near Informationszentrum Illmitz

 Kentish Plover at Geiselsteller/Illmitz

 Lapwing at Geiselsteller/Illmitz

 Lapwing and Kentish Plover at Geiselsteller/Illmitz

 Black-tailed Godwit at Neubruchlacke

Black-winged Stilt near Informationszentrum Illmitz

 

 Little Ringed Plover at Darscho

 Sunset at Darscho

New Adapter

Last week I was lucky to find a second hand adapter for my spotting scope. Here are some of the first fotos I made with my new equipment:

Blue Tit in Hart bei Graz

 Fieldfare in Graz

 Dipper in Mixnitz

Grazer Feld 04.03.2011

Last Friday I've been in Unterpremstätten in the south of Graz to make an interview with the CSR manager of Austriamicrosystems for the sustainability newsletter of Oikos Graz (the interview can be found here: http://graz.oikos-international.org/projekte/interview-mit-gerit-goetz-von-austriamicrosystems.html). As I've been already in the area I decided to make a short visit to the near Schwarzl lakes where I could observe a nice gathering of waterbirds, including five Red-crested Pochards which are quite rare in the area.

I didn't have much time but still I could make this sketch of three Cormorants and a male Tufted Duck.

Birder-SMS-Meeting 26.-27.02.

For this year I have resolved to put more emphasis on making field studies of painting birds. Last weekend I had my first opportunity to put my plan into practice when the members of the Austrian Birder-SMS met in the Seewinkel/Burgenland.

It was quite cold but still I could make a few sketches:

 White-fronted Geese at Hochgstätten (Illmitzer Hölle)

 Long-eared Owl in Apetlon

 Tundra Swan and Red-crested Pochards at Warmblüterkoppel Illmitz

For me the highlight of the trip were the Tundra Swans (all in all there were three), the 6th record of this bird species in Austria apart from the Rhine Delta/Vorarlberg and the first ones I've ever seen in nature. I also could make some digiscoping fotos of these birds, here is one together with Greylag Geese:

The second day of the meeting was also quite good for birdwatching, we met with Czech and Slovak birders at lake Čunovo south of Bratislava. We could watch there thousands of diving ducks and a few Long-tailed Ducks, Smews and Red-brested Mergansers as well as Pygmy Cormorants. Yet it was even colder than the day before, constantly under 0 degree and a strong wind, so the only suitable picture I could make were these two male Goldeneyes (although the bill of the left one is also much too big, due to the trembling of my fingers).
 

Welcome to my new blog!!!

I have uploaded the first drawings and watercolors I made this year:

Juvenile Great Cormorant 

 

Juvenile Pomarine Skua 

Juvenile Red-necked Phalarope

European Tree Frog

Male Tufted Duck

Black-headed Gull

 Male Little Bittern

Rough-legged Buzzard

 Blue Tit