Army Ornithological SocietyAOS Eastern Germany Trip
Our last full day in eastern Germany and we started on an old military training area complete with observation posts and a concrete map of the area. If one can become blasé about Hawfinches, this morning was the day! They were the most common species and were everywhere. The second most common bird was Woodlark though we did manage to find a Great Grey Shrike and Hoopoe as well as a female Cirl Bunting. The cloud was low as we walked amongst the new wind turbines but there were plenty of birds on show. We then headed for Belziger where grass fields were the order of the day. Quail called and there were plenty of Skylarks and raptors including an Osprey and a large adult White-tailed Eagle. We found Corn Bunting, Whinchats and Skylarks amongst the grass and Oil-seed rape field. Our target species was seen as it landed and disappeared in the grass but later a full female was seen in the open before walking into the long grass. The Great Bustard is a magnificent bird and easily out-clipped the Cranes that were present. This was a target rich environment but we still had one site to visit before heading west. Our next stop was on the Elbe and soon after crossing the river on a ferry we reached an ox-bow lake where birds were seen in their multitude. It was an excellent site with Garganey and Common Tern however, the stars were the Black Terns including two on their nests. We then headed west, whilst it rained, to Wolsburg to find a hotel. We had a change of plan and decided not to stay a 2nd night in the “collective” as we could spend a few hours in the Drömling area before heading to the airport. A very large meal and a few beers in our new hotel near Wolfsburg rounded off an excellent few days birding with a species list of 118.
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