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Vagrant European Roller near Tuebingen in Germany
During the last week a European (Eurasian) Roller, Coracias garrulous, could be seen south of Wurmlingen a suburb of Rottenburg am Neckar southwest of Tuebingen. The bird stayed for almost one week in a flat area of meadows and agricultural fields with the name Suelcher Field (Sülcher Feld). The roller was observed the first time on Friday, May, 10th of 2013 by Stefan Hecht. The bird was quite mobile but usually stayed in several dedicated locations in the Suelcher field. Often it was observed sitting on the power lines and also in a special bush where this images could be shot on May, 13th 2013. The last observations could be made on May, 15th. Some observers saw the bird hunting insects both from the ground and in the air and then consuming it on one of its preferred perches.
In his „Handbuch der Vögel Mitteleuropas“, Band 9 „Columbiformes – Piciformes“ Urs N. Glutz von Blotzheim mentioned that until the 1980s, this colorful birds still bred in some parts of Brandenburg, especially in the Lausitz and in the Letzlinger Heide near Magedburg. The last breeding bird for the western part of the country was reported from 1965 when one of the adults was shot dead near Dettingen an der Teck (near Nuertingen) which is roughly 50 km as the bird flies from the location of the recent observation. The last observation of a vagrant bird twittered via the german Club-300 was from Continue reading
Great Crested Grebes on floating nest
Great Crested Grebe (Podiceps cristatus) are common birds in Germany. Its population is therefore largely constant. Following severe persecution in the 19th century a significant recovery was observed since the mid-20th century. The grebes benefited mainly from the increase in the food supply of small fish in nutrient-rich waters. However, their habitat by water sports activities as well as fertilizers and pesticides from agriculture is also threatened from time to time. Not to be underestimated is the illegal persecution by fishermen.
It was a big surprise when people told me that in the immediate vicinity of my home a couple of grebes should breed. The area was well known as a recreational area – a lake with pedal boats, swimming & bathing areas, round trips, anglers and dog meeting points. I did not remember to have identified any riparian vegetation zone with reeds or rushes. Only mallards (Anas platyrhynchos) had their paradise on earth there, because they were fed by careless walkers regularly with tons of bread. At such a lake could never grebes breed, so I thought! So I let the matter rest.
About six weeks later I was looking for an opportunity to test the autofocus of my newly purchased camera, a Canon EOS 1 Mark IV with a Canon 400mm f4,0 DO. I remembered the Mallards Continue reading
Heavy influx of migrating White-winged Tern in Germany
Today saw a remarkable influx of White-winged Tern, Chlidonias leucopterus, in several parts of northern Germany. Observations were recorded from the Seeburger See (lake) near Goettingen (1 indiv.), from the Wedeler Marsch near Pinneberg (13 indiv.), from the Winsener Marsch near Winsen an der Luhe (2 indiv.), from the Sulzdorfer Wiek on the islands of Fehmarn (3 indiv.), from the Okeraue near Braunschweig (1 indiv.), from the “Langes Moor” near Cuxhaven and a maximum of 252 indiv. from Dreye (a southern suburb of Bremen in Niedersachsen.
Mid of may is generally a good time to see White-winged Terns. In the evening of May, 14th of 2007 more than 200 individuals of these terns flew over the nature reserve “Streng”. Sometimes the terns picked in front of the observation tower in short hovering flights insects from the reed bed. In the meantime other White-winged Terns flew over the meadows where they were seen in company with Gulls, Common Black-headed Gull (Larus ridibundus). Remarkably, only one Black Tern, Chlidonias niger, mixed among the many White-winged Tern.
The White-winged tern used to be a rare bird Continue reading
Birding around Frankfurt Airport – Wagbachniederung:
Frankfurt Airport (FRA) is the gateway to continental Europe. Many airlines use the Airport as a hub for connecting flights all over the world. If you have spare time between two flight and you are a birdwatcher, you might be interested to know, where you can find good places to stretch your legs, enjoy fresh air and enjoy birding for typical european birds.
One of these sites is the best riparin forest 110 km south of Frankfurt, called The “Wagbachniederung” . This location is situated on the right bank of the Rhine at Waghaeusel southeast of Speyer between Mannheim and Karlsruhe. The Wagbachniederung was formerly a loop of the Rhine, which was separated from the main stream naturally about 8.000 years ago. The NSG extents to 224 hectares in size. It is composed of remnants of original reeds and scattered meadows, an abandoned gravel pit, and for the most part from sewage and sludge ponds from a former sugar factory in Waghaeusel. Like all such lagoons, they contain a very rich organic soup which nourishes abundant insect life. The site seems to very attractive to migrating waders.
The NSG is an important stopover for shorebirds and other migratory birds. The area is a breeding site of roughly 100 bird species. Approx. 250 bird species have been observed there – including some species which are normally rare in Germany. The spring is the best time to visit. You might observe Purple Heron, Ardea purpurea, nowhere Continue reading
Canon EOS 1 Mark IV, ein Erfahrungsbericht
Als (nach 25 Jahren) unzufriedener Nikon-Fotograf hatte ich Gelegenheit ein völlig neues fotografisches System zu suchen. Da ich mich weiter in Richtung Vogelfotografie entwickeln wollte und die neuen Kameras bei Nikon aus den o.a. Gründen nicht zu Verfügung standen, habe ich verschiedene Alternativen bei Canon gesucht. Als Vogelfotograf habe ich mich auf das Ablichten möglichst vieler Vogelarten für wissenschaftliche Zwecke spezialisiert. Zuerst habe ich meine Bedürfnisse genau geprüft. Ich laufe viel in den unterschiedlichsten Gegenden, im Gebirge auf 2.500m NN oder im Regenwald.
Das Gewicht der Gesamtkombination spielt also eine große Rolle. Zur Disposition stand eine gebrauchte Canon 1D Mark III, die Canon EOS 7D oder die Canon EOS 5D Mark II oder eben das damalige Top-Modell, die Canon EOS 1D Mark IV. Die EOS 1D Mark III schied aus, weil die Berichte u.a. in Dforum über die Autofokus-Probleme zu eindeutig gegen diese Kamera sprachen und auch die Canon EOS 7 D wurde in den Foren m.E. zu negativ bzgl. des verwendbaren ISO-Spielraums diskutiert. Blieb also noch die Canon EOS 5D Mark II als Alternative. Um meine Wahl abzusichern, nahm ich die Gelegenheit wahr, mir über GM-Foto in Frankfurt eine Canon EOS 1D Mark IV zusammen mit einem Canon EF 400mm f/2.8L IS USM auszuleihen und ein Wochenende zu testen. Eine Canon EOS 5D Mark II konnte ich von einem Freund ausleihen. Der Vergleich ergab, Continue reading
Greater Spotted Eagle over Germany
Already nine times, a Greater Spotted Eagle, Aquila clanga, with the beautiful name “Toenn” flew undetected across Germany. Now it was the moment for the first time that the eagle could be observed and even photographed. On 5 April the bird crossed the Swiss-German border in Waldshut-Tiengen and spent the following night in Tuttlingen on the Danube. From there it was the next day on a north facing route up to Reutlingen and then some 200 kilometers to the northeast to Erlangen. Going over Franconia his track led him on the 8th of April in direction to the Vogtland. In the Bavaria the birdwatcher Carsten Rohde became aware of a large eagle that moved further away to the northeast. Through the spotting scope he could see a transmitter on the back of the eagle. So quickly the idea came up that it must involve Toenn, especially since this eagle went on the same route last year.
After an overnight stay in the Vogtland the journey continued through Saxony. On 10 April, five days after his “entry”, he crossed the border into Poland. Last year the egle flew over the Baltic to Scandinavia, where he spent the summer months in Sweden and Norway. What is his destination in this year can be pursued under birdmap.5dvision.ee
Great Grey Owl, Strix nebulosa, in Finland
During a workshop near the northern part of the Baltic sea in Finland from February 5th – 8th of April 2013 I shot images of a hunting Great Grey Owl.
Wow, what an excellent bird. Just imagine, like this bird is sitting in a tall tree or on a barn roof concentrating to hunt on a vole on the floor which is 100 – 300 meters distant under 20 – 30 cm thick, insulating snow. This in spite of all kinds of ambient noise in the surroundings.
The Great Grey Owl, which we – the participants of the workshop – were able so observe and photograph on several mornings. This would by no means apply to all owls in that area. I guess we have been lucky now in early April. Most of other workshops run by Finnature – a tour operator from Oulu – take place in January/February for a period of 2 – 4 days. Since these owls do not accept feeding with dead mice, you are dependent on the mercy of the right places / times.
Not at least for aesthetic reasons photographing the hunting of voles in the winter landscape with a mix of forest and meadows is the best. Nevertheless, there is no guarantee of photographic results. The most important is, to locate the right place (and the right owl), then to find the owl in the landscape, then to be a patient person who can stand it – sometimes for 1 hour – at -10 ° Celsius to stand in the snow and hope that this bird is hungry enough for hunting. There is no time to waste, Great Grey Owls are nomadic Continue reading
Kumlien’s Gull (Larus glaucoides kumlieni) on Varanger, Norway
During observations to the northern part of Norway from February 28th – 3rd of march 2013 I shot images of a very pale gull, what I thought at that time was a regular adult Iceland gull. But I showed the image – more by accident – in the BirdForum and one of the experts asked for more pics of that bird to verify if the seemingly dark grey outer webs of P9-10 are real or just a light effect. I send the images and now they think it is a Kumlien’s Gull (Larus glaucoides kumlieni).
Kumlien’s Gull is a large gull which breeds in the Arctic regions far west of Varanger. The main breeding sites are in Canada. But Kumlien’s Gull is migratory, wintering from Labrador west across the Great Lakes and south to New England There are some observations outside that range. Thus the bird is quite a regular vagrant in small numbers to Scandinavia, Great Britain, Ireland and the Atlantic islands. So there was one observation in January 2012 near Trondheim, Norway or in February 2009 on Madeira. According to http://madeira.seawatching.net/articles/Kumliens_2009_Madeira.pdf there has been an unprecedented influx of Kumliens Gulls into Southern Europe in the early part of 2009. Numbers involved are difficult to gauge but as many as ten could have been recorded in Spain where previously only two birds had been recorded before. Others were recorded in Belgium and Portugal, with a single adult also seen on the Azores.
The reason for this influx is Continue reading
Steller’s Eider female on Baltic Sea of Germany
Today a female Steller’s Eider, Polysticta stelleri, has been recorded north of the Holnisspitze, which is a peninsula north-east of a town in Schleswig-Holstein named Gluecksburg. After a run in the last days to the one individual of a male King Eider, Somateria spectabilis, at Kalkhorst at the shores of the Baltic Sea, this is the second mega duck in a short time, which can be seen at the shores of the Baltic Sea in Germany. The female Steller’s Eider was observed the first time by Katrin Habenicht and photographed with some nice shots (including a nice starting/ flying shot). The Eider can be seen in the northern extension of the Holnisser ferry road (Faehrstraße). The duck swims between other ducks (Eurasian Wigeon and Common Eider) present in the same area.
The Holnis peninsula, which is a nature reserve is approx. 15km distance east of Flensburg, which is connected to the rest of the world via Highway (Autobahn) 7. Holnis peninsula marks the northernmost point of the German mainland. The area extends for a distance of 6 km into a fjord – the so-called Flensburger Foerde – and is a reknown pastime area of Gluecksburg. On the peninsula there is a cliff and a salt marsh with a major nesting colony of seabirds.
This female Steller’s Eider is obviously only Continue reading
Male King Eider on Baltic Sea of Germany
During the last days one male King Eider, Somateria spectabilis, continues to stay at Kalkhorst at the shores of the Baltic Sea. The german sea resort is approx. 15km distance east of Travemünde, Lübeck. This male King Eider in beautiful breeding plumage is obviously only one of the few records for 2013 so far south for the Western Palearctic and has been observed from the beach of Kalkhorst.
In contrast these birds are very common in the north of the Western Palearctic. On Varanger/ Norway bird-lens.com was able to shot this nice pictures right from a floating hide in the middle of the harbor. Not King Eiders alone, but also Steller’s Eider (Polysticta stelleri) and Long-tailed Duck (Clangula hyemalis) and many gulls in 5 different species. A selection of the best shots you can find here in the gallery!
The Bird on the Baltic Sea could be seen yesterday from Continue reading
Heavy migration of Song Thrush (Turdus philomelos) through the Taunus/ Germany
During a short trip with sunny weather and quite clear sky but a cold wind in the morning of March 26th through the upper Taunus near Bad Soden I experienced many migrating birds among them approx. 50 Song Thrush (Turdus philomelos) and more than a 100 Chaffinches (Fringilla coelebs). Remarkable in the sighting of the Chaffinches was the gender relationship which was very much in favor of the males – all in beautiful breeding plumage.
Remarkable with the Song Thrushes were the sheer numbers observed. They tried to conceal among dry grass or clods to take food. All this was complicated by the tight chokes for wind, which the thrushes also tried to avoid. Eventually, using the car as a moving hide, a smaller flock of Song Thrushes could be seen in perfect light showing their typical arrow-markings on the belly.
There are other recent sightings Continue reading
Emergency landing for lapwings
Shorebirds as the Northern Lapwing (Vanellus vanellus), are heavily suffering from the return of winter. The return of the winter in the past two weeks with temperatures down to minus two-digit nummbers also in the western part of Germany is devastating for waders. Due to observations of the Hessischen Gesellschaft für Ornithologie und Naturschutz (HG ON) [engl.: Hessian Society for Ornithology and Nature Conservation] in the Main-Kinzig district especially many Northern Lapwings on route from the wintering areas in Africa and southern Europe to their breeding grounds in the north were forced for an emergency landing. This in search of food and to protect from snow and cold temperatures.
In this situation one can observe to the phenomenon Continue reading
Migratory birds herald spring
Last weekend, you could observe heavy traffic in the skies over Frankfurt/ Germany. Although winter is not ready to lower its grip the first returning migrants already point to the imminent end of the cold season. In recent weeks, Eurasian Skylarks (Alauda arvensis), and Northern Lapwings (Vanellus vanellus), were seen already on their return. Particularly striking are currently the Common Cranes (Grus grus) flying in wedge-shaped formations over western Germany. On the 9th of march you could see at least 30 individuals over the outskirts of Kelkheim/ Main-Taunus-Kreis. The southern slopes of the Taunus are one of the pathways of the western migration corridor of these tall, slender birds before they are heading further north of the Wetterau
For the Bay of Cologne, which is 200km further north located, the long-term statistical average is between 5th and 13th of March. What this mean in terms of quantity you can see by the fact that highest count in crane observation was made by the NABU Aachen (further to the west), who observed more than 8,000 cranes in the region between that time period (5th and 13th of March in 1991).
The birds spend the winter mainly in sunny Spain or France. Their main wintering area is located in the Extremadura in western Spain. There, the cranes in the clear Mediterranean oak forests searched for the fruits of holm and cork oaks. On the way back to their breeding grounds, the cranes Germany crossed on quite a narrow corridor toward the southern shores of the Baltic sea in the state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.
But there are even more flocks of birds expected in the coming weeks: Blackcaps (Sylvia atricapilla), Continue reading
Snowy surprise for Cranes & Geese in nature reserve Kuehkopf-Knoblochsaue in Germany
Although the winter’s chill hold finally broke last week the wintertime is not over, already. The mild conditions and temperatures of up to around 8 degrees did not last for a long time. By 19th a Scandinavian high pressure was fully in charge and a strengthening easterly flow and increasing cloud cover ensured that temperatures were soon heading all the way back down again.
Not only the common songbirds responded well to the rapidly lengthening days and the suddenly mild conditions but also the first returning cranes. But these are early days indeed for spring migrants.
So it was quite a surprise to find at least 7 Common Crane (Grus grus) on an open field in the mist of the snow in the northern part of the nice Nature Reserve One called Knoblochaue. Together with its sister reserve Kuehkopf this reserve is famous for being the best riparian forest location not too far south of Frankfurt. The nature reserve (in german: Naturschutzgebiet or NSG) is a European Reserve und an excellent birding spot year-round.
As nice images of the Bean Goose of the (Sub-)species Tundra Bean Goose (Anser (fabalis) serrirostris), were still missing on bird-lens.com, I decided to visit the meadows on the northern side of the reserve called Continue reading
Sandhill Crane (Grus canadensis) at Laguna Gallocanta/ Spain
During the last days one Sandhill Crane (Grus canadensis) continues to stay at the Laguna Gallocanta in the south-western part of Aragon, Spain. This bird is obviously only the 3rd record for Spain since 2009 although there are more observations from the northern part of the Western Palearctic. The Sandhill Crane is present at least since last Sunday, February 24th 2013 but with wintering European Cranes (Grus grus) numbering 35,000 individuals now at the site and occasionally severe snowfall to find the bird in the crowd is a real challenge for the travelling twitchers, who arrived already in good numbers. Updates and pictures from the site of the twitch you see here.
The Laguna de Gallocanta is one of the largest lakes in Spain – obviously the largest natural lake in Spain covering around 1,500 ha of open water within a total area of almost 7,000 ha. The lake is fed mainly by rainwater, giving rise to dramatic changes in water level from year to year. In wet years the lake can be vast while in dry years during the hot summers the lake dries out completely. As the lake is at an altitude of 1000 m there can be some very low temperatures in winter. The water of the lake is saline but freshwater springs allow for localized patches of reeds and reedmace.
