A Pipit takes flight as we approach the dry, low grassy area. Our Guide calls immediately: this is not Malindi Pipit (Anthus melindae) but an African Pipit (Anthus cinnamomeus). Already on the Sabaki River Delta we had searched for the Malindi Pipit in the sparsely vegetated grasslands in vain. Our Guide says that the previously… Continue reading Malindi Pipit (Anthus melindae) in the Arabuke-Sokoke Forest/ Kenya
Category: Bird Trips (Pictures & Stories)
What could be seen, what to see, the landscape…
Anhingas in Florida
The ditch along the visitor’s trail is teeming with fish. Suddenly a sharp, dart-like beak emerges out of the water right in front of us. It is followed by a long piece of neck. Like a snake, Anhingas – the snakebird – (Anhinga anhinga) glides silently through the water. Its water-permeable plumage reduces the buoyancy… Continue reading Anhingas in Florida
Whimbrel in Ponta Delgada Port on São Miguel
Ponta Delgada Port on São Miguel, the biggest island of the Azores, is a busy place. This is true also in terms of foreign tourists and local visitors. Beautiful is the view from the pier from one of the sidewalk cafes. On first sight, it is a surprise that a wader comes very close even… Continue reading Whimbrel in Ponta Delgada Port on São Miguel
Photographing flying Short-eared Owls
It is already some years ago, that I spent Christmas and New Year days at the coast of the Netherlands. Here I had my first sighting of a flying Short-eared Owls (Asio flammeus) in 2008. It was my second encounter, after one individual of a Short-eared Owl I witnessed sitting in the sandy grass of… Continue reading Photographing flying Short-eared Owls
Lammergeier at Mount Olymp/ Macedonia
The rush of wind through feathers is the only sound to break the silence as a huge bird glided by just a few meters from a crack high in the mountains around Mount Olymp. A Lammergeier or Bearded Vulture (Gypaetus barbatus) soars above the mountains, scavenging for a meal. It is the only species of… Continue reading Lammergeier at Mount Olymp/ Macedonia
Alpine birds in the Haut Chaumes / Vosges
The mountain meadows in the Vosges are very attractive in summer time. Beside birds of the alpine zone one sees some interesting plants like Yellow Gentian (Gentiana lutea), Mountain arnica (Arnica montana), Alpine Pasqueflower (Pulsatilla alpina), Mountain Pansy (Viola lutea). Northern Wheatears (Oenanthe oenanthe), Meadow Pipits (Anthus pratensis) and Skylarks (Alauda arvensis) are certainly the… Continue reading Alpine birds in the Haut Chaumes / Vosges
Strenuous hike for Mount Kupé Bushshrike
We had a very good breakfast at 5:30. John-Pierre and his team were busy supplying us with a lot of food. We departed at 6:00 with our Rockjumper-guide along the Max’s Trail through farm bush with palms and banana trees up on Mt Kupé. The other option is the Shrike Trail which is a famous,… Continue reading Strenuous hike for Mount Kupé Bushshrike
Orange-tufted Sunbird in the Cameroon Mountains
The hilly area with the lush greenery, the fern bushes and the tree strips gives an impression of Scotland. In addition, it is – at least for African conditions – really pleasant tempered, not to say cool. This should be a top spot for nectar birds? My doubt is answered within minutes. The sunbirds to… Continue reading Orange-tufted Sunbird in the Cameroon Mountains
Great snipe on a lek in Estonia
To photograph a male Great Snipe (Gallinago media) displaying on a lek in the wide-stretched lowlands of northern Middle Europe, was the target. In a project in collaboration with scientists from Estonian University of Life Sciences is was possible to perform this task in one of the remaining habitats which used to be so typical… Continue reading Great snipe on a lek in Estonia
The Black Scrub-Robin, a rare Western Palearctic bird
Dry Sahel seems to be a hostile living environment in the dry season. Nevertheless it is home to a charismatic species found across the Sahel region of sub-Saharan Africa from Senegal east to the Red Sea coast of Sudan and Eritrea I Africa: the Black Bush Robin or Black Scrub-Robin (Cercotrichas podobe), an inhabitant of… Continue reading The Black Scrub-Robin, a rare Western Palearctic bird
Fraser’s Sunbird with young in Campo Maan National Park/ Cameroon
Not only does the Campo Maan National Park have to offer the Gray-necked Rockfowl (Picathartes oreas), but also a lot of other birds that you will not find in other parts of the world. One Highlight was a sequence of shots of a Fraser’s Sunbird feeding its young at the edge of Campo Maan National Park.… Continue reading Fraser’s Sunbird with young in Campo Maan National Park/ Cameroon
African Pied Hornbill in the dust bath in the Campo Maan National Park / Cameroon
On the way back from the Campo Maan National Park after a very successful search for the Grey-necked Rockfowl (Picathartes oreas) we drive on the last day straight into a hollow and then look over a ridge, which makes the track in the slightly wavy national park. Before us, dust swirls in the middle of… Continue reading African Pied Hornbill in the dust bath in the Campo Maan National Park / Cameroon