A gravel pit: home for Sand Martins

Occasionally, I drive a lonely country road along. Right beside the road a gravel pit, excavated only in the back part, can be found. The mine is located in a flat agricultural area. Scenic beauty is only revealed to the connoisseur . Many walkers or joggers therefore do not pass by. Once, I passed by… Continue reading A gravel pit: home for Sand Martins

Eine Moorente in der Nähe von Köln

Im Winter tauchen immer wieder „gute“ Vögel an äußerlich wenig natürlich wirkenden Lokalitäten wie Erholungsgebieten und Parks auf. Zuletzt wurde eine – wahrscheinlich – vorjährige Moorente (Aythya nyroca) vom Franziskussee (einem ehemaligen Braunkohletagebau-Loch) in Brühl, nicht weit von Köln entfernt, gemeldet. Diese ist zwar zwischenzeitlich leider verschwunden. Dafür sind momentan 2 Enten im “Polder Hasenfeld“ in… Continue reading Eine Moorente in der Nähe von Köln

Birding rund um den Frankfurter Flughafen – Der Grosse Feldberg

Frankfurt Airport  (FRA ) ist das Tor zum europäischen Festland . Viele Fluggesellschaften nutzen den Airport als Drehscheibe für Anschlussflüge für die ganze Welt. Wenn Sie freie Zeit zwischen zwei Flügen haben und Sie ein Vogelbeobachter sind, haben Sie vielleicht Interesse zu wissen, wo man gute Orte für die Vogelbeobachtung findet und zudem noch die… Continue reading Birding rund um den Frankfurter Flughafen – Der Grosse Feldberg

Heavy migration of Song Thrush (Turdus philomelos) through the Taunus/ Germany

During a short trip with sunny weather and quite clear sky but a cold wind in the morning of March 26th through the upper Taunus near Bad Soden I experienced many migrating birds among them approx. 50 Song Thrush (Turdus philomelos) and more than a 100 Chaffinches (Fringilla coelebs).  Remarkable in the sighting of the… Continue reading Heavy migration of Song Thrush (Turdus philomelos) through the Taunus/ Germany

Migratory birds herald spring

Last weekend, you could observe heavy traffic in the skies over Frankfurt/ Germany. Although winter is not ready to lower its grip the first returning migrants already point to the imminent end of the cold season. In recent weeks, Eurasian Skylarks  (Alauda arvensis), and Northern Lapwings (Vanellus vanellus), were seen already on their return. Particularly… Continue reading Migratory birds herald spring

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

Birding around Frankfurt Airport – Schwanheimer Duene

There are not too many foreign birdwatchers coming to the middle of Germany for just birding. But Frankfurt Airport (FRA) is the gateway to continental Europe. Many airlines use the Airport as a hub for connecting flights all over the world. If you have spare time between two flight and you are a birdwatcher, you… Continue reading Birding around Frankfurt Airport – Schwanheimer Duene

Ferruginous Duck near Frankfurt – Germany

Now that winter has proceeded quite well some good birds show up on “stupid” spots like recreation areas and parks. In a series of blogs Bird-lens has already described some excellent spots like the Langener Waldseen to observe birds, but this spot came to my awareness the first time. This was due to the fact… Continue reading Ferruginous Duck near Frankfurt – Germany

Influx of Hawk Owls (Surnia ulula) cancelled?

Now that winter has proceeded quite well already with cold temperatures all over the northern part of the continent, the Influx of Hawk Owls might been cancelled. In a blog in November, Bird-lens mentioned that there might be a good chance that twitchers of the north of Middle Europe can observe Hawk Owls (Surnia ulula)… Continue reading Influx of Hawk Owls (Surnia ulula) cancelled?

Birding around Frankfurt Airport: Bad Soden

Frankfurt Airport (FRA) is the gateway to continental Europe. Many airlines use the Airport as a hub for connecting flights all over the world. If you have spare time between two flight and you are a birdwatcher, you might be interested to know, where you can find good places to stretch your legs, enjoy fresh… Continue reading Birding around Frankfurt Airport: Bad Soden

Black Stork over Altenhain/ Bad Soden

A look in the sky this evening. Hey, this is the silhouette of a stork – isn´t it? Yes, indeed a Black Stork, Ciconia nigra, could be seen over the nice little village of Altenhain on 250 m asl. The Black Stork was coming straight forward from the west (from Kelkheim, Main-Taunus-Kreis) circled three times… Continue reading Black Stork over Altenhain/ Bad Soden