The aim of a trip in April 2023 was to visit Egypt again after a long time. On the one hand to round off the list of birds in the western Palaearctic and on the other hand to observe the bird migration along the Nile. During our previous stays we had mostly been to the… Continue reading Southern Egypt: a worthwhile birding destination for the Western Palearctic?
Tag: White-winged Tern
Egypt- a birding trip in spring migration time
INTRODUCTION With the lifting of the corona restrictions, “normal” trips are now possible again. From the end of 2022, I was planning a vacation in April next year. The aim was to visit Egypt again after a long time, on the one hand to round off the West Palearctic bird list and on the other… Continue reading Egypt- a birding trip in spring migration time
Whiskered terns and waterfowl at estuary on the Caspian Sea of southern Azerbaijan
The view of the shallow bay is just great. We are en route to explore the lagoons and coastal habitats between Liman, Narimanabad and Baliqcilar in southern Azerbaijan. The huge bay of Kizil Agach (another spelling: Qizilagach or Ghizil-Agaj) is the largest wetland in Transcaucasia. It is easily accessible from the causeway between Liman and… Continue reading Whiskered terns and waterfowl at estuary on the Caspian Sea of southern Azerbaijan
Chlidonia’s terns in Germany
It applies to all species of the genus Chlidonias that they colonize nutrient-rich waters with rich bank vegetation, especially on lakes and slowly flowing rivers. They build their nests on floating plants and often form colonies during breeding season. Long stalks of rushes, ledges and cattails are used as building material. These are easy to… Continue reading Chlidonia’s terns in Germany
Great Snipe photography in Estonia
A creaky staccato. A Great Snipe (Gallinago media) shakes itself in extacy. Then the snipe jumps briefly in the air. This can last for many hours at the midnight mating court, a lek. Common Snipes (Gallinago gallinago) also perform their courtship with sounds. But these are very different from those of the Great Snipe. Loud,… Continue reading Great Snipe photography in Estonia
ID immature Chlidonia’s terns
The Whiskered Tern (Chlidonias hybrida) occurs widely across the world in Africa, Europe, Asia and Australia. It is rare in Germany and only breeds in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and Saxony-Anhalt. Evidence of breeding was also recently reported in Brandenburg. In other parts of the world, however, this Chlidonia tern is the most common of the genus.… Continue reading ID immature Chlidonia’s terns
Vogelfotografie im Biebrza-Nationalpark im Frühjahr
Im Nordosten Polens, etwa 200 Kilometer nordöstlich von Warschau, erstreckt sich eine einmalige Sumpflandschaft, die von vielen deutschen Tierfotografen inzwischen nicht mehr vernachlässigt wird. Der Biebrza-Nationalpark liegt zwar eigentlich nicht gleich vor unserer Haustür, doch stellt er für etliche Arten die westlichste Verbreitungsgrenze dar. So kann man an der Biebrza nach wie vor viele in Europa… Continue reading Vogelfotografie im Biebrza-Nationalpark im Frühjahr
Caspian Seashore & Volga delta in May
Bird richness on the northern shore of the Caspian Sea is amazing. Caspian Sea is counted the largest inland body of water in the world. More than 100 rivers provide inflow to the Caspian, with the Volga River being the largest. Pristine floodplain forests, flooded grasslands to the horizon, eagles on almost every tree. A… Continue reading Caspian Seashore & Volga delta in May
Heavy influx of migrating White-winged Tern in Germany
Today saw a remarkable influx of White-winged Tern, Chlidonias leucopterus, in several parts of northern Germany. Observations were recorded from the Seeburger See (lake) near Goettingen (1 indiv.), from the Wedeler Marsch near Pinneberg (13 indiv.), from the Winsener Marsch near Winsen an der Luhe (2 indiv.), from the Sulzdorfer Wiek on the islands of… Continue reading Heavy influx of migrating White-winged Tern in Germany
Identifcation of flying Chlidonias Terns in breeding plumage
Looking at field guides like „ Collins Bird Guide“ from Peter Grant, Dan Zetterstrom, Lars Svenson and Killian Mullarney the ID look quite simple. But even in the breeding plumage Chlidonias – or Marsh – Terns can cause some headache identifying in the field. Then even the Whiskered Tern (Chlidonias hybridus) can be confused with… Continue reading Identifcation of flying Chlidonias Terns in breeding plumage