American Golden Plover near Tarifa at the Playa de los Lances

As the morning dawns on an early October day at the Playa de los Lances, west of Tarifa at the southern tip of Spain, only two fighting sanderlings (Calidris alba) con be observed and photographed. Apart from that, there are Common Ringed Plover (Charadrius hiaticula), Kentish Plover (Charadrius alexandrinus), Bar-tailed Godwit (Limosa lapponica), Dunlin (Calidris… Continue reading American Golden Plover near Tarifa at the Playa de los Lances

Sandy beaches on Sylt

Bar-tailed Godwits (Limosa lapponica), Eurasian Curlews (Numenius arquata), Spotted Redshanks (Tringa erythropus), Curlew Sandpiper (Calidris ferruginea) and – maybe – even one Terek Sandpiper (Xenus cinereus) in the backlight of the evening.  Some flocks of waders are flying in. Evening mood at the Lister Ellenbogen (elbow). You might think you are alone in the world.… Continue reading Sandy beaches on Sylt

Graubrust-Strandläufer in der West-Paläarktis

Mit einem Graubruststrandläufer (Calidris melanotos) im Mehldorfer Speicherkoog fing vor Jahren die Suche nach Irrgästen, nach nationalen Seltenheiten, in Deutschland an. Wenig später war klar, daß Graubruststrandläufer in Mitteleuropa seltene, aber regelmäßige Gäste sind. Damals vermutet man, daß Graubrust-Strandläufer, wie andere Ausnahmeerscheinungen und Irrgäste, aufgrund starker Stürme über den Ozean verdriftet worden waren. Beim Graubruststrandläufer… Continue reading Graubrust-Strandläufer in der West-Paläarktis

High Lonesome BirdTours St. Paul Trip 2016

The High Lonesome BirdTours trip to St. Paul Island this year was successful beyond expectations. Not only did we get great looks at all the seabirds, ranging from auklets, murres, puffins, and kittiwakes, we also managed to time our arrival just right to catch up with a slew of vagrant birds. The list of shorebirds… Continue reading High Lonesome BirdTours St. Paul Trip 2016

Sichelstrandläufer: Beobachtungen wann und wo?

Ein Vogel der hohen Arktis – der Mornellregenpfeifer (Charadrius morinellus oder Eudromias morinellus) – ist vor einiger Zeit bei bird-lens.com besprochen worden. Ein weiterer Brutvogel der hohen Arktis kann vor allem die Vogelbeobachter an den Küsten immer erfreuen. Es handelt sich um den Sichelstrandläufer (Calidris ferruginea). Auch wenn vor allem das wunderschöne, rostrote Brutgefieder des… Continue reading Sichelstrandläufer: Beobachtungen wann und wo?

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… Continue reading Spoon-billed Sandpipers and other waders in Thailand on wintering grounds

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… Continue reading Bird migration in late fall on Seychelles – an abstract

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… Continue reading Top Birds at Romania´s Black Sea Coast