Near the Hotel and Bergen / Belson POW / Concentration Camp, Germany.

A day of mixed feelings.

I started the day with a short walk from the hotel through a small wooded area where I picked up Nuthatch (Trepador Azul / Sitta europaea), Great (Carbonera Común / Parus major) and Blue Tits (Herrerillo Común / Parus caeruleus), Tree Sparrow (Gorrión Molinero / Passer montanus), Greenfinch (Verderón Común / Carduelis chloris), Common Chaffinch (Pinzón Vulgar / Fringilla coelebs), Carrion Crow (Corneja Negra / Corvus corone), Common Magpie (Urraca / Pica pica), Jay (Arrendajo / Garrulus glandarius), Blackbird (Mirlo Común / Turdus merula), Great Spotted Woodpecker (Pico Picapinos / Dendrocopos major), Robin (Petirrojo Europeo / Erithacus rubecula), Woodpigeon (Paloma Torcaz / Columba palumbus) and Wren (Chochin / Troglodytes troglodytes).

Later we picked up Al and headed just down the road to the Bergen / Belsen Monument where we walked around the grounds, wooldlands and remains of the POW / Concentration Camp, this was a couple of hours of mixed emotions. After the grounds we spent another three hours in the documentation centre, this was a place that really opened your eyes to how bad the human race can be.

In the grounds and woodlands I recorded several very nice species including an immature White-tailed Eagle (Pigargo Europeo /Haliaeetus albicilla), Black Woodpecker (Picamaderos Negro / Dryocopus martius), Great Grey Shrike (Alcaudón Norteño / Lanius excubitor), Mistle Thrush (Zorzal Charlo / Turdus viscivorus), Fieldfare (Zorzal Real / Turdus pilaris), Goldcrest (Reyezuelo Sencillo / Regulus regulus), Marsh Tit (Carbonero Palustre /Parus palustris), Common Buzzard (Busardo Ratonero / Buteo buteo), Nuthatch (Trepador Azul / Sitta europaea), Great Spotted Woodpecker (Pico Picapinos / Dendrocopos major) and Grey Heron (Garza Real / Ardea cinerea).