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
Being blessed with so many long weekends in May and having to (or perhaps rather, being able to) use up the remaining vacation days of my internship, I ended up working only 14 days that month. This allowed me to be out birding much more than usual, and I was extremely pleased that this coincided … Continue reading Wagbachniederung, 30.05.2024
With spring bird activity in full swing, visiting what has by now more or less become my "local patch", the Rheinaue Park in Bonn, was much more fun than in the winter months (although the park was sometimes very productive, see an earlier post). I was very happy every time I heard the songs of … Continue reading Rheinaue Park, 04.2024
The Wahner Heide (Wahner Heath), straddling the Cologne-Bonn Airport, is a unique birding spot in the area around Bonn. One of the main drawcards for me was obviously the heath habitat, which hosts quite a different suite of birds to those generally found in the area. With spring being in full swing and birds singing … Continue reading Wahner Heide, 28.04.2024
With spring seemingly slowly approaching, I was very eager for the arrival of migrants and species on passage. When I volunteered at the bird observatory on Heligoland last year, I heard about the Wagbachniederung, a wetland near Heidelberg that is very popular among birders. Together with Jacob, who also volunteered on Heligoland, I decided to … Continue reading Wagbachniederung, 02.03.2024
My Zone Is Birding 