Sunday, March 22, 2009

Vögel im Garten!

Tonight’s post is coming all the way from Münich, Germany, where my sis-in-law, Sabine, and nieces, Sarah (8) and Alyssa (4), have recently become bird watching enthusiasts! Yeah! I now have a direct link to European birds, and to top it off, Sabine sent me three German bird guides so I can learn the names of the European birds auf Deutsch.

Alyssa (4), Sabine, Sarah (8)

Sarah and Alyssa decided they wanted to turn their back yard into a bird sanctuary so Sabine bought some birdseed and a feeder to get them started. After almost two months of waiting patiently for the birds to arrive, Sarah decided the birds couldn’t see the feeder in their yard very well, and if she ever wanted to see any bird action out there she would have to make some improvements. So she enlisted Alyssa’s help, and together they constructed a big ring of stones on the ground to catch the eye of any bird flying by.  To make sure the birds hung around, she sprinkled birdseed inside it. She also thought the birds might be thirsty, so she added a little bowl of water, and guess what? The next day ein kleines Rotkelchen (European Robin) showed up, and soon after many other birds started visiting the bird sanctuary too.

Ein süßes Rotkelchen. These little birds always seem 
to have such a sweet expression on their faces!


This little cutie is called eine Blaumeise (Blue Tit, 
Parus caeruleus). He looks like a very colorful 
chickadee and must be fun to watch. 


A group of Grünfink (Greenfinch, Carduelis chloris) 
hanging out in the miniature Bird Stonehenge. Way to go 
Sarah and Alyssa for coming up with the design! 
I think the bright red bowl was a good eye catcher too.


Eine Amsel (Eurasian Blackbird, Turdus merula). He 
seems to be a combination of our Robin and our Blackbird.


A very cute Feldsperling (Tree Sparrow, Passer montanus). 
He is similar to the House Sparrow (Haussperling) but has 
a brown cap and black cheek spot. Both birds also go by “Spatz.”

As time goes by hopefully Sabine, Sarah and Alyssa will keep us up to date with new Deutsche Vögel. I think Sarah and Alyssa might be on their way to becoming naturalists, and Sabine admits she is now running to the window (just like the rest of us) to see which bird is at the bird feeder with camera in hand. Thanks guys for sending me the photos and the books!!!

14 comments:

Shelley said...

So delightful to see the birds from their part of the world! They're so beautiful! The robin was my favorite. And I like that rock ring with the bird seed in the middle - so clever!

Roy said...

Oh boy! A whole new continent of birds to look at! Thanks, Kelly.

Kim said...

How cute to see the girls all excited about birding!! Gorgeous birds too!

Jayne said...

How fun! It is always so neat to see birds that others get to see on a regular basis. Makes me realize to stop and appreciate the "common" birds here more. So glad they have been bitten by the birding bug. :c)

Anonymous said...

Hi Kelly, its nice and unusual to our birds on your blog.{:)

Uncommon Depth said...

Isn't that Blue Tit a gorgeous bird. They all are, of course, but that blue and yellow color combination are spectacular. How fun to be able to share your passion with someone from the other side of the ocean too!

Laure Ferlita said...

Love the "Bird Stonehenge" - what a great idea to get the birds to come to the feed! And I too love that Blue Tit with all its bright color! This will be so much fun to see birds from a different continent!

Thanks again, Kelly, for sharing!

Chris said...

Hi Kelly,
Nice to see that you can give your interest for birds to others, and these pictures are very nice

Warren Baker said...

So thats what Stone Henge was built for - a giant bird feeding station!!!

Kelly said...

Shelley...The robin is my favorite too!

Roy...und auf Deutsch auch!

Kallen...they were happy to see the blog about their bird sanctuary too!

Jayne...thanks! me too....

Roy...I was wondering what you guys would think! I love seeing all of the British and Icelandic birds.

Uncommon...the Blaumeise is spectacular! We don't have that color combo here and that adds to the appeal.

Laure...they did such a good job, especially when you consider they are 4 and 8! Hopefully Sabine keeps snapping photos so I can keep posting!

Chris...you're right. It's fun to pass along the love of birds...especially to kids!

Warren...finally we know what those Druids were up to!! Who knew ;-)

RuthieJ said...

Wow Kelly, that is so Cool! I love seeing all these beautiful birds from Germany. Thanks to Sabine, Alyssa and Sarah (and you!) for sharing those pictures with us.

FAB said...

Well Kelly, I never thought I would see birds that visit me on your blog. Well done to Sabine, Sarah & Alyssa for making this happen.
Now you have the books I'll have to make sure I post the correct names!

Heather said...

Wow, that's so cool. It's always a great treat to see kids getting into nature in their own ways. I like how they took some initiative and came up with a way to draw the birds in with their rock circle. Smart girls!

Kelly said...

Ruthie...thanks! Let's hope she can find a few more. I like learning the German names!

Frank...haha! You made me laugh, and I'm going to study the books too!

Heather...I was so excited that they were getting into Red and the Peanut and wanted to start studying birds on their own. Very cool...thanks!