Birding Fanel

Last Sunday I visited the Fanel area on Lake Neuchatel, near the town of Cudrefin. This is usually considered to be the best place in Switzerland to go birding, and hardly a day goes by without at least one rare sighting. Arctic Terns even attempted nesting here once. I decided to try my luck and I was very satisfied with the results.

From the La Sauge visitor center, I walked to the end of the long jetty that sticks out into the lake. On the way I was surprised to find a Black-winged Stilt on a small pond surrounded by reeds. I was hoping for Whiskered Tern, but there were no terns on the wooden posts, so I kept walking to the very end of the jetty. I accidentally flushed four Ruddy Turnstones from the jetty, though luckily they landed on an adjacent rock island. They showed little fear of me as I photographed them as they foraged on the rocks. I walked back to the wooden posts and saw that two Common Terns had landed. I took a closer look to make sure they were not Arctic Terns, and as I was looking a Whiskered Tern appeared, chasing a Common Tern off its perch. Another appeared shortly after and the difference between Whiskered and Common Terns was very clear, with Whiskered being far darker and more robust. On the way back I found a Whimbrel on the opposite side of the river, another rare bird for Switzerland, and a singing Great Reed Warbler, one of my favourite birds.

Black-winged Stilt

Ruddy Turnstone

Ruddy Turnstones

Ruddy Turnstones

Ruddy Turnstones

Ruddy Turnstones

Ruddy Turnstones

Whiskered Tern - Note short tail, dark belly and pale wings

Two Whiskered Terns and a Common Tern

Common Tern (left) and Whiskered Tern (right)

Great Reed Warbler

Whimbrel

Birding Bolle di Magadino

A little over a week ago I visited one of the best birding areas in Switzerland, the Bolle di Magadino in Ticino, near the town of Locarno. Rare birds such as Pallid Harriers, Great Snipe, Woodchat Shrike and even a first record for Switzerland, the Vinous-throated Parrotbill, an exotic bird with a small population in northern Italy.

I took the train to the town of Sant Antonino and planned to bird my way to Gordola on my bike, aiming for Woodchat shrike, Ortolan bunting and Red-throated Pipit. I planned to stop and look for Vinous-throated Parrotbill but didn't expect to see them since they are apparently very hidden in the reeds.

I went to the Woodchat shrike location and eventually found it on a post not too far away. It exhibited typical shrike behaviour, flying from the perch to catch insects in the air and on the ground. This was my first time seeing the species in Switzerland, and it was a beautiful bird.

Woodchat Shrike

Woodchat Shrike

Woodchat Shrike

Woodchat Shrike

Woodchat Shrike

Right behind the shrike was the area of reeds where the Vinous-throated Parrotbills had been reported. I walked into the reeds and sat down because I figured I'd be there a while. While I waited I listened to their calls on my phone. After 20 minutes or so, I heard the calls from the reeds but I was unable to find the Parrotbills and they soon vanished. I was happy I heard them at least but I wished I had gotten to see this extremely rare species.

I then biked to an area near an airfield where Ortolan buntings had been reported, but found only a few Pied flycatchers, although it was cool to bike through an area of a small country road labeled 'danger zone' because it was in the path of planes taking off and landing at the airfield. On the way back I discovered a confiding Tawny pipit at the side of the road, a cool bird to find yourself.

Yellow Wagtail and cow's head

Tawny Pipit

Tawny Pipit

On my way to Gordola, I finally found an Ortolan bunting in a field. I was scanning the field when I noticed a small bird land on the field, quite close to where I was standing. I watched for around 30 seconds before it flew away, but I got a good view.

I took the train back to Bellinzona from Gordola after my successful birding trip.

Red-footed Falcons

Here in Switzerland, many interesting birds can be seen on spring migration. Ortolan buntings, Red-throated and Tawny pipits, Black-winged Stilts and a number of rare terns can be seen.

However possibly the most interesting of these is the distinctive Red-footed Falcon. I recently saw one at the Stille Reuss in Aargau and three in the Kaltbrunner Ried. It is a rare bird, but can be quite easily seen in late spring, from mid-April to mid-May, peaking in early May, and because of its so-called loop migration it is very rarely seen in fall, prefering to take a more southerly route. It breeds in Eastern Europe and Asia but wanders frequently into Western Europe on its way back from Africa. One even ended up in the US in 2004.

This bird is very sexually dimorphic, with males being a uniform blue-gray color with a reddish undertail and a striking orange-red bill, eye ring and feet, while females have an orange head and underparts, a gray patterned back and wings and a white face with a black eye stripe.

The photos of the female are from the Stille Reuss while the ones of the male are from the Kaltbrunner Ried.

Female Red-footed Falcon

Female Red-footed Falcon

Female Red-footed Falcon

Female Red-footed Falcon

Male Red-footed Falcon

Male Red-footed Falcon catching an insect

Male Red-footed Falcon

Bonus: Purple Heron in the Kaltbrunner Ried

Black Stork

A week or so ago, I discovered a Black Stork in a field next to my house. It was my first time seeing one in Switzerland and I watched it for around 20 minutes before it flew away toward the woods. However, it came back the next day and fed alongside two White Storks. I saw it for two more days after that but it always stayed far away from the house, usually feeding next to the lake with White Storks, Gray Herons and once with a Little Egret. The Black Stork ties with Common Crane and Eurasian Hoopoe as the coolest bird I've seen at my house.