Tag Archives: Little Stint

Verhalten, Vögel der West Paläarktik, Vogelzug

Streit bei Bruchwasserläufern

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BruchwasserläuferFotoarbeiten mit Limikolen haben ihren ganz besonderen Reiz. Zahlreich sind sie während der Zugzeiten in Mitteleuropa zu beobachten. Dann sind auch mal spektakuläre Aufnahmen praktisch auf Augenhöhe möglich. Es ist noch dunkel als ich in dem Feuchtgebiet ankomme. Die Sterne schimmern zwar am Firmament; es scheint aber doch recht diesig zu sein. Es ist noch dunkel, wenn auch die Dämmerung nicht mehr weit ist.

Ich lege mich lang hin auf eine Luftmatratze. Ein Bruchwasserläufer (Tringa glareola) kommt als erster auf der nahrungsreichen Flachwasserzone einiger Ponds an. Sofort fängt er an zu stochern und kommt immer wieder formatfüllend am Fotografen vorbei. Es ist nicht ganz einfach, den Überblick zu behalten. Ein Tarntuch habe ich mir über den Kopf gezogen und dann auch noch den Hut drauf. So bin ich zwar von den Umrissen nicht als Mensch auszumachen, aber der Überblick ist dadurch natürlich erschwert. Man guckt eben immer nur mit dem verengten Winkel des 600er.

Als nächstes kommt ein kleiner weißer Bursche angeflogen. Es ist ein Zwergstrandläufer (Calidris minuta), der ebenfalls ausgiebig am Rand der Pfütze – eher auf dem Sand selber – nach Nahrung sucht. Dann kommt ein weiterer Bruchwasserläufer angeflogen. Es dauert nicht lange, dann stellt der Bruchwasserläufer, der zuerst an der Pfütze war, fest, daß dieses Revier viel zu klein für 2 Bruchwasserläufer ist. Ein kurzes Gegenüberstehen, die Flügel Continue reading Streit bei Bruchwasserläufern →

Birds of Cameroon 2017/2018, Rare Bird sightings

Orange Weaver near nest on Sanaga River

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KönigsweberThe sun was already up and shining. The mighty Sanaga River laid in beautiful light in front of us. A small wooden boat was hired for this morning to pick us up at a sand pit at the shore of the river for a morning trip on the water. When we arrived, nobody was there. But some more minutes later we saw two guys heavily paddling a small canoe down river. We embarked the canoe only minutes later and started the trip. Large sandbanks in the middle of the river were our first stop. Eventually we made our way down the river to some more matured sandbank, which has become well vegetated islands. The banks of these islands were quite steep and the water in front so deep that the driver of the canoe could not fix the boat with his long wooden stick. Maneuvering the boat with the paddles against the currents, I saw a typical weaver nest hanging less than half a meter above water level on reed. I tried to tape the Orange Weaver (Ploceus aurantius) with its call. Only a fraction of time, a small yellow bird with an orange wash on the head and breast appeared: the male of the Orange Weaver. What a bird!

The Orange Weaver was one of the highlights on a Rockjumper trip in April 2017. But at that time we saw 3 birds on our final birding Continue reading Orange Weaver near nest on Sanaga River →

Birds of Cameroon 2017/2018

Grey Pratincole at Sanaga River/ Cameroon

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GraubrachschwalbeThe black eyestripe which curves down behind the eye, the light chestnut nape, and the white supercilium features a small beauty: the Grey Pratincole (Glareola cinerea). Add a light grey for the upperparts and a white rump with a black tail you are ready with the ID.

The excursion to the Sanaga River in the South Province, Cameroon was the target of my last birding part during a trip in February. We departed from the nice Hostelerie de la Sangha in Edea. At least close to Douala it is easiest here to pick up Grey Pratincole and the African Skimmer (Rynchops flavirostris). Additionally, Preuss’s Swallow (Hirundo preussi) and some waders were present as well. Coming from Douala we just passed the center of Edea and just after the second large bridge over the river take the first tarmac road left which goes to Dizangue. Soon it becomes a dirt road and after about 10 km from the turnoff the road comes close to the river.