The lake is one of the most important bird sites in Spain. Common Cranes that breed in Fennoscandia and the Baltic states take the west European migration route to their wintering grounds. lt is supposed that the total number of birds migrating along this route is now in the order of 70,000, and most of these, some 50,000-60,000, winter mainly in Spain, with smaller numbers in Portugal. Thus the lagoon is the largest wintering area of the European/ Eurasian cranes. The number of cranes showed a maximum of 35,000 in recent years. The lagoon is subject to the Ramsar Convention since 1995 and is also a National Nature Reserve.
In his „Handbuch der Vögel Mitteleuropas“, Band 5 „Galliformes und Gruiformes “ Urs N. Glutz von Blotzheim does not mention the Sandhill Crane for Middle Europe.
To cope with the growing demand Continue reading
Common Buzzard at the bait in wintertime
To observe and photograph Common Buzzard (Buteo buteo) at the bait in wintertime in good numbers – sometimes 8 individuals on one occasion. Is this possilbe right in the center of a heavy industrialized country like Germany? Yes, it is!
The valley of the river „Leine“ and the surrounding hills called “Leinebergland” is not famous of being one of Germany´s birding hot spots. But in wintertime the charming countryside between the cities of Hildesheim to the east and Hameln to the west is invaded by keen birdwatchers and bird photographers to shoot images of Common Buzzards and other excellent birds on a winter feeding site.
Having been spend one day on invitation of Wolf-Dieter Peest has been very productive – as you can see in the gallery. Wolf-Dieter offers Wildlife Workshops but also the chance to sit in one (or more) of his hides located on ponds, small streams or at the border of agricultural fields. The Leinebergland 30 km south of the city of Hannover, with its many gravel pits, is a paradise for nature photographers. In the early 70s many gravel mining pits were built along the line between Hanover and Göttingen. Having exploited these areas, the remaining ponds and lakes are now on the way back to nature again and offer a new habitat to a huge number of animal and plant species. Many of these ponds are real paradises for nature lovers and the nature- of course. A description of the locations written in german, you will find here!
Wolf-Dieter managed to lease a good number of attractive properties over the last 15 years. There are ideal conditions for a photographic passion Continue reading
Great Grey Shrike, Lanius excubitor in the Hochtaunus near Frankfurt
During a short trip to a hiking site near my hometown in the Hochtaunus just 25km from downtown Frankfurt I could observe a beautiful Great Grey Shrike, Lanius excubitor. This Northern Shrike could be seen in perfect light in the afternoon of the 20th of February in an area called Viehweide (cattle pasture) northwest of the small village Schloßborn near both to the highest peak of the Taunus, the Grosser Feldberg, and the fashionable town of Koenigstein im Taunus.
The bird was already observed by Eleonore Gothe on the 18th of February.
This was my first sighting for this winter in the Taunus. One of the last Great Grey Shrikes I could see was on Helgoland in the Suedhafen area last October.
In his „Handbuch der Vögel Mitteleuropas“, Band 13/II „Passeriformes, Sittidae – Laniidae“ Urs N. Glutz von Blotzheim mentioned that migration of the Great Grey Shrike, Lanius excubitor, (also called Northern Shrike), back to breeding grounds has been reported between mid of February until beginning of April with peaks in March. In so far the observation could still fit for a wintering ground observation or a sighting during migration.
Remarkably otherwise there were 8 Ravens (Corvus corax) and at least 5 Red Kites (Milvus milvus). Although Red Kites breed in the Taunus and these Kites seem to stay and feed in the area, they will probably go further north in the near future. The german Birdnet is full with migration counts of Red Kites – sometimes in good numbers (as 37 individuals migrating in north-eastern direction in the Landkreis Waldeck-Frankenberg in northern Hesse).
Moreover, 8 Eurasian Buzzards (Buteo buteo) could be seen. Very interesting to see 5 Common Buzzard with 2 Kites trying to Continue reading
Birding around Frankfurt Airport – Schwanheimer Duene
There are not too many foreign birdwatchers coming to the middle of Germany for just birding. But Frankfurt Airport (FRA) is the gateway to continental Europe. Many airlines use the Airport as a hub for connecting flights all over the world. If you have spare time between two flight and you are a birdwatcher, you might be interested to know, where you can find good places to stretch your legs, enjoy fresh air and enjoy birding for typical european birds. One of these places is only 15 minutes away from the Frankfurt Airport. This is the Schwanheimer Duene (Dunes of Schwanheim) located in a southern outskirt of Frankfurt. In so far, the area is more or less the same distance than the Langener Waldseen. But whereas these lakes, situated just 2 km east of the runway of Frankfurt AP, are a highly frequented recreation area in summertime, the Schwanheimer Duene is especially good in spring and summer. Thus an excellent alternative to the Langener Waldseen which are very productive in wintertime.
The Schwanheimer Duene is one of the few inland dunes in Europe. It was established after the last ice age of sands that have been blown out of the riverbed of the River Main. Then, a forest grew on it. In the last century farmers cleared the forest and put on cherry meadows. Several dry periods ended these attempts in the second half of the 19th Century. The dune devasted and started to wander. Between 1882 and 1890 the dune moved aground to its present location.
Following the desolation a typical plant community of inland dune developed, which can be encountered up to nowadays. This plant community is called Continue reading
Canon 400mm f4 DO, an experience review for flight shots
In the reviews of my blog I often see, that photographers are scanning 400mm f4 DO-articles especially concerning its ability for birding photography. As I mentioned already, this lens brings out a diverse range of opinions. The summary focusses on the optical “disadvantages” like:
- Sharpness is very good, but falls off dramatically with TCs
- Contrast very low
Concerning the optical performance I do not comment. Everything what has to be said has to be claimend / denied in the internet………..
I want to focus on the practical aspects, here for the usage of the Canon 400mm f4 DO as a flight shot lens:
- Very light
- Portable for a large aperture lens
- AF – button
- Old-fashioned IS
As said, I decided for the Canon 400mm DO f4,0 in combination with a Canon 1D Mark IV because I am bird photographer who has specialized in photographing many species of birds for scientific purposes also in their behavior. For this purpose the Canon 400mm f4 DO is absolutely great. Flight shoots of big birds such as raptors or storks/herons are perfectly possible.
Here you can see some nice flight shots of bigger birds I shot during a trip to the Pantanal – mainly on the the Pousada Pouso Alegre south of Poconé in Mato Grosso/ Brazil – during December 2012/ January 2013. For bigger images please click on the link in the text “Full size is 1800 × 1125 pixels” below the image in the gallery.
If the Autofocus matches the small passerine (song-)birds, flight shots of these birds are perfectly possible, too. It might take more time, patience and experience.
Some remarks for the usage of Canon 400mm f4 DO as a flight-shot lens:
- Use Canon 400mm f4 DO in combination with a (semi-)professional body as e.g. the Canon 1D Mark IV.
- Predictive focusing (AI Servo) is your best bet to get a successful flight picture. Use Custom Function Settings (e.g. in the Continue reading
Ferruginous Duck near Frankfurt – Germany
Now that winter has proceeded quite well some good birds show up on “stupid” spots like recreation areas and parks. In a series of blogs Bird-lens has already described some excellent spots like the Langener Waldseen to observe birds, but this spot came to my awareness the first time. This was due to the fact that a female Ferruginous Duck (Aythya nyroca) showed up on a abundant gravel spit near Offenbach-Rumpenheim, just 10 km east of the city of Frankfurt. The location is called the “Schultheisweiher”. Normally the Ferruginous Duck is looking for the companionship of Aythya – ducks like Common Pochard (Aythya ferina) and Tufted Duck (Aythya fuligula). The Ferruginous Duck was discovered on the 31st of January 2013 on the Schultheisweiher is there now for more than 1 week.
The photo was shot yesterday when the sun came out after heavy clouds and snow showers distracted a visit on the previous days. The female Ferruginous Duck could be seen next to at least 22 Common Pochard (Aythya ferina) and approx. 50 Tufted Duck (Aythya fuligula) on the north-western corner of the lake. The female Ferruginous Duck could be seen first only sleeping, then preening the plumage and finally swimming and even diving.
To cope with the growing demand for top shots of the rarer species of the Palearctic Bird-Lens is keen to enrich the range of pictures of birds you can find in the western palearctic. Trips to remote places to capture images of rare birds of western palearctic were very successful. This nice image is only a first impression, what you will find in the gallery in the “Pictures Shop” very soon. Just give me a message, if I could serve you with an image needed.
Influx of Hawk Owls (Surnia ulula) cancelled?
Now that winter has proceeded quite well already with cold temperatures all over the northern part of the continent, the Influx of Hawk Owls might been cancelled. In a blog in November, Bird-lens mentioned that there might be a good chance that twitchers of the north of Middle Europe can observe Hawk Owls (Surnia ulula) on their homegrounds. This should be not only true for Denmark but also at least for the northern part of Germany for this autumn/winter as there were very good numbers in Finland with 164 observations reported within 7 days It seemed that similar numbers were reported from Sweden. But up to now only 1 bird showed up in 2013. It is still present (at least until yesterday, 6th of February) in Porsmose near Næstved, Denmark. Porsmose is roughly 80 km south-west of the Danish capital Copenhagen.This individual has been seen at least since January 6th 2013 but was only the 2nd observation this winter in Denmark.
From time to time there are wintering birds far inland. Last time, a Northern Hawk-owl (Surnia ulula) could be seen in inland Germany was on February 13th 2011 near 1 Bad Vilbel, in the state of Hessen, north of Frankfurt.
To cope with the growing demand for top shots of the rarer species of the Palearctic Bird-Lens is keen to enrich the range of pictures of birds you can find in the western palearctic. Trips to remote places to capture images of rare birds of western palearctic were very successful. This nice image is only a first impression, what you will find in the gallery in the “Pictures Shop” very soon. Just give me a message, if I could serve you with an image needed before the new pictures are online.
Birds on Pousada Pouso Alegre – the Non-Passeriformes
Pouso Alegre is a pousada (ex-fazenda) which is very well situated 7 km away from the Transpantaneira, with water on both sides much of the way now in the rainy season. The location is 33 km south of Pocone in the northern Pantanal. The hole pousada is a great nature-area with original landscape and extensive cattle ranching. A paradise for the keen birdwatcher as well as for the beginner in birdwatching who approaches that pastime in a relaxing attitude.
The owner is there much of the time, and is a dedicated naturalist. If you are birders you will be pleased with the birding opportunities, including Hyacinth Macaws in front of the porch. On the way you will see of Jabiru storks, herons and raptors a lot. You can go on other guided hikes or horseback rides. It’s all custom and small-scale. The scenery is beautiful.
You can see an enormous variety of animals and birds but also the flora is wonderful.
A list can be found at their website.
Bird-lens was invited in the frame of an scientific project to monitor resident and migratory bird species in the Pantanal of Brazil. See also the blog here!
More than 600 species of birds – almost a third of the avifauna of Brazil – have been detected in the wider area of the Pantanal, of which about 20% occur as migrants of wintering birds only seasonally. Among them are those from other neotropical regions like the Andes, but also from North America (Nearctic) and from the Southern region of Latin America (Australis).
Although the origin of migratory species in most cases is known, there is still a lot of knowledge missing e.g. about the distribution patterns, feeding ecology and ecological niches, bioacoustics and metabolic physiology (eg moulting).
It is remarkable that very heterogeneous migrants Continue reading
Spoon-billed Sandpipers and other waders in Thailand on wintering grounds
The Spoon-billed Sandpiper is one of the big megas in the birding space – not only for twitchers, but Thailand in general is an excellent birding destination.
During a trip to Thailand in January 2011 I was looking for wintering birds from the palearctic. The whole trip was a great success, seeing especially many waders which are rare in the western palearctic like Mongolian Plover (Charadrius mongolus), Greater Sand Plover (Charadrius leschenaultia), Great Knot (Calidris tenuirostris), Pintail Snipe (Gallinago stenura) and Terek Sandpiper (Xenus cinereus).
But many birders go for the Spoon-billed Sandpipers. For general directions and travel advice visit Nick Upton’s excellent website Thaibirding.com. At the known Spoon-billed Sandpiper site at Pak Thale I spend 3 days. This location is very reliable, with several individuals seen each day there, and up to 3 at once. For details of locations you can also check out these Google maps. They show the Spoon-billed Sandpiper distribution not only in Thailand.
At the first time there were Temminck’s Stint (Calidris temminckii) and surprisingly 3 Red-necked Phalarope (Phalaropus lobatus). I teamed up with a group of german birdwatchers. We also saw one individual Spoon-billed Sandpiper at a site which is called the “Derelict Building” –site in Nick Upton’s description. This site is closer (only 2 km) from a little town called Laem Pak Bia. Behind a dam, drive a dirt track passing a garbage dump and you will see the shallow saltpans already. There were masses of egrets, waders and gulls. So we quickly saw Black-winged Stilt (Himantopus himantopus), Pacific Golden-Plover (Pluvialis fulva), Common Greenshank (Tringa nebularia), Rufous-necked Stint (Calidris ruficollis), Long-toed Stint (Calidris subminuta), Curlew Sandpiper (Calidris ferruginea), Broad-billed Sandpiper, (Limicola falcinellus) and many flying Common and Whiskered Tern Common Tern (Sterna hirundo) and Whiskered Tern (Chlidonias hybridus). A nice selection of the birds occuring you will find here!
But the best place on finding Spoon-billed Sandpipers in Thailand is certainly at Continue reading
The Eckla-carts for photo equipment, a field report
For about half a year I enjoy to transport my photo equipment with the Eckla-Beach-Rolly-Pro Edition II photographers. I ordered the cart at the online shop”Augenblicke eingefangen“.
The Eckla Beach Rolly -Pro Edition for photographers is advertised as the ideal transport assistance for heavy photo equipment and can have at a weight of just 4.4 kg cope with a maximum load of 70kg. More than enough also for a big photographic equipment. The problem is then more available space with a surface of 47cm x 39cm (without the additional charging cradle). This is very handy for the trunk of the car, but sometimes is a little tight for larger photo luggage 
. But to do so an additional charging cradle is included in the package.
The Eckla Beach-Rolly for photographers as the standard model consists of a sturdy, non-rusting aluminum construction. The large wheels, which are provided for more capacity with a steel shaft, instead of the standard aluminum axle prevent reliably the sinking in loose surfaces such as sand and thereby allow easy transport.
Whether the wheels with alloy wheel and roller bearings provide more ride comfort or simply are more durable over longer distances (5 km return trip, are not a rare event), is beyond my knowledge. But it will have been a reason that these wheels replace the original wheels. Any photo backpack can be attached on the Rolley till Lowe´s Lens Trekker 600 AW. Additionally the Gitzo tripod, etc. camouflage tent.
Almost 180 Euros for the photographers version Eckla Beach Rolly appear at first glance, quite a lot, but this price is justified given the quality offered. What I additionally had to buy was a strong strap from the hardware store.
The integrated upholstery is added into this version with an additional windscreen cover and ensure a high level of comfort. For the session at the photo hide or at rest, the Eckla Beach Rolly is unfolded very simple and reveals a comfortable seat. This is very handy!
The quality of the product of Eckla is very good overall.
Said that, I must stress the point that I found during the assembly that one of the (plastic) mounts for the axle has largely decomposed (broken down) in the box. Fortunately, a short notice to my online retailer “Augenblicke eingefangen” and they send me a spare part for replacement. Nevertheless, Continue reading
Der Eckla-Karren, ein Erfahrungsbericht
Vor ca. einem halben Jahr habe ich mir zum Transport meines Foto-Equipments den Eckla-Beach-Rolly Pro Fotografen-Edition II beim Online-Shop „Augenblicke-eingefangen“ bestellt.
Der Eckla Beach-Rolly wird als die ideale Transporthilfe für schweres Fotozubehör beworben und kann bei einem Eigengewicht von gerade mal 4,4 kg immerhin eine maximale Zuladung von 70kg verkraften. Mehr als genug für die Fotoausrüstung. Das Problem besteht dann eher im verfügbaren Platz der Ladefläche, die mit 47cm x 39cm (ohne Zusatzladebügel) sehr kofferraumgerecht ist, aber manchmal doch etwas eng für größeres Fotogepäck ist. Aber dazu ist ja ein Zusatzladebügel im Lieferumfang enthalten.
Der Eckla Beach-Rolly für Fotografen besteht wie das Standardmodell aus einer stabilen, nichtrostenden Aluminium-Konstruktion. Die breiten Räder, die für mehr Belastbarkeit mit einer Stahlachse anstatt der Standard- Aluminiumachse versehen sind, verhindern zuverlässig ein Einsinken auch in losem Untergrund wie Sand und ermöglichen dadurch einen bequemen Transport.
Ob die Räder mit Metallfelge und Rollenlager für mehr Rollkomfort sorgen oder einfach nur auf längere Strecken (5 km Hin und Zurück sind leider keine Seltenheit) haltbarer sind, entzieht sich meiner Kenntnis. Es wird aber schon seinen Grund haben, daß diese Räder die Originalräder ersetzen. Auf dem Rolley lässt sich jeder Fotorucksack bis hin zum Lens Trekker 600 AW befestigen. Dazu noch das Gitzo-Stativ, Tarnzelt etc..
