Yellow-browed Warblers as vagrants in Middle Europe again!

High-pitched calls shout from the bushes along the banks of an oxbow of the Havel River a little river in northern Brandenburg in Germany. In the willows you can quickly spot Goldcrests (Regulus regulus), scurrying through the bushes inconspicuously but in large numbers. But it’s worth taking a closer look. And really, in this case… Continue reading Yellow-browed Warblers as vagrants in Middle Europe again!

A little Dwarf : the Firecrest

You are in a coniferous forest and you hear a high “ziziziziit”, practically always on the same pitch. You cannot go wrong in this combination. Singing is the hallmark of the Firecrest (Regulus ignicapilla). If you have discovered the Firecrest e.g. by imitated the “singing”, you quickly see a bright orange-red crest, which is raised… Continue reading A little Dwarf : the Firecrest

Chaffinch after display with nesting material

You hardly see the bird for all the tufts of hair – or are it pine needles. It is a male of a Common Chaffinch (Fringilla coelebs) that has collected nesting material for its nest. The male Chaffinch thus looks like it has a broad mustache. Shortly before, I could observe this Common Chaffinch male… Continue reading Chaffinch after display with nesting material

Firecrest, Regulus ignicapilla, in coniferous forest

Coniferous forest and a high-pitched ziziziziit, practically always at the same frequency. You cannot go wrong in the combination. The song is the best field mark for the Firecrest (Regulus ignicapilla). If you made the Firecrest approach you closer, for example by imitated the “song”, you quickly see a bright orange red crest, which is… Continue reading Firecrest, Regulus ignicapilla, in coniferous forest

On confrontation: the Firecrest (Regulus ignicapilla)

The leaves in the riparian forest are still sparse. The warm spring sun shines beautifully down to the ground. Everything is full of life. Now it is important to find the perfect breeding site and the right territory – and above all to keep it. A Firecrest (Regulus ignicapilla) enters the territory of a conspecific.… Continue reading On confrontation: the Firecrest (Regulus ignicapilla)

Sommergoldhähnchen im Nadelwald

Nadelwald und ein hohes ziziziziit, praktisch immer auf derselben Tonhöhe. In der Kombination kann man nicht viel falsch machen. Der Gesang ist das Kennzeichen des Sommergoldhähnchens (Regulus ignicapilla). Hat man das Sommergoldhähnchen entdeckt, indem man z.B. den „Gesang“ imitiert hat, sieht man schnell einen leuchtend orangeroten Scheitelfleck, der bei Erregung aufgestellt wird. Beide Geschlechter haben… Continue reading Sommergoldhähnchen im Nadelwald

Siberian Vagrants: The Yellow-browed Warbler

Soft evocative calls in tall herb. Every year there is a pronounced migration of Goldcrest (Regulus regulus). But it is worth to risk a closer look. In the mixed flocks sometimes there are representatives of small Phylloscopus-Warblers. One of them, the Yellow-browed Warbler (Phylloscopus inornatus), comes from the forests of the taiga between Sea of… Continue reading Siberian Vagrants: The Yellow-browed Warbler