Trip to the Netherlands May 2025 and Global Big Day 2025

Hello all, well we did go to the Netherlands. 

We booked last minute, this because we did not know what was going to happen in the world.

(still not....)(politics, wars)

 But we took the chance and did see most of our family and friends and the Dutch birds of course.

We decided to stay nearby our family (nearby Amsterdam), so we could save time and did not loose too much time with travel.

This time earlier in the spring time, so that's why I start this story with the Eurasian Linnet. She was my champion in singing this year in the Netherlands.

I did have a few highlights of course..did see for the first time in my life a huge group of common Sandpipers. They breed in much of northern Europe and Siberia, and pass through the Netherlands in large numbers during migration.

You need to enlarge the photos a bit, but wanted to post them anyway. Had to zoom in quite a bit. These photos were taken in the "Waterleidingduinen" ..dunes... in North of Netherlands.

The goose is a Canada Goose, they are common...more and more.

 

We witnessed a fight between two Buzzards in a creek. I was filming it...but while filming I had had enough. It got ugly, stopped filming and we walked away...on the way back we saw one of the birds lying dead in the water. I had never heard of it and looked it up to see if it ever happened...this was the answer... Buzzards are territorial and protect their territory, which sometimes leads to fights with other buzzards or other birds of prey, but deadly fights are rare.

On a happier note.. it was quite a while ago that I saw a gray Wagtail, this was in Denekamp on the German border. At the same spot we  saw two  different Flycatchers.  Both are migrants and had probably just arrived. They were singing at the top of their lungs!

a gray Wagtail male

spotted Flycatcher

European pied Flycatcher

In the middle of Amsterdam suddenly in a tree an Eurasian Goshawk:

What struck me is that I saw very few black-tailed Godwits (Grutto). Spoke to a gentleman who fixed my binoculars👌 He told me that he often goes out with his boat...and that he had only seen one black-tailed Godwit in the area so far, where normally many more can be seen. It was also super dry in the Netherlands, almost no rain fell and to this day still not enough rain.

Anyway... for sure there were also a lot of nice birds to see... my best pictures:

gray Heron (blauwe Reiger)

                                                                     Mute Swans (Knobbelzwanen)

                                                                                      

eurasian collared Dove (Tortelduif)

Egyptian Goose (Nijlgans)

European Robin (Roodborst)

white Stork (Ooievaar)

graylag Goose (grauwe Ganzen)

Barn Swallow (Boerenzwaluw)

common Moorhen (Waterhoen)

I did notice also that more and more people in the Netherlands are interested in Birds👍

Did see more Dutch people  with binoculars. I notice that also in Panama... more Dutch people are 

interested in birdwatching :)

The nice part of the Netherlands ..it is flat... no mountains, so easy😊😊

my sis with her binoculars

Me watching birds on  'Landje van Gruijters"

Me watching birds in "Buitenplaats Leyduin"

Me in heaven.. "in het Wormer- en Jisperveld"

early morning (6.30am) in Heemstede

I have the idea that the people who live in this house

are bird lovers 😍😍

And then ...the 9th of May 2025 we did arrive at home in Boquete Panama...and the next day it was 

 Global Big Day and so at 6am I was counting birds, starting on our farm and did go to two other areas and counted until 7pm. 

Totally different world and of course a jetlag. But that was no problem..

I was SO awake, thanks to the many birds and the whole day great weather!!!

 

The highlights of this day were an immature emerald Toucanet..just fletched.

 And a group of three wattled Bellbirds Juveniles were displaying.

I do have videos of both highlights, will post them on my Youtube channel.

Here some pictures of the GBD 2025, Panama is by the way nr. 7 on the GBD world list, everywhere

in Panama.. birdwatchers were counting birds..a lot of new birdwatchers, mostly very young people!

immature emerald Toucanet just fletched

not birds but I love this kind of encounters

a Bat Falcon in front of her nest

Okay not the best Picture of a resplendent Quetzal

tufted Flycatcher

almost 7pm and 161 birds further and ready for a cup of coffee 😉

So this was the month of May..up to the next month!

That is the month  with a lot of  immature birds... 

So more stories to tell

Greetings from Terry

https://coffeeadventures.net/tinamou.html

https://www.youtube.com/@terryvanniekerktinamoucott7548

 

                                                                    

the Vermillion Flycatcher female update

 Hello, the vermillion Flycatcher  female is still here in the park. While I was in the Netherlands(update later this week)  she was feeding the immatures of the fork tailed Flycatcher family . The family is gone now, but the female vermillion decided to stay? 

We will keep an eye on her...curious what she is going to do!

