Queen of Poisons, Alaska, Jun.24, 2019.

I laughingly named my blog "I hate paramo," because when we first birded Ecuador that habitat was cold and wet, and it was quite a slog to walk around. I also had a bout of altitude sickness. Paramo is looks quite similar to tundra, above the tree line, with stunted shrubs and plants. There were a few of differences, though, in walking the tundra in Alaska. First, it wasn't cold and rainy, second the altitude was much lower, 3,000 ft. as compared to 13,000 ft. Lastly, it was a little difficult to walk in some places, but not nearly as soggy.

We came to Alaska to mainly look for butterflies. There are a number of species that have restricted ranges in the north and use the tundra. I was also intrigued by the wildflowers of the tundra. There are even a few good birds found in this habitat. Our main butterfly target was Eversmann's Parnassian. Parnassians are usually found in mountain habitat and are white with some black markings and red spots. Eversmann's is the only one that is yellow. It also is in an area not covered by most people. Martin had really wanted to see this species ever since he started butterflying. I really wanted, to, also.

We started the day going up to Murphy Dome, near Fairbanks, where another couple of species were supposed to be found. We were a bit surprised when we got to the top and there were dozens of people milling around. It turned out there was a wildfire nearby. We asked if we could look around for butterflies and they said sure, just stay out of the way. Martin was also surprised by the vegetation. In Google Maps photos it had appeared very low and more grassy. It was now waist to head high willow and not really walk-able. He asked one of the fire fighters about it and he told us that the photos had probably been taken a couple of years prior and that tundra can change very rapidly. We did poke around for a bit, but we were not seeing what we expected. We could see the smoke from the fire a couple of miles away and decided to go a different direction.

The Steese Highway runs northeast of Fairbanks. Highway really isn't the best description of this road, at least 80 miles or so along it. It turns to an unpaved road at this point, though it was not bad at all. We had a couple of spots marked for the parnassian, one called 12 Mile Summit, about 86 miles from where the highway starts, and Eagle Summit, about 106 miles in. The weather was a bit cloudy and became very windy, the farther we went, so it wasn't ideal for butterflies. We didn't dawdle much, heading up. The lower part of the highway passes through fairly open spruce forest. We did pause at a pond, where a beaver was swimming around, giving us good looks. We arrived at 12 Mile Summit and did a little walking, but not much was flying.  We decided to move up to Eagle Summit.

Martin had looked at Eagle Summit on Google Maps. He said there was a small building and a parking area. We drove up about as far as we thought it was and spotted a parking area. Who knows what had happened to the building? We  got out and walked up to the tundra from the parking area and got jaw-dropping looks at a Rock Ptarmigan, strolling by. I took a bunch of photos and little video. It finally scooted into the willows. I had seen the one in flight the day before, but this was much better! Martin went farther in, and I poked around the parking lot a little, since it was wet and I was hoping for "puddling" bugs. I found a hoof print of a caribou and a piece of fur in the willows. Unfortunately, I didn't see the actual caribou. I photographed a few flowers.

The sun was in and out and the wind was howling. It was far from ideal conditions. We saw a few frittilaries, which can be brutally difficult to identify, some sulphurs and alpines. Martin crossed the road to an area that was a bit more sheltered from the wind. I crossed over, too. He said, "If you see the parnassian, put your arms up like this!" I was picturing myself falling down the side of the hill with my arms up over my head, frantically waving as I tumbled down." I found my favorite flower of the trip, Monkshood, also known as Queen of Poisons, which is a way better name! I mean, seriously! If you eat this flower you can die within two to five hours. I love the drama, which is why I am calling this post Queen of Poisons. It sounds like we were in Game of Thrones!

I looked down the hill and saw a pale yellow butterfly flying low to ground, right past Martin. It landed briefly and he shouted "It's the parnassian!" He did not raise his arms over his head, but I forgave him, since he shouted. I got over as quickly as I could and got some photos. It was a male, slightly worn, but we were ecstatic. My experience with other species of parnassians is they rarely land. This one flew, and then landed, flew and landed, over and over again. I think the wind was actually working in our favor. We saw a few more butterflies and decided to drive up the highway a bit farther.

We got in the car, and started driving. We quickly realized we had not been at Eagle Summit at all. We saw a sign and the little building Martin had seen on Google Maps. We stopped and walked around a bit. We didn't see much as far as butterflies, but a Common Redpoll was sitting up singing. We decided to return to the place that wasn't Eagle Summit and quickly saw another parnassian. We got a few more bugs and started to head back, figuring we could see some other bugs and birds in different habitat.

