Waterfowl Spring migration on the flooded meadows of the river Oder/ Germany

Already several sites for nature protection with excellent birding ops in Brandenburg has been presented. One of these sites is a protected nature area in the Havellaendisches Luch or the Guelper See. If you have spare time between two tourist attractions in Germany´s sprawling capital Berlin you might be interested as a birdwatcher to know,… Continue reading Waterfowl Spring migration on the flooded meadows of the river Oder/ Germany

Dunkler Wasserläufer in Schneegestöber

Es ist kalt in Lappland noch Mitte Mai. Schnee liegt am Straßenrand. Dann verdicken sich die Wolken und leise, langsam rieselt der Schnee. Der Schneeregen nimmt an Kraft zu, er entwickelt sich zu einem veritablen Schneefall und steigert sich zu einem Schneegestöber. Wenig später ist sogar ein richtiger Schneesturm zu vermelden. Ein Moorschneehuhn (Lagopus lagopus)… Continue reading Dunkler Wasserläufer in Schneegestöber

Zwergschnepfen im Rasthabitat

Für den ornithologisch Interessierten sind Zwergschnepfen (Lymnocryptes minimus) sicher eine der Vogelarten der Westpaläarktis, die jeder noch auf seiner Liste hat. Viele Vogelbeobachter haben Zwergschnepfen noch gar nicht gesehen. Einige Beobachtungen, die mit Fotos belegt sind, stammen dann von Helgoland, wo doch praktisch alljährlich am Hafen – in der Nähe des sogenannten Kringels – die… Continue reading Zwergschnepfen im Rasthabitat

Birding around Berlin – Reckahner Teiche

Berlin, the capital of Germany is a top tourist destination. Many airlines use the Airport of Berlin, but it is possible to take a flight to Frankfurt/ Main as well and drive with a rented car in roughly half a day. If you have spare time between two tourist attractions, are fed-up with the museum… Continue reading Birding around Berlin – Reckahner Teiche

Moorhen chases Snipe at Rieselfelder Munster

Migration season starts in Germany right now. One of the best places to see especially the early fall migrants – the waders – is the old sewage farm in the north of Muenster, called Rieselfelder Munster. Early morning, 6:30 am. Still dawn. Haze over the water and I am watching through a well located hide… Continue reading Moorhen chases Snipe at Rieselfelder Munster

Bearded Tits south of Berlin

Although the capital of Germany, Berlin has a lot to offer in terms of nature, too. In addition to the natural richness this is a legacy of the division of Germany, which has prevented the city´s spread after the end of the 2nd World War like in no other city. This means, that even today… Continue reading Bearded Tits south of Berlin

Bird migration at the Stockert in the Eifel hills

A beautiful autumn day. Indian Summer, as written in the books. This time it is to go to the Eifel to hill Stockert south of Euskirchen where bird migration at day can be observed. It was still dark when I arrived. The first bird whispers were heard already . It was mainly chickadees whose calls… Continue reading Bird migration at the Stockert in the Eifel hills

Northern Harrier (Circus cyaneus) on Norderney

Norderney, the most densely populated island in the german Wadden Sea is with good reason called a bird paradise. Terns, Pied Avocet (Recurvirostra avosetta), Common Redshank (Tringa tetanus) , Brent Geese (Branta bernicla), Greylag Geese (Anser anser)and many other birds of water are to be found there, as well as the rare Eurasian Spoonbill (Platalea… Continue reading Northern Harrier (Circus cyaneus) on Norderney

Emergency landing for lapwings

Shorebirds as the Northern Lapwing (Vanellus vanellus), are heavily suffering from the return of winter. The return of the winter in the past two weeks with temperatures down to minus two-digit nummbers also in the western part of Germany is devastating for waders. Due to observations of the Hessischen Gesellschaft für Ornithologie und Naturschutz (HG… Continue reading Emergency landing for lapwings

Spoon-billed Sandpipers and other waders in Thailand on wintering grounds

The Spoon-billed Sandpiper is one of the big megas in the birding space – not only for twitchers, but Thailand in general is an excellent birding destination. During a trip to Thailand in January 2011 I was looking for wintering birds from the palearctic. The whole trip was a great success, seeing especially many waders… Continue reading Spoon-billed Sandpipers and other waders in Thailand on wintering grounds

Fall migration at the Black Sea Coast/ Romania

Spectacular numbers of Pallid Harrier, Circus macrourus, and Red-footed Falcon, Falco vespertinus, were the highlight of the first day. Having spent 3 days in May north of Constanta at Romania´s Black Sea coast, it was decided to try our luck with birds again in the area around the village of Vadu. The target was, to… Continue reading Fall migration at the Black Sea Coast/ Romania

An early Common Gull, Larus canus on Romania´s Black Sea coast

September is fall migration time in Romania´s Black Sea coast. After having seen the spectacular mass migration of Red-footed Falcon, Falco vespertinus, in an area south of the Danube Delta with its wide stretch of a sandy shoreline with shallow lagoons we arrived at the sandy beach near the little town of Vadu. The shoreline… Continue reading An early Common Gull, Larus canus on Romania´s Black Sea coast