Harvester–Thresher, Hobby Falco subbuteo, Call, August 22th, 2010

© Pic by Marcus Held

Here´s a recording of it, in the “background” a lot of European Tree Frogs
Hyla arborea. Astonishingly close a special guest.

River Warbler Locustella fluviatillis, Song, European Tree Frogs Hyla arborea,
Roe Deer Capreolus capreolus

During one of my nightly tours I met three funny tots begging for food.
In the background two adults giving a contact call.

Tawny Owl Strix aluco, 3 juveniles begging for food; 2 adults

Within the 6 days the group recorded 140 bird species (optically).
I recorded only a small fraction of them. The weather conditions
were not the best – always a strong wind was blewing.

Our mission to record a Ural Owl Strix uralensis at Wienerwald failed.
There are too less individuals in this region to get a certain chance
for watch or listen one of them.
Many thanks to our guide Richard Zink, who did a great job!

Though, I detected nearly all of the species I requested to see or record
- at first the amazing Eurasian Hoopoe Upupa epops. In Germany these
birds are only left in small areas – only surviving through human support
- it was really impressed to see a strong population of them. A few singers
filled the air (the main display time ended 2 weeks ago) with there curious
song – phantastic!

Eurasian Hoopoe Upupa epops, Song, May 24th, 2010

In Illmitz I had the chance to record a few waders from a short distance.
Not far from the trail bred Lapwings Vanellus vanellus and the
elegant Black-winged Stilt Himantopus himantopus.

Lapwings Vanellus vanellus, Excitement Call, May 24th, 2010

Black-winged Stilt Himantopus himantopus, defends it´s nest against
a Common Balck-headed Gull Larus ridibundus, Excitement Call

In a hedge two birders detected a singing Barred Warbler Sylvia nisoria.
What a coincidence – I had my equipment by my side :-)

Barred Warbler Sylvia nisoria, Song

© All recordings by Werner Sykora
Beaver Castor fiber, adult and juvenile, Call

Beaver Castor fiber, Contact Call

Beaver Castor fiber, activities

Unfortunaltely the breeding Eagle Owl Bubo bubo has left this place, most of the
Amphibians too. The activities in the quarry are boosting anew actually,
so a lot of small biotopes  were destroyed recently.

So I have turned my focus to the forest nearby and found a lot of interesting
birds.

During one week 4 Turtle Doves Streptopelia turtur were singing. The
conditions for recording was´nt the best, but I enjoyed to listen to these rare
birds, very much. The doves were astonishingly shy, so I can´t approach
them closer then to 150 meters – maybe an effect caused by permanent
persecution through men since decades.

Turtle Doves Streptopelia turtur, Song, May 9th, 2010

The simple song of the Common Cuckoo Cuculus canorus is well known
in general. But from a closer point of listening you can hear a curious sound
that often intersperses it´s eponymous syllable.

Common Cuckoo Cuculus canorus, Song, May 5th, 2010

© Pic by Mathias Putze

Unexpected, a Black Woodpecker Dendrocopos martius was
drumming to defend it´s terretory. There are only a few older trees, but it´s
seems there are enough for one breeding pair of them. In addition I watched
some Stock Doves Columba oenas, who depend on the cavses of
the Black Woodpecker for breeding.

Black Woodpecker Dendrocopos martius, drumming, May 2nd, 2010

© Pic by Marcus Held

Finally here´s a recording of Wood Warblers Phylloscopus sibilatrix.
The populations of this fine singer are decreasing since several years.
Maybe such a recording will become rare within the next years…

Wood Warblers Phylloscopus sibilatrix, Song, May 2nd, 2010

One of the first arrivals at the new year is the Song Trush Turdus philomelos.
Generally it´s crystallised song seems simple, but it´s plastic song is longer,
has lesser gaps between the verses and is full of imitations.

Song trush Turdus philomelos, plastic song, March 23th, 2010

With the first Blackcaps Sylvia atricapilla, my waiting for spring has an end.
It´s fluting song sounds through the hole park next to my my flat. In this
recording you can hear the more quiet plastic song with lesser break-outs
(this break-out tells us that this bird is no other sylvia-warbler) and longer
verses as in the crystallised song.