We were about fifty miles out of Fairbanks when the low tire light came on. This is not what you want on a deserted highway with no gas stations for at least 45 miles. Martin got out and checked and thought the rear left tire looked a little squishy, but not bad. We drove on and he checked again in about another ten miles. He said it definitely looked a little low. Of course there was no cell service. We kept on, checking the tire from time to time. Of course the first gas station didn't have a tire gage or air. We called the car rental company and they said to bring it in. If the tire was not fixable, we would be responsible. We finally came to a station and Martin put air in the tire. It still wasn't flat. We got to the airport and Dollar car rental gave us a new car. We called them a couple of days later, and it looks like the tire was fixable, so we weren't stuck with it. A good ending to the day!
Links to photos:
Butterflies of the day (please feel free to comment on my IDs.)-https://www.flickr.com/photos/sngcanary/albums/72157709413140541

Birds of the day_https://www.flickr.com/photos/sngcanary/albums/72157709413087866

Wildflowers of the day (again, please feel free to comment.) -https://www.flickr.com/photos/sngcanary/48184432221/in/album-72157709413180321/

Bird species seen:
Ring-necked Duck
Sandhill Crane
Alder Flycatcher
Violet-green Swallow
American Robin
American Pipit
Common Redpoll
White-crowned Sparrow
Savannah Sparrow

Surprise! It's Alaska! June 23, 2019.

I work in corporate travel. I chose this line of work because I love to travel and there used to be a lot of benefits. Unfortunately, those have shrunk over the years, but I still get one pair of tickets each year to fly domestically. About a month ago we started talking about using them. Our first thought was Maine, as I have never seen Atlantic Puffin, but I couldn't find the right availability that I needed on any of the airlines that I could use. But, I could get flights to Alaska. Martin suggested Fairbanks, as there are a number of butterflies there with a limited range, and we each needed two species of birds there. The prime time for the butterflies was late June. I checked if I could get the time off, and I booked our flights!

We left on June 22, flying on United from Austin to San Francisco, and then on to Fairbanks. We arrived just before midnight, with the sun still shining. We had to wait on board the plane for an extra 20 minutes or so, as the first jet-way wouldn't work. This did not make us particularly happy. Finally, we disembarked. After collecting our baggage and the rental car, we checked into the Holiday Inn for six nights. (If you go, the hotel was great.) We fell into bed, exhausted, not sure of what we would do the following day. I thought we would sleep in, but no, we were up in less than five hours.

The weather did not look good for butterflying. There was some light rain and the area we had talked about going to, the Steese Highway, northeast of Fairbanks, looked like it would be having rain for some time, so we decided to head south. Arctic Warbler, a bird we both needed, breeds in this area, near Paxson. Martin had seen records of Long-tailed Jaegers and Smith's Longspurs nearby by Tangle Lakes. We had seen both species outside of breeding season, but one can never see enough of either. There were also some butterflies we wanted, so our decision was made.

We drove south past North Pole, which looked like one big tacky Christmas wonderland. We did not bother to visit any of the ornament stores. It was a rather lengthy drive to the area we wanted to start in, about three hours, but we still made a few stops. I spotted a flock of  nine White-winged Scoters at Birch Lake. A bit further on there was a pair of Trumpeter Swans, which I not regret not photographing. Our first mammal of the trip was a Snow-shoe Hare, on the shoulder. Shortly after that, a Mink ran across the road! Getting closer to Paxson, I spotted an Arctic Tern. Herring and Mew Gulls were common.

We finally reached our turn to Tangle Lakes on AK 2 W, and a good spot for Arctic Warbler. We pulled over and immediately heard them singing. One was sitting up on one of the small willows and I was able to get several photos, though none were fabulous. This was a new bird for both of us. We each had one more possible new bird, though these were different ones for each of us. White-crowned Sparrows and Yellow Warblers were singing. We had at least five Arctic Warblers.

We reached the Tangle Lakes area, but had not seen either long-spurs or jaegers. We stopped at a small lake, where a Common Loon was snoozing close to shore. He finally lifted his head and gave us a dirty look. There was a nice spot of tundra, so we walked in to see if we could find some butterflies. It was really wet and very squishy. Because of a stupid error, bringing a mismatched pair of sneakers, both for the right foot, I was wearing leather walking shoes, and did not really want to get them soaked. It was exhausting slogging around, but we did see a few butterflies and lots of wild flowers. As Martin wasn't hampered by his footwear, he was some distance from me. I heard him shout and point. A Rock Ptarmigan was flying across the tundra, diving into some willows along the road. This was the second life bird I needed! Needless to say, I was more than happy.

