In undulating, butterfly-like flight, a bird with broad, deeply fingered wings comes flying onto an old shed. It is a hoopoe (Upupa epops) that takes a large insect, it looks like a mole cricket (Gryllotalpa gryllotalpa) to feed the young. On the second approach, the long, curved beak and the approximately 5 cm long, erectable… Continue reading Hoopoes – breeding in Germany
Category: Rare Bird sightings
Specialities
Amun Tot Fish Ponds as home for Three-banded Plover in Aswan
Amun Tot Fish Ponds were unfortunately out of bound. The gate to the described area was closed when we arrived the first time. It’s a holiday. But the rest of the area looks good too. At the last – the most productive because the most muddy area – we actually see a Plover. A contrastingly… Continue reading Amun Tot Fish Ponds as home for Three-banded Plover in Aswan
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
Vagrant Eurasian Golden-Oriole on Bird Island
In the early morning a quiet walk in the wood to Passe Hirondelle. Right near the farm building quite a big thrush-like bird landed on some vegetation. Just a second, than the bird flew away. Fortunately not far so I could follow for a while and took a picture of the bird which turned out… Continue reading Vagrant Eurasian Golden-Oriole on Bird Island
Inhabitant near Nasser-dam: Clamorous Reed-Warbler
In the early morning, activity can quickly be heard in the reeds in front of the lake shore. The Clamorous Reed-Warbler (Acrocephalus stentoreus) can be heard from afar. In fact, wherever the species occurs, it is most conspicuous for its powerful song, which is similar to that of other great reed warblers – such as… Continue reading Inhabitant near Nasser-dam: Clamorous Reed-Warbler
Leucism in the Red-backed Shrike
During a search of a known migratory birding spot in north-west Cyprus, a “white” shrike was observed on the outskirts of the area used as a camping site, which was only sparsely park-like and which at first glance could not be a Great Grey Shrike (Lanius excubitor) despite the light color. The smaller size and… Continue reading Leucism in the Red-backed Shrike
Spontaneous colonization at a retention basin by Little Ringed Plover
In the morning light, a bird with contrasting colors curves with sickle-like wings above a retention basin, which is only 6 months old and is part of a construction project for the renovation of a county road near a village in the middle of the countryside of southern Brandenburg, just 40 kilometers south of Germany´s… Continue reading Spontaneous colonization at a retention basin by Little Ringed Plover
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
Sikkim Wedge-billed Babbler in the Mishmi Hills
An early morning at 5:50 am in the Mishmi Hills. The morning sun, not yet there, will shine again from a cloudless sky. Only above the Brahmaputra can one see the first white clouds, which can also be morning mist. It is 6:30 a.m. and we are at 1,900m above sea level at a mighty… Continue reading Sikkim Wedge-billed Babbler in the Mishmi Hills
Lesser Spotted Eagle in Brandenburg
Scientific research on the Lesser Spotted Eagle (Clanga pomarina) shows the facts. A good occurrence of the Lesser Spotted Eagle is mainly in the Randow-Welse lowland in Brandenburg or in or around the Feldberger Seenlandschaft. The exact locations of nest are top secret. But in the Randow-Welse lowland it might be possible to observe a… Continue reading Lesser Spotted Eagle in Brandenburg
Dusky Thrush near airport Berlin-Brandenburg
Around 11:30 a.m. the sun sent the first tentative rays through thick clouds which contained heavy rain only minutes before. In the afternoon of the previous day, a Dusky Thrush (Turdus eunomus) was sighted in a flock of Fieldfares (Turdus pilaris). In a 3rd attempt and after a good 2 hours of waiting the salvation… Continue reading Dusky Thrush near airport Berlin-Brandenburg
Cinnamon Hummingbird for Science
This beautiful scene of a hummingbird hovering in front of a purple-red flower is a common sight in the tropics. Seemingly weightless, the hummingbird, a Cinnamon Hummingbird (Amazilia rutila), sips nectar. This photo even made it into a Science article published on May 6, 2004. Ironically, in comparatively cool Germany, in a clay pit in… Continue reading Cinnamon Hummingbird for Science