Pygmy Owl in the upper Harz Mountains

A hike in the highlands around the Brocken, the highest mountain far and wide. It’s foggy and windless. It also snowed for a few days. Then suddenly a rhythmic song, a scale, can be heard. It is a Eurasian Pygmy Owl (Glaucidium passerinum), which sits a little later on a dead, thickly icy spruce tree… Continue reading Pygmy Owl in the upper Harz Mountains

Kestrel: young male in Durmitor National Park/ Montenegro

A hovering Eurasian Kestrel (Falco tinnunculus) is a frequent sight over the open, higher reaches of the alpine meadows of Durmitor National Park. Above 1,600 m above sea level, it can look for its prey in the open landscape. Here, too, it is probably primarily Voles (Microtus agrestis) that can account for up to 90%… Continue reading Kestrel: young male in Durmitor National Park/ Montenegro

Newly fledged Red-backed Shrike in Spruce

High, soft but intense calls sound from an old clearcut that is now reforesting itself with European Spruce (Picea abies). Between emerging Sycamore (Acer pseudoplatanus) and Rowan (Sorbus aucupariaeinem), I walk up a slope on a carpet of Blueberry (Vaccinium myrtillus) and follow the calls. Right next to a hunter’s perch amidst man-sized spruce trees,… Continue reading Newly fledged Red-backed Shrike in Spruce

White-backed Woodpeckers in Durmitor National Park/ Montenegro

For some time we had fought our way up the hiking trail, interrupted again and again by ankle-deep fields of snow. Then, at about 1,650 m above sea level, a woodpecker squeaking can be clearly heard. That can only be the White-backed Woodpeckers (Dendrocopus leucotos)? I play the calls and the drumming from the tape.… Continue reading White-backed Woodpeckers in Durmitor National Park/ Montenegro

Photography without disturbing: the Red-backed Shrike in Germany

In June, the females of the Red-backed Shrike (Lanius collurio) are still sitting on their eggs. But towards the end of the month, they should start feeding the young birds. Then the nature photographer is already very excited. Over time, you get to know the pairs in an area quite well. One, of the total… Continue reading Photography without disturbing: the Red-backed Shrike in Germany

Woodpeckers as indicators of natural forest ecosystems

Central Europe is an old cultural landscape in which practically no area has been able to preserve its natural state. The far-reaching anthropogenic changes also affect the remaining type of forest strongly, that it is not known exactly what they look like under natural conditions. Largely unchanged forests can only be found on small remaining… Continue reading Woodpeckers as indicators of natural forest ecosystems

Hazel Grouse: the results

In total we visited 5 different locations where the local guides had encountered several individuals of the Hasezl Grouse the last weeks or even years. The last encounter sometimes was only 3 days before. 4 of the locations were locations like a lek – where you could hear the mating song and the mating

Hazel Grouse: the hide

Additionally finding Hazel Grouse means knowing the behavior of the Hazel Grouse. E.g. the Hazel Grouse is – although a shy bird – quite responsive or even aggressive during the mating season which has a first peak in September and then again in March/ April. In this time you can hear the mating call or… Continue reading Hazel Grouse: the hide

Hazel Grouse: the habitat

Finding Hazel Grouse is equivalent of knowing the habits of the Hazel Grouse which means also knowing and recognizing the habitat of the Hazel Grouse. The search for the right habitat is not eased by the fact, that the Hazel Grouse has at least 3 different habitat requirements during the year in the different seasons.… Continue reading Hazel Grouse: the habitat

Finding Hazel Grouse in the Carpathians

Hazel Grouses (Bonasa bonasia) are certainly one of the most thought-after bird species for naturalist and bird photographers in western Palearctic. This is in parts due to the fact, that this bird is one of the few autochthon representatives of the Phasianidae family in Middle Europe. And: actually it is a very beautiful bird. Unfortunately… Continue reading Finding Hazel Grouse in the Carpathians