´The Russian bear in Amsterdam´

Something with the moon tonight...

Super Blue Moon above the city.

"Here you can think what you want."

My favorite bird

This stunning portrait of an adult Peregrine falcon Falco peregrinus was drawn by Davina Falcão and it´s a late Christmas present I´m very glad to receive… I hope Davina will present more of her work somewhere online in the near future, you should check it out.

(And a happy 2018..!:-)

Hibernating Amsterdam parakeets

Ring-necked parakeets Psittacula krameri visiting a potential nesting cavity today, in a wall in Amsterdam Oost. Reportedly, it were Great spotted woodpeckers Dendrocopos major that constructed the cavity first, but it was later taken over by the parakeets. Whether any of these bred there this year remains unknown. For Amsterdam there are only two other reports of Ring-necked’s occupying holes in walls (here the species nests in tree cavities), but breeding did not get confirmed. This one fits at least three parakeets. Perhaps they find some warmth together this way; it’s currently cold as **** here and much too early for breeding. (Thanks Frank!)

Andorinhas return to the streets of Aveiro

September 29, 2017: 38 birds present at the known roost site in the PM. As if they never left. Discovered there by Davina & Daniel, on a big night out...

The Tree Swallows (Tachycineta bicolor) on Middleton Island in 2017

Latest information about the MDO TRES research project can be found here: http://middletonisland.blogspot.nl/2017/09/the-tree-swallows-tachycineta-bicolor.html

Schiermonnikoog (August 20 - 23)

All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy (and all play and no work made Jack a mere toy..?), so I was off to Schiermonnikoog, a small island located in the Dutch Waddensea, for an educational as well as recreational bird ringing experience at the "Groene Glop", our bed & breakfast & ringing station (with Joop vA (and family) and Jorien vS).




At times it was crowded at the coffee table. Captures can be found on http://www.trektellen.nl







Bycatch: a Great Green Bush-Cricket Tettigonia viridissima







View towards the east, with Rottumerplaat on the horizon (where I once spent a summer looking towards the west...).




Northern wheatear Oenanthe oenanthe