Common Grackle migrating over
Kamperhoek in the Netherlands in April 2013
In April 2013, I was involved in a study on the feeding behaviour of
birds in onion fields in Flevoland, the Netherlands. The first five
days of the month were remarkably cold for the time of year. Apart from
a relatively warm period in the beginning of March, when thousands of
Common Cranes Grus grus
migrated northward, the winter seemed endless.
Therefore, it came as no surprise that I encountered only very few
birds. During the first weekend of April, however, things finally
started to change. On Saturday, I enjoyed gripping views of a female
Eurasian Eagle-Owl Bubo
bubo with two chicks in a quarry near
Winterswijk, Gelderland, as well as of displaying Black Woodpeckers Dryocopus
martius and Middle Spotted Woodpeckers Dendrocopos medius
and a
Eurasian Treecreeper Certhia
familiaris in nearby forests. Sunday
started foggy but eventually turned into a beautiful day. Although a
walk through the Kennemerduinen near Bloemendaal, Noord-Holland,
produced low numbers of migrants, it felt like something big was about
to happen.
The next morning, Monday 8 April, as I was on my way to
Flevoland, I decided to visit the famous migration hot spot Kamperhoek
near Swifterbant in that same province. Since this was my first visit I did not really know
what to expect. While driving on the A6 near Lelystad, Flevoland, I saw
hundreds of Common Starlings Sturnus
vulgaris, heading in the same
direction as I was. Nervously, I speeded up a little. Around 08:15 I
parked my car on the Ketelmeerdijk. As I got out of the car I was
greeted by an unpleasantly cold wind from the east and immediately it
felt like winter again. This explained why the four birdwatchers that
were already present were sheltering behind their vehicles. I briefly
said hi and sat down next to Ton Lakeman.
Next to him sat Mervyn
Roos, Thijs Knol and Guido Berger, all regular visitors of Kamperhoek.
It did not take long to
realise that many birds were on the move. In the next 45 minutes we
counted for example around 300 White-fronted Geese Anser
albifrons, 500 Common Wood Pigeons Columba palumbus, a
Western Great
Egret Casmerodius albus albus,
two Western Marsh Harriers Circus
aeruginosus,
1500 Common Starlings, 100 Meadow Pipits Anthus
pratensis and 80 Common Chaffinches Fringilla coelebs.
A Barn Swallow
Hirundo rustica
was still a year tick for me.

Common Wood Pigeons
Columba palumba,
Kamperhoek, Flevoland, the Netherlands, 10:33 8 April
2013 (Roy Slaterus).
The combination of cold wind and numerous birds
meant that not much talking was done. We were all just focused on one
thing: counting. I was very much impressed by the hundreds of Common Wood
Pigeons that were flying overhead against the wind across the
Ketelmeer. By the end of the day their numbers would pass 12 000 - a
record for this location. I was also impressed by Mervyn's superb
eyesight. He repeatedly found and identified birds that were still
miles away. One of the species he picked up easily was Mistle Thrush
Turdus viscivorus.
Most of the 27 individuals that we saw between 09:00
and 10:45 followed the same route crossing the Ketelmeerdijk c 500 m
south-east of where we sat. In strong light and at long range,
obviously, there was not much detail to rely on.
Because I was
intrigued by this 'channel' of Mistle Thrushes I regularly scanned the
area. At 10:49 I noticed a strange bird taking the same route. It
seemed slightly bigger than a Mistle Thrush, for a moment making me wonder if it
could be a White's Thrush Zoothera
aurea. I said something like: "What
kind of large thrush is that?" Immediately, I grabbed my camera and
took three photos. Ton also saw the bird, but the others were still
counting starlings and pigeons. It all went fast and as the bird
disappeared over the lake, I presumed its identity would always remain
a mystery. The images on the display of my camera showed a dark bird
with a funny tail and a strong bill. At that point, however, Mervyn got
his eyes on the bird and shouted out loud. Miraculously, it had
returned to the dike and was now coming closer. Seconds later it flew
straight over our heads. In much better light I had a good look at it.
It now reminded me of a Common Grackle Quiscalus quiscula,
a species I
had seen some years ago in the United States. I heard Mervyn fire a few
shots with his camera; the best sound I could imagine at this moment!
The others were also looking up and watching this extraordinary bird.
Adrenaline was pumping. Again, it changed its path and flew to the
north-east. Gradually it became a small dot up in the sky, just like so
many other migrants.

Common Grackle Quiscalus
quiscula, Kamperhoek,
Flevoland, the Netherlands, 10:50 8 April 2013 (Roy Slaterus). Just
seconds after I had found it and still at a distance of c 450
m!

Common Grackle Quiscalus
quiscula, Kamperhoek,
Flevoland, the Netherlands, 10:53 8 April 2013 (Mervyn Roos). Contrast between blue head and
brown body typical of Q
q versicolor.

Common Grackle Quiscalus
quiscula, Kamperhoek,
Flevoland, the Netherlands, 10:53 8 April 2013 (Mervyn Roos). Contrast between blue head and
brown body typical of Q
q versicolor.

