Vagrant Egyptian Nightjar on Fuerteventura

A Egyptian Nightjar (Caprimulgus aegyptius) was found on March 29, 2007 near La Lajita Beach on Fuerteventura. The Egyptian Nightjar was ringed and released the next day. After the onset of south-easterly winds and sandstorms from the Sahara, a Egyptian Nightjar was caught on the island of Fuerteventura at the end of March 2007, probably… Continue reading Vagrant Egyptian Nightjar on Fuerteventura

Western Orphean Warbler: a vagrant on the North Sea coast of the Netherlands

The morning sun keeps coming out. In the vicinity of Poppendamme I manage to photograph quite a dark Chiffchaff (Phylloscopus collybita) and even a single Dunnock (Prunella modularis). Then I drive in the direction of Middelburg, to the Arnestein industrial area. The area cannot be missed with the Kuipersweg. The whole street at the described… Continue reading Western Orphean Warbler: a vagrant on the North Sea coast of the Netherlands

Late winter migration of Comon Cranes

„Gru,Gru“, „Gru, Gru“. In between, a hoarse whistle. Their calls and their wedge-shaped flight formation are as much a part of autumn as the colorful foliage on the trees. Every year the migration of the Common Cranes (Grus grus) is an unmistakable sign that the cold season is approaching. Despite the frost and snow, several… Continue reading Late winter migration of Comon Cranes

Identification of the Long-tailed Tit ssp. caudatus in Middle Europe

Now they are moving from the north again. A chatty flock of tits in autumnal Germany could also contain Long-tailed Tits (Aegithalos caudatus) with a largely or even completely white head, which are often immediately counted as Aegithalos caudatus caudatus. The Long-tailed Tit (Aegithalos caudatus) exhibits complex global variation, with 19 subspecies recognized. They can… Continue reading Identification of the Long-tailed Tit ssp. caudatus in Middle Europe

Bramblings in preparation for migration

Polyphonic, high-pitched calls resound from the dense tops of a pine forest at the edge of a sports field in southern Brandenburg, only 50 km away from Berlin. The calls can be heard from far away and are characterized by their rather squawking pitch. The birds can be heard from different directions. It must be… Continue reading Bramblings in preparation for migration

Red-footed falcon on migration in the Flaeming south of Berlin

It’s migration time again. Six Common Snipes (Gallinago gallinago) fly up from the wetland in the middle of the agricultural steppe. The reason seems unclear to me until I see 2 small raptors circling over the area. A raptor, the one with a gray upperside, looks like a sparrowhawk; not much larger or the same… Continue reading Red-footed falcon on migration in the Flaeming south of Berlin

Waders on migration on Malaysia´s West coast

2 Terek Sandpiper (Xenus cinereus) are waiting at the waterline in front of the Gold Coast Morib Resort. But even waders cannot cope with a rapidly rising tide. The flock of various species of shorebirds had already begun to gather and were being pushed closer to shore by the rising water level. Some small mangrove… Continue reading Waders on migration on Malaysia´s West coast

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?

Eurasian Nightjar on the North Sea beach near St. Peter-Böhl

in the middle of broad daylight at the beginning of June, a dark brown something flies over the water in the glistening sunlight. It then lands in the middle of a sandy beach near St. Peter-Böhl on the german North Sea coast 100 km north-west of Hamburg. The surprise is great: it is a Eurasian… Continue reading Eurasian Nightjar on the North Sea beach near St. Peter-Böhl

Eurasian Hobby on the migration along the Black Sea coast of Türkiye

After the thick cloud cover has broken up a bit and the sea is no longer too stormy, I can take really good pictures of a low-flying Eurasian Hobby (Falco subbuteo) in the early morning lights. It’s already the second of its kind. The first was so fast that it simply passes. But the second… Continue reading Eurasian Hobby on the migration along the Black Sea coast of Türkiye

Plain Martin Riparia paludicola, new to Egypt birdlist

Shortly, after we have left the jetty in Abu Simbel, we drive along high reeds. The reed seems impenetrable. Nevertheless, the tall stalks of reeds are full of life. Filled with the sonorous rattling of the Clamorous Reed-Warbler (Acrocephalus stentoreus), buzzed around by masses of Sand Martins (Riparia riparia) and Barn Swallows (Hirundo rustica), all… Continue reading Plain Martin Riparia paludicola, new to Egypt birdlist

Yellow-billed Stork: a special for the western Palearctic

As if they had swallowed a stick, two individuals of a species known from Africa are standing on the banks of a chanal ot the Toshka Project. Between many Gray Herons (Ardea cinerea) two Yellow-billed Stork (Mycteria ibis) stand upright with hanging beaks. The colors are beautiful to see in the morning sun. I was… Continue reading Yellow-billed Stork: a special for the western Palearctic