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
Tag: Corn Bunting
Verbreitung der Fichtenammer in der Westpaläarktis
Die Fichtenammer ist in Sibirien als Brutvogel des offenen Kiefernwaldes westlich bis zum Ural weit verbreitet. Dabei reicht ihr Verbreitungsgebiet zur Brutzeit nur knapp in den europäischen Bereich hinein. Nach der Brutzeit wandert die Fichtenammer im Allgemeinen weiter nach Süden durch Asien und überwintert dort auch. Auf der Insel Happy Island, dem Hotspot für die… Continue reading Verbreitung der Fichtenammer in der Westpaläarktis
A rare vagrant: Pine Buntings in Germany
Though a Pine Bunting (Emberiza leucocephalos) is present in the Winsener Marsch near the Lower Elbe south of Hamburg for some days now, the Pine Bunting is a real exception in Germany. No wonder, that the bird keeps the twitcher in Germany in suspense. Several times in the last days a bright Bunting could be… Continue reading A rare vagrant: Pine Buntings in Germany
Fichtenammer in Deutschland
Auch wenn eine Fichtenammer (Emberiza leucocephalos) in der Winsener Marsch an der Unterelbe die Twitcher in Deutschland in Atem hält, gilt die Fichtenammer in Deutschland als Ausnahmeerscheinung. Mehrfach wurde in den letzten Tag ein heller Ammernvogel zwischen ca. 400 Goldammern (Emberiza citrinella), 4 Grauammer (Emberiza calandra) sowie vielen Finken (Buchfinken (Fringilla coelebs), Grünfinken (Chloris chloris),… Continue reading Fichtenammer in Deutschland
Steppe habitat just outside Castilla de la Mancha
The Spanish province of Valencia was visited in summer. One reason was to relax for a week. The second argument was to get a feel for avian delights of an area of the country normally thought of in mainstream tourism terms. As a habitual visitor to the more well-known birding destination of Andalucía and Portugal,… Continue reading Steppe habitat just outside Castilla de la Mancha
Finken gönnen sich Sonnenblumen
Im Herbst sieht man inzwischen auch in Brandenburg immer wieder Felder mit schon überreifen Sonnenblumen. Offensichtlich werden sie bewußt erst spät – oder gar nicht – abgeerntet. Wahrscheinlich handelt es sich um eine sogenannte “Blühstreifen”- Maßnahme, die finanziell gefördert wird. Es scheint, daß dies besonders auf Flächen passiert, die mindestens 3 Jahre als Acker genutzt… Continue reading Finken gönnen sich Sonnenblumen
Haubenlerchen im Schnee im Fläming
Nach einer Woche Minustemperaturen und anschließendem Tauwetter gibt es wieder einen Wintereinbruch mit Schnee in Deutschland. In der letzten Nacht hat es geschneit. Die Temperaturen liegen um den Gefrierpunkt. An den Straßenrändern taut es aber schon wieder. Die Luft ist kalt und feucht. Die meisten Flächen auf einem ausgedehnten ehemaligen LPG-Gelände liegen an diesem Sonntag… Continue reading Haubenlerchen im Schnee im Fläming
Photo Project: Dancing Great Bustard in Germany
Dancing Great Bustard (Otis tarda) at dawn. That must be a great photo project. The courtship is an incredible spectacle. The male Great Bustard transforms himself into a large, white ball of feathers. To do so, he turns the brown, patterned flight feathers out so that the white underside and the white feathers of the… Continue reading Photo Project: Dancing Great Bustard in Germany
Eurasian Wryneck and other birds in Bulgaria
I am now back from a trip to Bulgaria for quite a while. As I wrote already in the Bee-eater-Blog, the main purpose was to photograph European Bee-eater (Merops apiaster). But as I mentioned in the recent blog, Bulgaria is full of wildlife which could be found relatively easy. As most of the mornings were… Continue reading Eurasian Wryneck and other birds in Bulgaria
The Dupont‘s Lark at Las Almoladeras in Spain
Although recent research and an action plan by SEO regards the Dupont‘s Lark (Chersophilus duponti) as highly on risk in Almeria, this area is still worth a try. This Lark is probably one of the highly thought-after bird species if travelling to and birdwatching in southern Spain. I photographed it in mid May 2002. First… Continue reading The Dupont‘s Lark at Las Almoladeras in Spain
Hide Photography in Bulgaria in July; Images from the Dobruja
The north-eastern countryside of Bulgaria called Dobruja or in Bulgarian Dobrudzha or in romanian Dobrogea was not famous of being one of Bulgaria´s birding hot spots for bird-lens before. But a trip to the Romanian Dobrogea in may 2012 was already very productive. Thus maybe an excursion to that thinly populated area south of the… Continue reading Hide Photography in Bulgaria in July; Images from the Dobruja
Migration of raptors over the Macin Mountains National Park
Because Macin Mountains is famous as an important migration hotspot for raptors in autumn, we decided to visit this site after a visit in May again at the end of September. An excellent choice. Arriving only at around 11:00h the activity of the “normal” birds were low. But the highlight, we were looking for, was… Continue reading Migration of raptors over the Macin Mountains National Park