Knapp 180 Euro für die Fotografenversion erscheinen auf den ersten Blick recht viel, doch ist dieser Preis angesichts der gebotenen Qualität gerechtfertigt. Was ich mir zusätzlich noch kaufen mußte, war ein starker Spanngurt aus dem Baumarkt.
Die integrierten Polster werden in dieser Version mit einer zusätzlichen Windschutzbespannung ergänzt und gewähren einen hohen Sitzkomfort. Für den Ansitz Continue reading
Ring-billed Gull – a vagrant at the Faehre Hitdorf / Germany
During the last days one adult Ring-billed Gull (Larus delawarensis) in non-breeding plumage, continues to stay near the town of Monheim in the state of North Rhine/ Westfalia in Germany at the river Rhine. The bird was first spotted on January, 09th 2013. The location “Faehre Hitdorf” is a place where a ferry crosses the river Rhine, roughly 30km south of the state capital, Dusseldorf. This gull is obviously only the 8th record for the Germany since 2002. Normally this vagrant is found not too far inland. Accordingly most records are from the northern state of Schleswig-Holstein. In his „Handbuch der Vögel Mitteleuropas“, Band 8/I „Charadriiformes, Stercorariidae – Laridae“ Urs N. Glutz von Blotzheim mentioned 1982 only 1 record for the central part of the western palearctis from January, 13th 1968. Weather this is due to a higher observation density, due to the population growth on the eastern coast of the USA (see e.g. “Recent Changes in the Ring-Billed Gull Population and Biology in the Laurentian Great Lakes” by James P. Ludwig in “The Auk” Vol. 91, No. 3 (Jul., 1974) or due to a change in the migration pattern is not clear. Interesting is, that between 1973 (first record) and 1980 there were – in contrast – 37 recorded observations in Great Britain.
The conservation status of the Ring-billed Gull by IUCN is “Least Concern”. After having suffered heavy losses due to hunting and habitat loss, Ring-billed Gulls once again thrive across the United States and southern Canada—so numerous in some places that they are considered pests. This species was nearly wiped out by human persecution and development between 1850 and 1920. The populations fell dramatically when humans persecuted the gulls on their nesting grounds and killed them for feathers to decorate hats. By the early 1900s many breeding Continue reading
White-tailed Tropicbird – in Cumbria/ Great Britain
Here are very interesting news, mainly for twitchers in Great Britain: White-tailed Tropicbird – in Cumbria?! | British Birds. But maybe, birdwatchers from the continent are also interested in that remarkable dead bird. Found on the tideline at Mawbray Bank in Cumbria on 6th January, by Peter Scott of Workington, this White-tailed Tropicbird (Phaethon lepturus)is a potential first for Britain. The last observation has been from September 15th 2012 from Horta, Faial on the Azores. Ok, this is not too far away from Great Britain.
The White-Tailed Tropicbird (Phaethon lepturus) is a pelagic bird, but it may frequent the coast for food. This species breeds on small oceanic islands, on cliffs and sometimes on the ground near the roots of a tree. White-tailed Tropicbird occurs in tropical Atlantic, Western Pacific and Indian Oceans. It breeds on Caribbean islands and northwards in Bermuda. Radiotracking transmitters were fitted to White-tailed Tropicbirds nesting at Culebra, Puerto Rico. A recent study by C. J. Pennycuick et.al. about the foraging Flights of the White-Tailed Tropicbird with radiotracking found out, that at least 2 birds were followed out to 176 km NNW from the nesting colony on Vieques Island, Puerto Rico. Thus flying vast distances Continue reading
Birding around Frankfurt Airport: Bad Soden
Frankfurt Airport (FRA) is the gateway to continental Europe. Many airlines use the Airport as a hub for connecting flights all over the world. If you have spare time between two flight and you are a birdwatcher, you might be interested to know, where you can find good places to stretch your legs, enjoy fresh air and enjoy birding for typical european birds.
One of these sites is the hilly countryside around Bad Soden. The state (Bundesland) of Hessen still supports a comparatively large number of mixed orchard meadows where the Little Owl (Athene noctua) is a relatively common bird. After North-Rhine Westphalia, Hessen has the largest Little Owl population in Germany.
Bad Soden is located on the southern slope of the Taunus mountains, 15 km north-west of Frankfurt and 20 kilometers northeast of Wiesbaden and 10km south of the highest summit of the Taunus, the Grosser Feldberg. Although a wealthy suburb of the city of Frankfurt a high percentage of the area (15%) is forested. The altitude ranges between 130 m above sea level (asl) and 385 m asl.
The landscape of the so-called Vordertaunus is very scenic and host some excellent birds, which are quite hard to see in other more northern parts of Germany as e.g. European Honey-buzzard(Pernis apivorus), Red Kite (Milvus milvus), Stock Pigeon (Columba oenas), Common Cuckoo (Cuculus canorus), Eurasian Eagle-Owl (Bubo bubo), Lesser Spotted Woodpecker (Dendrocopos minor ), Middle Spotted Continue reading
New world warblers in pine-oak forest in Mexico, Part II
…….on the way back back to Patzcuaro I had not been in the pine mountain-forest interspersed with oaks for a long time when I encountered my first Mexican (Grey breasted) Jay of the day. It is a flock, which roam sometimes on the road, sometimes on the lower branches of the pines in search of food. I had to stop and immediately started to keep the situation photographically. Short after I discover the best mixed flock, which I saw so far on this journey. Everywhere there were yellow, red, blue, orange, green colours which obtain the impression of a multicolored Mobilés. Maybe you get an impression when you see the gallery. Some species of bird such as American Treecreeper (Certhia americana), White-breasted Nuthatch (Sitta carolinensis), Mexican Chickadee (Poecile sclateri) and Ruby-crowned Kinglet (Regulus calendula) are related close to species of old world (palearctic) bird species, others, like the Pine Flycatcher (Empidonax affinis) and the Tufted Flycatcher (Mitrephanes phaeocercus) Continue reading
Birding in & around Frankfurt: The Palmengarten
Frankfurt is the financial capital of Germany. It is well known although the city limits inhabit only roughly 600,000 people. But the greater Frankfurt area of course is much more populated. If you are on business in Frankfurt and have some spare time between two meetings and you are a birdwatcher, you might be interested to know, where you can find good places to walk a bit and enjoy birding for typical european birds.
One of these sites is the Palmengarten. On an area of approx. 22 hectares near the old american embassy and just north-west of the towers of the banks, the Palmengarten botanical gardens display a range of interesting and beautiful plants. Almost every kind of exotic flora growing around the world can be found here, right in the middle of Frankfurt. The Tropicarium, an ensemble Continue reading
Harriers on wintering grounds in Awash NP – Ethiopia
Having seen the Pallid Harrier (Circus macrourus), a species of a graceful flying raptor already during trips in September on its migration route along the Black Sea coast near the town of Constanta south of the Danube delta at the Black Sea coast of Romania and north of Astrakhan along the Volga river in Russia I was keen to see this “near-threatened” species during a stay in Ethiopia, too. Before, I had seen Pallid Harriers already on their wintering grounds in South Africa (Kruger Park) and Tanzania (Serengeti). But literature said, that Pallid Harriers occur in Ethiopia during passage and some overwinter, albeit in small numbers. A good bet to try it in the arid environment of the Rift Valley, as Pallid Harriers main wintering grounds are open grasslands and agricultural areas in the savannah belt in Africa, south of the Sahara. But J. Terraube et al. (2011) in an examination of “Broad wintering range and intercontinental migratory divide within a core population of the near-threatened Pallid Harrier” showed that birds wintering in Ethiopia spent the winter in the most anthropized habitats, a mix of pastures and agricultural areas at the vicinity of several villages.
In that combination the perfect place to look for, was in my opinion the Awash National Park. This is because the Park’s location in a region of semi-arid grassland and its accessability only 2 hours drive from our stay near Debre Zeit. We spend a phantastic time in the park, seeing 90 species of birds in just 8 hours (from 9 to 5). In the afternoon we had our first harrier in the eastern part of the central Ilala Sala Plain. A 1st winter individual of Montagu’s Harrier (Circus pygargus), could be seen in Flight gliding gracefully over the savannah of the Ilala Sala Plain. We followed the harrier in a pick-up for a minimum of 5 minutes allowing excellent (and close) shots of the flying birds as you can see in the gallery. One and a half an hours later a male harrier could be seen very well. But again, a Montagu’s Harrier (Circus pygargus) as you see on the image of the blog. But then, after 30 minutes more, there was sitting another harrier. This time you could see a pale collar behind Continue reading
Merry Christmas Everyone!
Hello to you all,
Wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy & Healthy New Year.
Although winter might be not truly there where you are with minus temperatures and snow so far, but think it could be when you have mostly rain. Plenty of snow means a hard time for birds, too. If the snow comes, try to enjoy it and do not look as the bird on the image show its discontend.
Till next year, have a wonderful time and enjoy your Christmas holidays! Or at least the snow!
To cope with the growing demand for top shots of the rarer species of the Palearctic, Bird-Lens is keen to enrich the range of pictures of birds you can find in the western palearctic. Trips to remote places like Ethiopia, Romania, Oman to capture images of rare birds of western palearctic were very successful. The nice images you find in the gallery are only a first impression, what you will find in the gallery in the “Pictures Shop” very soon. Just give me a message, if Bird-lens could serve you with an image needed before the new pictures are online.
Other successful shootings you can see under: www.bird-lens.com in the pictures shop.
Birding around Frankfurt Airport: Langener Waldseen
Gavia stellata
Frankfurt Airport (FRA) is the gateway to continental Europe. Many airlines use the airport as a hub for connecting flights all over the world. If you have spare time between two flight and you are a birdwatcher, you might be interested to know, where you can find good sites to stretch your legs, enjoy fresh air and enjoy birding for typical european birds. One of these places – only 10 minutes away from the Frankfurt Airport – are the Langener Waldseen. These artificial lakes are situated just 2 km east of the runway and are a highly frequented recreation area with an oper-air swimming area. But wintertime is quiet and goods birds – including some vagrants – can be seen on the most western lake. This lake is still an active gravel spit, thus access especially for the best site is more or less tolerated and cannot be guaranteed.
Good birds to be seen on the lake in wintertime here on a regular basis are Canada Goose (Branta canadensis), Little Grebe (Tachybaptus ruficollis), Great Crested Grebe (Podiceps cristatus), Gadwall(Anas strepera), Common Pochard (Aythya ferina), Tufted Duck (Aythya fuligula) and Common Goldeneye (Bucephala clangula). At the beginning of December 2012 there was an influx of cold temperatures in Germany. Shortly after a Red-throated Loon (Gavia stellate), Smew (Mergellus albellus) , Common Merganser (Mergus merganser ) and a male Red-crested Pochard (Netta rufina) as well as up to 10 Velvet Scoter (Melanitta fusca) showed up. The woods hold all 6 species of continental woodpeckers (incl. Black, Middle-spotted and Grey-faced Woodpecker) and vast numbers of Hawfinch (Coccothraustes coccothraustes ) and Bramblings (Fringilla montifringilla) in the winter. Mistle Thrush (Turdus viscivorus) are often heard and sometimes seen in the canopy of the many pine trees. For the last winters 1 Great Grey (Northern) Shrike (Lanius excubitor) used the area as a wintering ground. I have seen large flocks of Common Crane moving overhead in late October from this site.
For direction it is recommended to take a taxi Continue reading
Birds at vulcano lakes in Debre Zeit – Ethiopia
Spending two full days during a stop-over from the Seychelles, we wanted to avoid the crowd in downtown Addis Ababa. We were lucky to arrange to stay in a lodge situated on the rim of a vulcano with a lake on the ground near Debre Zeit approx. 45 km south of Addis Ababa. Our main interest was to have a rest after the tropical sun on the Seychelles, enjoying the fresh air, the steel-blue sky and the birds – of course. They were abundant. Within one morning we saw Black-winged Lovebird (Agapornis taranta), Grey-headed Woodpecker (Dendropicos spodocephalus), Red-faced Crombec (Sylvietta whytii), Rueppell’s Robin-Chat (Cossypha semirufa), a female Common Redstart (Phoenicurus phoenicurus), Kenya Yellow-rumped Seedeater (Serinus reichenowi), Swainson’s Sparrow (Passer swainsonii), and Red-cheeked Cordonbleu (Uraeginthus bengalus). The result you can see here!
The Babogaya Lake Viewpoint Lodge says it guarantees to its visitors the observation of 50 different african bird species on 24 hours in the compound and on the volcanic lakeside A list can be found at their website. Of course we took the chance to explored other lakes in the surroundings, too. From the beginning November until mid of February, 3,000 Common cranes (Grus grus) are flying in every evening from the surrounding fields to the swamps west of Lake Babogaya.
The hole lodge is a great nature-area with original houses, a nice garden over four floors on a steep slope over the wonderful Babogaya-Lake. A paradise for the keen birdwatcher as well as for the beginner in birdwatching who approaches that pastime in a relaxing attitude.
Bird-Lens is mainly a website to suit the growing demand for top shots of the species of the Western Palearctic. Consequentyl Bird-Lens is keen to enrich the array of pictures of birds you can find in the Western Palearctic. Trips to tourist spots like the Seychelles (also) to capture images of rare birds of western palearctic are part of the program and were already very successful. More nice images you find in the gallery or in the “Pictures Shop”. Just give me a message, if Bird-lens could serve you with an images also outside the range of the Western Palearctic. Images of e.g. Africa are well on stock, too.
Other successful shootings you can see under: www.bird-lens.com
New world warblers in pine-oak forest in Mexico, Part I
A quiet highway with many serpentine curves, conifer forest, twitters of birds. The typical attributes of a high-altitude German central mountain landscape like the Black Forest in southern Germany. But the location actually is in the middle in Mexico at the slopes mountains of the central mexican plateau with peaks as high as 3,000 m above sea level (asl). Having just crossed the 19. degree of latitude I am on the way down into the hot dry valleys at the edge of the Pacific coast. The coast is only approx. 150 km distant as the crow flies. But the difference of this forest to the dry thorn bush forests at the west coast could not be bigger. A trip on the winding mountain roads could make you feel like being in a reminiscence to the Black Forest. But here on 2,500m asl you are in the Mexican pine-oak forest. Pine- oak forest biomes are one of the dominating characteristics of mexican high altitudes, in particular on the slopes. The determining of the development of a pine-oak forest is the altitude. Slopes exposed to the coast or forests on the mountain comb are damper and more dense than the pine-oak forest s, which are oriented on one of the central dry valleys. The pine-oak forest in Mexico is very species-rich and shows a high diversity. Of the oaks alone, there are more than 170 species. But the general appearance especially of the dry pine-oak forest in Mexico is not unlike that of its european counterpart on the mountain ranges.
This is true as long until the attentive observer is caught by the charm of the birds you find here in the New world. Practically all colors are represented with its own species of bird. Consequently there are blue Mexican (Grey breasted) Jay (Aphelocoma ultramarina), red warblers (like Ergaticus ruber), brown Tufted Flycatcher (Mitrephanes phaeocercus), orange-grey Olive Warbler (Peucedramus taeniatus), yellowish- white Hermit Warbler (Dendroica occidentalis) and green Pine Flycatcher (Empidonax affinis) to observe. The images in the gallery give you an idea of the richness of birds and colours. The winter is the favorable season for bird observation in Mexico highlands, since the food offered on the birds wintering grounds Continue reading
The birds of Remseck
Die Vögel von Remseck – im Großraum Stuttgart is a new book which describes local avifauna in the south-western part of Germany. It is intended primarily to show that common birds can be found at what time and at what locations without much trouble. If you follow some advice, then we can observe in the course of a year almost anywhere from 50 to 100 species of birds. “On our doorstep” but also breed birds that are rare and vulnerable. Those who delight in the bird watching, which is also often participate in the protection of these and other organisms.
This book, with images of approx.. 270 species is aimed at the beginner and want to help him to find the most common species of native birds “on the doorstep” to observe and identify. Even in the garden, in the park or at the bird feeder, there are several ways to. The text is written in german but a short abstract for the best local birding sites in the surrounding of that nice town on the river Neckar speak for themselves – or find a german friend, who can translate it for you. The booklet is full of nice images like the one you see as part of the blog. One pictures is showing the Eurasian River Warbler of the author of this blog, which has been already commented in a previous blog. At the beginning of the booklet a rough geographical map points the 12 top bird observation places and you can see, what you can expect there. An overview with images of the „the typical “species of bird, in Continue reading
Vagrant Fox Sparrow in Estonia
During the last days one Fox Sparrow Zonotrichia or Passerella iliaca, continues to stay in the town of Haapsalu, Estonia at the Baltic Sea. The bird was first spotted on last Sunday. The location Läänemaa/ Haapsalu is roughly 100km away from the Estonian capital, Tallinn. This thrush is obviously only the 5th record for the Western Palearctic after Iceland in November 1944 and Northern Ireland June 1961 plus two records from Germany (caught at Mellum, May 1949 and Scharhörn, Hamburg 24.04.77). In his „Handbuch der Vögel Mitteleuropas“, Band 14/III „Passeriformes, Emberizidae “ Urs N. Glutz von Blotzheim considered these birds as ship-assisted vagrants. There is also record in Denmark from 08.01.2010.