Greetings Terry

baby Great Fruit-eating Bat fell to the ground

 Hello...another story in exciting April!

A day ago I walked to our laundry. When I walked down the stairs I saw a bat lying on the floor.

I honestly thought it was dead. But when I put on my gloves, I saw that the ears were moving and when I wanted to pick it up, it stretched out. A baby fruit bat.. so cute.

 Above the bat was the colony and so she had fallen out. I thought maybe I should hang it somewhere nearby..then the mother will find her. At that moment I thought, just show that I am her to the rest.

So I raised my arm and suddenly 1 bat from the group flies to my hand... the mother!!! Flies on my hand on the little one and made a trembling movement and a trembling sweet soft movement. I tried to take a picture...but I was one hand short..that was "occupied" with 2 bats. After about 30 seconds, the mother and child flew into the forest. What an experience again!!

Greetings from Terry

By the way I thought it was a Jamaican fruit eating Bat, but it is the great fruit eating Bat

I did post a short video  from the colony on Youtube

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aAwwmrv2qpE

https://coffeeadventures.net/tinamou.html

A vermilion Flycatcher in a nest of pair of fork tailed Flycatchers.......

 

This morning I was with Ann in the park in Boquete ... for Ann it was the first time that she would see a female Vermilion Flycatcher (that was the goal), she had just like me only seen the male abroad. So for her a new bird just like I did last Saturday, for Panama. On Sunday another group had seen the female vermilion flycatcher female (still there) and strangely enough she was at one point in a nest of a fork tailed Flycatcher? As far as I know she does not breed here in Panama and is a rare migrant. And then sharing the nest with another kind of Flycatcher? We saw quite a few special things this morning. The first thing we saw was that she was flycatching ... a normal thing huh? Then she sat on the ground and took a twig in her beak (luckily Ann had her camera at that moment, see down below :)) and flew with it into the tree. She was attacked by a pair of fork tailed Flycatchers that have a nest there. Then she went back to catch flies for a while and after about an hour she flew back into the tree, this time with a white feather. Towards the nest. The male fork tailed Flycatcher was sitting on the nest breeding, the female fork tailed Flycatcher was trying to get the Vermilion Flycatcher away.. the Vermilion Flycatcher did join the fork tailed Flycatcher male on the nest.. (see video and of course Ann and I were talking about this phenomenon... are her hormones at a peak? She is totally out of sorts? Will she leave at some point? We are going to study this bird a bit more and read about it.

Greetings from Terry

to the right you see the female Fork tailed Flycatcher 

try to chase away the Vermilion Flycatcher from her

"husband" and nest and the Vermilion Flycatcher is 

already almost on the nest:)

                                            This picture shows the bird with the twig that she

                                             took with her in the tree

We had a great morning: 

Vermilion Flycatcher..female, a new bird for me in Panama

Hello! a Vermilion Flycatcher was spotted in the park of Boquete. For the third time I went there to find her. I have seen a male in Quito (Ecuador), but no female and besides it would be a new bird for me... for Panama. So I was motivated.

After a few hours in the park, I gave up and I thought ... let me go to the area where she was seen last time and then home...I met another birder there who had also been there a few times to look for her, we had met each other coincidentally the afternoon before.

Just when I was telling him that usually when I look for a bird that I want to see... I often don't succeed... But as soon as you are not so focused anymore, they come... When I told them that, I did see a smaller Flycatcher catching a fly right behind him... "heee I said, huhhhh... I looked behind him and at the same time we said ... that's her!!!" Wonderful bird moments!

My day can't be spoiled anymore!

Greetings Terry

Hawk migration this morning..last day of March 2025

 This morning we did see a HUGE Hawk migration...a HUGE kettle of mainly Mississippi Kites and   Swainson's Hawks. This was the biggest spring migration ever that I did see in the 27 years that we are in Boquete in  Panama. It went on and on for at least an hour!

March 2025 almost done....

 Yes ..hello and goodbye March 2025... this month did go by so quick, unbelievable. Not too much hot days and even in between some nice rain showers! Super! 

Hawk migration started  and also more and more migration Warblers/Tanagers  are coming through. The first soft songs and calls from the Swainson's Thrushes we can hear and the eastern and western Wood Pewees are coming through with their songs and calls.

Today I did see a male chestnut sided Warbler in almost complete summer plumage singing his song...of course we don't hear that a lot here, so that was great.

I was in March in a lot of different habitats and provinces... so a good variation of birds. Alone or with other birdwatchers.

In the beginning of March I did see quite a bit of nests of  hummingbirds, the lesser violetears are making nest in banks..when you pay a bit attention, you will find them. I zoomed in...this one was almost ready to fly out and yes that happend, because 2 days later  he was gone. So I was lucky.

