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I’ve spent quite a few hours lately reading and paging through my recently arrived field guide, Birds of Europe. With a planned trip to Germany in October I want to be prepared to identify everything I see and hear…which isn’t too likely but I can dream, can’t I?
Having never birded outside of the [...]

White Wagtail Motacilla alba alba
North-east Germany. 28 March 2006
 
The “continental” White Wagtail Motacilla alba alba is the nominate race of the alba wagtail complex and is found throughout most of western Europe. Very closely related to the British M. a. yarellii, or Pied Wagtail both forms are identical in behaviour. The differentiation of White Wagtail [...]

North-east Germany (with Jochen Roeder)
26 March 2006
 

St Mary’s Church/Marienkirche, Stralsund - built between 1383-1473
 
 
It maybe that only the best people read this blog, or it maybe that I’ve just had a good run of luck this month, but I was fortunate to spend a “mini-break” in north-east Germany birding with Jochen Roeder - a [...]

Collins Bird Guide (Britain and Europe), K Mullarney, and Svensson L et al (Collins 2001)
I’m often asked by colleagues in the US, “Charlie, which field-guide should I get for a trip to Europe?”. If they’d asked me this in the 1990s, chances are I’d have had to list a number of then current Guides [...]