The picture show a bird in its home range habitat in southern California. This bird belongs to the subspecies Passerella iliaca unalaschcensis (Sooty Fox Sparrow). This is the west coast (of the US) taxa in the genus Passerella. Although some of the excellent images shot of the vagrant in Estonia give the idea that the Fox Sparrow in Estonia belongs to the nominate form Passerella iliaca iliaca (the so called Red Fox Sparrow), bird-lens attaches the photo to give you some idea of appearance. More pictures you will find in the gallery.
The Fox Sparrow in Estonia belongs probably to the generally central and east coast taxa in the genus Passerella. This is the brightest colored group. The Sooty Fox Sparrow is browner and darker than the Red Fox Sparrow A nice report of the twitch you see here. Just in the middle of November another European rarity, the Dusky Thrush was also spotted in Estonia. And now, some weeks later the Fox Sparrow has shown up.
In his „Handbuch der Vögel Mitteleuropas“,Band 14/III „Passeriformes, Emberizidae “ Urs N. Glutz von Blotzheim mentioned that this is a bird of any overgrown
Cranes on China’s Helgoland, PART II
I was happy to experience a trip to Happy Island at the end of October. A 10-day trip in 2007. So far so good concerning the character of Happy Island in comparison to the vagrant hotspot Helgoland. What Helgoland does not have are resting cranes. But on Happy Island you could see a total of 4 types very well. These were, of course, above all, our “normal” Cranes, Grus grus, then White-naped Crane, Grus vipio, Red-crowned Crane, Grus japonensis, and eventually even a single Sandhill (Canada) Crane, Grus Canadensis. For the last one this was only the third time ever that there has been an observation on Happy Island. Also Siberian Crane, Grus leucogeranus, Hooded Crane, Grus monacha and Demoiselle Crane, Anthropoides virgo have allegedly already been proven. Happy Island is considered to be (one of) the best location to watch the East Asian migration. Hope that this is true for the future, too. During my visit in 2007, extensive construction work was in progress to make the island more interesting for “normal” day trippers and to improve touristic infrastructure. Ditches and canals were dug to pedal with small boats. But, the ongoing construction work had some good advantages, too. The excavated material was used to provide quite a high hill of sand piling up in the middle of the island. This turned out to be an ideal vantage point to watch the migration of the mornings. Passing birds on eye-level (sometimes 10 meters) were a perfect experience. The derelict (but cheap) beach huts were demolished in the following year to my visit without temporary replacement. The future will show whether Happy Island can continue to be China´s Helgoland China – perhaps with better accommodation!
A nice selection of bird images of that trip can be seen in the gallery. In a different gallery you also find impression of the landscape of that nice Continue reading
Bird migration and regional circulation in the Pantanal
Jabiru mycteria, Fazenda Ypiranga, Pocone, Mato Grosso / Brazil
Whereas long-distance bird migration for aquatic bird species is roughly understood there are other movements of birds between especially the lower Paraná River valley wetlands in Argentina, and the south Brazil/Pantanal wetlands which are far from clear.
Besides the fact, that the global patterns of Summer/ Winter north and south of the equator determines the arrival and departure of arctic migrants and Patagonian guests, there are two major inherent factors which drive birds moving in and out the Pantanal. The one is the regular change in flooding and dryness or even droughts. The other factor is the different food mix embedded in that pattern of seasonal flooding. Whereas most birds move in with the floods in September/ October others move in when the floods retreat using food resources e.g. on small pools left after the waters has covered the most part of the Pantanal.
A good example are the Jabirus, Jabiru mycteria, big storks, which are not present in the Pantanal during the flooding season. Obviously they move to higher grounds to sites outside the Pantanal area. Availability of food for the adult individuals to raise their young are the driving factor. The birds prefer low water levels, especially in lagoons and ponds, in order to obtain the food they can catch with their specialized beaks. Besides by watching for preys while walking they also hunt by tactile prey location, thanks to the sensible bill tip. The Jabiru feeds on various aquatic preys such as fish, molluscs, crustaceans, amphibians, snakes, even young caimans and insects. They walk slowly in shallow water, regularly stabbing and pecking at preys with the bill. One of their fish species preferred are mussum fish (Symbranchus marmoratus), which can stay dormant and encapsulated in the mud throughout the dry season. They are reactivated by the humidity of the rain and start to swim again when the water rises in the rainy season. The Jabiru is a specialist in detecting and catching the dormant fish in the muddy ground of the dried ponds.
Another example of birds using the environmental conditions during the dry season are huge concentrations in nesting sites in the gallery forest, to take advantage of the seasonal resources available. The breeding colonies are formed by hundreds of nesting birds, such as Wood stork (Mycteria americana), egrets (Snowy Egret, Egretta thula, Great White Egret, Casmerodius albus and the Capped Heron, Pilherodius pileatus) and the Roseate Spoonbill, Ajaia ajaja. In this gallery you will find some more examples of bird moving in the Pantanal or adjacent Southern Brazil or migrate to these wetlands.
In his article in Bird Conservation International, 4, „Migration and other movements among the lower Paraná River valley Continue reading
Lateinamerika – Symposium – 17./18. Dezember 2010 – ZFMK
The next Latin America Symposium is held at 7th/ 8th of December 2012 in Bonn. For someone interested in topics of biology and geology in the neotropics a real must!
For those who want to present their own scientific results to a wider audience, it is possible to perform a PowerPoint presentation. Alternatively, it is possible to present scientific findings with posters. These contributions are more than welcome. Overview contributions of the latest developments in research are particularly desired. Presentation should not exceed 30 minutes. But also short papers (max. 15 min) can be presented on the following topics: tropical ecology, biogeography, vegetation science, limnology, botany, entomology, ichthyology, herpetology, ornithology plus free projects.
Posters to topics mentioned above are welcome. Posters should not exceed a height/ width of 1 m x 1 m. Presentations and posters: in German or English.
The organization office can be contacted via phone: +49 (0) 228 / 9122-237 or 9122-238. For more information see: Lateinamerika – Symposium – 17./18. Dezember 2010 – ZFMK.
Deadline: Registration and submittance of orals and posters until December 1, 2012.
Naumann´s Thrush in Estonia
During the last days one Naumann’s Thrush, Turdus naumanni, continues to stay at Kihnu, Parnumaa. This thrush is obviously one of the few records for the Western Palearctic (only the 20th record might be too pessimistic) and has been observed on the island of Kihnu in the Gulf of Riga in Estonia. The bird was found around the Kihnu lighthouse. Kihnu lighthouse situates on the most southern tip of Pitkänä. A nice report of the twitch you see in an article Finnish Birding: MEGA! Naumann´s Thrush in Estonia 19.11.2012.
On Wednesday, 21st of November, the bird was still on the above mentioned location. The thrush was not the only bird on the island. At the same day a Pine Grosbeak could be observed, too.
Naumann’s Thrush is a split from the Dusky Thrush and is a regular winter visitor of north-east China and Korea. The images shot on Happy Island – see blog – fit perfectly in that pattern.
In his „Handbuch der Vögel Mitteleuropas“, Band 11/II „Passeriformes, Turtiidae“ Urs N. Glutz von Blotzheim mentioned that this thrush has its main distribution in middle east sibiria. Up to 1988 Urs N. Glutz von Blotzheim counted 21 observations for the middle Western Palearctic and notes at least 7 records for Poland and 8 proofed records for Germany – some from the preprevious century. Even the Netherlands Continue reading
Bird migration in late fall on Seychelles – an abstract
Escaping the cold and shorts days in Germany in late fall is a real privilege. This time the target was the Seychelles Islands. Relaxing and birdwatching is both possible on these famous island near the equator. Whereas the bigger islands as Mahé or Praslin are famous for its endemic (and rare) land birds the smaller islands are famous for huge seabird colonies where several thousands of birds breed in densely packed colonies on rocks, sandy beaches and trees. Looking mainly for western palearctic birds to complete the gallery for www.bird-lens.com the real thrill was to find migrating birds. Late fall is a perfect months as you find migrating and wintering birds side by side with the above mentioned endemics and sea birds. Birds visiting Seychelles also include a good number of Asian species which are vagrants to the western palearctic, too. Another good reason to travel to the Seychelles. But anyway, the list of all birds recorded in Seychelles is long and includes visitors from almost all over the globe. Thus one more reason to do the trip and shoulder the long flight.
During this 2-week journey at the end of October/ beginning of November it was possible to visit the bigger islands as well as small islands like Bird Island. Here we were very successful with several waders like Grey (Black-bellied) Plover, Pluvialis squatarola, Common Ringed Plover, Charadrius hiaticula, Common Sandpiper, Actitis hypoleucos, Little Stint, Calidris minuta, Curlew Sandpiper, Calidris ferruginea, as you see in that gallery.
Whereas these birds are regular visitors to coasts of the Western Palearctic too, the good numbers of both Mongolian (Lesser Sand) Plover, Charadrius mongolus, as well as the Greater Sand Plover, Charadrius leschenaultii, were a most welcomed observation. The black-and-white Crab Plover, Dromas ardeola, was another Continue reading
Siberian specialities on Bird-Lens
On the eastern edge of the western palearctic are living bird families closely related to the species you find on a regular basis in the western palearctic too. Sometimes these birds cross or touch the borders of the western palearctic only. Sometimes they occur during an influx as vagrants touching down often to islands of the western palearctic. Like the Nearctic species these birds are put on the wall especially in fall. Thus for the keen birdwatcher of western palearctic birds these species are highly though-after mega birds. To see birds like Orange-flanked Bush-Robin, Tarsiger cyanurus, Siberian Stonechat, Saxicola maurus, Grey-backed Thrush, Turdus hortulorum, Naumann’s Thrush, Turdus naumanni naumanni, Dusky Thrush, Turdus naumanni eunomus, Black-throated Thrush, Turdus ruficollis atrogularis, Red-throated Thrush, Turdus ruficollis ruficollis and Scaly Thrush, Zoothera dauma, it is advisable to go for locations on the eastern flyways like e.g. Happy Island on China´s yellow sea coast.
To cope with the growing demand for top shots of the rarer birds of the western palearctic from science & public customers Bird-Lens is proud to present a wide range of pictures shot mainly in China. Are you interested?
A first impression you will find in the gallery here. An update of the image stock in the “Pictures Shop” is already uploaded. There you will find more than 220 pictures of various bird species often in different plumages. Just give me a message, if Bird-lens could serve you with additional requests.
Other successful shootings you can see under: http://www.bird-lens.com/photos-2/
Influx of Hawk Owls (Surnia ulula) this winter?
According to discussion in EuroTwitch there is a good chance that twitchers of the north of Middle Europe can observe Hawk Owls (Surnia ulula) this winter/ late fall on their homegrounds. This should be not only true for Denmark but also at least for the northern part of Germany for this autumn/winter as there are very good numbers in Finland (incl. south and west coast) with, for example, 164 observations reported within last 7 days (some undoubtedly concern same individuals but gives an indication of the abundance) from the whole of Finland. At first sight, it seems that similar numbers are being reported from Sweden and last weekend two birds were observed in the extreme south (Scania). In the “Danish Bird News” they announced the first Hawk Owl for almost 7 years already. A 1st winter individual has been seen at Store Hareskov, Copenhagen during 30th September to 8th October.
From time to time there are wintering birds far inland. Last time, I remember very well, was in 2006, when Hawk Owls could be seen in the middle of Germany 100km south of Berlin. The picture shows a vagrant bird at the former lignite opencast mine Dubrau at the Spreewald near Vetschau/ Brandenburg/ Germany on march 22nd 2006.
To cope with the growing demand for top shots of the rarer species of the Palearctic Bird-Lens is keen to enrich the range of pictures of birds you can find in the western palearctic. Trips to remote places to capture images of rare birds of western palearctic were very successful. This nice image is only a first impression, what you will find in the gallery in the “Pictures Shop” very soon. Just give me a message, if I could serve you with an image needed before the new pictures are online.
Cranes on Happy Island, Chinas´s Helgoland, Part I
China’s Helgoland? Is there such a thing? Well, it depends on what you consider to be the specific characteristic of the “Shijiu Tuo Island” or “Bodhi Island” (in English simply “Happy Island”) mentioned island.
Shijiu Tuo Island or simple Happy Island, about 3 hours drive from the seaside resort of Beidaihe located on the Yellow Sea to the east, is at first appearance rather like one of the Northern Sea islands as Texel, Norderney or even Wangerooge. This applies both to the topography as well as the distance from the mainland. Happy Island is not an off-shore island. Therefore it only takes a small boat to bring passengers to the island – in about the same time what it takes to ship from Harlinger Siel to Wangerooge.
Beidaihe is located east of Beijing – about 300 km from the international airport.
The resort has been in the international media at the beginning of August 2012, as this year the Chinese leadership resided in this seaside town to a multi-week retreat to prepare for the upcoming change in power. Previously, the communist party retreats were held regularly in the summer in the nice place. Large parts of the state bureaucracy were carted in the hot months to Beidaihe with its convenient seaside climate. Security is of course very strict at that time but in October / November – the best time for bird migration observation – the resort is very quiet and not crowded. Perfect conditions to go for the beach or in the park adjacent to the Lotus Hills – the Lian Feng Mountain Park – to look after local and migrating birds. So far so good. But now more to Happy Island.
Happy Island at the widest point is only 1.5 kilometers wide and 3.5 kilometers long. Albeit this island offers an impressive diversity of habitats – as does Helgoland. There are grasslands, sandy beaches, small ponds, dense coastal scrub, sand dunes, shrimp ponds and – in the middle a collection of trees that could be almost called a small wood. The wood is picturesquely located right around a Buddhist temple.
The surrounding sea impresses the observer with wide mud flats at low tide. This is an excellent food area for migratory and native birds – such as our North Sea islands. Here waders as Oystercatchers (Haematopus ostralegus), Pacific Golden Plover (Pluvialis fulva), Mongolian Plover (Charadrius mongolus), Greater Sand Plover (Charadrius leschenaultii), Eurasian Curlew (Numenius arquata), Spotted Redshank (Tringa erythropus), Marsh Sandpiper (Tringa stagnatilis), Greenshank (Tringa nebularia), Green Sandpiper (Tringa ochropus) and Dunlin (Calidris alpina) can be seen. Rarities are Pectoral Sandpiper (Calidris melanotos) and finally Far Eastern Curlew (Numenius madagascariensis). One of the highlights is Nordmann’s Greenshank (Tringa guttifer), who is the almost annually observed. Unfortunately I draw a blank on that bird as I missed the Great Knot (Calidris tenuirostris), who is also a scarce passing migrant. A special feature is the observation opportunities for the otherwise very rare Saunders’s Gull (Larus saundersi) 
and Relict Gull (Larus relictus). Both could be photographed beautifully. So far, the impressive number of 408 species has been proven for the island, of which only 29 are valid as breeding species and 379 as migratory.
The Fall – from September to mid-November – is a very favorable season for bird watching Continue reading
Birds in autumn in the Comana Natural Park / Romania
Having seen a spectacular bird migration in the Macin Mountains and at the Black Sea Coast near Constanta we decided to look for birds on a different spot. Maybe not really an important migration hotspot but a wetland near the capital of Romania should be still good at the end of September.
An excellent choice. Arriving early at around 7:00h the activity of the birds were already high. The fog was still hovering over the open water dotted with sedge and reed. We stopped the car from the country road on a dam connecting the Comana village with it´s famous Comana Monastery to the neighboring villages.
Immediately we saw masses of ducks and egrets on the water. A short walk along the newly built concrete dam (thanks to aid from the European Community) gave excellent views on the wetland.
But the highlight, which drew our attention was a feeding Little Crake, Porzana parva. This time of the day was just right. We did manage to observe a single individual for almost 15 minutes – sometimes really close. But the next birds were already waiting for us. A Spotted Redshank, Tringa erythropus, was quite relaxed when we approached him carefully. Just a few meters more and we saw a young Common Nightingale, Luscinia megarhynchos, preening in the rays of the early morning sun. Beautiful images!
Another highlights were a Sedge Warbler, Acrocephalus schoenobaenus, feeding on a spider, picking him out of his net. A comrade of the Sedge Warbler was caught by a Eurasian Sparrowhawk, Accipiter nisus, in the meantime. This shows, that all is within the cycle of life.
The Comana Natural Park (Romanian: Parcul Natural Comana) is a protected area situated in the southern part of Romania, on the administrativ territory of Giurgiu County. The park is located at the Neajlov Delta and is just a 40-minute drive from downtown Bucharest. More information you will find here.
Other successful shootings you can see under: www.bird-lens.com.
Parasitic Jaeger (Arctic Skuas) in Romania: a nice surprise
September is fall migration time in Romania´s Black Sea coast. Thus it is prime birdwatching time. After having seen the spectacular mass migration of Red-footed Falcon, Falco vespertinus, in an area south of the Danube Delta with its wide stretch of a sandy shoreline with shallow lagoons we arrived at the sandy beach near the little town of Vadu. A surprise was, what you see on the pictures: a slender, elegant fast flying birds with an obvious contrast in the feathers was flying close to the beach. Short after another individual appeared. Just after 2 minutes both left the immediate stretch of sandy coast to fly over the open waters of the Black Sea. Immediately we were sure, that we saw a Jaeger, a species of the Stercorarius – group. But only the examination of the images revealed: Both Skuas were indeed Arctic Skuas (alias Parasitic Jaegers in America, Stercorarius parasiticus in latin).
