After having had a summer season with a wealthy set of various birding experiences – from Rock Ptarmigan within the Alps to scoping out Little Bustards in a steppe in southern France – it was fairly a distinction to get again to Bonn in Germany for work and out of the blue having my chicken sightings diminished to my cycle rides to and from work. Getting ready varied functions for my deliberate masters levels within the upcoming 12 months meant that my weekends and evenings after work had been additionally spent in entrance of a display screen (sure, I’m that nerdy). The upside of this was that the few chicken sightings I had presently had been all of the extra fulfilling.
One afternoon, my father flushed a Eurasian Hoopoe that was foraging alongside the trail within the vineyards on the opposite facet of the Rhine River from our dwelling. This chicken shouldn’t be a species that normally happens within the space, and is a good chicken to see even within the South of Germany. I’m not positive whether or not this chicken was on passage from someplace additional north or a reverse migrant – a phenomenon wherein birds migrate in the other way than regular, most likely as a consequence of an error of their inner compass orientation.
I used to be very excited to listen to this not solely due to the rarity of the sighting, but additionally as a result of I actually love hoopoes. We used to have this species (again then the African Hoopoe, which has since been lumped with the Eurasian Hoopoe) in our backyard in South Africa within the winter. Their comical crest apart, I at all times loved their frantic probing of the bottom with their needle-like invoice. We skilled a downpour of rain on the day after my father’s sighting nevertheless, so I anticipated the hoopoe to have departed by the point I used to be obtainable. As some exercise gave the impression to be a great break from motivation letter writing both method although, I made a decision to simply try the place two days later.
Happily, the chicken was nonetheless there. I first watched it from a distance earlier than it was flushed by two hikers, but it surely subsequently landed on an uncovered fence, giving me wonderful views. It was additionally enjoyable to observe within the air, not solely due to the contrasting wing sample but additionally its bouncy flight.
One humorous factor I had observed about hoopoes in South Africa is that they’re comparatively shy after they observe their environment between fast bursts of probing the bottom, however they don’t actually discover something occurring round them whereas they’re busy pecking. I used this to my benefit to crawl as much as a small bush because it was probing the bottom, and finally was awarded with the chicken striding previous me simply three meters away, oblivious to my presence. I obtained some good photographs this manner (together with this put up’s featured picture.
Regardless of their outstanding sample, the chicken was surprisingly nicely camouflaged even within the brief grass. I realised this after I first noticed the chicken, noticing it solely as a result of it was rapidly hopping round.
This was a stunning sighting and the truth that it was so surprising made this a really refreshing change to the standard birds I come throughout in our space. The vineyards on this space typically produce one thing good, starting from the native Rock Buntings to the Wallcreeper final winter. Whereas I used to be there this time, a number of Tree Pipits had been calling above and alighted within the bushes above the vineyards, most likely a brief cease earlier than they’d begin migrating South in earnest.