We had a late lunch overlooking the largest of the lakes. The food was OK, but the view was astonishing. We started back and saw two birders heading out over another portion of tundra. We stopped to chat and they told us they were looking for Smith's Longspurs, but it was at least a mile walk. We said, "Good luck!" and went on our way. Neither of us were up to a mile long hike. We also had no sightings of Long-tailed Jaegers.

The mountains were so gorgeous. We got great looks at Gulkana Glacier, with clouds rolling down it. I found a fabulous looking moth, that rivaled any of the butterflies we had. The wildflowers were mind-blowing. Unfortunately, most of the flower photos I took are on my phone, and I don't know how to transfer them to my Flickr page. We saw our first moose of the trip, not far from Paxson. We saw four more, and I finally got a decent photo of one by the side of the road. We arrived back in Fairbanks after 8PM, exhausted but happy.

Link to bird photos for the day- https://www.flickr.com/photos/sngcanary/albums/72157709345983102

Link to butterfly and moth pictures for the day- https://www.flickr.com/photos/sngcanary/albums/72157709346018762

Link to wildflower photos for the day- https://www.flickr.com/photos/sngcanary/albums/72157709346054787

Bird species seen:
Trumpeter Swan
American Wigeon
 Mallard
Greater Scaup
White-winged Scoter
Bufflehead
Common Goldeneye
Red-breasted Merganser
Rock Ptarmigan
Wilson's Snipe
Red-necked Phalarope
Lesser Yellowlegs
Mew Gull
Herring Gull
Arctic Tern
Common Loon
Bald Eagle
Alder Flycatcher
Common Raven
Bank Swallow
Cliff Swallow
Arctic Warbler
Gray-cheeked Thrush
Swainson's Thrush
American Robin
Common Redpoll
American Tree Sparrow
Dark-eyed Junco
White-crowned Sparrow
Savannah Sparrow
Lincoln's Sparrow.
Yellow Warbler

That's Owl, Folks! Belarus, May 11, 2019.

This was a busy day, with some travel, some owls, and the most endangered bird of the trip. It was to be our last real birding day of the trip. Some of us got up early to bird around the hotel grounds and look for Martin's Eurasian Nutcracker. Unfortunately, we didn't find it. We met the rest of the group and had our last substantial breakfast in Belarus. (They served these pancakes that were more like fried American biscuits. OMG!)

We had to drive quite a ways. It was after lunch that we picked up Sasha, another forest ranger. He was going to take us into an area set aside for Great Gray Owl nesting. Martin and I had seen Great Gray Owl in Minnesota, so it wasn't the highest priority, but who doesn't love seeing owls? We had been warned that it would be the worst place for mosquitoes, which I wasn't enthusiastic about. We covered ourselves in DEET and I put on my rain jacket with the hood up for protection. We took off down a path and I kept waiting for the attack. Mosquitoes adore me, so I told everyone I would draw them off. Imagine my surprise when the swarms never materialized.

We didn't have to walk too far, when we stopped and Sasha pointed to a tree. There, perched in a wooden nesting box, sat a female Great Gray Owl. Even though it wasn't a new bird for me, my breath caught. We weren't too close, but she still kept an eye on us. It was a big target bird for the rest of the group. The feeling was electric! Then a downy owablbllet poked his head up, to our great delight. While everyone else was drinking in the owls, I spotted a Pied Flycatcher. Barrie said we were really lucky. Most of the nest boxes in this forest were old tires with drainage holes in the bottom. He had seen an owl in one the year before, but all they could see was the top half of the female's head. The mosquitoes were never a problem. As we returned to the mini-bus we spotted a fox on the road.

Sasha then took us to another spot, where there was another wooden nesting box. Four downy Long-eared Owls peered out. It was a wonderful surprise, the fifth species of owl for the trip. They had a very fierce expression for babies. We then dropped Sasha off at his house, where three of his seven children came out and shyly looked at us. He made a little speech about God and the Bible, which I found a little uncomfortable, but I was glad for the birds he showed us.

