The Big Year & the Pink-footed Goose

If you have seen the movie “The Big Year” from 2011, you probably remember the search for the Pink-footed Goose which Jack Black pursued together with Owen Wilson and Steve Martin as keen birders. The Big Year is a story about three singularly obsessed men who compete to see who will be the “best birder… Continue reading The Big Year & the Pink-footed Goose

Waldsaatgänse im Havelland

Die Havelaue westlich von Hohennauen –  nördlich von Rathenow – ist eine weite Ebene des norddeutschen Tieflandes. Bei Temperaturen um 0° liegt die Landschaft unter einer dicken Hochnebeldecke. Die Luft ist feucht-kalt und das Land liegt still. Die ergiebigen Regenfälle der vergangenen Tage haben die Wiesen überschwemmt. Teils liegen Wiesen und Weiden unter einer brüchigen… Continue reading Waldsaatgänse im Havelland

Birding Berlin: Charlottenburg Palace

Birding parks in big cities are often a stopgap in between two family arrangements. But parks are often good for excellent surprises. Berlin should result in a great place to combine a city trip with a birding excursion. I started from the flat of a friend at  Prenzlauer Berg. Soon we arrived at a subway… Continue reading Birding Berlin: Charlottenburg Palace

Taiga Bean Goose in Havelland near Berlin

Bean Geese on their wintering grounds near Berlin. The Havelaue west of Hohennauen – north of Rathenow – is a vast plain of the North German lowlands. In January, the landscape was – at temperatures around 0 ° Celsius – under a thick blanket of foggy clouds. The air was humid and cold, and the… Continue reading Taiga Bean Goose in Havelland near Berlin

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)

Snowy surprise for Cranes & Geese in nature reserve Kuehkopf-Knoblochsaue in Germany

Although the winter’s chill hold finally broke last week the wintertime is not over, already. The mild conditions and temperatures of up to around 8 degrees did not last for a long time. By 19th a Scandinavian high pressure was fully in charge and a strengthening easterly flow and increasing cloud cover ensured that temperatures… Continue reading Snowy surprise for Cranes & Geese in nature reserve Kuehkopf-Knoblochsaue in Germany