I am now back from a trip to Bulgaria for quite a while. As I wrote already in the Bee-eater-Blog, the main purpose was to photograph European Bee-eater (Merops apiaster). But as I mentioned in the recent blog, Bulgaria is full of wildlife which could be found relatively easy. As most of the mornings were… Continue reading Eurasian Wryneck and other birds in Bulgaria
Category: Bird Trips (Pictures & Stories)
What could be seen, what to see, the landscape…
Pectoral Sandpiper (Calidris melanotos) on Laguna Alalay – Bolivia
Early morning, 5:30 am. Haze over the water and I am watching through my camouflage tent here on the edge of Laguna Alalay on 2,600 m (asl). Waders are my main interest. At 4:30 am I got up already. The starry sky promised a nice day. In fact, at 5:00 am I pitched my tent… Continue reading Pectoral Sandpiper (Calidris melanotos) on Laguna Alalay – Bolivia
European Bee-eaters in Bulgaria
I am just back from a trip to Bulgaria. The purpose was to photograph European Bee-eater (Merops apiaster) during a busy young feeding period. Honestly this was one of the main target of the trip. The birds had arrived in Bulgaria for quite a while. Thus feeding of the young were almost finished. Now the… Continue reading European Bee-eaters in Bulgaria
Buff-barred Warbler in the Himalayas
The Buff-barred Warbler (Phylloscopus pulcher) or Orange-barred Leafwarbler is an arboreal bird of conifers of the middle strata in the Himalayas which could be observed on various expeditions’ trips along mountain roads in India and in China. As you can see in the image, the bird occurs above tree-level in juniper and rhododendron scrub, too.… Continue reading Buff-barred Warbler in the Himalayas
Lake Neusiedl: Rare birds in June
The Neusiedler See and the area to the east of the lake the “Seewinkel” is an internationally important breeding, resting and wintering ground for many bird species and is home to some large populations of bird species that are rare in other parts of Europe. Especially the numerous so-called “Lacken” are characteristic of the Seewinkel.… Continue reading Lake Neusiedl: Rare birds in June
Hazel Grouse: the results
In total we visited 5 different locations where the local guides had encountered several individuals of the Hasezl Grouse the last weeks or even years. The last encounter sometimes was only 3 days before. 4 of the locations were locations like a lek – where you could hear the mating song and the mating
Hazel Grouse: the hide
Additionally finding Hazel Grouse means knowing the behavior of the Hazel Grouse. E.g. the Hazel Grouse is – although a shy bird – quite responsive or even aggressive during the mating season which has a first peak in September and then again in March/ April. In this time you can hear the mating call or… Continue reading Hazel Grouse: the hide
Hazel Grouse: the habitat
Finding Hazel Grouse is equivalent of knowing the habits of the Hazel Grouse which means also knowing and recognizing the habitat of the Hazel Grouse. The search for the right habitat is not eased by the fact, that the Hazel Grouse has at least 3 different habitat requirements during the year in the different seasons.… Continue reading Hazel Grouse: the habitat
Finding Hazel Grouse in the Carpathians
Hazel Grouses (Bonasa bonasia) are certainly one of the most thought-after bird species for naturalist and bird photographers in western Palearctic. This is in parts due to the fact, that this bird is one of the few autochthon representatives of the Phasianidae family in Middle Europe. And: actually it is a very beautiful bird. Unfortunately… Continue reading Finding Hazel Grouse in the Carpathians
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
Little Bustard (Tetrax tetrax) photography in Extremadura
The sun is still high in the sky, although it is almost 6:00 pm. As far as the eye can see : steppe, interrupted now and then by eroded rocks . Above the ground , the air shimmers . In the car there is indescribable heat. After last year’s winter precipitation had failed in the… Continue reading Little Bustard (Tetrax tetrax) photography in Extremadura
Wallcreeper in the Sierra de Guara in Northern Spain
My first attempts were not successful. The very reliable Wallcreeper wall in the town of Alquezar in Aragon revealed a Sparrowhawk instead. In search of this elusive high mountain dweller I payed attention to an article by Dave Gosney from 19th of find March 2008 on ” Birding abroad“. The article is titled: “Finding Wallcreepers… Continue reading Wallcreeper in the Sierra de Guara in Northern Spain