Here you can see more of the Jaegers in flight. Photographed in the nice countryside of Romania near the city of Constanta.
On the Avibase – Bird Checklists of the World for Romania the Parasitic Jaeger is listed without detailed comment for Romania. The Arctic Skua (Stercorarius parasiticus) is regarded as a relative common species on the Romanian Black Sea coast but only during the migration. This due to local ornithologists. But this species is a rare vagrant for inland Romania. There is one record for Bucharest area – a few years ago. A pattern which is shown in Middle Europe, too. Some days before a Romanian birdwatcher observed a couple (maybe the same individuals we saw) just 10km to the north. Obviously Parasitic Jaeger migrate on different migration Continue reading
Fall migration at the Black Sea Coast/ Romania
Spectacular numbers of Pallid Harrier, Circus macrourus, and Red-footed Falcon, Falco vespertinus, were the highlight of the first day. Having spent 3 days in May north of Constanta at Romania´s Black Sea coast, it was decided to try our luck with birds again in the area around the village of Vadu. The target was, to increase the birdlist and to look what differences in the bird diversity we could experience. South of the Danube Delta is wide stretch of a sandy shoreline with shallow lagoons. This is part of Romania´s Black Sea coast. September– like May – is migration time. Whereas the association of the east Romanian countryside is normally with the core Danube Delta with its special birds like Pelicans, Black-necked and Red-necked Grebes, Glossy Ibises, Spoonbills, the stretch of coast just south of the Danube Delta up to the northern city limits of Constanta is an excellent birding spot not only for migrating birds, too. Two dedicated bird photographers went for the countryside area near of Vadu at the sandy coast in the 3rd week of September 2012. The area called Dobrudja with its steppe habitat more to the west was neglected this time. All breeding specialities should have gone already.
The trip date was perfect, allowing us to see good variety of species, many of them in considerable numbers, especially raptors. We also saw waders, gulls, herons, pelicans and passerines.
The Bird Diversity we enjoyed was high; exactly 90 species of birds we found in only 2,5 days. Highlights of the tour you will find in the gallery. Among others we made photos of Black-necked Grebe, Podiceps nigricollis, Dalmatian Pelican, Pelecanus crispus, Purple Heron, Ardea purpurea, 
Ruddy Shelduck, Tadorna ferruginea, Common Shelduck, Tadorna tadorna, Black Kite, Milvus migrans, Western Marsh-Harrier, Circus aeruginosus, Pallid Harrier, Circus macrourus, Montagu’s Harrier, Circus pygargus, Eurasian Sparrowhawk, Accipiter nisus, Red-footed Falcon, Falco vespertinus, Eurasian Hobby, Falco subbuteo, Peregrine Falcon, Falco peregrinus, Common Quail, Coturnix coturnix, Syrian Woodpecker, Dendrocopos syriacus, Red-backed Shrike, Lanius collurio, Sedge Warbler, Acrocephalus schoenobaenus, many Willow Warblers, Phylloscopus trochilus, Common Chiffchaff, Phylloscopus collybita, lots of Blackcaps, Sylvia atricapilla, only a few Common Whitethroats, Sylvia communis, many Lesser Whitethroats, Sylvia curruca, many Spotted Flycatchers, Muscicapa striata and Red-breasted Flycatchers, Ficedula parva, good numbers of Common Redstarts, Phoenicurus phoenicurus, Whinchats, Saxicola rubetra, 
Northern Wheatears, Oenanthe oenanthe and a single Tawny Pipit, Anthus campestris.
This tour gave us the opportunity to witness the spectacular autumn migration Continue reading
Migration of raptors over the Macin Mountains National Park
Because Macin Mountains is famous as an important migration hotspot for raptors in autumn, we decided to visit this site after a visit in May again at the end of September.
An excellent choice. Arriving only at around 11:00h the activity of the “normal” birds were low. But the highlight, we were looking for, was the migration of flying raptors anyway. This time of the day was just right – as you can see in the gallery. We did manage to observe two adult, White-tailed Eagle, Haliaeetus albicilla in a heavy fight with a pair of Common Raven, and a juvenile individual just flying slowly overhead. Short after a Long-legged Buzzard, Buteo rufinus, hovered over our observation point in search of prey.
Long-legged Buzzard, Buteo rufinus, is one of the largest buzzards of Europe and is the most common bird of prey in the Macin Mountains National Park. He usually builds his nest on cliffs. Other breeding raptors of that area include Short-toed Eagle, Booted Eagle, Levant Sparrowhawk and Saker Falcon. But of the rarer breeding raptors we did not see one, but one (or more) migrating Pallid Harrier, Circus macrourus , were seen hovering on the cliff along. We were surprised to see so often (or so many) Pallid Harriers here in Macin again – as we were happy to see the migration of Pallid Harrier along the Black Sea coast north of Constanta. An Eurasian Sparrowhawk, Accipiter nisus, could be observed in a furious air combat with a Eurasian Hobby, Falco subbuteo.
Common Buzzard, Buteo buteo, and Lesser Spotted Eagle, Aquila pomarina, were seen just migrating against the steel-blue sky in the wonderful mountainous scenery. It was a brilliant afternoon with not to many images today and large crops to some of them. But the birds which were photographed were top quality.
Of course we did not find any of the breeding songbirds we found in May. As you can read in a blog or see in the gallery at that time we had two species of Continue reading
An early Common Gull, Larus canus on Romania´s Black Sea coast
September is fall migration time in Romania´s Black Sea coast. After having seen the spectacular mass migration of Red-footed Falcon, Falco vespertinus, in an area south of the Danube Delta with its wide stretch of a sandy shoreline with shallow lagoons we arrived at the sandy beach near the little town of Vadu. The shoreline was dotted with gulls (Common Black-headed Gull, Larus ridibundus, Yellow-legged Gull, Larus michahellis, and Mediterranean Gull, Larus melanocephalus, Little Gull, Larus minutus and some Caspian Gull, Larus cachinnans. Additionally Gull-billed Tern, Sterna nilotica, Sandwich Tern, Sterna sandvicensis and Common Tern, Sterna hirundo,) and waders (Common Ringed Plover, Charadrius hiaticula, Eurasian Curlew, Numenius arquata and Sanderling, Calidris alba). A blog describing what could be seen on that excellent birding spot will follow very soon on the 30th of October 2012.
One observation of a gull was remarkable. A gull in non-breeding plumage was swimming not too far from the shore. Heavy streaks on the neck were clearly visible and the bill showed a black ring on grey ground. A black area below/in front of the eye underlined the head markings even more. Only checking the images at home, it was possible to identify this gull as a Common (or Mew) Gull, Larus canus moulting in 2nd winter plumages. According to local ornithologists the Common Gull in September is an unusual record. Usually the Common (or Mew) Gull, Larus canus is starting to appear on its wintering grounds Continue reading
NABU | Vogel des Jahres 2013: Die Bekassine
Common Snipe is “Bird of the Year 2013” NABU and the national federation for Birds (LBV), NABU partner in Bavaria have voted in Germany endangered Common Snipe (Gallinago gallinago) to the “Bird of the Year 2013″ as you can see here: NABU | Vogel des Jahres 2013: Die Bekassine. More information, you will find following the link to the Landesbund für Vogelschutz in Bayern e.V (LBV).
In Germany actually there are only 5500-6700 breeding pairs left – about half the population of 20 years ago. The Common Snipe is to advertise as an ambassador for the preservation of wetlands and wet meadows. The deaf great snipe bird with beige-brown plumage and the distinctive beak is due to his vociferous courtship flight often called “complaints bird”.
“The snipe had really good reason to complain because of bogs and marshes their habitat is fast disappearing. It is high time the last Moore strictly protected in Germany – in the interests of climate protection. The same applies to wetlands. We can not accept the fact that lowered the water table and dewatered areas, grasslands plowed, cultivated crops such as corn for biogas plants over large areas, and degraded peat meadows are planted in, “said NABU Vice President Helmut Opitz.
“The fact that the Snipe is threatened with extinction in Germany, is mainly due to the systematic destruction of their habitats. The habitat Continue reading
Booted Warbler and other vagrants on Helgoland
During a trip from October 08th till 13th 2012 to experience migrating birds on Helgoland several remarkable sighting could be noted. A Booted Warbler, Hippolais caligata, was seen at the red sandstone cliff at the southern corner of Helgoland, at the so-called “Kringel” on the 9th of October 2012. On the same day a Siberian Stonechat, Saxicola maura, was seen in the area near the sports field and a Rosy Starling, Pastor (Sturnus) roseus, was seen in the Kurpark. Further remarkable sightings on that day was a Barred Warbler, Turtle Dove, a Wryneck and the Yellow-browed Warbler.
Although the Booted Warbler thrilled the many birdwatchers already, that feeling could be even increased. On the following day, a strange thrush could be observed. Short ID-discussion revealed a Turdus atrogularis, a Black-throated Thrush, a recent split from the Dark-throated Thrush, Turdus ruficollis. 
The bird showed only for a few moments and disappeared for more than 2 hours. In the evening – just before dusk – it was seen briefly again. The lucky few were happy but the many frustrated birders who did not see it expected that the birds will leave in the night. This due to the fact, that a calm night with low wind was forecasted. It was a happy surprise, that on the following days until – at least – the 15th of October the the thrush showed up again – albeit with long times in between suddenly appearing on the steep slope just below a place called Falm on the so-called Oberland.
Thus an excellent bird sighting for Continue reading
Great Grey Shrike, Lanius excubitor on Helgoland
During a trip in the 1st half of October 2012 to experience migrating birds on Helgoland several remarkable sighting could be noted. Just one sighting very short. A beautiful Great Grey Shrike, Lanius excubitor, could be seen in perfect light in the afternoon of the 13th of October in the area of the former Suedhafen (southern harbor) of the tiny offshore island of Helgoland in the Northern Sea, roughly 50 km out of sea from the shores of Friesland. Later on there were seen 2 more individuals on that day. On the next days, Sunday, the 14th and Monday, the 15th of October only 1 Great Grey Shrike could be seen on Helgoland.
This was the first sighting for the fall migration. The last observation of the Great Grey Shrike has been on the 17th of April on that island. Although not a regular sighting on Helgoland, the Great Grey Shrike does not qualify to be rare enough to be listed in the category “Rare birds – day by day” as you can see on the superb website of the Ornithologische Arbeitsgemeinschaft Helgoland e.V. (OAG)
In his „Handbuch der Vögel Mitteleuropas“, Band 13/II „Passeriformes, Sittidae – Laniidae“ Urs N. Glutz von Blotzheim mentioned that migration of the Great Grey Shrike, Lanius excubitor, (also called Northern Shrike), at the coast Continue reading
Blue Tit migration on southern tip of Falsterbo/ Sweden
During the last week of September 2012, huge numbers of Blue Tits (Cyanistes caeruleus) have been observed in Nabben at the peninsula of Falsterbo, the south-western tip of Sweden. 24,000 individuals has been migrating at Nabben which is 10% more than what is seen in a whole year in average. In the Migration Counts run by the Falsterbo Vogelstation you see, that only the years 1996, 2003 and 2008 can compete with the migration numbers of this year.
In his „Handbuch der Vögel Mitteleuropas“, Band 13/I „Passeriformes, Muscicapidae – Paridae“ Urs N. Glutz von Blotzheim mentioned that all migrating behavior is shown by the Blue Tit. Some are resident bird, some (especially the youngs) show dismigration Continue reading
Ring Ouzel migrating through the Taunus near Frankfurt/ Main
Sunny weather and clear sky seduced for a nice hike on midday of September 30th through the upper Taunus near Bad Camberg, only 25 km north of the center of the city of Frankfurt. Having parked the car near Riedelbach, the nice Riedelbacher Heide on more than 500m above sea level (asl) was a resting home of a little flock of resting Ring Ouzel, Turdus torquatus. In totel 6 individuals could be seen. Immediately I made some shots with my camera. The birds were quite shy, trying to avoid contact with the photographer. They were uttering their contact call almost all the time. Only one of the images is good enough to proof the observation.
The Riedelbacher Heide is a small – but nevertheless the biggest in the upper Taunus – area of juniper heathland, which is protected as a nature reserve (Naturschutzgebiet).
When we returned to the car in the evening probably the flock has already flewn further south along the slopes of the Hochtaunus north of Frankfurt/Main.
To cope with the growing demand Continue reading
Black Kite on migration along Black Sea coast Romania
During a trip from September 21st till 24th 2012 to experience migrating birds in Romania a remarkable sighting could be noted. A juvenile Black Kite was seen flying against heavy wind southward on his migration route along the Black Sea coast near the town of Eforie over Lake (Lacul) Techirghiol. Lacul Techirghiol and Eforie are located south of Constanta right on the middle of the Black Sea coast of Romania.
In his „Handbuch der Vögel Mitteleuropas“, Band 4 „Falconiformes“ Urs N. Glutz von Blotzheim mentioned that migration of the Black Kite at the Bosporus/ Turkey could be seen between Mid of August until Mid of September. The pattern of migration is said to be the non-breeding birds first (already end of July or August) than the adult Black Kites and – with a postponement of roughly 3-4 weeks the young birds of that year. In so far the observation fits perfect.
Local ornithologist regard migrating Black Kites in fall as “not common”. It was a very common species in Romania in the first half of the 20 century, but after the ’60s the number of breeding pairs quickly decreased. There are no records of breeding pairs in the last 5 years, but maybe a very few pairs still breed somewhere in Romania. Only during the migration it isn’t a very rare species in Dobrogea. Further south, two were noted moving south from the viewpoint above Sunny Beach on the 13th. Of September 2009. They were noted south of this observation point at Bulgaria´s Black Sea Coast by Branta Tours.
To cope with the growing demand for top shots of the rarer species of the Palearctic Bird-Lens is keen to enrich the range of pictures of birds you can find in the western palearctic. Trips to remote places like this one to capture images of rare birds of western palearctic were very successful. One trip already was made to the Black Sea Coast of Romania, Continue reading
Rare buntings in the western Palearctic
For middle Europe, Urs N. Glutz von Blotzheim listed 16 species of buntings of the genus Emberiza plus the Corn Bunting, Miliaria calandra, of the genus Miliaria, the Snow Bunting, Plectrophenax nivalis, of the genus Plectrophenax the Lapland Bunting (also known as Lapland Longspur), Calcarius lapponicus, of the genus Plectrophenax in his „Handbuch der Vögel Mitteleuropas“, Band 14/III „Emberizidae“. In total there are 19 species of buntings occurring in the west-center part of the Western Palearctic. The List of the birds of the whole Western Palearctic count for 25 species in this respect.
Of the rarer species of buntings some species occure as vagrants from the northern or eastern parts of Asia, as the Pine Bunting, Emberiza leucocephalos, the Yellow-browed Bunting, Emberiza chrysophrys, the Rustic Bunting, Emberiza rustica, Chestnut Bunting, Emberiza rutila, the Red-headed Bunting, Emberiza bruniceps, the Black-faced Bunting, Emberiza spodocephala and finally the Little Bunting, Emberiza pusilla. The plumage normally is quite drab due to their bush- and ground-dwelling lifestile a rare bunting is not easy to identify. This is particulary true for the females. Here you can find some images in the gallery of the rarer species of buntings.
Of the rarer species of buntings only the Little Bunting can be found with some regularity mainly in fall in western Europe. In Germany Little Buntings were observed at the Lisdorf Beringungsstation on the 13th of Oct 2011 and in Mecklenburg at the Greifswalder Oie on the 25th of Sept. 2011. On the Island of Helgoland, Little Buntings are twitched several times during the fall migration. On the other hand Helgoland was a temporary home for the Rustic Bunting, Emberiza rustica, Continue reading
Looking for larks in Morocco, PART II
…. A pre-adult Thick-billed Lark (Ramphocoris clotbey) was the next mornings highlight. After spending the night not too far away from the town of Boumalne, I started the day already at dawn. Behind the village, the road winds back to a plateau. Because I missed the turnoff, I drove on and finally stopped in an area that looked very promising due to its rocky, stony surface. First I saw the otherwise ubiquitous Thekla Lark (Galerida theklae). When I was taking photos, I realized a movement underneath my car. This discovery came out as a real winner: a juvenile Thick-billed Lark (Ramphocoris clotbey), which I had never seen photographed so far. Great! Some shots, then the bird disappeared.
Despite this success soon I had to realize that this was not the described direction to move further south to the sandy desert to see more larks and other desert specialists.
So I had to go back and focus myself strictly to the mileage-data in the reports and the road signs – or what I regarded as road signs. Than I started to ask the people on the road for a place called Ikniouin, a destination said to be in the wider environment. But the Bedouin, I ask, were not very helpful. They merely wanted to smoke something. Finally I decided to simply take the next driveway and follow the direction of my GPS. Driving in this stony flat desert Continue reading
Fall bird migration and waterfowl in southwestern USA – August 2013
In late summer (mid-late August/early September), the Brehm Fund for International Bird Conservation, Bonn, offers an ornithological tour to the United States. The southwestern part – located between the Pacific Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico – provides numerous ornithological highlights, which we will do in California and Texas Station.
