Vineyards near Koblenz – 10,000 Birds

After having explored some vineyards above the village of Rüdesheim am Rhein recently, I decided to go birding in a similar area closer to Bonn. I read that the area around Leutesdorf, just north of the city of Koblenz, is a good spot for Rock Bunting, still my main quarry in the area. Although the weather didn’t look too rosy it’s an easy journey by train from Bonn, so I decided to pay the area a morning visit knowing that I could pop into the train back if the weather became too ghastly.

Ascending the vineyards from the train station in Leutesdorf, I heard the distinctive high-pitched call and sure enough, a Rock Bunting was perched on the wires supporting the grape vines. Mission accomplished! Seeing this bird immediately after arriving reminded me of my recent Cirl Bunting sighting, also the first bird I saw on my last outing to look for buntings. This seems like a strange – but welcome – turn of events after having failed to see this species several times in the region.

Although I pretty much just came for the Rock Bunting, I decided to stroll around a bit more, also hoping to get more sightings of the bird. The inclement weather hampered the birding quite a bit and birds seemed rather inactive, but I did stumble across European Serin, Red-backed Shrike and Eurasian Blackcap, amongst others.

A massive European Hare was cute to watch as well, a nice change from the European Rabbits that are very common in our local park. It initially ran off, but then adopted a different strategy by crouching on the ground and relying on its camouflage, its big eyes looking up at me.

I also got a few more views of Rock Buntings, including an immature. This bird was very nondescript (although a clearer photo would doubtlessly show more features!), and reminded me a bit of a first-winter female Common Reed Bunting. Non-breeding or female buntings can be quite challenging to ID, which makes them all the more exciting since there might be a few vagrants strewn in there as well – probably not in a vineyard in the middle Rhine valley, but exciting species turn up each year along the coast during migration season (such as on Heligoland).

I decided to make a move when the drizzle became more intense. As I was waiting for the train on the platform, I observed a Rock Bunting calling from the vineyard just 10 meters away. Funny how sometimes you search for birds for ages and when you’re in the right area, or by chance, they are almost too easy to see. I experienced a perfect illustration of this many years ago when I was traveling in New Zealand with my family. One evening, 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 but still managing to see the bird. Over the next few days, I realized, that the effort was unnecessary, as Wekas were pretty much behind every bush, even stealing socks from us and other hikers and campers. My family still regularly reminds me of that sighting when I get excited about birds.