A rattling, gibbering call is thrown back from the high rocky walls in echoes. After 1 minute, the call is repeated. Carefully, I try to approach the noise source. Unexpectedly, a Rock Ptarmigan (Lagopus mutus) appears between the boulders. After only two shots, the Ptarmigan is already disappeared. In the middle of the mighty mountain… Continue reading Ptarmigan in Tyrol
Category: Where to watch birds
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
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
The Mount Kupé Bushshrike in the Bakossi Mountains
A fresh, sunny morning in the Bakossi Mountains. The initial stretches of the trail are even for a fairly distance, getting steeper and even insanely steep inside the core primary forest. The last patch we did inside primary forest before getting to one of the territorial spots of the Serle’s Bushshrike – better known as… Continue reading The Mount Kupé Bushshrike in the Bakossi Mountains
Mountain Robin-Chat on red ants road at Mount Cameroon
During the night, a heavy thunderstorm had fallen with heavy downpours over Douala and the southwestern province. Now in the early morning a few birds are on the hiking trail. In an open site, some specialists have found themselves plundering an ant-train. Unlike in South America, these birds actually seem to eat the ants themselves.… Continue reading Mountain Robin-Chat on red ants road at Mount Cameroon
Where and how to photograph Hawfinches
Right now, there is a large invasion of Hawfinches (Coccothraustes coccothraustes) recorded for Great Britain. The peak took place in fall 2017, and good numbers have remained during the winter months. With fewer than 1,000 breeding pairs in Britain, Hawfinch populations are critically low and the bird is Red-listed as a Bird of Conservation Concern,… Continue reading Where and how to photograph Hawfinches
Where to photograph seabirds in flight in the UK
In the age of digital full-frame cameras with a very fast autofocus, flight-shot photography is possible that used to be (almost) unthinkable only some years ago. Ducks starting trembling over the water were (and are) still quite easy. But who managed to photograph a flying Eurasian Sparrowhawk (Accipiter nisus)? Other land birds were usually only… Continue reading Where to photograph seabirds in flight in the UK
Land under water in Poland
In the 18th century settlers made the long, marshy lowland area of the Warta and the river Netze habitable. Individual farmsteads and villages from that time can still be seen from the dike of the Warta. None of the houses has no stork nest. Today, only the diked areas at the Warta estuary reminds of… Continue reading Land under water in Poland
A Birdwatching Guide to Brandenburg and Berlin: a new field guide
The east of Germany, especially Brandenburg and Berlin is one of the »hotspots« for birdwatching in Germany with a rich variety of birds and many rare species. Until recently, trips has to be fully based on the birding guide for North-east Germany (Vögel beobachten in Ostdeutschland; Wagner and Moning 2009, Franckh-Kosmos Verlag). This splendid book… Continue reading A Birdwatching Guide to Brandenburg and Berlin: a new field guide
Nationalpark Pilanesberg: a heaven not only for Kingfishers
In the surrounding bushes of the Tidodi Dam there is loud bustle already. In the gallery forest around, numerous birds such as the Grey-headed Kingfisher (Halcyon leucocephala) enjoy the first sun beams. Haze floats above the water. It is morning shortly after sunrise. The surrounding trees of the dam form a small gallery forest, which… Continue reading Nationalpark Pilanesberg: a heaven not only for Kingfishers
Pochard: a bird population in decline
The fate of the Common Pochard is discussed intensively in the relevant forums. Scientific research suggests that the sex ratio of the populations of Common Pochard (Aythya ferina), a medium-sized diving duck, in Europe and North Africa has changed. This could play a role in the decline of the species in the Western Palearctic. Sex… Continue reading Pochard: a bird population in decline
Ungeheuerwiesen in winter
This winter wildlife heaven is often full of birds. Probably the most spectacular (and noisy) are the thrushes and European Starlings (Sturnus vulgaris) to feast on the unfrozen meadows. Northern Harrier (Circus cyaneus) winter out on the remote parts of the meadows, but will regularly hunt the lakes and wetland down to the shores of… Continue reading Ungeheuerwiesen in winter