Spectacled Eider Twitch, Texel, 30.-31.01.2025

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

Surprise Eurasian Hoopoe, 31.08.2024

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

Rüdesheim am Rhein, 30.05.2024

The middle Rhine valley is well known for the warm climate that permits vineyards to spread quite far North, up to the latitude of Bonn. This creates rather specific habitat which in turn has affected teh distribution of several bird species. The ranges of Rock Bunting and Cirl Bunting extend further North here than in … Continue reading Rüdesheim am Rhein, 30.05.2024