Common sandpiper

Common sandpipers are much more rare on the Aazores than his American spotted cousine. Finding one on the bridge from Sete Cidades is always a nice cherry on the cake.

Purple sandpiper

Snowy owl on Flores

I have no doubt to answer when somebody askes me what was my most exiting bird.

Bar tailed Godwit on my patch

Black tern

Bobolink

Woodcock

American redstart

Upland sandpiper

On the soccer field from Lajes das Flores black and white are living in harmony.

Wood Ducks on Flores

There is no birder who nows his way around on the Azores as Staffan Rodebrand. One more time he got some good birds on his "second home" Flores Island. 

Red Knot

Hooded Merganser

It is not always nessecarie to walk true the fogg getting weth and coverd whit cowshit to find a good bird. This merganser was around for several month in the centre of Ponta Delgada.

Rose-breasted Grossbeak

For some American passerines I prefer to move to the Westgroup. To avoid the overcrowded  twitcher paradise Corvo I travel several times a year to the amazing Island Flores. It,s hard birding in this big green forrest whit litle streams, waterfalls and steep cliffs but if you want to find your big bird by yourself this is the Island.

Goldcrest

It's not only raritys and one of the tree subspecies of Goldcrest is hopping around Lagoa Azul

Semipalmated Sandpiper

Lesser and Greather scaups

Probably there is no other place in the WP where birds from two continents can be seen together

Least and Semipalmated sandpiper

Another great spot is the little pond from local farmer Joao Silvestre wich I check out on my way to Ponta Delgada. 

American wigeons

Ducks from both continent's arive in Autum and during winter on the Lakes and litle ponds. Some of them are seen for a day our two but others stay around until early spring.

White rumped sandpiper

Between Turnstones, Whimbrels and Little Egrets I can find American vagrants any moment.

My patch

I,m probably one of the most lucky birders in the WP living between the great wader and seawatch hotspot Mosteiros and the crater lakes from Sete Cidades. Every little muddy pond could bring me a fantastic bird coming from  east our  west. I can watch dolphins,whales and seabirds just from out of my garden.