While Carrion Crows / Aaskrähen (Corvus corone) – as picture-book generalists – are known to feed on a wide variety of things, this was the first time that I witnessed a crow preying on an …
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A male-like female Reed Bunting
Some female Common Reed Buntings / Rohrammern (Emberiza schoeniclus) approach the visual appearance of males. This is one such bird that initially caused some confusion. But its head is blackish-brown, not black as in males …
Continue readingPlumage variation in female Red-backed Shrikes
Females of Red-backed Shrike / Neuntöter (Lanius collurio) show some variety of plumage features. While the „typical“ female has a brown head and nape with a slight grey tinge and medium (reddish) brown ear coverts, …
Continue readingCommon Moorhens mating
When Common Moorhens / Teichhühner (Gallinula chloropus) mate, the female lies down on her tarsi and arches her neck, looking down to the ground. If the copulation happens in shallow water, this leads to the …
Continue readingOne fish is not enough to take a break
After this Osprey / Fischadler (Pandion haliaetus) had caught a medium-sized fish, it didn’t fly off to eat it. Instead, it repositioned over the water again and continued to hover. In the meantime, the fish …
Continue readingRedshank catching flying insects
Some photos of a special Common Redshank / Rotschenkel (Tringa totanus), catching flying insects by jumping in the air. This individual was ringed in September 2015 in Comacchio, Italy and returned to Seewinkel to breed …
Continue reading„Brown“ Black-winged Stilt in Bulgaria
While volunteering at the Poda Nature Conservation Centre near Burgas/Bulgaria in summer 2008, an aberrant Black-winged Stilt / Stelzenläufer (Himantopus himantopus) was among the most striking birds around. According to the nomenclature of van Grouw, …
Continue readingJack Snipes forage at night
I’ve not seen too many Jack Snipes / Zwergschnepfen (Lymnocryptes minimutus) in my life and I guess that most observers haven’t had a lot of sightings either. A main reason for this is the species‘ …
Continue readingPeregrine Falcon hunting Kingfisher
This Peregrine falcon / Wanderfalke (Falco peregrinus) was hunting from a power pylon which was standing in a reservoir in Ptuj/Slovenia. Instead of the many available ducks, the falcon was going after Common kingfishers / …
Continue readingA Whimbrel with (somewhat) barred rump on Fuerteventura
I came across this Whimbrel / Regenbrachvogel (Numenius phaeopus) during a trip to Fuerteventura/Canary Islands, in March 2019. Its barred rump and upper tail coverts let me think of the Nearctic race „Hudsonian“ Whimbrel (Numenius …
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