In fall 2023 I measured 56 nest tunnels of European Bee-eater / Bienenfresser (Merops apiaster). 10 in Frauenkirchen, Austria and 46 on the Adriatic island of Susak, Croatia. All nests were found in loess cliffs …
Continue readingKategorie: Behavior / Ecology
Giant Wrens nesting in a plastic bag
While watching a pair of Giant Wrens / Riesenzaunkönige (Campylorhynchus chiapensis) along a sandy track through banana plantations just south of Los Limones, Dep. San Marcos, Guatemala on 12 February 2023 with Ana Paula Oxom, …
Continue readingRed Kite catches dragonfly in mid-air, then gets harassed by Kestrel
While watching this juvenile Red Kite / Rotmilan (Milvus milvus) in late fall, the bird suddenly performed a swift, aerial maneuver. I appreciated the move for the bird showing it’s underside nicely, but I didn’t …
Continue readingHouse Martins nesting in woodpecker holes in styrofoam facade
In the breeding season 2022, House Martins / Mehlschwalben (Delichon urbicum) in a colony of roughly 80 natural nests started to occupy and build nests in three holes that a Green Woodpecker / Grünspecht (Picus …
Continue readingNest of Golden Oriole made from plastic ribbons
In early spring 2014 I found an old nest of Golden Oriole / Pirol (Oriolus oriolus) in a poplar tree, ca. 10 metres above the ground, south of Podersdorf, Austria. As far as I could …
Continue readingLeast Grebe breaking up fish into pieces
I watched this Least Grebe / Schwarzkopftaucher (Tachybaptus dominicus) catching fish in a small, artificial lagoon in Guatemala. Until this observation, I was under the impression that grebes (at least of the genera Tachybaptus and …
Continue readingGreat Tinamou roosting in a tree
During a night walk in a lowland rain forest in northern Costa Rica, we came across this sleeping Great Tinamou / Großer Tinamu (Tinamus major) in a tree, around 5 meters off the ground. Since …
Continue readingViviparous Lizards as nestling food of Rufous-tailed Rock-Thrush
Bei der Beobachtung eines Brutpaares von Steinröteln (Monticola saxatilis) oberhalb von Anras, Osttirol gelang ein interessanter Einblick zur Rolle der Bergeidechse (Zootoca vivipara) als Nestlingsnahrung dieses Fliegenschäpperverwandten. Original-Publikation: ÖGH-Aktuell 56, 2021
Continue readingRed-backed Shrike bathing
Red-backed Shrike / Neuntöter (Lanius collurio) is a species that’s less often seen bathing or drinking compared to many other passerines in Central Europe. Here are two photos of a juvenile taking a bath on …
Continue readingKestrels ground-nesting in a high-density situation
Within a colony-like breeding situation of five pairs, Common Kestrels were breeding on the ground in a wooden shack.
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