On a warm summer evening, as the sun began to dip below the horizon on the southern shore of Gülper See (Lake Guelpe) young Barn Swallows (Hirundo rustica) perched precariously on a rusty wire, its tiny wings quivering with anticipation. The scene was alive with the twittering of swallows, but the juveniles all had a… Continue reading Young Barn Swallow begging for food on a wire
Tag: Common Greenshank
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
Grünschenkel fliegen den Priel entlang
Das Morgenlicht wir durch dicke Wolken im Osten gefiltert. Die Lichtstimmung ist trotzdem ein Traum. Mehr und mehr entblößen sich die dicken Schlammpakete, die das Wattenmeer so fruchtbar und nahrhaft machen. Die Flut zieht sich zusehends zurück. Immer breiter werden Priele und diese werden von vielen einfliegenden Vögeln als Einflugschneise genutzt. So auch von 3… Continue reading Grünschenkel fliegen den Priel entlang
Orange Weaver near nest on Sanaga River
The sun was already up and shining. The mighty Sanaga River laid in beautiful light in front of us. A small wooden boat was hired for this morning to pick us up at a sand pit at the shore of the river for a morning trip on the water. When we arrived, nobody was there.… Continue reading Orange Weaver near nest on Sanaga River
Grey Pratincole at Sanaga River/ Cameroon
The black eyestripe which curves down behind the eye, the light chestnut nape, and the white supercilium features a small beauty: the Grey Pratincole (Glareola cinerea). Add a light grey for the upperparts and a white rump with a black tail you are ready with the ID. The excursion to the Sanaga River in the… Continue reading Grey Pratincole at Sanaga River/ Cameroon
White-rumped Sandpiper in Brandenburg at Gülper lake
The White-rumped Sandpiper (Calidris fuscicollis) – initially recorded as Baird’s Sandpiper (Calidris bairdii) – from Lake Gülper was intended to be observed on Saturday, July 22nd. Already at 7:00 am I arrived after 2 hours’ drive at the southeast corner of the small village Prietzen at the south end of Lake Gülper. Some birders had… Continue reading White-rumped Sandpiper in Brandenburg at Gülper lake
Weissbürzel-Strandläufer am Gülper See
Der anfangs als Bairdstrandläufer (Calidris bairdii) bestimmte Weißbürzelstrandläufer (Calidris fuscicollis) vom Gülper See sollte am Samstag, den 22. Juli beobachtet werden. Schon um 7:00 war ich die 2 Stunden angereist und stellte den Wagen am Südostausgang des kleinen Dörfchens Prietzen am Südende des Gülper Sees ab. Einige Birder waren schon unterwegs. Am Samstagmorgen hatte aber… Continue reading Weissbürzel-Strandläufer am Gülper See
Passerine vagrants on St. Paul – Pribilof Islands
As the plane gets closer to the barren island of St. Paul, the first impression is Brown und Olive-green. Later we see that there are not only brown and olive colors on the island. Metre-high waves of a dark blue sea are breaking against the rugged, rocky coast which is shimmering black. As we land,… Continue reading Passerine vagrants on St. Paul – Pribilof Islands
High Lonesome BirdTours St. Paul Trip 2016
The High Lonesome BirdTours trip to St. Paul Island this year was successful beyond expectations. Not only did we get great looks at all the seabirds, ranging from auklets, murres, puffins, and kittiwakes, we also managed to time our arrival just right to catch up with a slew of vagrant birds. The list of shorebirds… Continue reading High Lonesome BirdTours St. Paul Trip 2016
Pintail Snipe on a remote US-Island in the northern Pacific/ Alaska
Gambell, a small village on the north-western tip of the remote St. Lawrence Island is an outstanding outpost not only for North American Birders. A short trip with only a few days with High Lonesome yielded all sorts of good birds, both Asian and North American origin. During a 6-day trip guided by the tour… Continue reading Pintail Snipe on a remote US-Island in the northern Pacific/ Alaska
Zugvogelraritäten auf den Pribilofs
Die kleine Saab-Propellermaschine ist schon seit gut einer Stunde über dem unendlichen nördlichen Pazifik unterwegs als in weiter Ferne ein brauner Streif Inseln im windgepeitschten Meer der Beringsee auftauchen. Das sind die Pribilofs. Wir steuern St. Paul an. Der Flug hat immerhin gut 3 Stunden mit Unterbrechung in einem verlassenen Nest gedauert. Braun ist die… Continue reading Zugvogelraritäten auf den Pribilofs
Keoladeo National Park, a paradise also for Western Palearctic birds
Is it possible to combine business and birding in India? The country is large, the distance too and most business is performed in a metropolitan area – New Delhi. Although supposedly in the area of New Delhi only 250,000 people live after the Indian census of 2011, but there are at least several million in… Continue reading Keoladeo National Park, a paradise also for Western Palearctic birds