| Pygmy Cormorant sightings in the spring of 2019 – H home of the long-staying bird in Brussels; 1 Zedelgem on 27-28 April; 2 Antwerp on 1 May; 3 Antwerp on 1 June; 4 Hurwenen on 3 June; 5 Keent on 5-6 June; and 6 Zemst on 10 June. |
| o |
| Pygmy Cormorant – wandering around |
| On
23-24 January 1999, the first Pygmy Cormorant Microcarbo pygmaeus
for the Netherlands was observed by many birdwatchers at Montfoort in
Utrecht. Up to the end of 2018, five more sightings of this species
were accepted by the Dutch rarities committee: on 12 June 1999 in
Flevoland; on 6 May 2000 in North Brabant; from 1-26 March 2003 in Limburg
(and across the border in Belgium); from 9 May-12 June 2010 in Gelderland;
and on 7 May 2013 in North Holland. The fifth Pygmy Cormorant for Belgium was a first-winter found at Auderghem in Brussels on 12 January 2018. This bird proved to be a long-stayer – actually, it is still there at this very moment (more than two years later). However, I believe it has also been wandering around for quite a bit, at least during the spring of 2019. Here follows my reconstruction of its journey. In early 2019, the popular Pygmy Cormorant was frequently seen on his favourite – but somewhat difficult to watch – ponds in Brussels until 18 April. Then, on 27-28 April, one turned up at Zedelgem in West Flanders. This could have been the same bird, but without good photographs there is no way to prove this. The same goes for a report on 1 May near Antwerp. From 8-18 May, the well-known bird was observed in Brussels again, but on 1 June it showed up at Antwerp, this time giving good views to several birders who came to see it. On 3 June the same bird was photographed in the Netherlands at Hurwenen in Gelderland, and on 5-6 June many people saw it at Keent in North Brabant (seventh Dutch record). On 10 June it was back in Belgium, being photographed near Zemst in Flemish Brabant, while from 13 June onwards there were regular sightings in Brussels once more. The reason why I believe it was the same bird? Because photographs from all these locations show a similar-looking adult bird, actively moulting two inner tail feathers (t1 and t2 on the left). Examples can be found here (note also the progress of the moult): 23 March, Brussels 17 May, Brussels 1 June, Antwerp 3 June, Hurwenen 6 June, Keent 6 June, Keent 10 June, Zemst |
| Pygmy Cormorant sightings in the spring of 2019 – H home of the long-staying bird in Brussels; 1 Zedelgem on 27-28 April; 2 Antwerp on 1 May; 3 Antwerp on 1 June; 4 Hurwenen on 3 June; 5 Keent on 5-6 June; and 6 Zemst on 10 June. |
| Pygmy Cormorant at Keent on 6 June 2019 – my second sighting of this species in the Netherlands, after the one at Montfoort in 1999. |
| Pygmy Cormorant at Auderghem in Brussels on 25 January 2020 – now at its favourite spot in Belgium. |
| Published 3 February 2020 |