The nature reserve Kuehkopf-Knoblochsaue (in German: Naturschutzgebiet or NSG Kühkopf-Knoblochsaue) is one of the best sites of riparian forest along the river Rhine. The reserve is the largest protected area in Hesse, with 2,369 hectares. It is located on the right bank of the upper Rhine. Towns nearby are Leeheim, Erfelden, Stockstadt and Biebesheim all… Continue reading Lowland birds in and around Kuehkopf
Category: Bird Migration
Observations of migration birds, aspects of migration
White-tailed Lapwing in Nature Reserve near Frankfurt / Main
The bird with the scientific name Vanellus leucurus is a big attraction right now in Nature Reserve Mittlere Horloffaue near the small town of Hungen. On an area called „Kuhweide“ an adult White-tailed Lapwing (Vanellus leucurus) could be (and still can be) observed on April 27th, 2014 just 40 km from the city center of… Continue reading White-tailed Lapwing in Nature Reserve near Frankfurt / Main
Caspian Seashore & Volga delta in May
Bird 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… Continue reading Caspian Seashore & Volga delta in May
Alpine Accentor on migration on top of the Grosser Feldberg near Frankfurt / Main
No less than 3 Alpine Accentor (Prunella collaris) could be observed on April 11th, 2014 at the Grosser Feldberg just 20 km from the city center of Frankfurt / Main. After Ingo Roessler had found the species in searching for Ring Ouzel, Turdus torquatus, around the little town of Schmitten, several ornithologists had already been… Continue reading Alpine Accentor on migration on top of the Grosser Feldberg near Frankfurt / Main
Golden Eagle at the Laguna de Gallocanta/ Spain
Going for Laguna de Gallocanta, this lake on 1,000 m asl in the middle of Northern Spain, seems to be good for impressive numbers of wintering birds as well as for surprises. Some years ago, there has been observations of a Sandhill Crane (Grus canadensis). Actually, I wanted to watch and photograph Common Cranes (Grus… Continue reading Golden Eagle at the Laguna de Gallocanta/ Spain
Angola Pitta in Mvuu Camp/ Malawi
The African Pitta (Pitta angolensis) also called Angola Pitta is certainly one of the top prizes for birdwatchers going for Africa. Some years ago I spent 3 days at the end of the so-called Green (i.e. rainy) Season in the Liwonde National Park. I decided to stay in the Mvuu Lodge. One of the highlights… Continue reading Angola Pitta in Mvuu Camp/ Malawi
Snowy Owl in nature reserve near Hanstholm/ North Jutland
Right now, it is possible to see a rare Owl at Hanstholm at the coast of northern Jytland, Denmark. A young female Snowy Owl (Bubo scandiacus) can be observed in the south of Hanstholm in the first National Park of Denmark, called Hanstedreservatet. After the first days, around the 21st of December 2013 – when the… Continue reading Snowy Owl in nature reserve near Hanstholm/ North Jutland
Adventure: driving to the Keoladeo National Park
It is November. A trip to Arunachal Pradesh in north-eastern India is scheduled. Due to delays in domestic flights I find out, that there are still three days left . Now you can spend the time in New Delhi, the capital of India, of course. According to some strange statistics the human population of New… Continue reading Adventure: driving to the Keoladeo National Park
Hawk Owl in Gristede in Lower Saxonia
According to reports in Ornitho.de there is a good chance that twitchers of the north of Middle Europe can observe Hawk Owls (Surnia ulula) this winter/ late fall quite close to their homegrounds in the northern parts of Germany. The location of a Hawk Owl spending already several days in that area is in Gristede… Continue reading Hawk Owl in Gristede in Lower Saxonia
Taiga Bean Goose in Vorpommern (Pomerania)
In the Friedländer Große Wiese especially south of Mariawerth but also north of Heinrichswalde 3,000 Bean Goose (Anser fabalis) could be seen in only about 2 hours in the early morning good of an early Novermber day. Obviously they flew up from the nature reserve “Galenbecker lake” which is right to the south. The preferred… Continue reading Taiga Bean Goose in Vorpommern (Pomerania)
Cranes (Grus grus) at the Guenzer lake in Vorpommern
Cranes at their resting places during migration are a great subject of photography. The biggest resting places of the Common Cranes in Germany can be found in Brandenburg on the Linumer fish ponds and in Mecklenburg- Vorpommern at the Guenzer lake. During migration time over 70,000 Common Cranes has been reported. On the east side… Continue reading Cranes (Grus grus) at the Guenzer lake in Vorpommern
Sabine’s Gull occurrence in California and Western Europe
One of the beauties in the Gull-family, Sabine’s Gulls (Xema sabini) is rarely seen in western Europe albeit on exposed seawatching spots or pelagic trips mainly in fall. Sabine’s Gull breed on coastal tundra around the shores of the Arctic Oceans. They migrate mainly at sea. On Migration, Siberian and Alaskan birds winter off the… Continue reading Sabine’s Gull occurrence in California and Western Europe