Milkweed bug (Oncopeltus fascilatus)

Milkweed bug (Oncopeltus fascilatus)

Found in my garden, rehomed somewhere else ;-)

My Milkweeds are still tiny, he'd starve :P

Some Info can be found > here <

Downy Woodpecker, Picoides pubescens

Birdlist 2015

Seen in the Panhandle, TX, USA - unless noted otherwise

Downy Woodpecker, Picoides pubescens (female)

#Germany - Hopping down some bunny trails

Just a quick update - a bit overdue:

Am currently hopping around in Germany, for approx. another month,
then hopefully (keep your fingers crossed, please!) New Hampshire.

Catch you all again on the bright side ;-)

From Germany

Flying low

Barn Swallow, Hirundo rustica, Rauchschwalbe

From Birds Egypt 2010

#Kuwait - A morning out

No great Bird photos ahead, just wanting to pop in and let you know, I'm alive and kicking ;-)
We are back in Kuwait (in case I haven't mentioned it).

Migration has picked up and so have the hunters.
Found some openly shooting in the middle of my neighbourhood yesterday.
They did take the pigeon and the Laughing dove though.
Maybe they actually ate them (which then would be sort of ok,..., I just can't stand the senseless shooting)

Found this guy on my way back from the beach. Gave me a nice laugh :-)

The Parakeets are still in the hood and so are the two visiting Hoopoes. At least one was still there this morning.

Also saw Chiffchaffs

a Kestrel flyby (whichever sort)

a flock of Yellow Wagtails, Barn Swallows, Pallid Swifts, a Grey Shrike, Ruffuous Bush Robin (2), Northern Wheatears, a Blackhead, Bulbuls (no Minnas and not as many Bulbuls as usual - it's overall very quiet  no Shorebirds at all).
I saw a flock of 30 Bee-eaters fly by on Sunday morning.

I also saw some huge ants, as big as my fingernail (they just didn't want to hold still)

Siskin (Eurasian), Erlenzeisig, Carduelis spinus

Another surprise catch of a Lifer on a walk to a photo assignment. One has to keep eyes and ears open at all times :-)

More Info on Opus at Birdforum (Name translation thanks to Bavarianbirds)

From Birds Germany 2013

From Birds Germany 2013

Birdlist 2013

Anseriformes

Anatidae

• Mallard, Stockente, Anas platyrhynchos (Germany)

Pelecaniformes

Phalacrocoracidae

• Great Cormorant,  Kormoran, Phalacrocorax carbo (Germany)

Ciconiiformes

Ardeidae

• Grey Heron, Graureiher, Ardea cinerea (Germany)

Accipitriformes

Accipitridae

• Buzzard, Maeusebussard, Buteo Buteo

Falconidae

• Peregrine Falcon, Wanderfalke, Falco peregrinus (Germany)

Columbiformes

Columbidae

• Collared Dove, Türkentaube, Streptopelia roseogrisea (Germany)
• Common wood pigeon, Ringeltaube, Columba palumbus (Germany)

Coraciiformes

Alcenidae

• Common Kingfisher, Eisvogel, Alcedo atthis

Piciformes

Picidae

• Great Spotted Woodpecker, Buntspecht, Dendrocopus major

Passeriformes

Motacillidae

• Grey Wagtail, Gebirgsstelze, Motacilla cinerea (Germany)

Turdidae

• Blackbird (Common), Amsel, Turdus merula (Germany)
• European Robin, Rotkehlchen, Erithacus rubecula (Germany)

Troglodytidae

• Wren, Zaunkönig, Troglodytes troglodytes (Germany)

Paridae

• Blue Tit, Blaumeise, Parus caeruleus (?) (Germany)
• Great Tit, Kohlmeise, Parus major (Germany)

Sittidae

• Nuthatch, Kleiber, Sitta Europaea (Germany)

Corvidae

• Carrion Crow, Rabenkrähe (Aaskrähe), Corvus corone (Germany)
• Magpie (Black-billed Magpie), Elster, Pica pica (Germany)

Passeridae

• House Sparrow, Haussperling / Spatz, Passer domesticus (Germany)

Fringillidae

• Chaffinch, Buchfink, Fringilla coelebs (Germany)
• Siskin (Eurasian), Erlenzeisig, Carduelis spinus (Germany)

Wren, Zaunkönig, Troglodytes troglodytes

From Birds Germany 2013

Had this little Wren posing for me, right in front of my lens.
Shots are still not clear, bir and me moving too much ;-)
I just love these little fellows.
In German their name means 'King of the fence' (Zaunkoenig).
I think they are :-)

More Info over at Birdforum on Opus (translation of bird names via Bavarianbirds)

From Birds Germany 2013

From Birds Germany 2013

From Birds Germany 2013

From Birds Germany 2013

From Birds Germany 2013

Peregrine Falcon, Wanderfalke, Falco peregrinus

A surprise Lifer, bagged in Koblenz yesterday morning :-)
Taken with an 18-200mm on full zoom, so excuse the not so great detail ;-)

More Info about the species at Opus on BirdForum

From Birds Germany 2013

From Birds Germany 2013

Red Kite, Milvus milvus, Rotmilan in Spessart

Fotografiert fuer die Aktion 'Wo ist Milan?'

