After having explored some vineyards above the village of Rüdesheim am Rhein lately, I made a decision to go birding in an analogous space nearer to Bonn. I learn that the world round Leutesdorf, simply north of the town of Koblenz, is an efficient spot for Rock Bunting, nonetheless my major quarry within the space. Though the climate didn’t look too rosy it’s a simple journey by practice from Bonn, so I made a decision to pay the world a morning go to realizing that I may pop into the practice again if the climate grew to become too ghastly.
Ascending the vineyards from the practice station in Leutesdorf, I heard the distinctive high-pitched name and certain sufficient, a Rock Bunting was perched on the wires supporting the grape vines. Mission completed! Seeing this fowl instantly after arriving jogged my memory of my latest Cirl Bunting sighting, additionally the primary fowl I noticed on my final outing to search for buntings. This looks as if an odd – however welcome – flip of occasions after having didn’t see this species a number of occasions within the area.
Though I just about simply got here for the Rock Bunting, I made a decision to walk round a bit extra, additionally hoping to get extra sightings of the fowl. The inclement climate hampered the birding fairly a bit and birds appeared quite inactive, however I did stumble throughout European Serin, Pink-backed Shrike and Eurasian Blackcap, amongst others.
An enormous European Hare was cute to look at as effectively, a pleasant change from the European Rabbits which might be quite common in our native park. It initially ran off, however then adopted a distinct technique by crouching on the bottom and counting on its camouflage, its large eyes wanting up at me.
I additionally bought just a few extra views of Rock Buntings, together with an immature. This fowl was very nondescript (though a clearer picture would doubtlessly present extra options!), and jogged my memory a little bit of a first-winter feminine Frequent Reed Bunting. Non-breeding or feminine buntings might be fairly difficult to ID, which makes all of them the extra thrilling since there could be just a few vagrants strewn in there as effectively – in all probability not in a winery within the center Rhine valley, however thrilling species flip up every year alongside the coast throughout migration season (akin to on Heligoland).
I made a decision to make a transfer when the drizzle grew to become extra intense. As I used to be ready for the practice on the platform, I noticed a Rock Bunting calling from the winery simply 10 meters away. Humorous how generally you seek for birds for ages and whenever you’re in the suitable space, or by likelihood, they’re virtually too straightforward to see. I skilled an ideal illustration of this a few years in the past once I was touring in New Zealand with my household. One night, my dad alerted me to the presence of a Weka (a flightless rail) and I frantically scrambled up a path, tripping dramatically on the way in which however nonetheless managing to see the fowl. Over the subsequent few days, I noticed, that the hassle was pointless, as Wekas had been just about behind each bush, even stealing socks from us and different hikers and campers. My household nonetheless repeatedly jogs my memory of that sighting once I get enthusiastic about birds.
