Wave after wave after wave
Dark morph Booted Eagle. Photo by Tom Bovens.
The station 1 team posing in front of one of many rainbows decorating the bottleneck. Photo by Joachim Pintens.
Over 800,000 raptors counted — and we’re not even halfway through the season! We had just caught our breath after the Honey Buzzard peak when the next wave arrived: Steppe Buzzards, Black Kites, and juvenile Honey Buzzards in full force! Oh and do they love to scatter in all directions… But we kept pace with the flow.
We had some unforgettable moments during the count: sunrises lit with harriers and late afternoons when rainbows formed behind Black Storks kettling through. Moments when we were wrapped in clouds and rain, convinced the skies had gone silent, when the sudden screech of Honey Buzzards broke through - calling to one another as their shapes emerged from the mist.
In the great kettles of Honey Buzzards, the team searched for Crested Honey Buzzards — and they finally showed up in the last few days! The raptors - who take the center stage in our count - together with the constant calls of European Bee-eaters, along with flocks of Rollers, Pelicans, Glossy Ibises, Hobbies and Black Storks, are making this once again an unforgettable count.
A kettle of Honey Buzzards. Photo by Eduardo Campos Wals.
A juvenile Black Kite. Photo by Eduardo Campos Wals.