Neuroctena anilis

Another not so great macro and just a record shot

Not much seems to be known about this fellow.

There's some Info I found in German and some in English

European garden spider, Gartenkreuzspinne, Araneus diadematus

Not a great macro, by any means.
Just adding to my species collection :-)

Spider of the year 2010, wow ;-)

More on wiki

On this fellow I am not sure, if it's a garden spider as well?

From Germany Nature

From Germany Nature

Trash is always an issue

From Germany

Sadly, I don't seem to get away from trash and morons who litter.
It seems that times have gone back to people just dumping their shit where they stand.
Some places start to look like the beaches in Kuwait.
And the trash cans we have at some places, are not getting emptied - for whichever reason.

From Germany

Not sure what kind of things I already got out of the river these past few weeks.
Some stuff got thrown back in by morons and I got it back out.
The red thing is in the bin for the third time now :-(
The other day I found the outer shell of a toaster. Sigh.

Youngsters like to party at this particular place and tend to leave their trash and broken bottles behind.
I am glad that at least here a few other people seem to be collecting and dumping some of the trash in the bin.

Last year there has been a big 'event' where they collected stuff out of the river. And there are also less plastic bottles around (the ones you get money back for when you return them in the shop). I guess there are some good signs.

I just wish so many wouldn't fall into that same mentality that I despised in Kuwait: Dump your trash where you are standing.

River Nette, Mayen, Germany

From Germany

One of my favorite places for a quick, relaxed nature visit.
Shady, not too many people and water for the dogs to cool off in. And in walking distance.
Quite a bit of nature and wildlife as well.
Two of the more prominent visitors is a Kingfisher (I didn't see him the first two months around, but now he's back), two Grey Wagtails (it should be white Wagtails being at home here, but funny enough, I see those away from the water - German translation of their name would hint that they are the ones living close to this kind of river).

There are also all kinds of Tits, Nuthatches in abundance (I think their youngsters just learned to tend for themselves), Swifts flying over and some House Martins to go, some spotted Woodpeckers and the occasional Green one, many families of Blackcaps, Robins, a few Bluethroats, Black Redstarts, of course Mallards, very few Song Thrushes, of course Wood Pigeons, Magpies, Jays, Rooks and Blackbirds. I've seen some breeding Starlings, but they might have moved on. Occasionally there are some Collared Doves. In the bushes you see flitting Wrens (I love the German name: Zaunkoenig - Fence King).
I haven't seen the Grey Heron and the Dipper in a while, maybe they come back one of these days.
I am sure there's a lot that I don't get to see and a lot I cannot name.
All the trees, plants, butterflies and Critters. Damselflies and occasionally a big Dragonfly. Various fish species and loads of different Grasshoppers who sometimes park themselves on you when you stand still (had a fat grey one on my foot yesterday).

From Birds Germany 2012

Robin, Rotkehlchen, Erithacus rubecula

Mayen, Rheinland-Pfalz
April 2012

Eating a worm (I think)

From Birds Germany 2012

Blackcap, Mönchsgrasmücke, Sylvia atricapilla

Singing male, April 2012

From Birds Germany 2012

From Birds Germany 2012

Green Woodpecker, Grünspecht, Picus viridis

Hello to whoever is still reading here ;-)
I am back in Germany since a while and simply enjoying nature.

Caught this woody last month and the in flight photo today.
(And no, I still have no longer lens ;-))


I love that long beak :-)

From Birds Germany 2012

From Birds Germany 2012

From Birds Germany 2012

Mission failed

Not that I really had a mission.

Went to the beach this morning to just have a stroll.
Took the 18-70mm lens, trying to give my back a break since there are no birds around yet
(migration still some time off).

Of course, besides the usual Gulls there was one this morning intriguing my interest.
I am 95% sure it was a Redshank. You can't see the red on the photos, but I could at the beach.

Well, I save you the trouble of posting the photo of the 4 UFOS flying by.
They were shorebirds, which, I dunno. No sounds have been made, silent UFOS.
Mpf........ :(

But at least we all had a bunch of fun ;)

From The kids

From The kids

Also a big thanks to you all for your well wishes.
Shoulder is much better, I just have to learn to watch it.

At Snail pace

From Hungary

That's pretty much the way I walk around since a week.
That nerve in my shoulder is def. inflamed and I don't think I should be at the computer at all.
But what else to do? Sit motionless in front of the TV?
I think not.

Yes, I was a good girl and did my exercise the past few days, but boy I wish there was a decent, trustworthy acupuncture place in this country.

Oh well. Tiger Balm will have to do.

Enough whining.


A wow for the day though. 
I think, I've finally found a way to show my Lifelist with a snapshot of the bird in the list.
Now, if it only would do the auto count as well... ;-)
(via google docs, could have figured that out earlier, couldn't I?)

How do you do your lists?