Alphabetical list

Oystercatchers in Poland are accounted into migratory birds. Unfortunately, presented pictures were not taken in Poland but Norway and Scotland. It is very common there, at least enough to take pictures without camouflage and long telephotos. It can be spotted at the seaside, where it penetrates the beach on its red legs, like a Stork, searching for food. When it comes to the size, it is far from Stork's as he only weighs 0.5 kilogram, whereas his wingspan is around 80 centimeters (Stork – 3 kilograms, 2 meters).

I set up the gallery presenting this Bird, because these were the first photos of this species I had taken. I cannot hide – there are few reasons for feeling satisfied with the quality of these pictures. I hope that this is only for a short time. I am determined to make some changes and expand the gallery. The Eurasian Penduline Tit itself has nothing special in its looks that would make it an outstanding figure among the sparrow family. However, its nest must be held in high esteem and arouses admiration for this tiny builder.

Yes, it happens like that, when some dreams come true the new ones appear. To me wanderers were always the most desired, and right after them a few other species, including the Pygmy Owl. I kept trying to take at least one, the "opening" photo that could initiate formation of  the new gallery. My research I did among foresters, to get some clues where those owls could be found, was unsuccessful. The Pygmy Owl is the smallest diurnal owl and finding it in the forest is not so easy. Their weight is about 65 grams, with a wingspan of about 35 cm.

Waiting for a Water Rail, ended up with taking a few photos of Eurasian Reed Warbler. A Eurasian Reed Warbler is small-sized, water, migratory birds. They exist only in reed, where they build their nests and lay their eggs. They weigh dozen grams, with a wingspan of no more than 20 centimeters. It happens that Great Reed Warblers and Eurasian Reed Warblers are used as hosts for cuckoo’s nestlings. Such motherhood is not an easy task for them.

Finally the Eurasian rock pipit enters my gallery. When on the Baltic Sea coast I was repeatedly looking for this bird, but without a success. In Poland it is a rare bird to see, while in England they could be observed feeding in small flocks  on a beach near Panzance. They were not too timid and if the tourists had not passed by, I would have taken more interesting photos. When I was sitting quietly among the rocks by the sea I could  photograph them.

It was not another photo trip, but every opportunity should be seized as much as possible to take pictures in the field. In Sardinia photographing birds is not an easy task, just like in Poland. Unless someone wants to photograph a yellow-legged gull or, from quite a distance, flamingos which were numerous in Sardinia. But in such cases it is needed to resort to local guides, who turned out to be kind and competent.

Another small representative of the family Fringillidae. Its body mass is between 10-18 grams, hence it is half as big as the sparrow. It has a wingspan of about 20 cm. I happened to watch a flock of siskins shifting around, disturbed by a sparrowhawk. Indeed, the flight acrobatics and teamwork were so successful that the sparrowhawk had to look for another meal, at least this time. In the past, Eurasian siskins, like European goldfinches, were kept in cages, as decorative birds, also because of the pleasant way they vocalize.

Eurasian skylark size and coloration resembles that of a Crested Lark. However, it does not have such a large headdress as a Crested lark. Eurasian skylark also like open field spaces of meadows. Lark can also be spotted “hanging” over the field, where it observes the area while singing beautifully. Its flight in suspension above the ground is most likely caused by the fact that it comes from the steppe where were no trees from which it could watch the surrounding.

Our magnificent, rarely occurring bird of prey. It is beautiful indeed, although it is difficult to take a good picture of it. It is, as befits a predator, very fast, and when it sits down in order to look for its prey, it chooses a very highly located observation point. I once had the pleasure, being in an „eagle hide”, to observe a sparrowhawk bantering with two magpies. The birds chased one another flying between the branches of trees.

One short encounter with the Eurasian spoonbill resulted in several pictures of the new species on my site. The Eurasian spoonbill preyed together with gray herons, ruddy shelducks, little egrets and squacco herons. It is a pity that the view is quite strange, because I photographed this representative of pelicans from the hill, where the birds were foraging in the foothills. But anyway, it is a point to start...
Last minute news- Italy-SARDINIA – 04/2018