Dinosaur of the week: Yellowhammer

This male Emberiza citrinella was singing in Austria. The species is in decline there; and it’s on the red list in Ireland and the UK. Reason: farming practices.

Dinosaur of the week: Mute Swan

Cygnus olor isn’t actually mute, but produces very little vocalisation. What you can hear when they’re flying over is the sound created by their wings.

At the London Wetland Centre

London has so much to offer that some not so well-known places are more or less off the radar of tourists and even locals. The London Wetland Centre seems to be, and totally undeservedly, such a place.

We went there mid-May, and had a wonderful day out. The one and only drawback is that it is located under a Heathrow flightpath. Makes for good photo-ops though.

Of course, we went there for the wildlife, and there is plenty to be seen. You can find very common birds, and also some rarer ones. As always with wildlife, a bit of luck is involved.

The WWT is also involved in conservation work. They care for some local species, like sand martins.

The trust also supports conservation efforts from further afield. If you go on one of their tours (for free, and highly recommended), you’ll hear a lot about all the species and the WWT’s work with them.

It’s easy to get there: you can either walk along the Thames Path, or follow the instructions on their website.

It’s a very family friendly place, but if you prefer quiet and peace with the birds and the reeds, that can be found easily too.

Dinosaur of the week: Eurasian Curlew

This Numenius arquata flew over the reedbeds of the RSPB reserve Otmoor. The reserve is very close to Oxford, just a bit more than 6km, so if you’re on holiday in Oxford and you feel energetic you can actually walk there. Otherwise you’d need a car as there is no public transport.

Swansong to a floodplain

Yeah, I’m feeling a wee bit sentimental. We’ve left our home of three years in Bratislava, said good-bye to many a good friend (who we hope to meet again in the future), and also said bye to our favourite twitching places along the river Morava / March. And because spring had already mightily started to spring, we had some lovely sightings in the floodplain near Devinska Nova Ves like a yawning stork, circling white-tailed eagle or a hare:

We also went to the WWF nature reserve -just over the border in Austria- in Marchegg, to see more storks and other birds:

I was particularly happy to have seen the breeding herons again. On top of that, I had never knowingly seen gadwalls before, so that was a rather welcome sight too.

Of course, there was some non-avian activity. The frogs and toads were mating, and snakes were around to hunt the mating amphibians.

Yep, it’s sad to leave such places, but there’s also the fact that we take some wonderful memories with us. Plus, there’s the chance to explore something new.

Dinosaur of the week: Hawfinch

Coccothraustes coccothraustes is apparently quite shy and a bit tricky to observe – they love being high up in trees. So I’m very glad this male came down and sat in a bit of shrubbery and waited until I had taken a photo, before he then took off again.

Dinosaur of the week: Tufted Duck

This group of Aythya fuligula was a bit of a surprise find, as this pool was quite shallow. Tufties like to feed diving.

What’s in a name? In German, this species is called ‘Reiherente’ which means ‘heron duck’. Someone must have had one beer too many.