Aristotle's Winter Bird. Cocky Erithacus rubecula, European Robin Redbreast, a bit Fuzzy-Noisy near the Anloërdiep, Anloo, Drenthe, The Netherlands
't Was wintry cold and light snow flurries swirled on my balcony when the 'phone rang. 'Well', said my Naturalist Friend, 'it's a bit lighter than it was, so d'you fancy a little outing?' Yes I did, and soon we were on our way in his car to the nature reserves around the village of Anloo in the province of Drenthe to the south of Groningen.
This is the area of the Aa, the small river - just a bit bigger than a brook - that flows north through Groningen and on to the Waddenzee. Of course there were no other walkers. We traipsed merrily over solidly frozen snow-dusted fields and swamps hedged with oaks and birches and - for this photo - more importantly: stands of Guelder Rose, Viburnum opulus.
A bird now and then: a strikingly white Great Egret sweeping along a rivulet, pleasantly foraging Blackbirds, some Woodpeckers, and more. But the twittering Robin Redbreasts stole the show. Fiercely territorial they clearly delineated patches of those bright red, for them delicious berries of Viburnum opulus: www.flickr.com/photos/87453322@N00/5192904326/ I couldn't get really close, but HX1's good zoom helped. The photo's a bit fuzzzy but it's pretty enough to post.
Robin Redbreast is nicely puffed up against the cold. Amazingly orange breast. The Greek philosopher-naturalist Arisotle curiously thinks that Robin Redbreast transforms itself into a Redstart in the Summer and then back to Redbreast in Winter. Thus he apparently tries to explain why he doesn't see Redstarts in Winter... we know today that they're migratory birds. But for Aristotle, they've made themselves over into Robins to weather the chill.
Aristotle's Winter Bird. Cocky Erithacus rubecula, European Robin Redbreast, a bit Fuzzy-Noisy near the Anloërdiep, Anloo, Drenthe, The Netherlands
't Was wintry cold and light snow flurries swirled on my balcony when the 'phone rang. 'Well', said my Naturalist Friend, 'it's a bit lighter than it was, so d'you fancy a little outing?' Yes I did, and soon we were on our way in his car to the nature reserves around the village of Anloo in the province of Drenthe to the south of Groningen.
This is the area of the Aa, the small river - just a bit bigger than a brook - that flows north through Groningen and on to the Waddenzee. Of course there were no other walkers. We traipsed merrily over solidly frozen snow-dusted fields and swamps hedged with oaks and birches and - for this photo - more importantly: stands of Guelder Rose, Viburnum opulus.
A bird now and then: a strikingly white Great Egret sweeping along a rivulet, pleasantly foraging Blackbirds, some Woodpeckers, and more. But the twittering Robin Redbreasts stole the show. Fiercely territorial they clearly delineated patches of those bright red, for them delicious berries of Viburnum opulus: www.flickr.com/photos/87453322@N00/5192904326/ I couldn't get really close, but HX1's good zoom helped. The photo's a bit fuzzzy but it's pretty enough to post.
Robin Redbreast is nicely puffed up against the cold. Amazingly orange breast. The Greek philosopher-naturalist Arisotle curiously thinks that Robin Redbreast transforms itself into a Redstart in the Summer and then back to Redbreast in Winter. Thus he apparently tries to explain why he doesn't see Redstarts in Winter... we know today that they're migratory birds. But for Aristotle, they've made themselves over into Robins to weather the chill.