We then left for the last hotel of the trip. We had a few birds along the road, and I enjoyed the countryside and small towns. We arrived at the hotel and checked in. Barrie said we would be leaving shortly for the last bird of the trip, one of the rarest in Europe. We went up to the room which was really lovely. I looked out over the town square and saw a couple of Common Swifts shoot by, another new bird for me. Most of us got on to the van to go to our last real birding stop of the trip. One couple chose not to go. I'm not judging. (Who am I fooling? I am too!)

We drove out past the edge of town to a marshy grassy area. We were going to look for Aquatic Warbler, one of the most endangered birds in Europe. This species has lost much of its wintering habitat in west Africa. Belarus is the easiest place to see it. We met a warden of the preserve and walked down the hill to see if we could find one. I was really surprised at the habitat. For some reason I expected it to be in reeds, but it was short grass marsh. As in other places we visited, the water levels were very low. We walked out listening for the call. One was calling nearby and we all struggled to see it, as it popped up and down. I finally got a decent look in the scope, but photos were impossible.

We trudged back to the mini-van and returned to the hotel for our last dinner in Belarus.I am not going to write about our trip to the airport the next morning, as it was fairly uneventful. We flew back to London on a two hour flight, with more gray meatloaf! I want to say, the food in Belarus was much better than the food on Belavia Air. The flight was comfortable and I was sad to say goodbye to our birding comrades.

I would highly recommend birding Belarus. Personally, I would not do it on my own. The signs are all in Russian, in the Cyrillic alphabet. Very few people speak English. There are some local guides, but in May they are hard to come by, as they are employed by tour groups. I was very pleased with Naturetrek. The tour wasn't really aimed at hard-core birders, but we saw almost every expected bird. The guides were wonderful, enthusiastic and very helpful. I got 43 new birds! My total list was 135 species.  If you have any questions, let me know!

Photographs for the day:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/sngcanary/albums/72157708746996103

Species list:
Mute Swan
Common Cuckoo
Common Snipe
Eurasian Marsh-Harrier
Montagu's Harrier
Great Gray Owl
Eurasian Kestrel
Eurasian Jay
Rook
Wood Lark
Eurasian Skylark
Barn Swallow
Common House-Martin
Aquatic Warbler
Savi's Warbler
European Pied Flycatcher

Belarus, Day 5, May 10, 2019. Into the Woods

I made a big mistake the morning of May 10th. We were on the third floor of the hotel and my knees were sore. Martin got up early to bird around the hotel. I said, "No thank you! I will stay up here until breakfast, as another trip up and down three flights of stairs does not appeal to me!" As I said, this was a big mistake. Martin came up very excited and asked me to play the tape I had of Eurasian Nutcracker, one of my most wanted birds. I played it and he said "That is it!" He had seen a bird perched on top of a pine tree. It was chased off by other birds, but he got a decent look. It was the right shape, streaked below. We later found out another member of our tour group was also up early and was on the other side of the tree and saw it, too. I told myself we would probably seen another one, as the tour group from the year before had one in a forest.

We went down for yet another substantial breakfast. They do like a big breakfast in Belarus! Afterwards we met at the bus to head into the woods. First we had to pick up a local forest ranger, Anton. He was going to guide us, hopefully showing us a few specialty birds. He was a really nice guy, very affable. We drove into the forest and parked the van. Barrie warned us again about not getting off of the trail and watching for ticks. He also asked everyone to be as quiet as possible and stay close together, as we would see a lot more that way. I won't comment on how the group did following these instructions.

There was an outhouse by the parking area, and we were advised that we would not be finding better facilities. I was fine, so I walked past it to look at flowers. I was surprised when a small rodent darted out of the foliage, running behind the outhouse. I got a good look at it, gray with a rusty colored back. It was a Water Vole. I was actually excited to see it. Mammals are harder to see than birds. As we started walking I saw another and actually got a photo of it!

This day in the forest is kind of a blur to me. It is hard to remember the order we saw things in. I do remember one of the first birds we saw was a Firecrest, a bird that is similar to our Golden-crowned Kinglet. They flit around and move so fast. I got a quick shot of it singing, but the crest isn't showing. We walked into a less traveled area and walked into a clearing. Anton pointed out a hole in one of the trees and there was a tiny owl peeking out! It was a Tengmalm's Owl, known as a Boreal Owl in the states. I was not really expecting to see this owl, so I was really happy.

