Category: Bird Behaviour

How birds behave, strange features, fighting, eating….

Common Kestrel feeding on trapped bird

loud alarms calls of Blackbirds draw my attention to a place in neighbor´s garden. First I saw a moving wing – white with black pattern. Then the moustache. Hey, this is a female Common Kestrel, Falco tinnunculus, feeding on a Eurasian Blackbird. The dead Blackbird had been accidentally trapped by a fruit net, provided to… Continue reading Common Kestrel feeding on trapped bird

Long-eared Owl chased by a Magpie

A rainy day in May at Romania´s Black Sea coast. Some good birds for a western birdwatcher like Reed, Corn and Black-headed Bunting, Great Reed-Warbler, Barred Warbler and a flying Lesser Spotted Eagle could be seen. A big surprise was what you see on the pictures: a Long-eared Owl, Asio otus, staying in a bush,… Continue reading Long-eared Owl chased by a Magpie

Robin attack on Cuckoo´s head

The European Common Cuckoo, Cuculus canorus, has always been a miraculous bird. His loud and simple song and his arrival as a migrant in Europe signaling spring time made him one of the best-known birds in Europe. Quite recently his migration made the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) track Cuckoos via attached satellite-tracking devices to… Continue reading Robin attack on Cuckoo´s head

Syrian Woodpecker and Fall webworm moth

The Fall webworm moth (Hyphantria cunea) seems to like the Bazilescu Park, a small park near the home of Cristian Mihai in Bucharest. During the last weeks beginning in May he saw maybe hundreds of individuals from this species, most of them entirely white, only a few showing a variable number of black dots (see… Continue reading Syrian Woodpecker and Fall webworm moth

Common Snipe in courtship flight

Common Snipes, Gallinago gallinago, are always a prime birdwatchter´s and bird photographers target bird. A beautiful patterned wader that stays hidden normally in the grass, but is seen sometimes in the open; even allowing approach at short distance. If the snipe is startled it will burst out from its cover and fly in a zig-zag… Continue reading Common Snipe in courtship flight

Young Pale Crag-Martin in flight over Oman

Pale Crag-Martin over the Oman Desert. Early spring in the desert could be very rewarding as surprises could arise everywhere. The birder has a chance to see birds in migration and to see the first birds breeding. A surprise was this Pale Crag-Martin, Hirundo obsolete or Ptyonoprogne obsolete patrolling over the little nice oasis of… Continue reading Young Pale Crag-Martin in flight over Oman

A Steppe Eagle, Aquila nipalensis: From Eye to Eye

Most pictures of Steppe Eagle you find in the internet are from falconry or zoos. But the keen birdwatchter want the right stuff. Here you can see Steppe Eagle, Aquila nipalensis, in the wild. Photographed in the desert environment of Dhofar/Oman near the city of Salalah. To cope with the growing demand for top shots… Continue reading A Steppe Eagle, Aquila nipalensis: From Eye to Eye

Purple-Blue over a sea of grass….

Observing bird migration in the UAE is one of the prime birdwatchter´s target. But also the resident species are targets in their own rights. This is true for sure for one of the most colorful birds in UAE, the Indian Roller, Coracias benghalensis, which used to be called the “Blue Jay”. Some people have even described the Indian… Continue reading Purple-Blue over a sea of grass….

White-tailed Eagles in Hungary

The last December in Hungary was still more or less snowless. A trip to the eastern part of Hungary, the Hortobágy pussta made great photos at feeding stations in that vast area possible. There I visited the so-called eagle hides – especially constructed to photograph White-tailed Eagles. The best pictures you will find under “Photo”… Continue reading White-tailed Eagles in Hungary

Best selling Bird Picture 2011; the River warbler

Now with all sales of images of the last year examind, Bird Lens is proud to say, that this image of a River warbler, Locustella fluviatilis, Schlagschwirl (German), Krekelzanger (Dutch); Locustelle fluviatile (French) is the most successful; in terms of number of publications and revenues.  The photo of this nice singing individual was shot on May,… Continue reading Best selling Bird Picture 2011; the River warbler