Morning on the high Andean plateau arrives quietly. Frost still clings to the grasses, and the shallow bog pools reflect a pale sky. In these open wetlands, movement is easy to spot against the sparse vegetation. A pair of large white birds stands near the water’s edge, occasionally lowering their heads to graze. Their black… Continue reading Andean Goose in the highest parts of Argentina
Category: Bird Trips (Pictures & Stories)
What could be seen, what to see, the landscape…
Yungas White-bellied Hummingbird in Argentina
There is a moment in the subtropical foothill forests of northwestern Argentina when the light hits the leaves just right and everything seems to vibrate with movement. If you stand still long enough, the forest begins to reveal its smaller residents. A flash of bronze, a hovering silhouette, and a brief metallic chirp often give… Continue reading Yungas White-bellied Hummingbird in Argentina
Rufous-gaped Hillstar in fast flight
It is hovering right in front of me, close enough that I can hear the thin, insect-like buzz of its wings. For a second I forget the camera in my hands. The Rufous-gaped Hillstar (Urochroa bougueri) seems suspended in the fresh Andean air of the late evening, facing me directly, its breast a combination of… Continue reading Rufous-gaped Hillstar in fast flight
Lesson’s Motmot Hotel Bougainvillea San José presents a dowry to his beloved
A male tenderly presents the dowry to his beloved in the early Morning at the Hotel Bougainvillea in San José, Costa Rica. Many birds are most active during dawn and dusk. I follow flowering shrubs and fruiting trees, quiet pathways bordered by tropical plants and natural clearings where insects are abundant. It a well-maintained area… Continue reading Lesson’s Motmot Hotel Bougainvillea San José presents a dowry to his beloved
A Flash of Scarlet: Passerini’s Tanager in Costa Rica
Walk into a sunlit banana plantation or a dense thicket along Costa Rica’s Caribbean slope, and you’ll quickly notice them—flashes of deep black and vibrant red darting through the foliage. Scarlet-rumped Tanager or Passerini’s Tanager (Ramphocelus passerinii), is impossible to miss. These social birds move in noisy, energetic flocks, constantly chasing one another as if… Continue reading A Flash of Scarlet: Passerini’s Tanager in Costa Rica
At short tripreport to Colombia in January 2026 with special focus on accommodation used
January is a good month to escape winter and recalibrate the senses. This year I spent two weeks birdwatching in Colombia, traveling through the western and central Andes without spending too much time driving. The trip wasn’t characterized by long car journeys or ticking off sightseeing lists. The focus was on getting to know the… Continue reading At short tripreport to Colombia in January 2026 with special focus on accommodation used
Hotel Mandalay 1941 near Pereira: the base for Otún Quimbaya
Arriving at Hotel Mandalay 1941 feels less like checking in and more like stepping into a pause between forest edges. The road from Pereira winds through coffee farms and humid green folds, and by the time the hotel appears, bird calls already dominate the soundscape. Mornings begin with mist lifting off the hills and movement… Continue reading Hotel Mandalay 1941 near Pereira: the base for Otún Quimbaya
Acrobatic dancer: a Long-tailed Hermit
The morning air in the forest clearing feels alive with motion. Over a patch of Heliconia blooms, a small shape darts, hovers, and pivots in midair as if the world has no gravity. It’s the Long-tailed Hermit (Phaethornis superciliosus), one of the Amazon’s most acrobatic nectar-feeders. Its long central tail feathers flick like twin pendulums… Continue reading Acrobatic dancer: a Long-tailed Hermit
The Flash of a Sunbittern Over Costa Rica’s Wild Waters
For bird enthusiasts visiting the mountains of Costa Rica is an exciting experience anyway. As you stand by the edge of a rushing river near Turrialba in Costa Rica, something remarkable happens—a sudden burst of color, a flash of patterned wings. For a moment, the bird seems suspended in midair, its intricate plumage illuminated by… Continue reading The Flash of a Sunbittern Over Costa Rica’s Wild Waters
Visiting eastern Turkey: Bird migration at Cildir Lake
It is dawn when I have circled the Cildir Gölü, the Cildir Lake halfway. Not far from the border with Georgia I am driving. At the sign for Akçakale I drive into a sleepy town and pass a tourist restaurant with a few seagulls and above all 2 young – probably tame – Dalmatian Pelicans… Continue reading Visiting eastern Turkey: Bird migration at Cildir Lake
Birding migration at Tanjung Tuan/ Malaysia
Initially activity is low at the lighthouse of Cape Rachado. Therefore I photograph the common Germain’s Swiftlet (Aerodramus germani) and also the House Swift (Apus nipalensis). In addition to the common Pacific Swallow (Hirundo tahitica) on the migration, there are also some Barn Swallow (Hirundo rustica) among them. But at some point the migratory birds… Continue reading Birding migration at Tanjung Tuan/ Malaysia
Spotted Antbirds: Following the Army Ants in Costa Rica’s Lowland Forests
In the quiet of Costa Rica’s shady lowland rainforests, a sudden rustling in the leaf litter might catch your attention. As you move closer, the commotion grows—a tide of army ants (Eciton burchellii) is sweeping through the undergrowth, and nearby, a small bird with bold, spotted plumage flits to the ground. This is the Spotted… Continue reading Spotted Antbirds: Following the Army Ants in Costa Rica’s Lowland Forests