A male Beautiful Sunbird (Cinnyris pulchellus) balances busily and without misstep on a bare stem of a Aloe, which lead to some, small yellowish flowers with red borders. There, the photographer has a chance to shoot the bird, which is aptly called its English name. The male of the Beautiful Sunbird places the rather long,… Continue reading Beautiful Sunbird on a flower in Ghana
Category: Bird Behaviour
How birds behave, strange features, fighting, eating….
White-browed Fantail flying over a fountain
The White-browed Fantail (Rhipidura aureola) is aiming for its future “bathtub” in low flight. A little later, the drops will splash for several meters. The White-browed Fantail had already bathed extensively in the shallow fountain a few minutes before. The feathers are soaked with water. The White-browed Fantail is obviously not afraid of water. Proper… Continue reading White-browed Fantail flying over a fountain
Photographing Rock Ptarmigans in winter
Rock Ptarmigans (Lagopus muta) are always high on the wish lists of birders and photographers visiting Scandinavia in winter. Finding Ptarmigan is one thing, but knowing where to photograph them is another challenge. It took me several trips between March and May to see and photograph Ptarmigan. Definitely are my favourite bird. You have to… Continue reading Photographing Rock Ptarmigans in winter
Common Barn-owl in Sri Lanka
The buoyant, slow, wavering flight of the Common Barn-owl (Tyto alba) with its legs dangling makes the owl appear ghost-like. Sometimes it can be seen as a fast, dark shadow in the evening sky. The nocturnal birds are a special challenge for bird photographers. They can only be photographed with a lot of knowledge of… Continue reading Common Barn-owl in Sri Lanka
Eurasian Pygmy-Owls in Brandenburg
Wintertime is the best time to detect owls. And the Eurasian Pygmy-Owl (Glaucidium passerinum) is no exception to that pattern. The Rochauer Heide, an area of dense oak and pine forest some 60 km south of Berlin, lies in a monotonous peace in the wintry twilight. The oaks are bare and the pines and spruces… Continue reading Eurasian Pygmy-Owls in Brandenburg
Neotropic Cormorants along the Transpantaneira/ Brazil
A few kilometers the Transpantaneira officially begins, a bridge give views to a very open countryside. There is busy fighting in the low water beside the bridge. It is fascinating to observe the fish-catching Neotropic Cormorants (Phalacrocorax brasilianus). A feast for the eyes are the Cormorants, who playfully fetch the fish out of the water,… Continue reading Neotropic Cormorants along the Transpantaneira/ Brazil
Singing Cisticola at Nyika National Park
In the foothills of the Nyika National Park in western Malawi, a singing Singing Cisticola (Cisticola cantans) of the subspecies muenzneri could be heard. A little later, the Singing Cisticola is hidden on an acacia branch. When the song of the Singing Cisticola is played from the tape, it does not keep the bird in… Continue reading Singing Cisticola at Nyika National Park
Birding Berlin: Ducks in winter in Charlottenburg Palace
A splash drops of water, a wild tumult. Just a moment ago the two male Mallards (Anas platyrhynchos) had been standing side by side on the ice-plate. Now they quarrel like crazy. Diving, swimming, fluttering and finally escaping, they obviously let their aggression run wild. Most of the short but intense fights end with the… Continue reading Birding Berlin: Ducks in winter in Charlottenburg Palace
Blue Bird-of-paradise near Ambua Lodge/ Papua-New Guinea
At 5:00 a.m. the night in the Ambua Lodge, a luxurious mountain hotel, is over. Today a trip around Ambua Lodge in the Southern Highlands is announced. After breakfast we start driving. It is still quite dark, but it does not rain. The target species of our morning observations are the Blue Bird-of-paradise (Paradisornis rudolphi)… Continue reading Blue Bird-of-paradise near Ambua Lodge/ Papua-New Guinea
Lawes’s Parotia in Ambua Lodge/ Papua-New Guinea
At 5:00 a.m. the night in the mountain hotel is over. 5:30 a.m. breakfast is announced. Afterwards we are guided straight to a fruiting tree to observe Birds-of-paradise at the bungalow no. 7. The inconspicuous green and black berry tufts lure Birds-of-paradise again and again. Here you might find the Lawes Parotia (Parotia lawesii). We… Continue reading Lawes’s Parotia in Ambua Lodge/ Papua-New Guinea
Willie Wagtail at a nest
Right from the boat in a loop of the Kwatu River (one of the tributaries of the mighty Fly River), we discover an open-topped bowl of the Willie Wagtail (Rhipidura leucophrys) which is also written Willie-wagtail. I have to photograph the nest with the 3 nestlings. We see how an adult Willie Wagtail has brought… Continue reading Willie Wagtail at a nest
Long-eared Owls in Hungary in winter
In a small side street of the sleepy town of Balmazújváros in eastern Hungary, almost in the city center next to the church, up to 10 Long-eared Owl (Asio otus) have been hiding in large trees for years. A bizarre sight that makes every photographer or birdwatcher’s heart beat faster. Long-eared Owls are not uncommon… Continue reading Long-eared Owls in Hungary in winter