Then we heard the flight call of a Black Woodpecker. One flew around the clearing, and finally came into another tree, sticking its head into a hole, feeding its young. I do want to mention, we were not close to these birds, but further back. My photos of the woodpecker are over-exposed, but it was still a thrill to see it. Black Woodpecker is a honking big bird. This was by far the best look I have ever had of it. We picked up yet another woodpecker, Gray-headed. We were kicking it on woodpeckers!

We added a few more new birds to our list. A beautiful Eurasian Three-toed Woodpecker was a real prize. It is another bird that can be difficult to find. It also completed all of the possible woodpeckers for Belarus, nine species. Then we found the bird of the day for me, a Eurasian Pygmy-owl. We heard it tooting right off of the trail. It was soon spotted and we got great looks. It is very similar to our Northern Pygmy-owl. We finally went back to the hotel for dinner. (We ate lunch at some point, but I can't tell you when.

We had a big evening ahead. One of the big draws of the Bialowieza forest is the mammals. There are a good number of European Bison, one of the animals we all wanted to see. These animals became extinct in the wild in the 1920s, but have been successfully reintroduced. They are easiest to see at dusk in meadows next to the woods. Other mammals are also possible crossing the roads, including wolf and lynx. Both of these predators are very difficult to see, but we were hoping. We had not gone far from the hotel when I spotted a canine running on the road. I yelled "Wolf!" I was more than a bit embarrassed when it turned out to be a fox. I got a bit of teasing about this. We ended up seeing three more that evening.

We passed a small lake and somebody, maybe Martin, spotted a bird swimming. It turned out to be one of the least common birds of the trip, a Black-throated Diver, known as an Arctic Loon in the states. Martin, Barrie, and a few other members of the group, had seen five flying over at the fish ponds on the first day. I did not see them, so I didn't mention them. :-D

We stopped at place where Anton knew there was a special bird. Martin never had seen a Tawny Owl when he lived in England. This bird was his "tart's tick", an easy bird to see, but one that eluded the birder. I won't go into the reasons he hadn't seen one, but it was his own damn fault. Unfortunately, we weren't lucky. Barrie and Ishtvan said we would come back after dark, as they are really vocal.

We drove on and arrived at the best meadow for European Bison. It was getting close to sunset. We parked and started scanning and spotted some on the forest edge. We got a bit closer, but they were still distant. My photos don't begin to do them justice. I did get a little bit of digiscoped video on my phone. Martin helped other tour members get some digiscoped video, too. We were all excited. Then, on the other side of the meadow, a few Red Deer came out. We had seen Roe Deer, but not Red. Then the rarest mammal of the trip came out in the same area, several wild boars. They were far too distant and the light was too poor to even try for photos.

It was getting dark, so we started back to the hotel. Martin saw a badger run across the road. I did not. I am still bitter. We stopped again at the Tawny Owl spot, and sure enough, they were vocalizing. One flew across the road and Martin got his tart's tick. We heard an incredibly eerie call. Barrie and Ishtvan were mystified. Antone said it was a Common Crane. It was quite late, so we drove back to the hotel and I hobbled up the three flights of stairs.

Unfortunately, Flickr is down so I can't post a link to my photos.

Bird species seen:
Mallard
Common Goldeneye
Common Cuckoo
Eurasian Nightjar
Common Crane (heard)
Eurasian Woodcock
Green Sandpiper
Black Tern
White-winged Tern
Arctic Loon
Great Egret
Common Buzzard
Eurasian Pygmy-Owl
Tawny Owl
Tengmalm's (Boreal) Owl
Eurasian Three-toed Woodpecker
Gray-headed Woodpecker
Black Woodpecker
Eurasian Jay
Eurasian Skylark
Barn Swallow
Common House-Martin
Crested Tit
Willow Tit
Common Firecrest
Willow Warbler
Common Chiffchaff
Great Reed Warbler
Collared Flycatcher
Whinchat
Eurasian Starling
White Wagtail
Common Chaffinch
European Goldfinsh
Yellowhammer

Belarus, Day 4, May 9, 2019. What a beautiful day!

We woke up to bright sunshine and blue skies. It was absolutely gorgeous, the best weather of the trip. Of course, it was going to be a travel day, with limited birding. There were a few stops planned, so it wasn't going to be a total wash. We had our last breakfast at the hotel, still very substantial. We got in the bus and drove to Alshaney, where we had another chance for Azure Tit. We had seen a pair well the first morning, but they were a bit distant, so we were hoping for closer looks and photo ops. A pair of Long-tailed Tits flew by right after we got off the bus. We walked up a berm along the river and almost immediately had a pair of Azure Tits, quite a bit closer, but very uncooperative as far as photos went.