California, because of its exposed location along the Pacific flyway, has an extremely diverse avifauna (over 640 species), including interesting deposits of water-and seabirds. In addition, up to 10 different species of hummingbirds, such as Anna’s, Costa’s and Calliope Hummingbird, can be observed regularly. Highlights of the trip will detour to the coastal marshes south of Los Angeles (e.g. Western Sandpiper, Belding’s Savannah Sparrow), the lagoon of Malibu (Least Tern, Black Skimmer) and in the vicinity of the Salton Sea (Caspian Tern, Yellow-footed Gull). We will also check typical chaparral habitats (coastal shrub with endemic Wrentit, California Quail, Black-headed and California Gnatcatcher) and visit the coastal mountain range with its coniferous forests (occurrence of Acorn Woodpecker, Mountain Bluebird, Steller’s Jay). The trip to a bird island of Channel Islands National Park (including endemic Island Scrub-Jay, colonies of Brandt’s Cormorant and California Gull and the possibility of observing whales) can be scheduled optional. In 2009 and 2011 excellent images of pelagic birds could be shot to enlarge the portfolio von Bird-Lens. With a bit of luck these seabirds – as you see here in the gallery- can be seen on the ferry Continue reading
Herbstzug und Wasservögel im Südwesten der USA – August 2013, Reise des Brehm-Fonds
Im Spätsommer (ca. Mitte–Ende August/Anfang September) bietet der Brehm Fonds für internationalen Vogelschutz e.V., Bonn, eine 2,5-wöchige ornithologische und naturkundliche Rundreise in die USA an. Der Südwesten – zwischen Pazifik und dem Golf von Mexico gelegen – bietet zahlreiche ornithologische Highlights, wobei wir in Kalifornien und Texas Station machen werden.
Kalifornien verfügt aufgrund der exponierten Lage entlang der pazifischen Zugstraße über eine äußerst artenreiche Avifauna (über 640 Arten) einschließlich interessanter Vorkommen an Wasser- und Seevögeln. Außerdem können bis zu 10 verschiedene Kolibriarten, wie Sternelfe und Annakolibri, regelmäßig beobachtet werden. Höhepunkte der Reise werden Abstecher in die Küstensümpfe südlich von Los Angeles (z. B. Bergstrandläufer, Beldings Grasammer), zur Lagune von Malibu (Amerikanische Zwergseeschwalbe, Scherenschnabel) und in die Umgebung des Salton Sea (Schmuck- und Raubseeschwalbe, Gelbfußmöwe) sein. Wir werden auch typische Chaparralhabitate (küstennahe Strauchfluren mit der endemischen Chaparraltimalie, Kalifonischer Schopfwachtel, Schwarzkopf-Mückenfänger) und die Küsten-gebirge mit ihren Koniferenwäldern (Vorkommen von Eichelspecht, Berghüttensänger und Diademhäher) aufsuchen. Die Überfahrt zu einer Vogelinsel des Channel Islands National Park (u. a. mit Insel-Buschhäher, Kolonien von Pinselscharbe und Kaliforniermöwe und der Möglichkeit der Beobachtung von Walen) kann optional eingeplant werden. In den Jahren 2009 und 2011 wurden in der Gegend sehr gute Fotos von pelagischen Vögeln (Hochseevögeln) für das Portfolio von Bird-Lens gemacht. Bei ein wenig Glück sind diese Hochseevögel – wie hier in der Gallerie zu sehen – auf der Fahrt zum Channel Islands National Park Continue reading
Spring migration and birds of prey in Extremadura – April 2013
In spring 2013, there will be an ornithological study tour to the region of Extremadura, southwesternSpain. It includes the provinces ofBadajozand Cáceres east of the border withPortugal, and is not only famous for the best-preserved medieval monuments inSpainbut among nature lovers for its unique combination of oak woodlands, grasslands, agricultural landscapes, lakes and rocky regions. Accordingly, the avifauna is highly diverse (about 340 spp.), with many species having their distribution centers for the Iberian Peninsula and southwestern Europe in that region. The spectrum ranges from common birds like the Lesser Kestrel, Azure-winged Magpie and Thekla Lark to outspoken rarities, such as White-headed Duck, Little and Great Bustard, Pin-tailed Sandgrouse, Black-shouldered (or Black-winged) Kite, (European) Roller and Great Spotted Cuckoo – species which are only distributed here and/or are already gone at most other places in Europe. The list of remarkable sightings is growing continuously; in spring of 2012, for the first time Lesser Crested Tern and Little Swift were recorded for the Extremadura.
A highlight of the tour will be a visit to the Monfragüe National Park north of Trujillo, which has been established
Frühjahrszug und Greifvögel in der Extremadura – April 2013, Reise des Brehm-Fonds
Im Frühjahr 2013 wird vom Brehm-Fonds für internationalen Vogelschutz e.V. eine ornithologische Studienreise in die im Südwesten Spaniens gelegene Region Extremadura geführt. Sie umfasst die Provinzen Badajoz und Cáceres östlich der Grenze zu Portugal und ist nicht nur berühmt für die am besten erhaltenen mittelalterlichen Denkmäler in Spanien, sondern unter Naturliebhabern auch für ihre einzigartige Kombination von Eichenwäldern, Steppen, Agrarlandschaften, Seen und Felsregionen. Entsprechend artenreich (ca. 340 spp.) gestaltet sich die Vogelwelt; viele Vertreter haben hier ihre Verbreitungszentren für die Iberische Halbinsel bzw. Südwesteuropa. Das Spektrum reicht von beinahe alltäglichen Arten wie Rötelfalke, Blauelster und Kalanderlerche bis hin zu ausgesprochenen Raritäten wie Weißkopf-Ruderente, Zwerg- und Großtrappe, Spießflughuhn, Gleitaar, Blauracke und Häherkuckuck – Arten, die in Europa entweder nur hier vorkommen oder an den meisten anderen Orten bereits verschwunden sind. Die Liste bemerkenswerter Nachweise wächst beständig; erst im Frühjahr 2012 wurden erstmals Rüppellseeschwalbe und Haussegler nachgewiesen.
Ein Höhepunkt der Tour wird der Besuch des erst seit 2007 bestehenden Nationalparks Monfragüe nördlich von Trujillo Continue reading
Early fall images from the Leinetal/ Hannover
The valley of the river „Leine“ and the surrounding hills called “Leinebergland” is not famous of being one of Germany´s birding hot spots. But a excursion to that charming countryside between the cities of Hildesheim to the east and Hameln to the west has to offer surprisingly good locations to shoot images of excellent birds.
Having been spend one day on invitation of Wolf-Dieter Peest has been very productive – as you can see in the gallery. Wolf-Dieter offers Wildlife Workshops but also the chance to sit in one (or more) of his hides located on ponds, small streams or at the border of agricultural fields. The Leinebergland 30 km south of the city of Hannover, with its many gravel pits, is a paradise for nature photographers. In the early 70s many gravel mining pits were built along the line between Hanover and Göttingen. Having exploited these areas, the remaining ponds and lakes are now on the way back to nature again and offer a new habitat to a huge number of animal and plant species. Many of these ponds are real paradises for nature lovers and the nature- of course. A description of the locations written in german, you will find here!
Wolf-Dieter managed to lease a good number of attractive properties over the last 15 years. There are ideal conditions for a photographic passion to shoot images of wild birds on close distance.
Wolf-Dieter´s favorite bird is the Common Kingfisher (Alcedo atthis). Here in that countryside the kingfisher finds the habitat they need. Steep walls of mud or broken steep edges on disused gravel pits. It is said, that nowhere in Germany you will find a better location Continue reading
African specialities on Bird-Lens
On the southern edge of the western palearctic, in Egypt, south of the Sahara, in southern North Africa are living some strange bird creatures which touch the borders of the western palearctic only. Sometimes they occur as a rare breeding species in countries like Morocco or Egypt or you can see them as a strangler on the Canaries, in southern Europe or Northern Africa. Unlike Nearctic species, which are put on the wall especially in fall, because then there is a high influx of birds from Northern American, you do not see the southern specials on a regular basis. But for the keen birdwatcher of western palearctic birds these species are highly though-after mega birds.
To cope with the growing demand for top shots of the rarer birds of the western palearctic from science & public customers Bird-Lens is proud to present a wide range of pictures shot in Tanzania, Malawi, Namibia and the Republic of South Africa (RSA). Are you interested? A first impression you will find in the gallery here. There you will find 42 pictures of various bird species. Continue reading
Pelagic Birds in the Western Palearctic
Pelagic or oceanic birds, seabirds or marine birds all describe bird which spend a significant portion of its life on the open ocean, rarely venturing to land except to breed. Their flight is often described as elegant and beautiful. This is particulary true for the Black-browed Albatross (Thalassarche melanophris), as you can see on the image on the right. Pelagic Birds are powerful fliers that can remain for hours while gliding or soaring over the waves. When the birds rest, they do so by swimming quite high (floating) on the water. Pelagic birds may be found hundreds or thousands of miles offshore. Pelagic birds typically feed on fish, squid and crustaceans as well as offal from fishing ships or trash dumped into the ocean. Although “Pelagic Birds” does not have a scientific meaning in it´s strict sense, normally you mean albatrosses, shearwaters and petrels are described as being pelagic. The right taxonomic description for these birds are “Procellariformes”. There are lots of pelagic bird species with a great range of sizes and ranges. In the Gallery you will find different types Continue reading
Looking for larks in Morocco, PART I
Many species of larks are one of the big treasures of Morocco. If you want to see the most larks in the Western Palearctic (in quality and even in quantity) you have to go for that north-african country which besides the larks offer much more birdingwise. Beginning of June might be regarded as already quite late to look for birds in a desert called Tagdilt, Morocco. But the Temminck’s Lark (Eremophila bilopha), a bird of dry open country, preferably semi-desert is hatching the offspring at that time of the year. Thus a good chance to take images of adult and young birds of this species. When I arrived on a barren stony desert near the town of Boumalne du Dades I a saw an adult species first. After a while I found a juvenile individual still with white ear-feathers in the same area, too. From inside the SUV I could photograph these usually shy birds from the immediate vicinity, although – after feeding – they always ran away pretty quickly. Again and again I had to move & stop the jeep. I only had a chance, if I could catch the moment when they to come to feed the chick. Here you see more!
Fortunately the spring 2002 had been quite rainy and the desert was still green enough to provide this nice lark with enough insect prey. Looking for larks, I spend a whole afternoon on a plateau at 1,600 m above sea level at the edge of the mountains called Ibel Sarhro when first Continue reading
Common Wood-Pigeon & other birds in elderberry shrub
T
he elder of the species black elderberry (Sambucus nigra) in my garden right outside my work room window is a special attraction. Not only for birds but also for insects and small mammals such as mice. In the elder I’ve seen birds the size of a Common Wood-Pigeon (Columba palumbus) to the smallest passerine species such as the Firecrest (Regulus ignicapillus). In total, there are 25 species, including Eurasian Jay (Garrulus glandarius), Marsh Tit (Poecile palustris), Long-tailed Tit (Aegithalos caudatus), Wood Nuthatch (Sitta europaea), Willow Warbler (Phylloscopus trochilus), Common Chiffchaff (Phylloscopus collybita), 4 types of Sylvia – species, Spotted Flycatcher (Muscicapa striata), Black Redstart (Phoenicurus ochruros), Common Redstart (Phoenicurus phoenicurus), Hedge Accentor (Prunella modularis), European Serin (Serinus serinus), European Goldfinch (Carduelis carduelis), Eurasian Linnet (Carduelis cannabina) and both species of sparrows.
Two interesting reason make the elder a magnet for birds. For one, the elder show the rich-black fruits starting in June and bear the fruit for 2 months. On the other hand, the birds after having made their way through moulting do roam around again or even take the first few meters on the way to the winter quarters. The Eurasian Sparrowhawk (Accipiter nisus) also Continue reading
Identifcation of flying Chlidonias Terns in breeding plumage
Looking at field guides like „ Collins Bird Guide“ from Peter Grant, Dan Zetterstrom, Lars Svenson and Killian Mullarney the ID look quite simple. But even in the breeding plumage Chlidonias – or Marsh – Terns can cause some headache identifying in the field. Then even the Whiskered Tern (Chlidonias hybridus) can be confused with the Black Tern (Chlidonias niger) especially if seen in poor light facing the sun when both terns look remarkably dark.
Whiskered Tern, Chlidonias hybridus
Black Tern, Chlidonias niger
A remarkable fact is, that the scientific name arises from Whiskered Tern´s similarities in appearance to the Black Tern but also to the (more whitish) Sterna – Terns.
To distinguish Black Tern (Chlidonias niger) and the 3rd member of the genus, the White-winged Tern (Chlidonias leucopterus) is even more sophisticated. The wings do not always look decidedly white – as the name suggests. Often the upper parts of the wings do not look so much brighter than in the Black Tern. On the other hand a good deal of black is shown in the underwing-coverts. Hence the black & white contrast of the underwings might be the best criterion to distinguish flying White-winged Tern from Black Tern in the field.
White-winged Tern, Chlidonias leucopterus
Black Tern, Chlidonias niger
In flight, all these terns appear slim – less so the Whiskered Tern. The wing-beats are full and dynamic, and flight is often erratic as they descend to the surface for food. Chlidonias – or Marsh – Terns do not dive for fish, but forage on the wing picking up items at or near the water’s surface or catching insects in flight. They mainly eat insects and fish as well as amphibians. The feeding habit is quite unlike Continue reading
Cream-colored Courser with young in Morocco
Beginning of June might be regarded as already quite late to look for birds in the deserts of Boumalne du Dades (called Tagdilt), Morocco. But The Cream-colored Courser (Cursorius cursor) a bird of dry open country, preferably semi-desert is hatching the offspring at that time of the year. Thus a good chance to take images of adult and young birds of this species. Here you see more!
Fortunately the spring 2002 had been quite rainy and the desert was still green enough to provide this very special wader in the pratincole and courser family with enough insect prey which is typically hunted by erratic running on the ground. Looking for larks, I spend a whole afternoon on a plateau at 1,600 m above sea level at the edge of the mountains called Ibel Sarhro when I stumbled over a pair of the Cream-colored Courser which explored the area with young chicks. After a while I found a juvenile individual in the same area, too. From inside the SUV I could photograph these usually shy birds from the immediate vicinity, although they always ran away pretty quickly. They moved on to the rocky, stony ground even faster than the Greater Hoopoe-Lark (Alaemon alaudipes), I had photographed some minutes before in more or less the same area. Again and again I had to move & stop the jeep. I only had a chance, if I catch the moment when they to come to an abrupt stop. This worked best with the parents, because the young were even more mobile.
These coursers are found on the Canary Islands, too. There I saw 3 individuals on Fuerteventura in October 2011. These birds have long legs and long wings. They have slightly downcurved bills. The body plumage is sandy in colour. Some short description you will find here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cream-coloured_Courser
To track birds like larks or coursers in the endless deserts of Morocco is looking like the proverbial needle in a haystack. I had heard it before I left my hometown, and the initial experience confirmed this statement just too much. But the results so far of a photo safari through Spain and Morocco with my SUV in 2002 were very rewarding. With the help of fellow ornithologists, good maps and trip reports from the Internet, I had been in the High Atlas and photographed mega birds as Bonelli’s eagle (Hieraaetus fasciatus), Horned Lark (Eremophila alpestris atlas, the southern form of the chemical also found in Scandinavian style), Continue reading
Black Terns catching flies in the Danube Delta
I was almost titeling Black Tern flycatching… but then I found an interesting nice article in Wikipedia, (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hawking_(birds)) to the meaning of feeding strategies of birds involving catching flying insects in the air. Wikipedia says, that the term “flycatching” refers to a technique of sallying out from a perch to snatch an insect and then returning to the same or a different perch.” Ok, this is not what I saw in mid May 2012 in the Danube Delta. For sure, a flock of approx. 50 Black Terns (Chlidonias niger) in a joined effort with some Whiskered Tern (Chlidonias hybridus) were catching flies in a swift, elegant and almost effortless looking manner but now I know, you should not call it “flycatching”.
2 species of Chlidonias – Terns, Black Terns and Whiskered Tern are breeding in the Danube Delta. Mid of May they have just arrived from their wintering grounds and they are in urgent need of nutrient-rich food after the strenuous migration and in preparation of breeding. A mass occurrence of black flies is the right food to fill up resources for the tasks ahead. The gallery show more pictures of the terns in the air that one unforgettable evening mid of May in the Danube Delta/ Romania.
According to a very nice article in Wikipedia. The various methods of taking insects Continue reading
birdline : Message: STILT SANDPIPER in Northumberland
Micropalama himantopus, non-breeding plumage, Progresso in Yucatan/ Mexico
An adult Stilt Sandpiper (Calidris himantopus), remains for its second day at Low Newton-by-the -Sea (Northumberland) on the scrape between the village and Newton Pool (see: birdline : Message: STILT SANDPIPER in Northumberland). There it can be viewed from the footpath at NU 241 243. Please park in the village car park rather than on the adjacent road. This an interesting message for someone from the continent who is birding in Scotland (as I did last year) right now. The location in the northern part of England, close to the border to Scotland, is just 82 miles – or some 2 hours – drive from Edinburgh. If you are planning a visit to the excellent FarneIslands with its 65,000 pairs in 14 species of seabirds, it is just a further drive of roughly 7 miles (or 15 minutes) away. As far as I can see, an even better twitch for a continental european as for a british birder. The last twitch I could find of a Stilt Sandpiper in Germany was from Strandsee Hohenfelde, Schleswig-Holstein, in July 2008. Good luck!
