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Besides all the newly-arrived migrating birds, freshly-hatched goslings, and nesting grebes, here are some additional signs that spring is on its way in South Holland. There was at least a half dozen jackdaws on this gnarled tree trunk Saturday morning noisily trying to stake out one of a few cavities that might be suitable forContinue reading “More Signs of Dutch Spring…”

I did make it out into the countryside this morning, and I was richly rewarded for my efforts, despite the grey skies. I was stunned to spot a pair of bar-headed geese (Anser indicus), who are not from around here, at all. Instead, I read that they breed “in Central Asia in colonies of thousands near mountainContinue reading “New Arrivals in the Dutch Countryside”

It is not even the middle of February yet, but there are already big changes afoot in South Holland. Flowers are beginning to blossom all over campus, including snowdrops, crocuses, and daffodils; and birds that we haven’t seen for months are starting to appear. Sure, the skies are dark and grey today, but some picturesContinue reading “New Arrivals at TU Delft”

Anne and I had a wonderful time in Slovenia, and yesterday she flew back to Shorewood while I flew back to Delft. I had hardly any jetlag to speak of, largely due to staying in the same time zone for the entire trip, so I got out the door bright and early at sunrise thisContinue reading “Breaking news…”

Anne and I took the bus from Ljubljana down to Piran, which is a beautiful old town on the east coast of the Adriatic Sea (Slovenia’s west coast), and this morning we visited the Sečovlje Saltpans Natural Park. The city bus doesn’t go all the way to the saltpans, so we had a nice littleContinue reading “Birds of the Sečovlje Saltpans”

Anne got herself a paper accepted at a conference here in Slovenia, so I flew down from Delft to see the sights with her. Ljubljana, the capitol, is very nice, and there is a huge park on the edge of town, called Tivoli City Park, which I visited this morning. Right off the bat, thereContinue reading “Critters of Ljubljana”

Well, the forecast was correct, and the skies this morning were as grey as clouds that form a thick blanket that blocks out most of the sun. Luckily for us, I have plenty of bird pictures left over from yesterday when the sun was out and the sky was blue. Let’s start with a greatContinue reading “Nonaquatic birds of Delft on a mild and sunny winter day”

My apartment in Delft has huge, old-timey windows in one end, and even though they are in pretty good shape, my apartment is a lot warmer if I keep the heavy curtains closed. Thus, I don’t really know what the weather is like outside until I explicitly look, and this morning I was pleasantly surprisedContinue reading “Aquatic birds of Delft on a sunny and mild winter day”

I did find a mute swan in town yesterday, but it was taking a break from the water, so that could explain why I didn’t spot it Saturday when I merely looked down the canals. It seemed perfectly content to sit right there, between a parked bicycle and a park car, and preen its feathers.Continue reading “Birds of Delft in Winter, PS”

Phew! Good thing I saved some pictures from yesterday, because the weather here has returned to its dark and dreary self this morning. In any case, on to the water birds, and the ubiquitous Eurasian coot deserves top billing. If there’s only one bird in a body of water around here, odds are that it’sContinue reading “Birds of Delft in Winter, Part 2 – Aquatic”