{"id":7336,"date":"2024-11-02T15:06:30","date_gmt":"2024-11-02T14:06:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/albicillaexplorer.com\/?p=7336"},"modified":"2024-11-05T10:55:52","modified_gmt":"2024-11-05T09:55:52","slug":"a-nfl-at-the-cowboy-city-grey-necked-bunting","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/albicillaexplorer.com\/en\/a-nfl-at-the-cowboy-city-grey-necked-bunting\/","title":{"rendered":"A NFL at the Cowboy City: Grey-necked Bunting"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
A NFL at the Cowboy City: Grey-necked Bunting<\/h5>\n\n\n\n

On October 28, 2024, a Grey-necked Bunting (Emberiza buchanani) was found in North Zealand – specifically in Sortemosen, Hareskovby. It was actually an NFL and that’s pretty wild! NFL is birder-lingo for a new species for the country. A bird species that has never before been recorded in Denmark, so it has nothing to do with North American football. The bird was feeding along the path system at the Cowboy City (Cowboybyen) housing association and was very trusting. Although the species has been long awaited in Denmark, it was still a surprise. If nothing else, the location was very much a surprise. The Grey-necked Bunting is a Central Asian species that lives on dry, rocky mountainsides, in ravines and on grassy highland plateaus. The species overwinters in India. And now one individual was sitting on a pedestrian and bicycle path in a residential neighborhood just outside Copenhagen!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We were on the island M\u00f8n when the bird was reported on BirdAlarm. Had we been in Copenhagen, we would have moved on the bird immediately. But even if we threw our stuff in the car, we probably wouldn’t have arrived in Hareskovby until darkness fell. And there was no guarantee that the bird would still be there!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Grey-necked
Grey-necked Bunting (Emberiza buchanani). Cowboybyen, Hareskovby, 29 Oktober 2024.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
ECO-twitching <\/h5>\n\n\n\n

The next day I got up early, had a quick cup of coffee before jumping on my bike and heading out before sunrise. At that time, the bird had not yet been reported. If the bird was still there, it would be announced right away. Because there were already people ready at the location. Many hopeful birders had driven from Jutland during the night to be ready at first light. As expected, when I stopped for a red light on Rosen\u00f8rns All\u00e9 in the middle of Copenhagen, the Grey-necked Bunting was reported via BirdAlarm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The bird was still in place so there was still hope, but I was in a hurry because you want to get there before the bird flies away – it wouldn’t be the first time in history that it happened. I chose the bike for several reasons. The transportation time would probably be the same whether I cycled or took the car. The day’s exercise was done and I could brag about being climate conscious and call it ECO-twitching! And then there was also something about the car with a car service agreement that was about to expire…<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I had a fairly good grasp of the first part of the route, but not the last and more winding part. I just didn’t want to go wrong anywhere. So I kept checking the route on Google Maps (when I stopped!) – and I was on the right track. Along the way I passed many cyclists, including many on e-bikes – even uphill! I think I felt a bit like Vingegaard must have felt on the (mountain) single start in the Tour de France in 2023 – I was riding with binoculars, telescope and camera on my back! In any case, I covered the 18 km in a record breaking time – and the bird had just flown when I arrived! f@#%!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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