Author Archives: admin

Reasons to be cheerful, part 1: remnants

At times when one has cause to doubt Homo sapiens sapiens, it’s good to remember what some more accomplished species can produce. First, a present from the storks: And from someone smaller, but clearly a dab hand with a beak:

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Herpetology revisited

Reptiles are out in force these days; for one reason or another, most of the snakes I’ve seen recently have escaped my lens, but yesterday I got luckier. On top of our Hausberg, I spent some quality time with this … Continue reading

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Black kite and …

I finished work early today, so I took the opportunity to spend some time on the Morava river. As did this black kite, who also found his dinner there: From the same spot last week, I saw a couple of … Continue reading

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Bling

There are quite a few jewels on show in the Slovak countryside at the moment. One of them, strangely, is even non-avian: Those blue spangles on his back, it turns out, are a sign that this is a boy slow … Continue reading

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May Days

The Morava today produced a bumper crop of birds of prey: some of the fields were being mown, and an impressive variety of predators spotted their chance. The imperial eagle stayed frustratingly high: while the red kites and kestrels were … Continue reading

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Osprey and chicks

I took a break from watching the osprey chicks emerging on the webcams from Scotland, to spend some time at our own birding hotspot: the Morava river. Imagine my surprise when I saw this fellow flapping upstream towards me: It’s … Continue reading

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Spring Sightings

Summer is gradually winning out over winter here, though today the storks looked like they wished they were back in Kenya. They’re still incubating, plus whitewashing the sides of their nest: That sparrow needs to be careful. Their near neighbours … Continue reading

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Austrian Birds

Our Easter trip to Graz turned up a few birds that were new to us. Blackcap: Despite the odd appearance, I suspect that this happy little chap is a mallard underneath: The river provided goosanders: And, very excitingly, a dipper, … Continue reading

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Great and Small

The last couple of weekends have been spent either side of the Morava river, where quite a range of beasties are making their homes. Roe deer are very cautious, but at least they’re big enough to photograph without too much … Continue reading

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Sex and Violence

Spring here has got the juices flowing in the various inhabitants. At Lake Kuchajda, sex-crazed drakes are beating each other up to get access to the females. Fortunately they’re not really built for duelling, but they give it a damn … Continue reading

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