torsdag den 26. juni 2014

Atlasprojektet Danmarks Guldsmede


Tilmeld dig nyhedsbreve


mandag den 16. juni 2014

Female Yellowhammer of the more grey type

While searching for Ortolan Bunting on one of my early morning walks on May 2, 2014 this rather grey female Yellowhammer turned up. I took a few record shots on which you can see faint yellowish fringes to the primaries and a yellowish wash in the facial markings along with some yellow on the flanks, but as it was one of the more grey individuals that I have seen it was worth documenting for future reference.


søndag den 15. juni 2014

What about European Curlew (arquata), Oriental Curlew (orientalis) and Steppe Curlew (suschkini)?

Due to gradual changes in plumage and measurements across the distributional of Eurasian Curlew, it is at best very difficult to identify out of range subspecies such as the eastern orientalis race, breeding east of the Urals, and suschkini breeding in steppe regions of southern Russia and Kazakhstan.

Nevertheless, on walking along the southern shore of Anholt on October 5, 2013 I flushed a 1cy Curlew which called for attention due its flashing white axillaries and underwing coverts. I grabbed for my camera and as it made a quick turn and passed nearby me I shoot a series of flight shots.

The bird is surely striking with its white underwing coverts, unmarked white axillaries and sparly marked flanks, but the amount of dark bars and the off-white ground colour to the tail could indicate that it may fit in among western-type birds with the least marked underwing coverts and flanks.

Nominate arquata and orientalis are western and eastern extremes respectively of continuous cline of increasing bill and tarsus length, less heavy marking, and paler ground-colour towards east. No sharp boundary between these extremes. Nominate arquata from western Europe typically have short bill and tarsus, rather broad streaks on upperparts and chest, back and rump usually streaked, belly and uppertail coverts often marked with black blobs, flanks distinctly barred and often with large dark blobs, axillaries barred and often with black subterminal blob, and underwing coverts partly barred or spotted, especially primary coverts.

Typical orientalis from eastern part of range has longer bill and tarsus; narrower and less deep black streaks on upper- and underparts, and flanks and tail coverts less heavily barred and usually lacking black blobs; belly, lower back, upper rump, and underwing almost immaculately white; tail with fewer and narrower bars; axillaries white, a few with thin dusky subterminal shaft-streak at most.

Marks in juveniles of both races relatively narrower, body and axillaries appearing paler; in nominate arquata, bars on axillaries often broken or forming rows of dots only. If trying racial recognition, it is thus important to account for age differences.

With this amount of dark bars and off-white ground colour in the tail, this may just fit in among western-type birds with the least marked underwing coverts and flanks...

onsdag den 11. juni 2014

Havørnene i Syddjurs Kommune opgiver i 2014

Sakset fra DOF SYDDJURS – NYHEDSBREV NR. 7, 2014:

"Der er desværre dårligt nyt om ”vores” havørnepar i Syddjurs Kommune. Efter at have ruget i mere end 50 dage måtte ørnene opgive yngleforsøget. Det er formodentlig forstyrrelser omkring reden der er årsag til at det ikke lykkedes ørnene at få unger i år. Det ser ud til at rigtig mange mennesker fandt ud af, hvor reden var placeret, og tog derhen for at se på ørnene. De har desværre ikke tænkt over, hvad konsekvenser deres opførsel kunne have. Havørnene er selvfølgelig fløjet fra reden hver gang der var nogle mennesker, der standsede op på kort afstand og så på dem. Der er endda en horribel rapport om en stor gruppe pensionister, der drak kaffe under redetræet. Det siger sig selv at de mange afbrydelser i rugningen havde til følge at æggene ikke klækkedes.

Vi må se om ørnene kommer tilbage igen til næste ynglesæson og håber at de finder et bedre (utilgængeligt) sted at bygge rede".

tirsdag den 10. juni 2014

Ringmærket Aftenfalk fundet død på Anholt

Under et besøg ved Totten på østenden af Anholt fandt jeg mandag den 26. maj et kranium i haven ved Fyrgården. Kraniets størrelse fik mig til at overveje Dværgfalk, men da der så dukkede nogle svingfjer op blev jeg mere tændt på ideen om at det var en ædelfalk. Derfor kigge jeg plænen grundigere igennem og havde til sidste en lille bunke fjer og nogle flere knogler, heriblandt et ben med en fod, hvor der sad en sort farvering om benet og en metalring med inskriptionen: BUDAPEST HA06.504. Det fik tiøren til at falde på plads. Det måtte være en Aftenfalk og den sorte ring mindede meget om noget jeg kunne huske at have set på et foto fra august 2013.

