During a short trip to a hiking site near my hometown in the Hochtaunus just 25km from downtown Frankfurt I could observe a beautiful Great Grey Shrike, Lanius excubitor. This Northern Shrike could be seen in perfect light in the afternoon of the 20th of February in an area called Viehweide (cattle pasture) northwest of… Continue reading Great Grey Shrike, Lanius excubitor in the Hochtaunus near Frankfurt
Category: Birds of Western Palaearctic
Birding around Frankfurt Airport – Schwanheimer Duene
There are not too many foreign birdwatchers coming to the middle of Germany for just birding. But Frankfurt Airport (FRA) is the gateway to continental Europe. Many airlines use the Airport as a hub for connecting flights all over the world. If you have spare time between two flight and you are a birdwatcher, you… Continue reading Birding around Frankfurt Airport – Schwanheimer Duene
Ferruginous Duck near Frankfurt – Germany
Now that winter has proceeded quite well some good birds show up on “stupid” spots like recreation areas and parks. In a series of blogs Bird-lens has already described some excellent spots like the Langener Waldseen to observe birds, but this spot came to my awareness the first time. This was due to the fact… Continue reading Ferruginous Duck near Frankfurt – Germany
Influx of Hawk Owls (Surnia ulula) cancelled?
Now that winter has proceeded quite well already with cold temperatures all over the northern part of the continent, the Influx of Hawk Owls might been cancelled. In a blog in November, Bird-lens mentioned that there might be a good chance that twitchers of the north of Middle Europe can observe Hawk Owls (Surnia ulula)… Continue reading Influx of Hawk Owls (Surnia ulula) cancelled?
Spoon-billed Sandpipers and other waders in Thailand on wintering grounds
The Spoon-billed Sandpiper is one of the big megas in the birding space – not only for twitchers, but Thailand in general is an excellent birding destination. During a trip to Thailand in January 2011 I was looking for wintering birds from the palearctic. The whole trip was a great success, seeing especially many waders… Continue reading Spoon-billed Sandpipers and other waders in Thailand on wintering grounds
Ring-billed Gull – a vagrant at the Faehre Hitdorf / Germany
During the last days one adult Ring-billed Gull (Larus delawarensis) in non-breeding plumage, continues to stay near the town of Monheim in the state of North Rhine/ Westfalia in Germany at the river Rhine. The bird was first spotted on January, 09th 2013. The location “Faehre Hitdorf” is a place where a ferry crosses the… Continue reading Ring-billed Gull – a vagrant at the Faehre Hitdorf / Germany
White-tailed Tropicbird – in Cumbria/ Great Britain
Here are very interesting news, mainly for twitchers in Great Britain: White-tailed Tropicbird – in Cumbria?! | British Birds. But maybe, birdwatchers from the continent are also interested in that remarkable dead bird. Found on the tideline at Mawbray Bank in Cumbria on 6th January, by Peter Scott of Workington, this White-tailed Tropicbird (Phaethon lepturus)is… Continue reading White-tailed Tropicbird – in Cumbria/ Great Britain
Birding around Frankfurt Airport: Bad Soden
Frankfurt Airport (FRA) is the gateway to continental Europe. Many airlines use the Airport as a hub for connecting flights all over the world. If you have spare time between two flight and you are a birdwatcher, you might be interested to know, where you can find good places to stretch your legs, enjoy fresh… Continue reading Birding around Frankfurt Airport: Bad Soden
Birding in & around Frankfurt: The Palmengarten
Frankfurt is the financial capital of Germany. It is well known although the city limits inhabit only roughly 600,000 people. But the greater Frankfurt area of course is much more populated. If you are on business in Frankfurt and have some spare time between two meetings and you are a birdwatcher, you might be interested… Continue reading Birding in & around Frankfurt: The Palmengarten
Harriers on wintering grounds in Awash NP – Ethiopia
Having seen the Pallid Harrier (Circus macrourus), a species of a graceful flying raptor already during trips in September on its migration route along the Black Sea coast near the town of Constanta south of the Danube delta at the Black Sea coast of Romania and north of Astrakhan along the Volga river in Russia… Continue reading Harriers on wintering grounds in Awash NP – Ethiopia
Birding around Frankfurt Airport: Langener Waldseen
Frankfurt Airport (FRA) is the gateway to continental Europe. Many airlines use the airport as a hub for connecting flights all over the world. If you have spare time between two flight and you are a birdwatcher, you might be interested to know, where you can find good sites to stretch your legs, enjoy fresh… Continue reading Birding around Frankfurt Airport: Langener Waldseen
Birds at vulcano lakes in Debre Zeit – Ethiopia
Spending two full days during a stop-over from the Seychelles, we wanted to avoid the crowd in downtown Addis Ababa. We were lucky to arrange to stay in a lodge situated on the rim of a vulcano with a lake on the ground near Debre Zeit approx. 45 km south of Addis Ababa. Our main… Continue reading Birds at vulcano lakes in Debre Zeit – Ethiopia