Northern Hawk-Owl at Zwolle in winter of 2013/14

On 12 November 2013, a train driver on a slow-riding train discovered a Northern Hawk-Owl Surnia ulula at Zwolle, Overijssel, the Netherlands. The bird perched on lines of the railway track within short distance of the passing train. The news was spread but not broadly picked up and searches the next days were fruitless. The bird was rediscovered independently on 24 November; again, the news was spread and, this time, the bird was relocated by local birders after dark and it was then twitched for a few hours in the dark, when perched on railway poles. From 25 November, the bird was seen daily until at least 26 January 2014. It was remarkably confiding and attracted 1000s of birders, also from abroad, and curious visitors attracted by lots of media attention. Probably, it was the country's most-visited vagrant ever. It was identified as nominate S u ulula from Scandinavia and northern Asia and aged as a first-winter. It hunted actively and successfully, mostly on mice, also by day, and prey identified from photographs included European Mole Talpa europaea, Wood Mouse Apodemus sylvaticus, Common Vole Microtus arvalis, Common Blackbird Turdus merula and European Blue Tit Cyanistes caeruleus.

This was the fourth record for the Netherlands, after birds in October 1920 (collected), April 1995 and October 2005. It was part of an influx from Scandinavia and/or Russia that brought higher-than-average numbers to Finland, Denmark and the Baltic states, as well as three birds to Poland and at least six to Germany, some as far south as Thüringen and Sachsen.

David Uit de Weerd, Marterveld 47, 8017 ME Zwolle, Nederland
(daviduitdeweerd@hotmail.com)
Hans Pohlmann, Boerhaar 47, 8131 SV Wijhe, Nederland
(hanspohlmann@gmail.com)
Lennaert Steen, Vrouwenlaan 153, 8017 HW Zwolle, Nederland
(lennaertsteen@gmail.com)

Voormalig broeden van Goudplevier, Bonte Strandloper en Bosruiter in Limburg en Noord-Brabant

Diverse legsels van voormalige Nederlandse broedvogels zijn geconserveerd in diverse musea in voornamelijk Engeland en Nederland. In dit artikel is deze bron van kennis gecombineerd met informatie uit diverse dagboeken, brieven en publicaties. Het broeden van Goudplevier Pluvialis apricaria, Bonte Strandloper Calidris alpina en Bosruiter Tringa glareola is gedocumenteerd voor het grensgebied van Limburg en Noord-Brabant. Dit bevat het Peelgebied samen met aangrenzende heidegebieden en gelijkwaardige habitats. Zo werden meer dan 100 legsels van Goudplevieren gevonden tussen 1845 en 1930 (cf appendix 1). Na deze periode werd in 1974 een nest gevonden bij Budel, Noord-Brabant. Er werden 21 nesten van Bonte Strandloper gevonden in de periode 1851-1860 in de omgeving van Valkenswaard, Noord-Brabant; hierna ondanks de activiteiten van diverse verzamelaars niet meer. Van Bosruiter werden 32 legsels verzameld en uit vijf nesten werden jongen verzameld in de periode 1848-1880. De aantallen van deze drie broedvogelsoorten geven een indicatie over de biodiversiteit van het Peelgebied in de tijd dat het nog uitgestrekt en onbebouwd was (appendix 1). Ook geven deze gegevens een idee over wat er mogelijk in soortgelijke landschappen elders in Nederland, België en Duitsland aan broedende steltlopers voorkwam.

Justin J F J Jansen, Ravelijn 6, 5361 EJ Grave, Nederland
(justin.jansen@gmail.com)

Call of Eastern Crowned Warbler in Katwijk in October 2007

On 5 October 2007, an Eastern Crowned Warbler Phylloscopus coronatus stayed at Katwijk aan Zee, Zuid-Holland, the Netherlands. During its stay, a series of calls was recorded from the bush the bird was in. During these calls, the bird was not in view. The calls did not fit any of the common bird species present in that bush but were also unknown from Eastern Crowned Warbler. Therefore, these calls were identified as possibly belonging to Eastern Crowned Warbler. In June 2013, a call of an Eastern Crowned Warbler was recorded on its breeding grounds in Far East Russia. This call was similar to the calls from Katwijk aan Zee. Furthermore, the field guide Birds of East Asia (Brazil 2009), published after 2007, also describes a similar call. The recording from Russia and the description in the new field guide make it very likely that the calls from Katwijk aan Zee were from the Eastern Crowned Warbler indeed.

Recordings of both calls in the sound gallery

Sander Bot, Kerklaan 30e, 9751 NN Haren, Nederland
(sanderbot@yahoo.co.uk)