Then of course the three wattled Bellbirds did arrive and as we speak we do hear and see them ...

Then last week I was in the village Caldera and finally I could take a picture of 

the long-billed Gnatwren, super cute... 

When they sing and are exited..their little tail is going around.

I was with another birdwatcher on the continental Divide, we started with thick clouds and mist. But there is mostly a better place to find when you drive on a bit and it was a great day.

The green Thorntails are pretty active, lots of flowers. I thought this picture was pretty cool... there was no sun and very gray...but you can see ..it is a Thorntail :)

Then last week I decided to go alone on a farm of friends of us. It was great weather... no wind, bit clouds and bit sun not too hot. Heard a ornate Hawk Eagle..came out of the sky with  something white in his big feet and brought it to another very noisy adult ornate Hawk Eagle...probably the female?... Then I lost them, but heard them. I walked back ..and did follow the sound.. and yes after a steep hike from a little trail. I did see her. For a change I did bring my scope. I do not do that often in cloud forest. But now I was happy  that I did...and here "she?" was eating, probably a rabbit.(There are cottontails there, bit confusing because it looked so white...)

Last Wednesday I was with 2 birdwatchers and we did see very upset birds in a tree. And I was hoping for a snake. In this time of year..snakes are happy, because nesting time of the birds..eggs...immature birds and the birds are not always careful because of busy "hormone" time. And yes indeed it was a chicken snake..great view.

not fun for the birds...but a lot of fun for the birdwatchers :)

Okay dear April, I am ready for you!!!

Greetings Terry

https://coffeeadventures.net/tinamou.html

February 2025 almost done...

 Hello everyone, February 2025 is almost over, just an update about this month.

It was a busy month with many guests... I think 80% of the guests were coughing, had a cold and some were sitting on the terrace in a warm blanket watching the birds. I felt very sorry. Thank God they were not staying in a hotel room and were still in the fresh nature. Many were worried about the weather... because we even had some good rain showers, which is unusual for this time of year, which was fantastic. They later confirmed that. Because of that the birds were very active and when the northerly wind blew (which is normal for this time of year) higher up in the mountains, they were nicely sheltered from the wind and we saw even more birds. For Hans and me it was important not to catch a virus, so the bottle of antibacterial gel was always with us :)

I did not have to irrigate much, the meadows are still green, horse is happy and my flowers are blooming nicely. The Thrushes are even starting to sing softly and there is already a pair of thick billed Euphonias making a nest in my flower pot on the terrace. Higher up in the mountains it is also quite busy with the three wattled Bellbirds. This was a record for me in the 27 years that we live here, so many arrived at the beginning of February, I think because we have had quite a bit of sun that the fruit is ready for them earlier.

At the moment the resplendent Quetzales are also quite active at about 1750m, here in Boquete. The best place to see them at the moment is the Pipeline trail (Bajo mono). Almost all our guests have seen them there. Me and Ann (friend) went last Monday, I never go there to guide, people can go there on their  own and I always explain to them where to go and to look out for. Sit on the bench at the sign "habitat de Quetzal" or at the "big old tree" and you will see them...be patient, stay there for a long time. When Ann and I were there we saw a pair making a nest and 2 other males. Also many other birds. We only wanted to have the goal that day to see the Quetzales and then you have to walk, as birdwatchers, that is difficult... because you see quite a lot on the way. But if you also stop a lot on the way you will not make it to the "Quetzal" spot. So successful. I had a day off, no guiding, so Ann did the honors and made a lot of people happy with the Quetzal. See photo, Ann is on the left in the front pointing out where the Quetzales were and a two toed Sloth with a baby.

For me super relaxing :) At 3.15 pm we did have a late lunch. That was a good day. Howler Monkeys with babies and also Mottled Owl and a pair barred Becards were making a nest... absolute the highlights.

Another interesting thing is that a streaked Flycatcher has decided to settle on our farm. I saw him a few times last year, but now he has been singing and calling for 2 weeks. This is a bird that actually lives in lower areas, but we are getting more and more birds from lower areas on the farm, it is getting warmer.

The yellow-green Vireos are back, singing everywhere...it is officially summer.

 I have not heard or seen a Piratic Flycatcher on the farm yet.

The lessons Motmots are very active and I think I found a nest in the riverbank on the farm this morning.

 All in all a "spring" feeling and we are heading towards March! Hope for more rain showers and no drought. Good for the migrants that are going to move north, the mixed groups are already getting bigger, nice!! There will be more surprises coming, ... until the next story!

Greetings Terry

https://coffeeadventures.net/tinamou.html

https://ebird.org/profile/NjIxMjky/world