The large sandbanks in the middle of the river were our first stop. We found the African Skimmers and the Grey Pratincoles immediately. Senegal Thick-knee (Burhinus senegalensis), Common Greenshank (Tringa nebularia), Common Sandpiper (Actitis hypoleucos), Little Stint (Calidris minuta), several Kentish (Snowy) Plover (Charadrius alexandrinus) were present in low numbers as Continue reading Grey Pratincole at Sanaga River/ Cameroon →

Bird Trips (Pictures & Stories), Birds of Western Palaearctic, Rare Bird sightings

Birding at Ponta do Albernaz on Flores

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KiebitzregenpfeiferIn the north of the island of Flores, there are two top birding locations, distanced only about 3km from each other. The one is the village Ponta Delgada to the east, a small site with less than 400 inhabitants, and the lighthouse on the edge of Ponta do Albernaz on the western edge. The lighthouse at Ponta do Albernaz is the most powerful lighthouse of the Azores.

The view is breathtaking, with the neighboring island of Corvo in the background. The lighthouse is accessed via an isolated roadway that extends to the western edge of Flores.

Here is the first point of arrival of the migratory birds to the island of Flores in fall. But Ponta Delgada is equally important for breeding seabirds. In Ponta Delgada, the small port and the old soccer field should be visited. The small port was productive and is always worth a view:

  • Spotted Sandpiper (Actitis macularia),
  • Red Knot (Calidris canutus) and
  • Little Stint (Calidris minuta)

were really good birds besides the 1 – 3 individuals of Ruddy Continue reading Birding at Ponta do Albernaz on Flores →

Vögel der West Paläarktik, Vogelzug

Graubrust-Strandläufer in der West-Paläarktis

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Graubrust-StrandläuferMit 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 können damit jedoch lediglich die im September und Oktober vor allem in Westeuropa entdeckten Vögel erklärt werden. Erste (Wegzug-)Nachweise gelingen in Europa alljährlich bereits ab Mitte Juli, das heißt deutlich vor der Zeit der Herbststürme. Zudem konzentrieren sich in Großbritannien die Nachweise zunächst auf die östliche Küste Englands. Auf den Azoren ist der doert als pilrito-de-colete bekannte Graubruststrandläufer bei weitem nicht so dominant in der Irrgästeliste wie in Mitteleuropa. Im November gibt es bisher gar keine Meldung und vom Oktober wurden im Maximum 4 Exemplare allein von der Insel Terceira bekannt. Der Heimzug von Calidris melanotos durch Deutschland erstreckt sich von Mitte April bis Mitte Juni, ab Anfang Juli erscheinen erste Altvögel auf dem Wegzug. Erst vier Wochen später ist mit den ersten Jungvögeln zu rechnen.

Erschwerend kommt dazu, daß die Zahl der an der Ostküste Nordamerikas in ihre Winterquartiere in Lateinamerika wandernden Graubruststrandläufer eher gering ist. Für rund 90% der Population wird eine Zugroute durch das zentrale Nordamerika angenommen – auch wenn das Foto des Blogs von der Atlantikküste North Carolinas stammt. Es fragt sich, ob die recht hohe Zahl von Continue reading Graubrust-Strandläufer in der West-Paläarktis →

Birds of Western Palaearctic, Rare Bird sightings, Where to watch birds

White-rumped Sandpiper in Brandenburg at Gülper lake

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WeißbürzelstrandläuferThe White-rumped Sandpiper (Calidris fuscicollis) – initially recorded as Baird’s Sandpiper (Calidris bairdii) – from Lake Gülper was intended to be observed on Saturday, July 22nd. Already at 7:00 am I arrived after 2 hours’ drive at the southeast corner of the small village Prietzen at the south end of Lake Gülper. Some birders had already placed their cars along the road. But on Saturday morning nobody had seen the bird in the Havelaue already.

Since Wednesday, July 19, the White-rumped Sandpiper had been seen loosely associated with river Little Ringed Plover (Charadrius dubius), Common Sandpiper (Actitis hypoleucos) and a Little Stint (Calidris minuta) on the sands on the banks of the southern shore. The White-rumped Sandpiper was busily searching for food with little resting phases. The bird was steadily to be seen until evening.