Blackcap Sylvia atricapilla, plastic song April 2nd, 2010

Sometimes a Black Redstart Phoenicurus ochruros sings at my windowsill.
This is one of my favorite birdsongs around there. The second part of it´s song,
for me, is one of the most amazing sounds made by an european bird.

Black Redstart Phoenicurus ochruros, song, April 4th, 2010

500m away from my flat, Long-Tailed Tits Aegithalus caudatus are breeding every year.
Unfortunately either they start to breed too early in the year and the eggs get
destroyed by the returning frost in april or predators devour the eggs or juveniles.

In this recording you can hear two Jays Garrulus glandarius who try to get
the eggs out of the hidden nest. The two brave “parents” try to defend it.

Long-tailed Tit Aegithalus caudatus vs. Eurasian Jay Garrulus glandarius, April 4th, 2010

Spingtime is not only springtime for peaceful people. 30km away from my
hometown Leipzig, there´s a wide sandpit with a lot of rare animals, plants
and “micro-habitats”. This wonderful area is attractive for motocross-bikers too.
Attend to the Common Snipe Gallinago gallinago getting flushed by a stupid
quad-biker.

Reed Bunting Emberiza schoeniclus, call, April 4th, 2010

© Pic by Marcus Held

At the end of March my companion Marcus and I looked for amphibians,
particularly for Moor Frogs Rana arvalis and European Toads Bufo bufo.
I hoped to get a few recordings in a quiet a surrounding – but our mission failed.
The destination was a nature reserve in the north of Leipzig (Sachsen, East-Germany)
called “Papitzer Lachen” (Papitz`s Puddles). There are a few puddles surrounded
by meadows, small bushes and tree rows.
To our surprise there were a lot of European Fire-bellied Toads Bombina bombina
in full activity. But there were a lot of people too! Their dogs flushing birds
and so on… In addition there were heavy noise from the motorway 2km away.

© Pic by Marcus Held

pair of European Toads Bufo bufo, March 25th, 2010

© Pic by Marcus Held

European Fire-bellied Toads Bombina bombina and European Toads Bufo bufo, March 25th, 2010, pure

European Fire-bellied Toads Bombina bombina and European Toads Bufo bufo, March 25th, 2010, filtered

What was going on during the middle of 2009?
In early Spring I was at the isle Greifswalder Oie for the third time. It was a different
situation as in Autumn, only a few birds were migrating. So I had enough time for
single individuals,studying their fragmentary (incomplete) songs “on the road”.

In June two friends and I made a trip to the middle of Norge and the west of
Denmark. It wasn´t my first time there, but the first time having more time to
participiate on the environment – I didn´t have to run from one tourist attraction
to the next like at the journeys with my parents in my boyhood.
However we had only a short time, so we went to well known hotspots – for this
first trip.

Since July 2009 most of the time I am at ships at the North Sea (German Bight)
working for a monitoring program especially for seabirds, migrating birds and
marine mammals.
Unfortunately the ships engines are almost running, so there´s no chance to
catch one of the rare given sounds of Tern´s, Gull´s, Skuas or one of the Trushes
migrating deep in the dark of the night – in a high quality.

SO LET´S START WITH THE GREIFSWALDER OIE – 01

This year Germanys Club 300 started a campaign to research Common Chiffchaff
Phylloscopus collybita calls. So I had one ear on this topic in spring.

Common Chiffchaff Phylloscopus collybita, calls and plastic song of two migrating
individuals, May 2009:

© Pic by Marcus Held

Furthermore I wanted to record some Sub- and Plastic Songs.

Lesser Whitethroat Sylvia curruca, plastic song, at the same area where the
V2 rockets were tested during the World War II, May 2009:

With two colleagues I realised two Concerts in October 2009 with the topic: system-change.
For this event I´d record sites at Greifwalder Oie with a military history in context of it´s recent
usage. I correlated the short intervals of human use and the constant migration of birds
through the whole year..