The biggest surprise was a Eurasian Nightjar that flushed and landed on a branch. Unfortunately, a pair of nest Fieldfares took umbrage and chased it off. Barrie spotted a Green-veined White butterfly, the a swallowtail flew by. A Brimstone sulphur butterfly landed on a discarded red piece of clothing. We walked further down the berm, where a singing Garden Warbler played hard to get. We turned and walked the other way to a reed bed, where a Savi's Warbler was singing. We got good looks, and I got terrible photos. Martin had stayed at the spot where we had the Azure Tit, hoping to get something good. Unfortunately, the pictures he got were not fabulous.

We drove several hours, passing through the city of Pinsk. We made a few stops, seeing a Crested Lark, both Lesser and Greater Spotted Eagles, and several other birds. We visited a Belarussian grocery store, where we all purchased our favorite new snack, mega chips, a large rectangular potato chip, sort of like Pringles, but much better! We arrived at our new hotel in the Bialowieza National Park, on the Polish border. The setting was amazing. We checked in and got settled for two nights, and headed down for dinner. It was the best meal of our trip, mushroom soup and a braised pork. We had a big day ahead of us, so it was early to bed!

Photos from the day:
http://sngcanary1.blogspot.com/2019/05/belarus-may-8-2019-so-many-woodpeckers.html

Species list:
Common Cuckoo
Eurasian Nightjar
Eurasian Moorhen
Northern Lapwing
Black-tailed Godwit
Common Redshank
Lesser Spotted Eagle
Greater Spotted Eagle
Eurasian Marsh-harrier
Eurasian Hoopoe
Eurasian Golden Oriole
Crested Lark
Barn Swallow
Azure Tit
Savi's Warbler
Garden Warbler
Spotted Flycatcher
Whinchat
Northern Wheatear
Fieldfare
Western Yellow Wagtail
White Wagtail
Yellowhammer

Belarus May 8, 2019. So Many Woodpeckers!

The weather promised to be better this morning. I looked out before breakfast and there was no rain! It was still a bit gray, but I was happy to take it. After breakfast we drove into the Azerani forest in the Pripyat National Park. We arrived and applied insect repellent, as Belarussian forests are full of bitey bugs. We we sternly warned to not wander off the trail and to avoid brushing up against vegetation, as ticks are a big problem.

We started down a trail, and I was immediately distracted by wild flowers. Lily-of-the-valley was thick on either side. I grabbed a few photos, and hustled to catch up with the group. We spotted an Eurasian Treecreeper working its way up a trunk. Then one of the guides found one of my favorite birds of the day, a Red-breasted Flycatcher. A bit later we saw a Collared Flycatcher, another great looking bird. The first woodpecker of the day was a Great Spotted, one I had already seen in England. We heard a Gray-headed Woodpecker, but it didn't show itself. We crossed an open wet bog, where Eurasian Three-toed Woodpeckers are often found, but only had a Lesser Spotted, another bird I had already seen. Then we heard a wonderful song, an Eurasian Golden Oriole. We had glimpses of the bird flying over, but I only saw the silhouette.  A young White-tailed Eagle flew overhead. When we arrived at the van I was shocked to see a Black Woodpecker fly up out of the grass by a water filled ditch. We had gotten brief looks at one in Spain, but this was much better!

We left the woods to bird a riparian area, looking for Barred and Icterine Warbler and raptors. We did a lot of driving, stopping, listening, getting out and walking, but had no luck. The guides said it may have been too early, and they had not arrived yet. We drove out to a meadow, where we had a beautiful Black Stork soaring overhead. A beautiful Greater Spotted Eagle also circled above us. A black mini-bus pulled up with another group of birders that we had seen several times. (I commented that they were the evil birding group, like the meteorologists in the black vehicles in the movie Twister.) They told us they had seen a Barred Warbler right where we had looked earlier. We got back in our white mini-bus and retraced our steps.

