Bird Migration – Page 3

Yellow-billed Stork: a special for the western Palearctic

As if they had swallowed a stick, two individuals of a species known from Africa are standing on the banks of a chanal ot the Toshka Project. Between many Gray Herons (Ardea cinerea) two Yellow-billed Stork (Mycteria ibis) stand upright with hanging beaks. The colors are beautiful to see in the morning sun. I was… Continue reading Yellow-billed Stork: a special for the western Palearctic

Pink-footed Goose in Rudow-Altglienicke/ Berlin

This time there was no need to patiently monitor flocks of geese with a spotting scope in windy weather and sleet and snow showers. It was cool and wet, but the Pink-footed Goose (Anser brachyrhynchus) in the Landschaftspark (landscape park) Rudow-Altglienicke could be seen quickly in flocks with Greylag Geese (Anser anser) and 2 Greater… Continue reading Pink-footed Goose in Rudow-Altglienicke/ Berlin

Yellow Wagtail subspecies in Palatupana Salt-/Wetland, Thissamaharama, Hambantota?

Western Yellow Wagtail (Motacilla flava) are quite common in Sri Lanka in wintertime. So in the Palatupana Salt-/Wetland, near Bundala NP at Hambantota on the southern tip of Sri Lanka, too. At least for a western birdwatcher they seem to be. Recent studies on wagtails occurring in Sri Lanka has suggested that both Western and… Continue reading Yellow Wagtail subspecies in Palatupana Salt-/Wetland, Thissamaharama, Hambantota?

Snow Buntings on the North Sea Coast

We’ve had some couple of Snow Buntings (Plectrophenax nivalis) on the coast around Westkapelle for the last month or two. The coast near Middelburg is in the province of Zeeland. A small flock of five individuals at a spot just behind the dike and a single bird at a lighthouse. I decided to go and… Continue reading Snow Buntings on the North Sea Coast

R’as al-Khor: a paradiese for Waterfowl

Nowhere else in Europe or the Middle East can you get so close to Greater Flamingos (Phoenicopterus phoenicopterus) or Western Reef-Herons (Egretta gularis schistacea) as in the R’as al-Khor. Many waders fish in the shallow waters just meters from tourists armed with binoculars and cameras. The Western Reef-Heron´s plumage shows two color phases. There is… Continue reading R’as al-Khor: a paradiese for Waterfowl

Songbird migration at Cildir Lake in eastern Turkey

The planted pine grove is surprisingly productive. In the car, I patrol the edge of the forest, which is now in the morning sunlight. This draws out the resting migratory birds in masses. I patiently park my car a short distance from the pines and just wait. Several (5) Spotted Flycatchers (Muscicapa striata), a Willow… Continue reading Songbird migration at Cildir Lake in eastern Turkey

Bird migration as a research object

Bird migration is a constant research object and there are always new findings. Although birds know neither a map nor a calendar, they know exactly when and where to fly. Their innate instinct shows them the way. At night they orientate themselves by the starry sky, during the day by the position of the sun… Continue reading Bird migration as a research object

Eurasian Jackdaw of subspecies soemmerringii along Caspian coast

Heavy migration can be observed on the side facing the Caspian sea at the Besh Barmag Bottleneck. Between Rooks (Corvus frugilegus) there are also flocks of Eurasian Jackdaws of the eastern subspecies. Corvus monedula soemmerringii occurs from eastern Europe through Iran to northwestern India. I had seen this race of Eurasian Jackdaws before in northern… Continue reading Eurasian Jackdaw of subspecies soemmerringii along Caspian coast

Arctic Terns, globetrotters of the planet

The Arctic Tern (Sterna paradisaea) is a real globetrotter. She is graceful in flight and downright dainty. This makes their worldwide occurrence all the more amazing. The birds breed around the Arctic Ocean to the northern tip of Greenland at almost 84°N and still comes regularly to breed on the North Sea coast at 54°N.… Continue reading Arctic Terns, globetrotters of the planet

Pied Wagtail at sewage plant north of Berlin

Normally, the Pied Wagtail (Motacilla alba yarrellii) occurs in Germany in winter as a vagrant in the north-west, especially at the North Sea. In 2021, for example, the species was found on Hohe Klint near Oxstedt in the district of Cuxhaven, on the island of Borkum, on the salt marshes of Juist or (on several… Continue reading Pied Wagtail at sewage plant north of Berlin

Turkish sick jay with begging young bird on Black Sea coast

The view of the blue sea through the pines and chestnut trees is really impressive. Well-known calls reveal that Eurasian Jays (Garrulus glandarius) initially roam around the hotel invisibly. Then I see them too. They are 2 birds of the same species. One looks amazingly disheveled, the other is obviously a hatchling that wants to… Continue reading Turkish sick jay with begging young bird on Black Sea coast

Greater Short-toed lark on migration along the Pontic Mountains in Turkey

We walk along a narrow pebble beach on the Black Sea coast. What is really remarkable is that I see a fawn colored bird flying in that has a remarkable eye stripe and a thick beak. Spontaneously I think of a Pipit (Anthus sp.), but it is a Greater Short-toed Lark (Calandrella brachydactyla), which turns… Continue reading Greater Short-toed lark on migration along the Pontic Mountains in Turkey