Only one downside: a section on a now extinct Jamaican ibis losing the ability to fly and instead growing its arms into clubs to defend itself and/or fight off rivals had no illustration, so I had to imagine the creature for myself.
A grasshopper warbler (sprinkhaanzanger) caught in song on Schiermonnikoog in April. These can be tricky birds to photograph, but I discovered plenty of sites where they were active and then staked out one of them in the morning, with favourable light. #birds
As someone without a background in paleontology I found the sections that detail the slow, accidental evolution towards birds ending up looking and acting as they do, growing feathers, beaks, and wings, to be the most fascinating of all. Extremely engaging.
A great read if you're not out birding!
A hare (haas) was happily running along the canal when it ran through two families of Canada geese (Canadese gans). The geese did not appreciate the intrusion. #birds
Finished this by @stevebrusatte.bsky.social today and loved it, as a birder and a historian. Tells the story of how birds came to be, how they function, but also how scientists figured this all out. A great example of popularising research without dumbing it down too much. #birds
Another one from my fighting wrens (winterkoning) series - they couldn't even agree on which side was up! #birds
It can be easy to overlook "common" birds when you're out birding. This time of year the common whitethroat (grasmus) is pervasive on every walk or bike ride, but it's worth stopping from time to time to admire them, as they're still remarkable! #birds
After the battle, one of the victorious geese showed off the fluffy hair it had pulled out off the hare as it ran away, but the other goose thought this was gross and did not want to see it. #birds
A great spotted woodpecker (grote bonte specht) and his kid made their way to my garden today. They sat on the fence and whenever the dad wanted to move past his child he pecked at it and the young bird swivelled down to the side of the fence. No gentle parenting among woodpeckers! #birds
Icterine warbler (spotvogel) can be difficult. They show up late in spring, sing high up in a tree or, more often, from cover, and often disappear the moment you've noticed them. But this bird has been quite accommodating, singing low in a willow tree along a path, often in full view. #birds