Barn Swallow Hirundo rustica, singing it´s abstract song in it´s breeding colony in
a former military bunker, May 2009:

To my surprise I woke up by a singing Nightingale Thrush Luscinia luscinia in the morning.
So I picked up my recording stuff, but unfortunately the bird stopped singing shortly after my arrival there.

Nightingale Thrush Luscinia luscinia and it´s song, May 2009:

NORGE AND DENMARK – 02

BERGEN, NO

At first we had to meet Marcus, he was there for a half year. The first surprising thing he had shown
us were breeding Lapwings Vanellus vanellus in a park near the students hall of residence. At home
these birds became extrem rare, here it breeding under a park bench beside a football site!

A warning adult Lapwing Vanellus vanellus beside it´s nest. At the nestside almost people were going
along and there were also a lot of magpies have to feeding there hungry chicks…, June 2009:

© Pic by Marcus Held

A Winter Wren Troglodytes troglodytes with it´s fabulous song, here with a softer dialect than known from home in FRGermany, June 2009:

RUNDE, NO

© Pic by Marcus Held

This small island is a well known birding hotspot. For recordings it´s seems almost to much windy
but a wonderful place to get familiar with a lot of species and it´s sounds. Maybe the most impressing
thing there are the colonies of pelagic living birds like:
Atlantic puffin Fratercula arctica, Razorbill Alca torda, Common Murre Uria aalge. Futhermore a
great colony of Black-legged Kittiwakes Rissa tridactyla, Northern Gannets Morus bassanus and
a few Northern Fulmars Fulmarus glacialis.
It´s a shame that most of the juvenile Auk´s died by hunger, the sea is nearly fished empty by the
boundless greed of the fishing industry. Most of the catched fish is for feeding cows and pigs: a
small hint for environmentalists with a lifestyle based on animal products…

Beside the Seabirds on Runde there are a lot of Songbirds:
Rock Pipit Anthus petrosus, Meadow Pipit anthus pratensis, Twite Carduelis flavirostris or Northern
Wheatear Oenanthe oenanthe.

At the top of the island you can see and hear a lot of Great Skua
Stercorarius skua and White-tailed Eagles Haliaeetus albicilla (we had up to 7 individuals).

Most of the island is a table land, so if you want to record something you need definitely a
wind cover for harder conditions. On the other hand a problem for recording are the wildlife
photographers, is nearly no place beside birds without the clicking and chattering of cameras.

Great Skua Stercocarius skua displaying in flight, June 2009:

© Pic by Marcus Held

Rock Pipit Anthus petrosus warning at it´s nestsite, June 2009:

One Eurasian Oystercatcher Haematopus ostralegus had attack everyone came closer to it´s
nestside – the problem: it were 300m beside a main path, June 2009:

© Pic by Marcus Held

BØYABREEN, NO

© Pic by Marcus Held

Bøyabreen is a well know glacier, there mostly you can see busses full of tourist making photos
from each other in front of the glacier. Here we had hear the only Brambling Fringilla montifringilla
of our tour. In addition there were singing Redwings Turdus iliacus and Willow Warblers Phyloscopus
trochilus.

Song of a Redwing Turdus iliacus, June 2009:

TIPPERNE, DK

Tipperne is a well known birding hotspot at western danmark. After visiting this area I can imagine
how my home country had look like before the massive industrialisation of farming.
In Tipperne I had set my focus on looking for personal new species – so I don´t make a lot of
recordings. But this is definitely a place i will visit once more. Without the helpful guard of this
area maybe we had seen not so much – thanks a lot!

House Martin Delichon urbica in it´s barn breeding colony, in background working
farmers, June 2009:

NORTH SEA, GERMAN BIGHT – 03

At the tours there are three possible kinds to record birds: swimming at sea (giving a call
while brawl about food), in flight (songbirds giving contact calls – on day or night.
The third thing is giving contact calls while sitting on the ship – in this case it is possible
that a bird sing it´s song!

Two Barn Swallows Hirundo rustica singing while sitting in our office at ship, October 2009:

Pic by Patrick Franke

Western Jackdaws Corvus monedula, Common Swift Apus apus, July 17th, 2009:

© Pic by Marcus Held