When we got to the spot we heard the Barred Warblers singing. Maybe they arrived five minutes after we left. They are a big honking warbler. It was difficult to photograph them, as they stayed deep in the brush, but I did get a few shots. A pair of Red-backed Shrikes jumped up, giving us even better looks than we had the day before. We worked the area a bit moer and were rewarded with fantastic looks at a Eurasian Golden Oriole at eye level! This oriole is nothing like our orioles in the states. They are much heavier, shaped more like a cotinga. I saw a bird back from the trail, deep in shrubs. It was a European Robin. I called it out, but no one seemed to hear me. I told our guide  Barrie later, and I don;t think he believed me. It was not where you would expect a robin, but I am certain.We got fabulous looks at a Wryneck, another species of woodpecker, though not a typical one.We did some more birding in the area and got one of our main targets, White-backed Woodpecker.. Then we got another target, a Middle spotted Woodpecker.

It was time to head back to the hotel, and we were going to take a shortcut. Rather than driving back the way we came, crossing the Pripyat by bridge, we were going to take the ferry. This proved to be a bit of an adventure. We pulled up to the river crossing and got off of the mini-bus. Istevan pointed out a posh hotel on the other bank and told us the ruler of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko, had a summer house a short way up the river. Our driver tried to get onto the ferry and bottomed out. He tried another angle and finally was able to get on. We all followed and boarded. White-winged, Whiskered, and Common Terns flew over the river. The crossing was short and we disembarked. The mini-bus had an even harder time getting off the fairy. Finally after several tries, he succeeded. We made the short drive back to the hotel where we had beer, wine, and dinner.

Photos from the day: http://sngcanary1.blogspot.com/2019/05/belarus-day-2-may-7-2019-well-that-was.html

Bird species seen:
Garganey
Mallard
Stock Dove
Common Wood Pigeon
European Turtle-dove (heard only)
Common Cuckoo
Common Redshank
White-winged Tern
Whiskered Tern
Common Tern
Black Stork
White Stork
Gray Heron
European Honey-buzzard
Lesser Spotted Eagle
Greater Spotted Eagle
Eurasian Marsh-Harrier
 White-tailed Eagle
Common Buzzard
Eurasian Hoopoe
Eurasian Wryneck
Middle Spotted Woodpecker
White-backed Woodpecker
Greater Spotted Woodpecker
Lesser Spotted Woodpecker
Gray-headed Woodpecker (heard only)
Black Woodpecker
Red-backed Shrike
Eurasian Golden Oriole
Eurasian Magpie
Hooded Crow
Common Raven
Barn Swallow
Marsh Tit
Eurasian Blue Tit
Great Tit
Eurasian Nuthatch
Eurasian Treecreeper
Eurasian Wren
Wood Warbler
Willow Warbler
Common Chiffchaff
Icterine Warbler
Eurasian Blackcap
Barred Warbler
Spotted Flycatcher
European Robin
Thrush Nightingale
Red-breasted Flycatcher
Collared Flycatcher
European Starling
White Wagtail
Common Chaffinch
Hawfinch
European Goldfinch
European Serin
Yellowhammer
House Sparrow
Eurasian Tree Sparrow

Belarus, Day 2, May 7, 2019. Well, that was Ruff!

I woke up well before the scheduled breakfast time. I was really nervous about the weather, as Istvan had said to expect heavy rain and winds. I peaked out the window and saw it was very gray, but not raining. I thought maybe the weather forecasters in Belarus were as inaccurate as the ones in the states. We got dressed and went down for breakfast. Belarussians like a big breakfast!  We finished, loaded the bus, and set out for our first destination, a small village nearby where Syrian Woodpeckers can be found.

It was spitting rain a bit and it was really cold and windy. We found the Syrian Woodpecker quickly. It was the first new woodpecker for me for the trip. Woodpeckers were high on our target list. We wandered around a bit more and had Black Redstart, sing Thrush Nightingales, Whinchats, and a few flashy European warblers. (Sarcasm alert!) It started to rain more heavily.

We went into town to do a little sightseeing to avoid the rain. We visited a lovely, tiny blue wooden church, packed with icons and perfumed with the scent of cut lilacs. May 7th is a holiday in Belarus, a day to honor the dead. The cemetery next to the church was full of people decorating graves, even in the rain. A much fancier church was across with the road, with gilded onion domes and shiny copper roofs. We visited a spot for shorebirds and saw a few, but the weather was still challenging, so we had an early lunch, including a shot of raspberry vodka.

