This week I received a question from one of my Facebook friends. He spotted a strange white bird and asked me what it could be. I promised him to have a look and the next morning I went to the location to see if I could find the bird. As soon as I arrived at […]
Author: Rob Belterman
Rob Belterman has been working in Rotterdam Zoo since 1978, and is based in the Netherlands. His project activity encompasses the genetics (chromosomes) of birds and mammals, sexing European White Storks for re-introduction in the Netherlands, Bearded Vultures in Austria, and Cinereous Vultures in Mallorca. He coordinates two European Endangered Species Programmes for Red-crowned Cranes and Siberian Cranes. Rob is an enthousiastic bird photographer and always takes his camera with him when travelling.
Reedlings and Rails
Winters have their good moments for birding. Birds are less shy and act slower. When there is ice, they have to leave the safe reed to get their food on open water or from thereed tops. Last week I got the opportunity to photograph some Bearded Reedlings and Water Rails in thereed fieldsnear Vlaardingen (NL). […]
Ferruginous Duck – Aythya nyroca
The Ferruginous Duck (Aythya nyroca) is a duck from Eurasia. It is a medium-sized diving duck. Their habitat: marshes and lakes with a metre or more water depth. They breed in southern and eastern Europe and southern and western Asia. They are often migrating in the winter and fly to the south and into north […]
Spotted Crake – Porzana porzana
Spotted Crake – Porzana porzana – South-Holland Province, Netherlands Several years ago some farmlands in our country have been changed into “natural” area’s. This as a compensation for the development of residential and industrial area’s. Mostly this new area’s are developed as combination for nature and recreation. They often have walk-through path’s and the bigger […]
Very sad and bad news from the Okapi Conservation Project
Following the attack on Sunday morning by mai mai rebels on the Institute in the Congo for Conservation of Nature (ICCN) headquarters and Okapi Conservation Project base of operations in Epulu it was 48 hours later on Tuesday morning when the Congolese Army (FARDC) and Monusco (UN) troops finally took control of the area around […]
European Bee-eaters at Lesbos, Greece
From 1 till 12 June I’ve spent a short vacation on the island of Lesbos, Greece. Best time to visit Lesbos is actually the first weeks of May, as many migrating birds can be observed during that period. But this was a vacation and not a birding trip. I’m sure I will go back again […]
Coot Free-Fight
During a great part of the year coots can be very social and you can find them living together peacefully in larger flocks. In the breeding season however, they are very territorial and they are chasing away all other coots, and other waterbirds, out of their territory. This time I was at the right place/time […]