Eurasian Thick-knee (Burhinus oedicnemus) in Croatia´s karstic landscape

TrielOn the southern edge of the island Pag you can enjoy the ample stony lowlands of the island´s disorientating karstic landscape. With large, sideways eyes, the Eurasian Thick-knee peers into the twilight. It is still almost dark; only the first glimmer of the morning over the mountains on the coast of Croatia is visible. A family group of Eurasian Thick-knees stands quietly on the edge of a gravel road. It is the two parents and a young one. The feathers of the young Eurasian Thick-knee are still standing on and off on the head. As the car slowly approaches and then stops, the Eurasian Thick-kneee runs without too much haste into the wide landscape of the karstic steppe. A little later they are swallowed by darkness.

It is just a coincidence that on the way back, a revival is possible. A former farmyard is covered with higher grasses. Suddenly, one Eurasian Thick-knee appears. Before, the bird was so well hidden in the grass-stone mosaic that one of the Eurasian Thick-knee parents’ now stands only 10 meters from the car. The bird remains motionless. The reason is obvious a little later. A young bird with its up and down standing feathers on its head stands between the grasses. If the Eurasian Thick-knee parents were alone, they would have just been sitting until danger has disappeared. But now they stand still for a while. Then the family retreats behind a stone wall and can not be seen anymore.

On the island of Pag in Croatia the Eurasian Thick-knee breeds in open wasteland areas as typical for the karstic island. Of importance for the breed selection is the state of vegetation. A small degree of coverage is indispensable; The birds good camouflage and behavioral pattern – its main activity in the twilight and the darkness – help him to get on with the terrain, which – at first glance – do not invite big helpless birds. Especially at the beginning of the breeding season, a proximity to different types of waterbodies seems to be important.

In order to meet the growing demand for top photographs of the rare species of the Palearctic, Bird-lens.com has specifically undertaken trips to distant places like the coastal mountains of Western Norway or in winter to a remote harbor in Denmark. All this to make excellent photos of the birds of the West Palearctic. The yield of pictures of rare West Palearctic birds is very good. The beautiful picture of the blog is just a first impression of what you will find behind “Picture Shop” very soon. Just let bird-lens.com know if you need the image of a bird, before new pictures are online.

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