Oberholz (Sachsen, East-Germany), a flock of around 40 European Starlings Sturnus vulgaris,
some aeroplanes and the autobahn…, March 5th, 2009:
 

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2 Eurasian Jays Garrulus glandarius, recorded at “Volkshain Stünz, Leipzig (East-Germany),
March 1th, 2009:
 

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It´s February, the first songbirds are singing in the first warm shafts of sunlight.
After a few of month recording with hard conditions a friendlier time is about to begin.
To my surprise yesterday a flock of Common Starlings Sturnus vulgaris was sitting
in a apple tree and chatting. One of them gave a short lesson in what a Starling can achieve.

Common Starling Sturnus vulgaris, Imitation of: female Tawny Owl Strix aluco,
Eurasian Golden Oriole O. oriolous, Great Spotted Woodpecker Dendrocopos major and
House Sparrow Passer domesticus, February 15th, 2009:
 

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Since one week a flock of 25 Hawfinches C. coccothraustes was straying around.
With a “contact call” the flock seemed to sync their activities. One by one was calling
till all individuals were together.

Hawfinches C. coccothraustes, calls and contact calls, flock of 6-8 individuals, February 13th, 2009:
 

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Last year I tryed to record their curious whispering song. Now with my new Telinga
parabola microphon i have better prospects. Here my first attempt:

Hawfinches C. coccothraustes, calls and (sub?)song, in background a
Lesser Spotted Woodpecker Dendrocopos minor was looking for food, February 13th, 2009:
 

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During this winter were a lot of Long Tailed Bushtits´s Aegithalos caudatus flocks in Leipzig.
What i like about this recording is the contrast of the urban surrounding and the Bushtit´s
delicate voices.

Long Tailed Bushtits´s Aegithalos caudatus, calls, February 13th, 2009:
 

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A Lesser Spotted Woodpecker Dendrocopos minor was looking for food, February 13th, 2009:
 

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Whithin October 2008 Marcus and I were at a ringing station on isle
“Greifswalder Oie” in Northeast-Germany.
For me, this offered a complete new view/hearing on this topic.
At my hometown Leipzig, the bird migration only appears with
large flocks of greater birds like Cranes or Geese. Now there were
mainly songbirds. One of the most frequent appearing birds on the island
were Goldcrests Regulus regulus – their high pitched calls were anywhere.

During the hourly “control-walks” along the nets, i notice a sound, seemingly
of geese, always from the same direction. Once a day, Marcus told me
about a tree nearby the nets that sounded like White-Fronted-Geese Anser albifrons
or kind of New Music!?

The acoustic highlight for me was two days of heavy migration
of Trushes. At morning. i walked a bit around, as i noticed hundreds
of ascending Blackbirds Turdus merula, Song Thrushes Turdus philomelos,
Mistle Thrushes Turdus viscivorus, Fieldfares Turdus pilaris, Redwings Turdus iliacus
and a single Ring Ouzel Turdus torquatus.

Goldcrest Regulus regulus, October 12th, 2008:
 

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A tree, October 22th, 2008:
 

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various migrating songbirds, October 12th, 2008:
 

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© Pic by Marcus Held

Within the last weeks we went to an area called “Geiseltal”
near Merseburg (Mid-Germany).
It was a brown coal pit till 1994. Now the area will be changed to
a immense water landscpae for all kinds of sports.
Some animals which life there today would disappear.
One of the fine species there are the Bee-Eaters Merops apiaster.
There´s a breeding colony and at the last times we saw up to 60 birds…

July, 2008:
 

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© Pic by Marcus Held

On Spring 2008 the ornithologist Reinhold Brennecke (Haldensleben, near Magdeburg, Mid-Germany)
told me about a Corn Bunting Emberiza calandra he watched for 3 years, which singing like
a Yellowhammer Emberiza citrinella. At the Forum of “Verein Sächsischer Ornithlogen” (VSO) i read
a report about the same topic. On early summer i visit the described place and had the luck to see and
hear the bird. Actually it was a Corn Bunting (on Dick Forsman´s homepage I read 1 month ago about nearly
grey Yellowhammers!)
While our SINGWARTE camp in June 2008 Marcus Held and I went out to record the singer.
The bird sang 2 different kinds of songs. A nearly equal Yellowhammer and a mixed
Yellowhammer/Corn Bunting song. The mixed one starts with Corn Bunting like short single sounds,
followed by a Yellowhammer part (typical first part double sounds in Yellowhammer song). The song
of our Corn Bunting ends with the typical short Corn Bunting sounds.

Corn Bunting, typical song, 2008:

 

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Corn Bunting, atypical song – mixed one, June 29th, 2008:

 

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Corn Bunting, atypical song – nearly equal to Yellowhammer, June 29th, 2008:

 

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Yellowhammer, typical song, 2008:

 

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End of July 2008 I visited the Drömling, a great area of grass- and moorland northerly
between Braunschweig and Magdeburg (Mid-Germany).
At the fields I recorded the Common Quail Coturnix coturnix and at a homestead 4
Barn Swallow´s Hirundo rustica singing (Passer montanus in background).

Quail Coturnix coturnix, July 2008
 

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Barn SwallowHirundo rustica, July 2008
 

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At times I am birding at a park (formely grassland and then brown coal pit) in Leipzig (East-Germany)
called Halde-Lösnig-Dösen. On yesterday´s morning I encountered a family of Golden Orioles Oriolus oriolus.

July 12th, 2008:
 

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Yesterday I recorded a family Black Kite Milvus migrans in Leipzig (East-Germany)
as something unexpected happend…

July 23th, 2008:
 

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© Pic by Marcus Held

Yesterday I recorded a Common Swift Apus apus close to my window.

July 9th, 2008:
 

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