What is likely to remain one of The Netherlands' biggest birding events in 2025 occurred in already early January, when a Spectacled Eider was found on the island of Texel. Pandemonium ensued: rightly so, as no birder would have expected this species to ever appear in the country in their wildest dreams. As the species … Continue reading Spectacled Eider Twitch, Texel, 30.-31.01.2025
Resuming the daily life in Bonn was quite a change from the recent bird-rich summer in the Alps and southern France. Not that I don’t enjoy it, but the standard set of birds like Blue Tits and Eurasian Green Woodpeckers does not compare to that including Iberian Grey Shrikes and Eurasian Hoopoes. My assumption of … Continue reading Surprise Eurasian Hoopoe, 31.08.2024
The mostly mediocre birding in Bonn is occasionally interrupted by an uncommon or rare avian visitor, providing some excitement and a welcome distraction. Previous sightings I’ve had were a Wallcreeper and, more recently, a Eurasian Hoopoe. One evening in September, however, I received news of a Northern Mockingbird having been found just outside Bonn. This … Continue reading Northern Mockingbird Twitch, 26.10.2024
After having twitched the Wallcreeper at the Drachenfels outside Bonn in January (covered in my previous post), I visited the site again with my parents so that my father could see the bird as well. The bird had now been around for over two months and drew a significant number of birders in this time. … Continue reading Peregrine Falcons at the Drachenfels, 10.02.2024
I am fortunate to be able to step out of the house and immediately be in Rheinaue Park, an extensive urban green space stretching along the Rhine in Bonn. As it is so easy to access from my current home, I visit the park very regularly and thus have a good chance of spotting something … Continue reading Rheinaue Park in Bonn, 11.02.2024
My Zone Is Birding 