Wintering Stonechat in southern Brandenburg

A Stonechat (Saxicola rubicola) sits on a newly erected metal fence in a renaturation area in one of the peatbog areas in southern Brandenburg. It is winter and there has already been a few days of permanent frost. Snow lies partly thick on the posts and the ground. Nevertheless, the male Stonechat obviously finds food.… Continue reading Wintering Stonechat in southern Brandenburg

Ring Ouzel at the reservoir for snow cannons in Palandöken Ski resort in eastern Turkey

A water retention basin for the ski canons is surrounded by a chain link fence and some willow trees. I park the car half hidden by a willow bush on the bank. The early morning dawns. The stony shore seems to be a very good bird attraction here in the barren landscape. I can quickly… Continue reading Ring Ouzel at the reservoir for snow cannons in Palandöken Ski resort in eastern Turkey

Southern Egypt: a worthwhile birding destination for the Western Palearctic?

The aim of a trip in April 2023 was to visit Egypt again after a long time. On the one hand to round off the list of birds in the western Palaearctic and on the other hand to observe the bird migration along the Nile. During our previous stays we had mostly been to the… Continue reading Southern Egypt: a worthwhile birding destination for the Western Palearctic?

Cuckoos in aggressive territorial fights

The pure aggressiveness is written all over the faces of the rivals, you almost think you can see the hate glistening in their eyes. Again and again the cuckoos (Cuculus canorus) call from the edge of a bush and then fly over the pulpit with conspicuous, slow wing beats and then land in elder bushes.… Continue reading Cuckoos in aggressive territorial fights

A Whinchat in the countryside

There are four different species of the brightly colored, small-thrush birds in Germany. The best known is probably the European Robin (Erithacus rubecula) with its bright red breast. This masterful singer with his clear verses breeds mainly in gardens, forests and parks with a lot of undergrowth. In the winter months they are curious and… Continue reading A Whinchat in the countryside

Songbird migration at Cildir Lake in eastern Turkey

The planted pine grove is surprisingly productive. In the car, I patrol the edge of the forest, which is now in the morning sunlight. This draws out the resting migratory birds in masses. I patiently park my car a short distance from the pines and just wait. Several (5) Spotted Flycatchers (Muscicapa striata), a Willow… Continue reading Songbird migration at Cildir Lake in eastern Turkey

Kuckuck wird aggressiv von Neuntöter attackiert

Vehement greift der kleine Singvogel den Kuckuck (Cuculus canorus) auf seiner Warte an. Scheinbar furchtlos greift das Weibchen des Neuntöters (Lanius collurio) an. Einen Schmarotzer, der ihre Brut gefährdet, kann sie nicht akzeptieren.   Ende Mai ertönt im ersten Dämmerungslicht ein vielfältiges und beeindruckendes, ja geradezu ohrenbetäubendes, Stimmenkonzert aus den weiten Absetzbecken der Schwemmteiche bei… Continue reading Kuckuck wird aggressiv von Neuntöter attackiert

Female Red-backed Shrike aggressively attacks Cuckoo

The little songbird vehemently attacks the Common Cuckoo (Cuculus canorus) on its perch. Seemingly fearless, the female of the Red-backed Shrike (Lanius collurio) attacks. She cannot accept a parasite that endangers her brood.   At the end of May, in the first twilight, a diverse and impressive, almost deafening, concert of voices can be heard… Continue reading Female Red-backed Shrike aggressively attacks Cuckoo

Red-throated Pipit: Fall migration along Egypts Rea Sea

Hotel garden lawns along the Red Sea coast can be remarkable birdy. The sun has just appeared on the horizon for 3 hours. Nevertheless, it is already really hot. Coming from breakfast in a hotel complex on the Egyptian Red Sea, we walk first our inspection round. Here we see again the two Ruffs (Calidris… Continue reading Red-throated Pipit: Fall migration along Egypts Rea Sea

Karmingimpel im Murnauer Moos

Ausgangspunkt unserer Wanderung ist der Parkplatz bei der Gaststätte “Ähndl“. Heute steht eine Rundwanderung im Murnauer Moos auf dem Programm. An einem kleinen Schilfstreifen sind bald aufgeregte, schwätzende, kräftige Laute zu hören. Da die Rufe sehr schnell vorgetragen werden und sie sich nicht wirklich entscheiden können, ob sie zu einem Teichrohrsänger (Acrocephalus scirpaceus) oder einem… Continue reading Karmingimpel im Murnauer Moos

Auf die Kehle kommt es an: Schwarzkehlchen

In der Reihe von Rotkehlchen (Erithacus rubecula), Braunkehlchen (Saxicola rubetra) und Blaukehlchen (Luscinia svecica) darf das (europäische) Schwarzkehlchen (Saxicola rubicola) natürlich nicht fehlen. Es ist auf Anhieb in einem ähnlichen Habitat zu Hause wie das Braunkehlchen. In einer offenen, buschreichen Landschaft mit überwiegend kargem Bewuchs lebt dieser Sänger, der in Gestalt und Verhalten dem Braunkehlchen… Continue reading Auf die Kehle kommt es an: Schwarzkehlchen

Tree Pipit: back from Africa

A remembrance of a song, beautiful and both familiar and strange. It took a while until I got the clue. It was a Tree Pipit (Anthus trivialis) singing in a woodland in the heath on sunday. Singing now south of Berlin, seen 20 days ago in Cameroon. There the subspecies trivialis was still fairly common… Continue reading Tree Pipit: back from Africa