EuroMegavaction Episode BIRDS

Posted by BLD in MT November 26, 2025

EuroMegavaction Episode BIRDS

I figured that traveling to Europe this year would add a few new birds to my Life List, but it wasn't a priority. Matt didn't plan any birding-specific activities. We rarely do. And yet we've always encountered new-to-us birds without trying during our travels, wherever we go. Even in parking lots. Even at the airport.

Graylag Geese (and goslings!) along the Rhine near Bacharach. 5/6/2025

I'll never forget when Matt and I visited Adam in California on our Honeymoon Megavacation. We were walking to the store when we started swooning over a phoebe we'd never seen before, trying to identify it. Adam had patiently watched this play out a few time already. Finally Adam said something like, "Okay, guys. I'm giving you a two-minute limit per bird." It was so funny. Adam was smart to set us a time limit. It is like taking Ryan to a beer superstore. Time can get away from from an enthusiastic hobbyist.

The Hôtel de Ville (Town Hall) on the Grand Place in Brussels. 4/30/2025

So I was delighted--DELIGHTED--by all the new birds we saw in Belgium, Germany, and Austria. The EuroMegavaction added 32 new birds to my Life List. This brings the grand total to 239 different birds.

Castles and vineyards along the Rhine between Bacharach and Boppard. 5/6/2025

Some of these new birds were the nearly identical to their American cousins. For example, the Gray Herons we saw on the walk to Detwang and by the river in Bacharach was exceedingly similar to the Great Blue Herons we have along the rivers here in Montana. Same with the Eurasian Magpie versus the Black-beaked Magpie. A casual observer would say they were the same bird.

Stained glass inside the Cathedral of St. Michael and St. Gudula in Brussels. 4/30/2025

Conversely, Europe's Common Redstart looks radically different than our American Redstart. Same with the European Robin compared to the American Robin. I thought the European Robin was so freaking cute!! They're so round!

Matt looking mighty pleased to be in the land of castles and lakes! 5/11/2025

I had placed one bird on my "Things I Hope To Experience in Europe" dream list. I don't remember where I first heard about the Eurasian Blue Tit. It was years ago. I really wanted to see one. And ohhhhhh, boy! They were just a striking as the photos had led me to believe. They remind me of Chickadees, but fancier.

The Galeries Royales Saint-Hubert. It is a glass-covered shopping arcade/mall in Brussels. 4/30/2025

As a bonus, in addition to the Blue Tit, we saw countless Great Tits. These colorful cuties were all over the place. From Bertix to Salzburg, we saw them in parks, gardens, lawns, and patios. I also especially admired the Red-Crested Pochard and the Great Spotted Woodpecker. The (non-native/invasive) Egyptian Goose and Mandarin Duck were also pretty jaw-dropping. We watch a small flock of Egyptian Geese mowing down fluffy dandelion seed heads one after another after another. They were sort of spooky looking with their eyes outlined in ghostly white feathers.

I had to strike a pose with this stone stairway banister shaped like a giant basilisk! 5/13/2025

We saw a bunch of Red Kites soaring overhead when we were hanging around the pool with Marj and Phil. Phil called them by another (more beautiful) name--Milan Royale. The birding on Phil's property was excellent. From the pond to the lilacs, I was in bird delight. The European Goldfinch literally made me "oooooooh."

Check out that amazing brickwork in the ceiling of the Église Saint-Jean-Baptiste au Béguinage in Brussels. 4/30/2025

We saw a handful of birds that live in Montana (and were already on my Life List). It felt fairly odd to walk up on flocks of Canada Geese. Montana physically borders Canada so that fits. Canada is so far from Europe I was pretty surprised to see them there. It amuses me to think that a House Sparrow can be live in a rural Montana town, in an urban city in Arizona, or a village in Germany. They're so adaptable!

A gargoyle perched high up on the south tower of the Cologne Dom. 5/2/2025

Below is a list of all 39 birds we positively identified during our EuroMegavacation. I've included hyperlinks for all the new-to-us birds. My phone camera was in no way up to the task of capturing their glory so I'll let eBird show off how cool they are!