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
Category: Where to watch birds
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
Bullfinches: White-red-black balls in action
Eurasian Bullfinch, Pyrrhula pyrrhula, are usually thought-after species for the wintertime photographer. These colorful finches are now increasingly observed at the feeding tables when wintertime proceeds. Last year they could be seen with other wintering birds at the feeding sites, too. The favorite food of the birds observed in recent winters is a product made… Continue reading Bullfinches: White-red-black balls in action
Adventure: driving to the Keoladeo National Park
It is November. A trip to Arunachal Pradesh in north-eastern India is scheduled. Due to delays in domestic flights I find out, that there are still three days left . Now you can spend the time in New Delhi, the capital of India, of course. According to some strange statistics the human population of New… Continue reading Adventure: driving to the Keoladeo National Park
White-tailed Eagle catching fish in Norway
White-tailed Eagle (Haliaeetus albicilla) are now at least in the eastern part of Middle Europe (as East Germany or Poland) a familiar sight . Nevertheless, it is not easy to photograph an eagle on close range. The animals are not extremely shy towards people, but they show respect and thus quite a distance from people… Continue reading White-tailed Eagle catching fish in Norway
Golden Eagle at fox bait in Norway
Is it possible to observe and photograph Golden Eagle (Aquila chrysaetos) at the bait in wintertime in good numbers with good reliability? Is this possible in Europe? Yes, it is! Ole Martin Dahle, known as the Eagle Man, has several hides out in the wilderness of Norway. Having been spent one week on invitation of Ole… Continue reading Golden Eagle at fox bait in Norway
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
Birding around Frankfurt – Mittlere Horloffaue/ Wetterau
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 around Frankfurt – Mittlere Horloffaue/ Wetterau
Taiga Bean Goose in Vorpommern (Pomerania)
In the Friedländer Große Wiese especially south of Mariawerth but also north of Heinrichswalde 3,000 Bean Goose (Anser fabalis) could be seen in only about 2 hours in the early morning good of an early Novermber day. Obviously they flew up from the nature reserve “Galenbecker lake” which is right to the south. The preferred… Continue reading Taiga Bean Goose in Vorpommern (Pomerania)