The weather had eased a bit, so we headed to another shorebird spot, a set of sewage settling ponds. It was about a quarter mile walk on a high berm, with the wind howling. Another group of birders was already there. I picked my way along, thinking I was sure to be blown off. When we got to the area where the other birders were, I almost jumped off the berm for joy. There were over 200 Ruffs, including breeding plumaged males of every possible color. I remember when I had my first field guide and I saw the illustrations of breeding plumaged Ruffs, I was smitten. It is amazing to be me that there can be so many different color combinations in the same species. I have seen female Ruffs a few times in Texas, but they are a bit nondescript. These males, some of the squaring off with each other, competing for females, were stunning. I took hundreds of photos. Unfortunately, due to the wind, I was not as steady as I should have been, and my photos are not fabulous, but I still treasure them! We also had a White Wagtail, several Yellow Wagtails, and a Citrine Wagtail.

Then Istvan said we needed to go to the nearby banding station. They had a surprise for us. We pulled up to a little wooden house, and as many of us as could, crowded into the tiny room where they were ringing the birds. The rest of the group peered through the window. The main bander had two Terek Sandpipers they had caught and were getting ready to release. It was so cool to see these birds in the hand! They were much smaller than I expected, as birds in the hand always are. Sara, one of tour participants, has done banding in England, so they gave her on the of the birds to release. It flew off like a shot! One sobering thing was the water level by the station. Normally in spring the river floods and it comes right up to the house. This year it was a dry field. It was last year, also. It has been very dry. This has a negative impact on many of the breeding birds.

We walked down to the river and saw quite a few more shorebirds and I found a couple of Gargany. We had another couple of Terek Sandpipers. Martin found a Temminck's Stint and a Common Ringed Plover. White-winged and Whiskered Terns flew by. There was an Eurasian Oystercatcher on the river bank. In the states American Oystercatchers are only found right on the coast, usually on the beach. Belarus is far from any sea, being completely landlocked. Where was this bird catching oysters?

We returned to the hotel for dinner, but we weren't done for the day. We drove to an area near the river where Great Snipe breed. This was one of Martin's main target birds. He had seen one in the UK, years ago, but not well. I was really excited to see them, as well. They can be very tough to see displaying. You have to be there right at sunset. Sometimes the fields are flooded so much you have to take a boat. This time it was walkable, but it was a long slog, especially as we were trying a new kind of over-boot, which made it even harder. On the way out we heard a Corn Crake, which are very difficult to see. Martin and I were the only ones lucky enough to see it scurry across the road.

We finally got to the lekking area where the same birders we had seen earlier in the day at the Ruff spot,  were already set up. We had our scope, and the tour leaders had two more. The snipe run along little trails in the grass. Occasionally they will stick up their heads. If you are lucky you will see them jumping. Finally one was spotted. We all took turns looking in the scope, but it moved off. We kept looking. After a while, another popped up. After quite a long wait, everyone had seen one. The walk back seemed even longer and we were so spread out, we were not always sure we were going the right way. Simon, one of the tour participants, was kind enough to tote our scope back, as Martin's shoulder had given out and my knees were screaming. We were more than happy to get back to the hotel!

Link to photos from the day, including many, many lousy Ruff photos:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/sngcanary/albums/72157708664240004

Species seen this day:
Gargany
Mallard
Common Wood Pigeon
Common Cuckoo
Corn Crake
Eurasian Oystercatcher
Northern Lapwingras
Common Ringed Plover
Little Ringed Plover
Black-tailed Godwit
Ruff
Temminck's Stint
Common Sandpiper
Wood Sandpiper
Common Redshank
Black-headed Gull
Caspian Gull
Little Tern
Black Tern
White-winged Tern
Whiskered Tern
Common Tern
Gray Heron
Eurasian Marsh-Harrier
Eurasian Wryneck
Syrian Woodpecker
Eurasian Magpie
Eurasian Jackdaw
Rook
Hooded Crow
Common Raven
Eurasian Skylark
Barn Swallow
Common House-martin
Eurasian Blue Tit
Great Tit
Wood Warbler
Willow Warbler
Sedge Warbler
Lesser Whitethroat
Spotted Flycatcher
Thrush Nightingale
Black Redstart
Whinchat
Eurasian Blackbird
Fieldfare
European Starling
Western Yellow Wagtail (thunbergi)_
Western Yellow Wagtail (flava)
Citrine Wagtail
White Wagtail
Common Chaffinch
European Greenfinch
Eurasian Linnet
European Goldfinch
European Serin
Yellowhammer
Reed Bunting
House Sparrow
Eurasian Tree Sparrow