Birding in Geneva, Bar-tailed Godwits etc.

[butor2003]

Went to the Sionnet marsh today, one or two of the not so common wader species for Switzerland: 2 Bar-tailed Godwits, 3 Spotted Redshank, 5 Ruff, 3 or more Wood Sandpipers and 2 Greenshanks. Otherwise 3 Lapwings, the usual masses of Black Kites and several Buzzards. The first Golden Orioles are being heard.

Mike

[Colin Key]

Sounds great Mike. I have met very few Swiss birders and do not know the locality you refer to but the more information you post on here the better it will be for birding in Switzerland.

Go for it!!

Regards,

Colin :certifiable:

[butor2003]

Colin, Sionnet is a small reserve on the outskirts of Geneva. A very old boggy area was drained and made agricultural probably about 50 or 60 years ago but often flooded. Now it has been revitalised as a reserve and it is doing very well indeed. Switzerland has a surprising number of migrating waders considering how far it is from the sea. I visited another site on Lake Geneva (Préverenges) today and in addition to Ruff, Bar-tailed Godwit, Little Ringed Plover, Common Ringed Plover, Redshank, Greenshank and Common Sandpiper a couple of late Black Scoter were not far off-shore... Here Black Scoter is much rarer than Velvet Scoter on Lake Geneva.

Mike