During the last few days, things haveslow downa bit with migration. Nevertheless we still get 100-150 birds daily at the IBRCE ringing station and there are many Tawny Pipits and the first Short-toed Larks in many fields. The Cinerous Buntingwhich wasoriginally found by Harvey and Mary Van Diek is still present in Ophira Park (which […]
A strange call comes from a flushed Pipit as 14 year old Jimmy walks across the croftlands. The inquisitive young man follows the bird and sees unusual white markings. Later the boy recounts his observation of white mantle stripes and the swooping movement in flight to his father George (Fieldy) Stout and house guest, the […]
On Friday morning the skies were blue and the day started with a brilliant sunrise in our tiny alpine village. Although the snow had not completely melted there were signs and sounds of spring all around. I decided to go down to the Rhine Delta just across the border in Austria. Unfortunately on the way […]
Part 02/8 of Glenn Bartley’s month-long trip around Ecuador. From our base in the Tandayapa Valley we made a few day trips to visit nearby photography hot-spots. We even managed photos of some really tough species like the Toucan Barbet (see below). Everyone also got fantastic shots of the gorgeous Masked Trogon. But above all […]
It’s the beginning of spring, and the first of Japan’s wintering species are beginning the long journey back to their breeding grounds in the Russian Far East. I am talking about the vulnerable Hooded Crane (Grus monacha), which together with smaller numbers of White-naped Crane (Grus vipio), are now passing over my part of Japan […]
The first half of February this year was unusually cold in northern Europe. Temperatures down to minus 20 degrees Celsius forced many bird species to move southwards. This year I noticed a large influx of both Bramblings and Siskins into our tiny alpine village. The Eurasian Siskin (Carduelis spinus) has an unusual migration pattern as […]
The House Crow (Corvus splendens), as it name suggests is a member of the crow family and is approximately 42–44 cm long (body and tail) and weighs 250–350 grams. Their plumage is glossy black, except for the nape, sides of the head, upper back and breast, which are grey and not glossy. Their bills, legs […]
Why is Homo sapiens becoming an increasingly urban species? For the same simple reasons as raccoons (Procyonis lotor), it seems—more housing options and better restaurants (easy access to French fries and Dunkin Donuts, in particular). The more difficult question to answer is this: As we convert forests and pastures into prefabs and flower shops, are […]