Monthly:May 2023

Nuthatch

The nuthatch - a unique artist

The nuthatch owes its name to its innate ability to glue the entrance to its nesting cavity with clay to the right size, and the blue-orange nuthatch climbs up and down the tree. No wonder it was also called the woodpecker tit. It even manages to climb upside down, which no other bird can imitate. Unlike treecreepers and woodpeckers, the nuthatch does not use its tail when climbing. It holds on with its strong feet and toes alone, and the small songbird's coloration is [...]

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Water rail

Water rail - The secretive reed bird

The water rail is also affectionately known as the "reed pig", as its entire sound repertoire is more reminiscent of a pig than a water bird. Shy and secretive, they mainly move around in the dense shoreline vegetation and communicate by calling. They are masters of hiding. In winter, they sometimes emerge from the protective vegetation. In case of danger, they fly up quickly, only to disappear into the thicket again immediately afterwards. They like to eat worms, insects, spiders and occasionally also small fish, frogs and [...]

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Kingfisher male

The kingfisher - a rare, dazzling beauty

Its dazzling coloration, secretive lifestyle and rarity have made the kingfisher famous. The upper plumage of the male usually has a blue base tone with large and numerous azure-blue spots on the top of the head, while the female is more blue-green on the upper side. The beak of the female is reddish-brown underneath. The young birds have dark brown colored feet on the upper side. The plumage is duller and the upper side is greener than in adult birds.

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Dipper feeding

Dipper - A bird that can swim and dive

The dipper is the only native songbird that can dive and swim! Its diet consists mainly of small aquatic animals such as caddis fly larvae, amphipods and snails. From time to time they even catch small fish. The parents feed the young, which can swim before they are able to fly.

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Mandarin duck in splendid plumage

Mandarin duck, the colorful male

The Mandarin duck drake is particularly easy to recognize thanks to its magnificent and colourful plumage: it has a green-metallic crest, a chestnut-brown whisker and a very conspicuous white stripe above its eyes. The orange and large wing feathers are set up like sails and the head looks relatively large.

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Goldfinch / Goldfinch

The goldfinch, as colorful as a clown

The goldfinch is the most colorful of the native finch species: it has a red face mask framed in white on the head and sides of the neck, a white rump and a broad yellow band that runs across the black wings. The strong seed-eating beak is long and pointed. This is particularly suitable for picking out seeds.

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