Cattle Egret taking a shower under a lawn sprinkler
This species of heron is renown to spend a lot of time close to livestock like grazing cattle and grab insects and worms that their hooves disturb. But on these pictures you can see, that the Cattle Egret feels attracted to other human environment as well. Weather the egret seeks the spray of the lawn sprinkler in search of insects and worms or weather it just like a cool shower running along its feathers is not clear. But anyway, a great impression which couldn´t be missed. Without haste the bird marched under the spray of the water from one side of the green rondell to the other. The images were shot in March 2012 in the park called Green Mubazzarah near Al Ain/ UAE at the foot of the Hajar Mountains. Green Mubazzarah is a picnic area with streams, grass and chalets at the northern base of Jebel Hafeet before the road starts to climb upwards towards the summit of Jebel Hafeet. Lawn sprinklers are abundant and in full action in the mornings to preserve the green in a extremely desert environment. The green in the desert does not only attract Cattle Egret and other birds present year-round in that area like Chukar, Grey Francolin, Laughing Dove und Eurasian Collared-Dove but also many migrating birds like e.g. Blue Rock-Thrush, Rufous-tailed Rock-Thrush, Eurasian Hoopoe, Pied, Northern, Isabelline and Desert Wheatear, Wagtails and Water Pipits.
The birding strategy is to go early in the morning. The official opening times is: 9am to 9pm, but cleaning service start right after dawn so you might be able Continue reading
More Bird Images in Picture Shop
Having checked the output of trips to the Emirates, Oman, Romania & Poland, Bird Lens is proud to show more excellent images of birds shot in these countries at excellent destinations in the gallery of the pictures shop. There were some excellent opportunities to photograph on several occasions in the desert, in the mountains and on the water. Besides the birds added are Dalmatian Pelican (Pelecanus crispus), Egyptian Vulture (Neophron percnopterus), Great White Pelican (Pelecanus onocrotalus), Pygmy Cormorant (Phalacrocorax pygmeus), Ferruginous Pochard (Aythya nyroca), Great Bittern (Botaurus stellaris), Little Crake (Porzana parva), Grey Hypocolius (Hypocolius ampelinus), Grey-faced Woodpecker (Picus canus), Palestine Sunbird (Cinnyris oseus), Pied Wheatear (Oenanthe pleschanka) and many more.
If you are interested in a particular species, please use the list of the western palearctic or use the “Search”-Function in the left column in the “Pictures Shop” or search by the taxonomic systems in the “Pictures Shop”, too. To cope with the growing demand for top shots of Palearctic birds from customers all over the world Bird-Lens is proud to present a wide range of pictures now in the gallery. Are you interested? In the gallery you will find now 2.282 pictures of in total 668 species often in different plumages or as male/ female. Further updates of the image stock in the “Pictures Shop” is coming soon. Just give Bird-Lens Continue reading
Top Birds at Romania´s Black Sea Coast
South of the Danube Delta is a wide stretch of a sandy shoreline with shallow lagoons. This is part of Romania´s Black Sea coast. May is Migration and early breeding time. Whereas the association of the east Romanian countryside is normally with the core Danube Delta with its speciality birds like Pelicans, Black-necked and Red-necked Grebes, Glossy Ibises, Spoonbills, the stretch of coast just south of the Danube Delta up to the northern city limits of Constanta is an excellent birding spot, too. A small group of bird photographers went for that countryside, with the area called Dobrudja more to the west and the area of Vadu at the coast. The tour was organized by Sakertours. The Bird Diversity we enjoyed was high; over 90 species of birds we found in only 3 days, some had just arrived from their wintering grounds in Africa. Highlights of the tour you will find in the gallery. Among others we made photoshots of Great Bittern, Botaurus stellaris, European Honey-buzzard, Pernis apivorus, Montagu’s Harrier, Circus pygargus, Long-legged Buzzard, Buteo rufinus, Lesser Spotted Eagle, Aquila pomarina, Imperial Eagle, Aquila heliaca, 2 species of Sparrowhawks Continue reading
Identification of Sternula Terns in Asia/Africa
When you are going to eastern Arabia in spring, you have good chances to see (and compare) 2 small terns of the genus Sternula. Sternula is a genus of small white terns, which is often subsumed into the larger genus Sterna. Saunder’s Tern, Sternula saundersi, was formerly considered to be subspecies of Little Tern but is now regarded a valid species besides the Little Tern, Sternula albifrons. Both species are never easy to separate in identification.
This very interesting article Birds of India: Identification of Sternula Terns in Asia/Africa might give some advice!
Here some more pictures for those birders who visit the Emirates or Oman.
In the Emirates (UAE) the Little Tern Continue reading
Greater Short-toed Lark just fledged
On Romania´s Black Sea coast May is migration and early breeding time. After having seen many of top birds like in the Macin Mountains, a small group of bird photographers went for the steppe habitat further south. Excellent sightings of larks (Calandra Lark, Greater Short-toed Lark, Crested Lark, Eurasian Skylark and Wood Lark – a bit further to the north) in that nice habitat in the Dobrogea/ Dobrudja near Constanta we made. A young bird heavly dotted with white spots was crossing the road. It must be a recently fledged Juvenile – otherwise the bill would look much different. First I was struggling with the identification particularly concerning Skylark vs. Greater Short-toed Lark. Unfortunately there is not too much about young Greater Short-toed Lark in the internet. The only websites I found were from Annika Forsten & Antero Lindholm concerning larks in Kasachstan and from Javier Blasco-Zumeta and Gerd-Michael Heinze from the Laboratorio Virtual Ibercaja. In many lark species the juvenile indivuduals have feathers with pale edges whereas the adults are lacking the pale edges. To identify the adults is not too difficult. Greater Short-toed Lark is a small pale lark which is streaked greyish-brown above, white below, and has a strong pointed bill Continue reading
Bird Diversity in the Danube Delta
Bird Diversity in the delta of 2ndlargest river delta in Europe, after the Volga Delta is very high. Over 320 species of birds are found in the delta during the summer, of which 166 are breeding species. A group of bird-photographers decided to visit this site in May 2012 on a trip with Sakertours. Highlights of the tour you will find in the gallery. Among others there were photoshots of 7 species of herons (Little Egret, Egretta garzetta, Grey Heron, Ardea cinerea, Purple Heron, Ardea purpurea, Great Egret, Casmerodius albus, Squacco Heron, Ardeola ralloides, Black-crowned Night-Heron, Nycticorax nycticorax, Little Bittern, Ixobrychus minutus), 2 species of pelican (Great White Pelican, Pelecanus onocrotalus and Dalmatian pelican, Pelecanus crispus), 3 species of grebes (Red-necked Grebe, Podiceps grisegena, Great Crested Grebe, Podiceps cristatus, Black-necked Grebe, Podiceps nigricollis), 2 species of Chlidonias-terns (Whiskered Tern, Chlidonias hybridus and Black Tern,) Chlidonias niger), 2 species of ibises (Glossy Ibis, Plegadis falcinellus and Eurasian Spoonbill, Platalea leucorodia) and top birds like Pygmy Cormorant, Phalacrocorax pygmeus, White-tailed Eagle, Haliaeetus albicilla among others
Starting from Mila 23, a village right in the middle of the Romanian part of the delta Continue reading
White Pelican having taken flight
Just to complement the blog Great White Pelican taking flight in Danube Delta, this blog shows the moment just after starting from the water surface. Even here, you see that the Pelican with the scientific name Pelecanus onocrotalus with up to 11 kg weight needs quite an effort to evenutally take-off and fly. Hope that these kind of images will be possible forever in the beautiful in Danube Delta.
To cope with the growing demand for top shots of the rarer species Continue reading
Canon 400mm f4,0 DO IS USM, ein Erfahrungsbericht
Dieses Objektiv, vielleicht mehr als jedes andere Canon-Objektiv, ist Gegenstand eines breiten Spektrums von Meinungen. Natürlich werden, wie bei jeder größeren Anschaffung, Meinungen von Emotionen und finanziellen Faktoren beeinflußt. Die quick & dirty-Zusammenfassung der verschiedenen Stimmen im Netz ist in der Regel:
- Die Schärfe ist sehr gut, aber fällt dramatisch mit Konvertern ab
- Kontrast sehr gering (kann angepasst werden, wenn Aufnahme im RAW-Modus via Photoshop überarbeitet wird)
- Sehr leicht und gut tragbar für ein großes Tele (nicht nur für einen 400mm)
- hoher Preis
- Altmodischer Image Stabelizer
Als (nach 25 Jahren) unzufriedener Nikon-Fotograf hatte ich Gelegenheit ein völlig neues fotografisches System zu suchen.
Ich bin Vogelfotograf, der sich auf das Ablichten möglichst vieler Vogelarten für wissenschaftliche Zwecke spezialisiert hat. Zuerst habe ich meine Bedürfnisse genau geprüft. Ich laufe viel in den unterschiedlichsten Gegenden, im Gebirge auf 2500m NN oder im Regenwald. Gewicht spielt also eine große Rolle. Dabei reise ich viel mit dem Flugzeug und hatte früher immer wieder Probleme bzgl. des Fluggepäcks. Das Objektiv sollte gut – am besten mit aufgesetzter Sonnenblende – in einen überschaubaren Rucksack passen und jederzeit Continue reading
Canon 400mm f4 DO review; a practical experience
This lens, perhaps more than any other Canon lens, brings out a diverse range of opinions. Of course, as with any major purchase, opinions are always going to be influcenced by emotions and financial factors.
The quick and dirty summary normally is:
• Sharpness is very good, but falls off dramatically with TCs
• Contrast very low (but might be adjusted if shooting RAW via Photoshop)
• Very light and portable for a large aperture lens (not only for a 400mm)
• High price
• Old-fashioned IS
As an dissatisfied Nikon-Photographer I was looking for a completely new photographic system.
I am bird photographer who has specialized in photographing as many species of birds for scientific purposes as possible. First I checked my needs exactly. I hike a lot in different areas to find birds – in the mountains at 2500m asl or in the rain forest. Weight plays a major role. The lens should fit into a (not-too-big) backpack
Great White Pelican takes flight in Danube Delta
The Danube Delta is home of two species of pelicans. The pelican is the symbol of the Delta. Here is home to Europe’s most important colony: 3.500 pairs live in the Danube Delta . we decided to visit this site in May 2012 on a photographer trip with Sakertours. One of the highlights were photoshots of starting Great White Pelican, Pelecanus onocrotalus and Dalmatian pelican, Pelecanus crispus.
With his 9 – 11 kg of weight the adult Great White Pelican is one of the heaviest and largest flying birds in the world. Ahead of this pelican species in weight is only the Dalmatian pelican (Pelecanus crispus), Black Vulture (Aegypius monachus), the Great Bustard (Otis tarda) and the Mute Swan (Cygnus olor). To provide his lungs with enough oxygen, he has five air sacs, which extend through the entire abdominal cavity. A special technique is also the flapping flight, with which he strikes 70 times per minute, a gull (Laridae), e.g. needs 180 beats per minute. With its 3.60 m wide wings the Pelican is able to use (as one of only a few water birds) the thermals by the rising warm air for circling in the air without any physical effort of his own.
Like many birds, the pelican has a very light skeleton. His bones Continue reading
Common Kestrel feeding on trapped bird
loud alarms calls of Blackbirds draw my attention to a place in neighbor´s garden. First I saw a moving wing – white with black pattern. Then the moustache. Hey, this is a female Common Kestrel, Falco tinnunculus, feeding on a Eurasian Blackbird. The dead Blackbird had been accidentally trapped by a fruit net, provided to protect garnet berry, Ribes rubrum, from marauding birds.
Just after I showed up, the kestrel flew away with a piece of his prey in her bill. But only after a while she came back and hung down at the wrapped bird. Unfortunately, I could not reach the neighbor’s yard. Ok, the bird was dead, but it could have been that even the Kestrel gets tangled in the net. Finally, the neighbor had seen the incident and also untied the dead blackbird off the net. A little later I could see the kestrels, as she was feeding with relish the blackbird-meal on a stone wall. Finally, she flew away, not without being aggressivly harassed by the excited fellows of the dead blackbird. Other shootings of that session you can see in the gallery under: www.bird-lens.com.
Common Kestrels eat almost exclusively mouse-sized mammals: typically voles, but also shrews and true Continue reading
Birds in Macin Mountains National Park/ Romania
Just south-west of the Danube Delta only 1 hour drive from Tulcea is the location of the Macin Mountains with its granite hills. With an altitude of max. 450 m asl Macin Mountains are showing nevertheless an impressive outline. Macin Mountains belong to the oldest mountains of Europe. The Macin Mountains feature some significant steppe vegetation (in mixture with Balkanic and Submediterranean forests) and are a great place to see birds. Whereas Macin Mountains is famous as an important migration hotspot for raptors in autumn, we decided to visit this site in May.
We found two species of Wheatears (Common and Isabelline), several species of Larks, European Turtle-dove, Red-rumped Swallow, Rufous-tailed Rock-Thrush, Shrikes, Corn and Ortolan Bunting and some other species, you will find in the photo gallery.
Long-legged Buzzard, Buteo rufinus, is one of the largest buzzards Continue reading
An Eurasian Sparrowhawk with Long-legged Buzzard in Romania
May is migration time at Romania´s Black Sea coast. Thus it is prime birdwatching time. After having seen many of the speciality birds like Pelicans, Grebes, Glossy Ibises, Spoonbills in the Danube Delta, a small group of bird photographers went for steppe habitats further south. There were already lots of excellent sightings of raptors (e.g. White-tailed Eagle, Lesser Spotted Eagle and Imperial Eagle) but what we saw in the Dobrogea/ Dobrudja near Constanta was a surprise. A pair of Eurasian Sparrowhawk, Accipiter nisus, was circling in the sky. Shortly afterwards joined by a circling Long-legged Buzzard. More photos you see here….
The Eurasian Sparrowhawk is widely distributed in Europe. In Romania it occurs as a breeding species, too. Its occurrence status is: Native due to birdlife, but in the east of Romania you can see the Levant Sparrowhawk, Accipiter brevipes, too. If I am right, this observation was the only one of Eurasian Sparrowhawk during the whole 2 weeks we spent at Romania´s Black Sea coast. But of course it is not a strange thing to see one in Dobrogea. During the winter, Romania has a larger population of the Sparrowhawk because birds from the northern areas of Europe use to move to the southern areas of the continent.
The Sparrowhawks are partially Continue reading
Black Stork over Altenhain/ Bad Soden
A look in the sky this evening. Hey, this is the silhouette of a stork – isn´t it? Yes, indeed a Black Stork, Ciconia nigra, could be seen over the nice little village of Altenhain on 250 m asl. The Black Stork was coming straight forward from the west (from Kelkheim, Main-Taunus-Kreis) circled three times high in the sky and passed the valley of Bad Soden/ Altenhain at 6pm. After less than 2 minutes the Black Stork disappeared behind the eastern horizon. Probably he flew along the southern slope of the Hochtaunus north of Frankfurt/Main. Continue reading
Long-eared Owl chased by a Magpie
A rainy day in May at Romania´s Black Sea coast. Some good birds for a western birdwatcher like Reed, Corn and Black-headed Bunting, Great Reed-Warbler, Barred Warbler and a flying Lesser Spotted Eagle could be seen. A big surprise was what you see on the pictures: a Long-eared Owl, Asio otus, staying in a bush, eventually flying away. After a few seconds a Magpie showed up. Here you can see the Long Eared Owl chased by a Black-billed Magpie in flight. The images were photographed in the nice countryside of Romania north of the city of Constanta.
Basic habitat requirements for the Long-eared Owl are small forests or hedges with some trees. Preferred are open countrysides which nest-sites of Carrion Crow (Corvus corone) or Magpie (Pica pica). It is not clear, why the Black-billed Magpie (Pica pica) chased the owl. It is well reknown that magpies could be very aggressive in defending their nest and/or brood. Probably that has been the case Continue reading
Eurasian Spoonbill in Germany
2012 might become a good year for the Eurasian Spoonbill , Platalea leucorodia, in Germay – and a good year for the birdwatcher to observe one far away from the coasts. Right now, you can see up to 8 individuals at the “Große Flutmulde” on the Bislicher Insel near Wesel/ Lower rhine valley. Another location is the nature reserve “Bingenheimer Ried” in the Wetterau near the town of Giessen/ Hessen, where one individual has been seen at least until the 19th of June 2012. The Eurasian Spoonbill is a rare breeding bird in europe with a stronghold in the northwestern part of the Netherlands (Ijsselmeer) or Germany. 46 years ago, Urs N. Glutz von Blotzheim wrote in his „Handbuch der Vögel Mitteleuropas“, Band 1. Gaviiformes – Phoenicopteriformes that only in 1962 there have been successful breeding on the island of Memmert and that Eurasian Spoonbill could be seen in Germany only on the north-western coast or – very rare – in Bavaria. Since then, western populations have increased during the last decades. But still, in the center of Germany this bird is a rare but regular visitor. Mainly there are birds in non-breeding plumage, but a Eurasian Spoonbill in breeding plumage could be seen on 15th of June 2007 in Niederweimar near the town of Marburg/ Hessen.
