Category Archives: Slovakia

Zamenis longissimus

Posted on December 26, 2020 by admin

Z is for Zamenis longissimus (“the longest tetchy one”), or Aesculapian snake. The scientific name is rather unfair, as it’s nonvenomous and quite pacific in its habits, and it was encouraged to live in the temples of Aesculapius in ancient … Continue reading →

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X-rated

Posted on December 24, 2020 by admin

X is for X-Rated Damselflies.

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White Stork

Posted on December 23, 2020 by admin

W is for White Stork. These two are understandably pleased to see one another.

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Corvid Collection

Posted on March 9, 2017 by admin

We tend to focus on the big, scary, and generally impressive raptors, but this part of the world also has some splendid corvid species to enjoy. Perhaps the most common here are the rooks. Their bare beaks remind me a … Continue reading →

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And then there were two

Posted on March 7, 2017 by admin

At the end of February, we welcomed back the first stork of the year. A few days later, and we found: Not just a second stork, but the right second stork. A close-up of the ring revealed that this was … Continue reading →

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Birthday Present

Posted on February 25, 2017 by admin

Perfect (slightly early) birthday present today: first stork of the year! No ring, so it’s not our female; sentimentally, I’m hoping it’s our male (finding distinguishing features on storks is beyond my powers). Whoever he is, he’s tired and filthy, … Continue reading →

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Black and white and full of nuts

Posted on November 27, 2016 by admin

All the best animals, of course, are black and white: Bratislavan winters offer another splendid candidate: the magpie. Apart from the very occasional tit, these are the only birds to have noticed that our windowsill produces peanuts each morning; something … Continue reading →

Posted in Antarctica, Nature, Pets, Slovakia | 1 Comment

Four Non Birds

Posted on November 1, 2016 by admin

Although the birds are the most conspicuous wildlife, I’m just as happy to find members of other classes. Recently I’ve met: a very elegant arachnid, who played dead when I started poking around nearby; a red squirrel looking down on … Continue reading →

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Fisher Kings

Posted on September 16, 2016 by admin

Learning vocabulary on the riverbank this morning, I was rudely interrupted by: The osprey is Kršiak rybár in Slovak: rybár being a fisher. This one was following the Morava river as part of his journey from some Nordic country down … Continue reading →

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Beauty and the Beast

Posted on September 2, 2016 by admin

One river, two countries, and some contrasting wildlife this week. In Slovakia, this little fellow lives by the Danube: Upstream, in Austria’s Donau-Auen national park, we met: In Slovak, wild boar is “diviak”, which seems to mean literally “wild thing”. … Continue reading →

Posted in Austria, Nature, Slovakia | 1 Comment