The southern shore of Lake Gülper is, however, crowded in summer by thousands of resting geese, predominantly Greylag Goose (Anser anser). For longer periods of time, White-rumped Sandpiper could not be found between the Greylag Geese. Thus, e.g. on Friday, July 21, 2017 between 7:45 and 8:00 pm, the bird could only be discovered after a White-tailed Eagle (Haliaeetus albicilla) had flushed all the Greylag Geese. Before that, he had not been seen Continue reading White-rumped Sandpiper in Brandenburg at Gülper lake →

Seltenheiten, Vögel der West Paläarktik, Vogelzug

Weissbürzel-Strandläufer am Gülper See

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WeißbürzelstrandläuferDer anfangs als Bairdstrandläufer (Calidris bairdii)  bestimmte Weißbürzelstrandläufer (Calidris fuscicollis) vom Gülper See sollte am Samstag, den 22. Juli beobachtet werden. Schon um 7:00 war ich die 2 Stunden angereist und stellte den Wagen am Südostausgang des kleinen Dörfchens Prietzen am Südende des Gülper Sees ab. Einige Birder waren schon unterwegs. Am Samstagmorgen  hatte aber noch niemand den Vogel in der Havelaue gesehen.

Der Weißbürzelstrandläufer war seit Mittwoch, 19. Juli, locker mit Flußregenpfeifern (Charadrius dubius), Flußuferläufern (Actitis hypoleucos)  und einem Zwergstrandläufer (Calidris minuta) vergesellschaftet auf den Sandflächen am Uferrand des dicht mit Mauserfedern bedeckten Südufers gesichtet worden. Der Weißbürzelstrandläufer war  hauptsächlich auf Nahrungssuche mit wenig Ruhephasen zu sehen und anfangs stetig bis abends anwesend.

Das Südufer des Gülper Sees wird allerdings im Sommer von Tausenden rastenden Gänsen, ganz überwiegend Graugänsen (Anser anser), bevölkert. Über längere Zeiträume konnte der Weißbürzelstrandläufer zwischen den Graugänsen nicht Continue reading Weissbürzel-Strandläufer am Gülper See →

Seltenheiten, Vögel der West Paläarktik, Vogelzug

Sichelstrandläufer: Beobachtungen wann und wo?

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SichelstrandläuferEin 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 Sichelstrandläufers ein besonderer ästhetischer Anblick ist, so ist doch der Anblick dieses Watvogels in Küstensalzwiesen und Lagunen ein fesselnder Anblick für jedermann. Die Sichelstrandläufer (Calidris ferruginea), die durch Europa ziehen überwintern wohl vor allem in Süd- und Westafrika und Südwesteuropa. Wer also auf Nummer Sicher gehen will, schaut sich diese Limikole in ihrem Winterquartier z.B. an den Ufern des Berg River in der Nähe der Ortschaft Velddrif am Atlantik an. Dabei sind sowohl die trockenfallenen Schlammflächen des Flusses nach der Flut als auch die sogenannten Kliphoek Salinen in der Nähe von Velddrif vielversprechend. Neben Zwergstrandläufer (Calidris minuta) und Continue reading Sichelstrandläufer: Beobachtungen wann und wo? →

Bird Migration, Bird Trips (Pictures & Stories), Birds of Western Palaearctic, Where to watch birds

Caspian Seashore & Volga delta in May

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Squacco HeronBird richness on the northern shore of the Caspian Sea is amazing. Caspian Sea is counted the largest inland body of water in the world. More than 100 rivers provide inflow to the Caspian, with the Volga River being the largest. Pristine floodplain forests, flooded grasslands to the horizon, eagles on almost every tree. A trip to the lowlands south of Astrakhan in southern Russia is not easy due to the distances and border formalities. But the only alternative is a trip to the Danube delta. To ease preparation, it was decided to participate in a guided trip in the first half of May 1998 to Volga delta. After that, the trip continued to the hill – lakes region and the feather grass steppe and the semi-desert north-west of Astrakhan.

In the Volga delta we stayed in Damtschik Continue reading Caspian Seashore & Volga delta in May →

Bird Migration, Bird Trips (Pictures & Stories), Birds of Western Palaearctic

Bird migration in late fall on Seychelles – an abstract

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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 Bird migration in late fall on Seychelles – an abstract →

Bird Migration, Birds of Romania in September 2012, Birds of Western Palaearctic

Fall migration at the Black Sea Coast/ Romania

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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 Fall migration at the Black Sea Coast/ Romania →

Birds of Romania in May 2012, Birds of Western Palaearctic

Top Birds at Romania´s Black Sea Coast

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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 Top Birds at Romania´s Black Sea Coast →