This species has an extremely large range Continue reading
Robin attack on Cuckoo´s head
The European Common Cuckoo, Cuculus canorus, has always been a miraculous bird. His loud and simple song and his arrival as a migrant in Europe signaling spring time made him one of the best-known birds in Europe. Quite recently his migration made the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) track Cuckoos via attached satellite-tracking devices to find out more about their important stop-over sites and wintering destinations on the way to and from Africa. Very reknown – but not often seen – is the cuckoo´s notorious behavior to parasite other birds brood. Especially this attidude made him unique in the awareness also for people in Europe who are not claiming to be keen birdwatchers.
During a stay in the wild landscape of masuria in north-eastern Poland I witnessed the long-lasting fight between a female Common Cuckoo and a pair of Robins, Erithacus rubecula, over a nest inside Continue reading
Syrian Woodpecker and Fall webworm moth
with Fall Webworm Moth (Hyphantria cunea) in Bazilescu Park, Bucharest
The Fall webworm moth (Hyphantria cunea) seems to like the Bazilescu Park, a small park near the home of Cristian Mihai in Bucharest. During the last weeks beginning in May he saw maybe hundreds of individuals from this species, most of them entirely white, only a few showing a variable number of black dots (see first two pics in his article on birdforum). During this time, Cristian Mihai had the opportunity to see a lot of birds eating them. They are easy to find, because they are easy to spot on the dark bark of the trees, sometimes gathered in large numbers (for instance, in a morning, Cristian Mihai saw a tree with more than twenty moths from this species on its bark). During this season, birds obviously need a lot of food for chicks, so this “invasion” seems to be highly appreciated by them, as you can see in the image of a Syrian Woodpecker here.
Continue reading
A Greenish Warbler in the middle of Germany
The Greenish Warbler – or Grünlaubsänger in german – could be observed in the little town of Hilchenbach (427 asl) in the Siegerland on the edge of the state of North-Rhine Westfalia. The Greenish Warbler has established as a breeding bird in South Finland and at the coast of the eastern Baltic sea quite recently. But a singing Greenish Warbler in the Siegerland on the edge of the state of North-Rhine Westfalia in the middle of Germany is an exception nonetheless. This indivudual could be seen on the 10th of June 2012 along a stream near a retirement home in the center of the town. First the local ornithologists assumed it would be a Taiga Chiffchaff (Phylloscopus tristis or Sibirischer Zilpzalp), who managed to make its way to Hilchenbach. Deliberate singing made the identification easy eventually. The Warbler was discovered on the 1st of June and had been seen by several observers in the meantime. One other discovery in the state of North-Rhine Westfalia dates back to the year 1987, when a singing male was observered in Heiligenhaus near Overath 40 kilometers west of Cologne.
An Imperial Eagle in Romania: an unexpected surprise
May is Migration and early breeding time in Romania´s Black Sea coast. Thus it is prime birdwatching time. After having seen many of the speciality birds like Pelicans, Black-necked and Red-necked Grebes, Glossy Ibises, Spoonbills in the Danube Delta, a small group of bird photographers went for the Dobrudgea
– organized by Sakertours. A big surprise was, what you see on the pictures: a juvenile Imperial Eagle. Here you can see Imperial Eagle in flight. Photographed in the nice countryside of Romania near the city of Constanta. The eagle was flying from the east along the northern limits of the Cheile Dobrogei – the Dobrogei Gorge. After having seen (young) Imperial Eagle in Oman on several occasions, the identification was not too difficult.
The Imperial Eagle is sparsely distributed from central, south-east and eastern Europe east to Lake Baikal in Russia. Continue reading
Parrots in Papua New Guinea
New Guinea is an island located just south of the equator. New Guinea is home to 46 species of parrots 
(s. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parrots_of_New_Guinea), which makes it the third most diverse biogeographic region in parrot diversity, after the continent of South America which harbours about 100 species and Australia which has 57 species.
New Guinea on the other side is only a fraction as big in land mass as these two zones. Thus making New Guinea’s parrot diversity truly spectacular.
New Guinea is the land of Eclectus Parrots, Pesquest’s Parrot, Lories, Cockatoos, Fig-parrots, but also of Fruit-Doves, Honeyeaters, Cassowaries and of course Birds-of-Paradise. Because of its astounding variety of habitats due to topography and the influence of tropical climate, New Guinea supports over 700 species of birds.
New Guinea shares three species of cockatoos and five species of true parrots with Australia and other islands. 38 species of parrots are endemic to the island of New Guinea and minor offshore islands.
A good example of PNG´s richness in birds is the Eclectus Parrot, Eclectus roratus. Continue reading
Iberian Chiffchaff on Fuerteventura
Iberian Chiffchaff Phylloscopus ibericus (or P. brehmii as it is called, too) is mainly found on the Iberian peninsula in Spain and Portugal but migrates to the south in fall. This chiffchaff is brighter, greener on the rump, and yellower below than Phylloscopus collybita. This species is a long-distance migrant, occurring every year on the way back from it´s wintering grounds in western Africa as far north as Germany. Right now a bird has been located in Zarrendorf near Stralsund in the north-eastern corner in Germany. This is in the state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. Other vagrants has been found in other parts of Germany in the recent weeks, too.
It was a pleasure for me to see a Iberian Chiffchaff in low scrub on the sandy plain on top of the isthmus of Jandia in the southern corner of Fuerteventura/ Canary Islands. Continue reading
Common Snipe in courtship flight
Common Snipes, Gallinago gallinago, are always a prime birdwatchter´s and bird photographers target bird. A beautiful patterned wader that stays hidden normally in the grass, but is seen sometimes in the open; even allowing approach at short distance. If the snipe is startled it will burst out from its cover and fly in a zig-zag pattern to evade predators.
In the internet normally you will find thousands of images with the bird photographed on a fence post. This is the easy way. There are only a few exceptions where you can see Common Snipes in flight in the internet. Bird-lens is proud to show this bird in flight and even in display flight during courtship.
Continue reading
Pratincole in Oman´s deserts
These pictures are from Dawkah Farm on 10th of march 2012. Migration time in the desert could be very rewarding as surprises could arise everywhere. So happens with this pratincole with a wine-red underwing. First I thought of course of a
. But looking at the photos I did not find the white trailing edge on the wing. The wash of orange on underparts are quite extensive and the red on the bill is restricted to the very beginning of the bill. I am thinking of Oriental Pratincole but cannot exclude Collared Pratincole, either. More pictures, you will find under “Photo” in the Gallery. Who can help?
Young Pale Crag-Martin in flight over Oman
Pale Crag-Martin over the Oman Desert. Early spring in the desert could be very rewarding as surprises could arise everywhere. The birder has a chance to see birds in migration and to see the first birds breeding. A surprise was this Pale Crag-Martin, Hirundo obsolete or Ptyonoprogne obsolete patrolling over the little nice oasis of Mudday in the north-western corner of Dhofar/ Oman.
Interesting features of this particular bird were a yellow gape flange and a whitish-grey rump contrasting with the lead-grey back. These characters suggest a juvenile individual. The flight however has been very swift and showed that the bird was not an inexperienced one. Photos of a young Pale Crag-Martin I have never seen in the internet galleries. Bird-Lens is proud to present this nice pictures and more you will find in the gallery under Pale Crag-Marting of Oman. Bird Lens hopes that these images are of value for other birders, too.
Pale Crag-Martin, Hirundo obsoleta is a split of the widespread Rock Martin, Hirundo fuligula, and has been treated as a subspecies of the Rock Martin, Hirundo fuligula obsoleta before.
A Steppe Eagle, Aquila nipalensis: From Eye to Eye
Most pictures of Steppe Eagle you find in the internet are from falconry or zoos. But the keen birdwatchter want the right stuff. Here you can see Steppe Eagle, Aquila nipalensis, in the wild. Photographed in the desert environment of Dhofar/Oman near the city of Salalah. To cope with the growing demand for top shots of the rarer species of the Palearctic, Bird-Lens is keen to enrich the range of pictures of birds you can find in the western palearctic. Trips to remote places to capture images of rare birds of western palearctic were very successful. Part of the images gained are photos of Baillon’s Crake, Heuglin’s Gull and Imperial Eagle. The behaviour of Steppe Eagles is not very eagle-like. They prefer to scavange but are able to kill their own prey, too. This is the reason, that Steppe Eagles can be found on garbage dumps in Arabia where they find easy food supply on carcasses of livestock and slaughterhouse waste. Continue reading
Nearctic specialities on Bird-Lens
Each year, especially in fall, there is a high influx of birds from Northern American. Just have a look at the EUROTWITCH-BIRDLINE with rare bird alerts for Europe and Western Palaearctic under http://www.surfbird.de/eurotwitch. The birdline managed by our friend on the islands to the west of the continent is full with top birding observations as – e.g. ROSS’S SNOW GEESE, SMALL CANADA GOOSE, AMERICAN WIGEONS, BLUE-WINGED TEALS, LESSER SCAUPS, SURF SCOTERS or BUFFLEHEADS.
To cope with the growing demand for top shots of Nearctic birds from customers of the eastern side of the Atlantic ocean, too, Bird-Lens is proud to present a wide range of pictures shot in California, Arizona, New Mexico, Mexico and Florida. Are you interested? A first impression you will find in the gallery of Nearctic birds here. There you will finde 450+ Pictures of various bird species often in different plumages. An update of the image stock in the “Pictures Shop” is coming very soon. Just give me a message, if I could serve you with a request before the pictures are online.
Other successful shootings you can see under: http://www.bird-lens.com/photos-2/birds-of-the-nearctic/.
Germany: the best birding sites
„Die 50 besten Vogelbeobachtungsplätze in Deutschland“. The 50 best bird observation sites in Germany. Where to observe birds in free nature?
The answer to that question is delivered by a “Falke-Sonderband“. This release leads reliably to the best observation places in Germany. The text is written in german but the coordinates for each location speak for themselves. The booklet is full of nice images. One pictures is showing the Eurasian River Warbler of the author of this blog, which has been already commented in a previous blog. At the beginning of the booklet a geographical map points all 50 bird observation places and you can see, which „Hot spot “ is located for example in the proximity of your apartment or your hotel. The one, who is keen to observe a target bird can informed himself with a list of observation places to 240 species of birds. Continue reading
Purple-Blue over a sea of grass….
Observing bird migration in the UAE is one of the prime birdwatchter´s target. But also the resident species are targets in their own rights. This is true for sure for one of the most colorful birds in UAE, the Indian Roller, Coracias benghalensis, which used to be called the “Blue Jay”. Some people have even described the Indian Roller as a very colorful woodpecker. This species is a member of the roller family of birds. They are found mainly in the Indian Subcontinent, but also in Arabia. A special feature of the Indian Roller is the aerobatic displays of the male during the breeding season. In the Emirates they are very commonly seen in open grassland irrigated in the middle of the desert but also in urban parks and gardens. Continue reading
The Brahminy Starling: a vagrant from India at the coast of Oman
Brahminy Starling: a vagrant from India at the coast of Oman. Migration time in Oman is prime birdwatching time. After having seen Moustached Warbler and Savi’s Warbler in the middle of the Oman´s deserts, now I can present the 3rd bird, which will be announced via a Rare Bird Report to the Oman Bird Records Committee.
About the distribution and the habitat of this starling, it is said, that it is a resident breeder in Nepal and India and a winter visitor to Sri Lanka. This passerine bird is usually found in dry forest and cultivation and is often found close to human habitations. These birds like to roost in leafy trees as it happened here, in a small wadi near Sadah. Coordinates: N 17° 03´5169´´ E 55°04´4054´´. Both birds were very reluctant to show up. If I would not have spend a minimum of 2 hours to photograph Pale Crack-Martin, Hirundo obsoleta, on a nest built under the roof of a prayer hall, I would probably missed this species. Continue reading
Moustached Warbler in the middle of the Oman Desert
Migration time in the desert could be very rewarding as surprises could arise everywhere. So happens with a Moustached Warbler, Acrocephalus melanopogon, in the little nice oasis of Mudday in the north-western corner of Dhofar/ Oman.
This passerine bird is a species found in upright aquatic vegetation such as reeds and sedge as it happens in this oasis, too. Found in a tiny patch of reed of a size of maybe 2 squaremeters right in the middle of a concrete pool, which exhibits the core of the oasis area. The oasis was otherwise densely covered by stands of date palms. This bird normally keeps well hidden in dense vegetation and is only located by it´s rattling sound. If once located by their characteristic calls, it might happen, that the bird feels treated when agitated by the sound of a tape recorder. In that case on the 10th of march 2012, at around 10:00 I was successful in shooting the photo of the blog and more pictures, you will see here!
This Old World warbler in the genus Acrocephalus breeds mainly in southern Europe and southern temperate Asia. Continue reading
White-tailed Eagles in Hungary
The last December in Hungary was still more or less snowless. A trip to the eastern part of Hungary, the Hortobágy pussta made great photos at feeding stations in that vast area possible. There I visited the so-called eagle hides – especially constructed to photograph White-tailed Eagles. The best pictures you will find under “Photo” or in the gallery of the “Pictures shop”. The hides are located in the different parts of the Hortobágy National Park, some close to forest patches which are regularly used by the eagles for roosting. Other are installed in the middle of open steppe habitat. To attract the eagles to these feeding stations, fish carcasses were provided by the national park rangers and a tour operator. The sites attracted Caspian and some species of birds from the crow family as well. Continue reading
New Bird Images in Picture Shop
Bird Lens is proud to show some excellent images of the birds shot from a hide in Hungary in December in the gallery of the pictures shop. The hide is located in the eastern part of Hungary in a superb old oak forest. The hide has a drinking pool in front of the window of the hide and a feeder attracted woodpeckers and some passerine birds, mainly tits. That year, it was a winter poor in snow. The temperatures and the colors of the fallen leaves created a feeling of fall or even late indian summer. Excellent conditions to photograph on 2 days from inside the hide. Besides the birds who showed up were Continue reading
Best selling Bird Picture 2011; the River warbler
Now with all sales of images of the last year examind, Bird Lens is proud to say, that this image of a River warbler, Locustella fluviatilis, Schlagschwirl (German), Krekelzanger (Dutch); Locustelle fluviatile (French) is the most successful; in terms of number of publications and revenues. The photo of this nice singing individual was shot on May, 22nd 2004 at the Teerofenbruecke near Schwedt. This area is a well-known gate to the national park “Lower Odertal”, a national park created in 1995 in the northeast of Brandenburg/ Germany near the border to poland. The wide river with its riparian forest is habitat for many rare and protected plants and animals, among them beavers. The regular distribution for the breeding grounds of the River warbler are from eastern Germany to Russia, north to Finland and south to Romania. In the non-breeding season it winters between Zambia and north-eastern South Africa.
Continue reading
Black Sittella in Papua New Guinea
In the Central Highlands of PNG I found this nice Black Sittella (Daphoenositta miranda) . This species belongs in the Neosittidae family. It is found in several mountainous areas in New
Guinea. There is not much known about this close relative of the more common Varied Sittella. Even Wikipedia does not show much more. For more details of Black Sittella (Daphoenositta miranda) – HBW 12, p. 641 or look at their website The subspecies kuboriensis occurs in the Central Highlands (Kubor Range and Mt Giluwe), in EC New Guinea. This nice male individuum Continue reading
Latin America Symposium 2011
Latin America Biodiversity
The 4th Latin America Symposium was held on Dec.9th/10th 2011 in Bonn at the Zoologische Forschungsmuseum Alexander Koenig (ZFMK). The Latin-America Symposium “Monitoring and Securing Biodiversity”, organized by ZFMK and the ILZ, Bonn, Participants were from all over the world. The AmiBio consortium was well represented by Dr. Olaf Jahn and Prof.Dr. Karl-L. Schuchmann (ZFMK), Dr. Todor Ganchev (UOP), Ms. Vassiliki Dimitriou, Ms. Evangelia Antoniou, Mr. Florent Celhay, Mr. Dimitris Kyrgiopoulos (SPAY). All presentations contributed to a better understanding for monitoring and securing biodiversity. Continue reading
Wilson’s Storm-Petrel
photographed from a ship off Algarve coast/ Portugal
Eurasian Hoopoe
On the 14th of Oktober 2011 I drove with the car to the isthmus of Jandía. We took the curvy road inside Costa Calma village up tot he sandy plain. Up on the highest point we crossed a hiking trail. The trail is marked with red-and-white posts. Here I saw not only Houbara Bustard, Black-bellied Sandgrouse, Eurasian Thick-knee, Lesser Short-toed Lark but also in total 6 Eurasian Hoopoe, which were feeding on the ground.
Common Ringed Plover in scotland
this was a great event, when I eventually could see this behaviour on a lonely beach in Scotland
Red Phalarope
This bird in winter plumage was seen offshore of Bodega Bay/ California
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