Common Grackles Quiscalus
quiscula from The Crossley ID Guide: Eastern Birds (website).
The bird left us confused. Although I
suspected that it could have been a Common Grackle, I was far from sure
about this identification. A few other species from other continents
were also mentioned. What we did know was that this was no European
species. Our hope was that the photos would allow identification at a
later point. We were just not prepared for a Common Grackle yet!
It was
a weird sensation, having just picked out this amazing bird from a
stream of common migrants and then trying to remember what it looked
like. Every detail could be relevant. At the same time Common Wood
Pigeons and Common Starlings were flying by in even higher numbers than
before. They literally forced us to start counting again. Also a Black
Stork Ciconia nigra
and a Red Kite Milvus
milvus drew our attention.
Around noon things slowed down a bit and I decided to leave. I just
needed to go home and check every field guide in my bookcase for this
one bird...

Common Wood Pigeons Columba
palumba, Kamperhoek, Flevoland,
the Netherlands, 10:59 8 April 2013 (Roy Slaterus).

Common Starlings
Sturnus vulgaris
and Common Wood Pigeons Columba
palumba, Kamperhoek,
Flevoland, the Netherlands, 11:38 8 April 2013 (Roy Slaterus).

Red Kite
Milvus milvus,
Kamperhoek, Flevoland, the Netherlands, 12:06 8 April
2013 (Roy Slaterus).
After studying the photos it became clear that the
Kamperhoek bird indeed was a Common Grackle - a North American species
that had never been seen before in the Netherlands. Size and
proportions, pale eye,
strong bill and wedge-shaped tail all pointed at Common Grackle, while
the
strong contrast between glossy blue head and neck and glossy brown
body was typical of the migratory subspecies Q q versicolor (Bronzed Grackle). Age and sex could not be determined with certainty; females
are slightly smaller than males and show less gloss. Based on the large
amount of gloss in the plumage and the triangular appearance of the
tail in side view it was probably a male.
First for the Netherlands and Western Palearctic
Although the occurrence of Common Grackle in Europe was already
predicted - e.g. in an article about potential North American vagrants
by Chandler Robbins (Br Birds 73: 448-457, 1980) - the Kamperhoek bird
came as a surprise to all Dutch birders. There were no previous records of Common Grackle in the Netherlands. Within the Western Palearctic only one
other sighting is known, namely at Gevninge, Sjælland, Denmark,
from late-March to c 20 April 1970. This sighting was, however, not
accepted by the Danish rarities committee. The reason for this is not
entirely clear; from what can be traced after so many years it seems that this bird showed no signs of captivity.
Distribution
Common
Grackle is a common to abundant species in a large part of North
America. It is also one of the most abundant species when watching
visual migration in eastern North America. Along the East Coast it
migrates north between mid-February and mid-April. Bronzed Grackle is a
migrant that breeds in Canada (e.g. on Newfoundland) and in a large
part of the United States and winters as south as Texas. Northern birds
tend to migrate the furthest ('leap-frog migration').
Common Grackle is regularly found outside
its normal range, for example along the West Coast of the United States
and north of its breeding range in Canada. Interesting records are
those of Bronzed Grackles collected near Wainwright,
Alaska, on 17 June 1943 and near Barrow, Alaska, from 24-27 June 2012. Both
locations
are situated along the Arctic Ocean, at c 2000 km north-west of the
closest breeding areas. There are also several records known from
Bermuda, in the Atlantic Ocean c 1000 km off North Carolina. In
March-April 2003 an influx took place, with for example 12 individuals
on 11 March and 20 on 19 March, illustrating the potential for transatlantic vagrancy.

Common Grackle Quiscalus
quiscula, Barrow, Alaska, United States, 24 June 2012
(Gavin Bieber) - a major rarity at the northernmost point of the United
States!
Contrast between blue head and brown body typical of Q q versicolor.
Other
North American landbirds that have been recorded in the Netherlands are Belted Kingfisher Megaceryle
alcyon, Red-eyed Vireo Vireo olivaceus
(nine records), Northern Mockingbird Mimus polyglottos, Grey-cheeked Thrush Catharus minimus, American Robin Turdus migratorius, Indigo Bunting
Passerina cyanea
(two), Song Sparrow Melospiza melodia, White-throated Sparrow Zonotrichia albicollis (five), Dark-eyed Junco Junco hyemalis (three),
Yellow-headed Blackbird Xanthocephalus xanthocephalus, Baltimore Oriole Icterus
galbula (two), Northern Waterthrush Parkesia
noveboracensis and Myrtle Warbler Setophaga coronata.
Most recent were Song Sparrow (April 2006), Baltimore Oriole (December
2009 to April 2010), Northern Waterthrush (September 2010), American
Robin (April 2014), Dark-eyed Junco (February to April 2015 and May
2017), Red-eyed Vireo (October 2018) and Grey-cheeked Thrush (November
2018).
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