A hailstorm sweeps across the countryside. Just after the thunderstorm ceased a male Northern Shoveler (Anas clypeata) flies particularly beautifully in front of us on the watch tower. From the observation tower it can be admired in flight at eye level with its bright blue and green wings and the brown belly. Although it is… Continue reading Große Rosin: Northern Shoveler after heavy hailstorm
Tag: Brandenburg
Wintering Short-eared Owls in Brandenburg
Very few people will see them in the northern German winter. A Short-eared Owl (Asio flammeus) flies over the moor in front of the dark edge of the forest with a typical rowing flap of wings. The sun has already set for half an hour. Fog rises from the moor. Soon the last glow of… Continue reading Wintering Short-eared Owls in Brandenburg
Snipes: Courtship in the air
A flooded area in the middle of the swampy lowland of the Nuthe, south of the Fläming in southern Brandenburg only 30 km south of Berlin. As soon as I arrive at the wetland at dawn, snipes (Gallinago gallinago) start flying. The area was heavily flooded in the winter. Now the highest water levels have… Continue reading Snipes: Courtship in the air
Wintering Stonechat in southern Brandenburg
A Stonechat (Saxicola rubicola) sits on a newly erected metal fence in a renaturation area in one of the peatbog areas in southern Brandenburg. It is winter and there has already been a few days of permanent frost. Snow lies partly thick on the posts and the ground. Nevertheless, the male Stonechat obviously finds food.… Continue reading Wintering Stonechat in southern Brandenburg
Schwarzkehlchen im Winter
Ein Schwarzkehlchen (Saxicola rubicola) sitzt auf einem neu errichteten Metallzaun eines Renaturierungsgebietes in einem der Luchs im Süden Brandenburgs. Es ist Winter und es hat schon einige Tag Dauerfrost gegeben. Schnell liegt teils dick auf den Pfosten und dem Boden. Trotzdem findet das Männchen des Schwarzkehlchens offensichtlich Nahrung. Immer wieder fliegt das Schwarzkehlchen von seiner… Continue reading Schwarzkehlchen im Winter
Late winter migration of Comon Cranes
„Gru,Gru“, „Gru, Gru“. In between, a hoarse whistle. Their calls and their wedge-shaped flight formation are as much a part of autumn as the colorful foliage on the trees. Every year the migration of the Common Cranes (Grus grus) is an unmistakable sign that the cold season is approaching. Despite the frost and snow, several… Continue reading Late winter migration of Comon Cranes
Bramblings in preparation for migration
Polyphonic, high-pitched calls resound from the dense tops of a pine forest at the edge of a sports field in southern Brandenburg, only 50 km away from Berlin. The calls can be heard from far away and are characterized by their rather squawking pitch. The birds can be heard from different directions. It must be… Continue reading Bramblings in preparation for migration
Löffenten in heftigem Sommerschauer
Ein Hagelschauer geht über den Teichen von Stangenhagen nieder. Hatten viele Wat- und Wasservögel bisher noch stoisch auf oder am See gestanden, kommt jetzt Bewegung in die Vogelmassen, die sich hier im Spätsommer zur Mauser und zur ersten Rast auf dem Weg in die Winterquartiere treffen. Zuerst fliegen die Kiebitze (Vanellus vanellus) in einem dichten… Continue reading Löffenten in heftigem Sommerschauer
Wiesenweihe aus Niederen Fläming in Tschechien
Eine weibliche Wiesenweihe (Circus pygargus) aus dem südlichen Brandenburg ist vor einigen Tagen als Brutvogel auf dem Nest in Prehysov ca. 10 km westlich von Pilsen aufgefunden worden. Die Wiesenweihe war nestjung zusammen mit ihren 3 Nestgeschwistern beringt worden. Der Vogel hat damit eine Distanz vom Nest bei Zeuden, in der Nähe von Treuenbrietzen in… Continue reading Wiesenweihe aus Niederen Fläming in Tschechien
Goshawk in the nest
After a thunderstorm, the wind has died down, and the morning rays of the sun shine through the tops of the Pine trees (Pinus sylvestris). Nothing seems to be happening in the nest of the Northern Goshawk (Accipiter gentilis), which was occupied 2 years ago. But suddenly something white moves, something shaggy. The white something… Continue reading Goshawk in the nest
Spontaneous colonization at a retention basin by Little Ringed Plover
In the morning light, a bird with contrasting colors curves with sickle-like wings above a retention basin, which is only 6 months old and is part of a construction project for the renovation of a county road near a village in the middle of the countryside of southern Brandenburg, just 40 kilometers south of Germany´s… Continue reading Spontaneous colonization at a retention basin by Little Ringed Plover
A Northern Hawk Owl near Vetschau in eastern Germany 2006
A few tips from colleagues and the thought of taking nice pictures of an owl that is rare in Germany and otherwise only found in the taiga made me think of a trip to the Northern Hawk Owl (Surnia ulula) in south-eastern Brandenburg. Because in the winter of 2005/2006, some of these owls crossed the… Continue reading A Northern Hawk Owl near Vetschau in eastern Germany 2006