The vagrant but long-staying Brown Shrike (Lanius cristatus) – a first for the Netherlands – can still be found on the same location. As you can see on the website of the birding community in the Netherlands “waarneming.nl” this 1st winter Shrike near the German border between Doetinchem and Emmerich still attracts twitchers and ornithologists. The… Continue reading Brown Shrike still in Gelderland/ NL
Category: Rare Bird sightings
Specialities
Albinotic Chaffinch at winter feeder in Lower Saxonia
During a visit to a hide in front of a winter feeding station near the small town of Salzhemmendorf some 40 km south of Hanover in Lower Saxony, I was lucky enough to see a leucistic male Common Chaffinch (Fringilla coelebs) and I could shot some photos of the bird. That was on January 30th… Continue reading Albinotic Chaffinch at winter feeder in Lower Saxonia
Parrot Crossbills drinking in a pond in Mulderskop/ Limburg
Parrot Crossbills (Loxia pytyopsittacus) close-up in a puddle while bathing. The photos on the website of the birders in the Netherlands “waarneming.nl” were really sensational. The Sunday before, I had made already for a short trip to an area nearby for the long-staying Brown Shrike (Lanius cristatus). The Brown Shrike was a first sighting for… Continue reading Parrot Crossbills drinking in a pond in Mulderskop/ Limburg
Brown Shrike in Gelderland near German border
During a short trip to experience the long-staying Brown Shrike (Lanius cristatus) – a first for the Netherlands – we made this remarkable sighting. After visiting the sites of the website of the birding community in the Netherlands “waarneming.nl” we decided to head for this vagrant Shrike near the German border between Doetinchem and Emmerich.… Continue reading Brown Shrike in Gelderland near German border
Great Bittern in Schiersteiner water works near Wiesbaden
3 individuals of the Great Bittern (Botaurus stellaris) – which are named Eurasian Bittern, too – can be seen now already for several days. The Bitterns obviously winter on the waterworks in the Schiersteiner pond area near Wiesbaden. At least three specimens could be seen on a beautiful, mild winterday on the January 17, 2014… Continue reading Great Bittern in Schiersteiner water works near Wiesbaden
Griffon vulture in the Wonnegau in the middle of Germany
Currently, an unusual visitor from the south of Europe can be seen in an area of Rheinhessen between the cities of Gruenstadt, Worms and Ludwigshafen. The distance to Frankfurt am Main is only 100km in south-western direction. The bird is a Eurasian Griffon – or Griffon Vulture – (Gyps fulvus). The Vulture has been detected… Continue reading Griffon vulture in the Wonnegau in the middle of Germany
Snowy Owl in nature reserve near Hanstholm/ North Jutland
Right now, it is possible to see a rare Owl at Hanstholm at the coast of northern Jytland, Denmark. A young female Snowy Owl (Bubo scandiacus) can be observed in the south of Hanstholm in the first National Park of Denmark, called Hanstedreservatet. After the first days, around the 21st of December 2013 – when the… Continue reading Snowy Owl in nature reserve near Hanstholm/ North Jutland
Ivory Gull in the port of Hanstholm, Denmark
There is still a last year’s (since 1.1.2014 ) Ivory Gull (Pagophila eburnea) in the middle of this Danish fishing port. The gulls sits often on the kai, which can be reached from the northern side street of Kai Lindberg Gade. Sometimes it sits on the 2.5 meter high perimeter wall on the northern edge… Continue reading Ivory Gull in the port of Hanstholm, Denmark
Hawk Owl in Gristede in Lower Saxonia
According to reports in Ornitho.de there is a good chance that twitchers of the north of Middle Europe can observe Hawk Owls (Surnia ulula) this winter/ late fall quite close to their homegrounds in the northern parts of Germany. The location of a Hawk Owl spending already several days in that area is in Gristede… Continue reading Hawk Owl in Gristede in Lower Saxonia
Sabine’s Gull occurrence in California and Western Europe
One of the beauties in the Gull-family, Sabine’s Gulls (Xema sabini) is rarely seen in western Europe albeit on exposed seawatching spots or pelagic trips mainly in fall. Sabine’s Gull breed on coastal tundra around the shores of the Arctic Oceans. They migrate mainly at sea. On Migration, Siberian and Alaskan birds winter off the… Continue reading Sabine’s Gull occurrence in California and Western Europe
Albino Eurasian Oystercatcher (Haematopus ostralegus) in Devon
During a visit to the hides im Dawlish Warren National Nature Reserve I was lucky to observe a partly albinotic Eurasian Oystercatcher. This was on the afternoon of 22nd of August 2013. The website of the reserve refers to abnormalies in plumages with oystercatchers which occur with some regularity most years. Otherwise, this wader is… Continue reading Albino Eurasian Oystercatcher (Haematopus ostralegus) in Devon
Pelagic specialities on Bird-Lens
On the western edge of the western palearctic pelagic birds are living and migrating. To see them, Bird-lens.com managed several trips already to Portugal and the Canary Islands. Now migrating seabirds with a more northern circle of migration could be observed on several pelagic trips with Joe Pender on his boat “Sapphire” off-shore the Isles… Continue reading Pelagic specialities on Bird-Lens