Hello,
today the W-family visited the area around Ingelheim, with the purpose to see if the Bee-eaters have returned. In short: They have! We were very fortunate to see them fly around, sitting around on fences and sand-hills, fluttering up into the trees and making a lot of noise.
But there were also other birds around, that we could hear, but not see: Lots of Cuckoos and many Golden Orioles. I once had a quick look at the Oriole-couple, flying from one tree to another. They are so beautiful, and they have such a magnificent voice!
When we were watching the Bee-eaters, my Mum and I made the acquaintance of a gentleman from Scotland. He told us that he is retired now, and on a visit to some friends. He told us about birds he had already seen and we watched out for the Bee-eaters, the Orioles and the lizards, until he decided to get on with his bicycle-tour.
I think I have tried you patience enough, so here are some pictures. Please excuse the poor quality of some pictures. It got quite warm in the course of the day, and the Bee-eaters were on the grounds of a company, so we could not get near. Because of this the warm air "moved", which made the pictures not very clear. I hope you like the pictures all the same:
First of all: The Bee-eaters
A couple of Turtledoves (I had never seen them before)
A quick look at a Pheasant, before he disappeared into the bushes:
A Yellowhammer ?? It only made warning sounds, but did not sing, so I am not 100% sure:
We did not only see and hear wonderful birds, but the landscape was also very pretty. This part of the Rhine is famous for cultivating wine.
Good night now, see you soon.
Kind regards, Bente
Hi Bente. I'm catching up on a few threads tonight and this one is great. The Bee Eaters are fantastic, as are the Turtle doves, (both types of birds that I've never seen before). You certainly get a great variety of birds there. Lovely scenery shots as well and the male Yellowhammer is a beauty. I bet you didn't expect to meet a Scotsman on your walk.!!
Paul
My bird photos HERE
Lovely pictures and a lovely place :-) The Bee-Eaters in the tree look like particularly exotic Christmas decorations.
"Let loose the Kraken!"
You have lovely countryside around you Bente, I enlarged the bee-eaters and what magnificent birds they are. The yellowhammer is a beautiful specimen, one of my favorite birds. Thanks for posting.
Lot to learn
never mind having missed the thread so far. If weather has been as nice in Britain as it has been here, I can understand perfectly that you had more important things to do. But I am very glad that you found the time now. The Bee Eaters are something very secial: They don't just look very pretty, they also make funny sounds.
Paul, you are right, meeting a Scotsman was certainly a surprise. At first I didn't realise he was from Great Britain, because he spoke a little German and sounded more like a Dutchman. But we soon decided to speak English.
Stuart, I like your comparison with the Christmas decoration, the only problem would be that they seldom sit still for more than 3 minutes.
Good night!
Yours, Bente
Unknown said:meeting a Scotsman was certainly a surprise. At first I didn't realise he was from Great Britain, because he spoke a little German and sounded more like a Dutchman. But we soon decided to speak English.
That's brilliant Bente, you do me me laugh at times.!!
I used to have a similar accent problem in France. Because I lived in Dusseldorf for a little while I apparently used the have a very slight German accent when I spoke French, so everyone thought I came from Alsace - until they realised I really couldn't speak that much French and my German was even more limited ;-)