One of our sons had a meeting in Prague, so my wife and I booked flights to join him afterward on our first trip to Europe as a couple. I knew the trip would mostly be about seeing the sights (and they were spectacular) so I didn’t bring my big Sigma zoom lens that I use for birding here at home.
I did pack my 75-300mm Canon zoom, figuring I’d get a couple of chances to use it in Prague and on a day trip we’d take to Dresden, Germany. As it turned out, I only got to use the Canon on our last day in Prague, when we walked across the famed Charles Bridge over the Vlatava River. About half the bridge is shown in the background of the photo topping this post.
Black-headed gulls swarmed the bridge and the areas surrounding it. The bridge, which dates to the 14th century, has 30 statues flanking it. Not surprisingly, the statues serve as landing spots for the birds.
We crossed the bridge in the hour before sunset under heavy cloud cover, so conditions were not ideal for photos. But I still got a few shots I’m comfortable sharing here.
The black-headed gulls and jackdaws were new entries on my life list. My wife pointed out a mute swan on the water. I’ve seen plenty of them in the U.S., but I was surprised to find out when I posted the swan on e-Bird that it counted as a lifer. That’s because mute swans aren’t native in the United States, same as the European starlings we see most days.
Other lifers spotted from or near the Charles Bridge were tufted ducks and Eurasian coots, which look remarkably like their American counterparts.
We spent most of our time in Old Town Prague, and other than pigeons, I saw only a few birds. No sparrows, but I did spot two Eurasian blackbirds in the trees as we walked through a small park on our way to Wenceslas Square.
Last Saturday, Dec. 7, we boarded a train for a two-hour trip to Dresden, Germany. The train followed the Elbe River most of the way, and we passed through some hills that had a smattering of snow on them. We spotted a few birds from the windows. I had a good look at a great cormorant spreading its wings at the river’s edge.
Dresden was humming because it was the day of the annual Stollenfest, when the bakers and pastry makers in town make a huge Christmas stollen and parade it through the streets. The tradition goes back a couple of centuries.
After we watched that delightful spectacle, we walked through a park along the Elbe. I heard a bird singing, whipped out my Merlin app and it lit up with a great tit. I spotted one in a tree, but with only my normal kit lens attached to my camera, I had no chance at a decent photo.
A couple of carrion crows strutted on the ground. They seemed slightly smaller than their American cousins but had the same swagger.
All told, I added nine birds to my life list, bringing the total to 229. Given that I spent barely the equivalent of two hours looking for birds, I think that’s a good haul.
I hope to return to the Czech Republic and to Germany some day and find more new birds in the Old World. Meantime, I’ve headed back out to my usual haunts, glad to be home and better for experiencing six days in Europe. 🦅
The Jersey Birder 