Den 9. august 2013 fotograferede lokale Frank Svensson en farvemærket 1K Aftenfalk (Falco vespertinus) ved Fyrgården med en sort ring siddende under metal-ringen og det er med største sandsynlighed samme fugl jeg nu havde fundet død. Ifølge Hans Arén, der så falken i sensommeren 2013, så var den nok ikke helt rask dengang, da de netop kunne komme meget tæt på den og den ofte holdt den ene fod sammenknyttet. Den døde formentlig ikke længe efter billederne blev taget i starten af august. Som de scannede fjer viser, så var de dog fortsat ret intakte selvom flere af dem havde været igennem en græsslåmaskine, mens knoglerne var overvejende rene for kød.

Svingfjer fra 1K Aftenfalk (Falco vespertinus).
Fjer fra 1K Aftenfalk (Falco vespertinus).
Knogler fra en Aftenfalk (Falco vespertinus).
Metalring med inskriptionen: BUDAPEST HA06.504.
1K Aftenfalk (Falco vespertinus) fotograferet ved Fyrgården den 9. august 2013 (c) Frank Svensson.
1K Aftenfalk (Falco vespertinus) fotograferet ved Fyrgården den 9. august 2013 (c) Frank Svensson.

søndag den 8. juni 2014

Anholt gav tre Lundsangere på tre dage

Under et besøg på Anholt i 2014 blev der fundet tre Lundsangere. Den første blev fundet den 29. maj i byen af Stephan Skaarup Lund og Rasmus Due Nielsen, hvor den dog kunne ses og høres de efterfølgende dage. Den anden blev fundet den 29. maj af Rune Sø Neergaard i skovområdet mellem havnen og byen, hvor den dog kun blev set af RSN inden den flyttede videre. Den tredje fugl blev fundet kaldende ved Fyrgården den 31. maj af Rasmus Due Nielsen kort inden den gik i nettet, hvorefter jeg kunne ringmærke den.

Det er den første fugl fra byen som man kan høre på optagelsen herunder:



Det er fuglen fra byen den 29. maj på de to billeder herunder:



Det er fuglen fra den 31. maj på alle billederne herunder:

fredag den 6. juni 2014

Is this another Siberian Lesser Whitethroat?


UPDATE: The result of the genetic analysis concludes that it had mitochondrial DNA belonging to Sylvia curruca curruca. As the difference in nuclear DNA between curruca and blyth is very little, it is however difficult to exclude a mixed origin. Nevertheless, we can say with confidence that the bird falls into the curruca clade as defined in the recent paper by Olsson et al (2013) and moreover, at least its mother was a nominate curruca.

*********

During mist netting at Totten on the eastern most tip of Anholt we caught surprisingly many 2cy Lesser Whitethroats. Because of the possible blythi from the week before I paid extra attention to their song, but all the types we heard were of the western curruca type.

Early morning on June 1, 2014 something quite different was suddenly heard singing with a distinct song. As my sound recording equipment was already running nearby in order to get migrant calls, I just grabbed it, and went for the song. Luckily the bird continued to sing for several minutes at close range and showed quite well in the early morning light. As the song was very characteristic and its plumage distinct, the possibility that is was in fact a Siberian Lesser Whitethroat Sylvia curruca blythi was emidiatly considered. The bird had rather faded brownish upperparts and some smudging on the underparts and was thus quite different from most of the other Lesser Whitethroats seen.

Luckily, it moved into some trees near one of my mist nets and with less than one minute of playback, it dived straight into the net. A wide range of biometric measures were recorded and a feather sample secured for future DNA analysis before it was released again.

The bird was heard singing more than fifty times and always with the same rapid cycling song. Listen to the two recordings below to hear how distinct it was. Could this cycling song without the classic curruca rattles be unique for Siberian Lesser Whitethroat and thus allow us to make safe field identifications in spring just like in Siberian Chiffchaff?




The two recordings above are from Anholt, whereas I made the two below in Feldballe. Listen to the similarities between the two birds:



... and compare the two birds in the four recordings above with the songs in these two below from Lake Baikal by Magnus Hellström:



























21/5-2014
1/6-2014

Feldballe
Anholt

blythi?
blythi?
Metal ring no.
9L62761
BX06856
Age & sex
2cy male
2cy male
Wing length (max)
63.7 mm
65.0 mm
Tail length
55.1 mm
56.85 mm
Tail/Wing ratio (x100)
86.4
87.5
Bill to skull length
10.4 mm
10.23 mm
2nd P
= P6
= P6
Wing tip
P3
P3-P4
Bill height (front nostrils)
2.9 mm
2.81
Bill height (rear nostrils)
3.3 mm
3.14
Bill width (front nostrils)
2,75 mm
3.15 mm
Bill width (rear nostrils)
3.3 mm
4.59 mm
Tarsus length
22.1 mm
21.58
1st P > Alula
12.5 mm
12.15 mm
1st P > PC

5.4 mm
3.64 mm
Wing tip > longest tertial
12.3 mm
13.52 mm