Carmine bee-eater

As horrible weather has kept me captive of the indoors I decided to try my hand (after a long time) at one of my old passions - Sketching. Sadly all I could find last night as I sat down was one Black pen. Nonetheless I had a go at a Carmine bee-eater (Merops nubicus) from photographs of the species I had take a few months ago at the Rotterdam Zoo.

Here it is .......
Here are some of the snaps.

Completely fell in love with the colours on these beauties.

These birds have a range including most the Northern Sub-saharan regions of Africa.

Though quiet small the Aviary at the Rotterdam Zoo has some great birds and offers great photo ops.

Birding @ Scheveningen Beach

As I prepare to leave my home for the last two years in Rotterdam, I made a small trip to the Scheveningen Beach in The Hague. While strolling down the cold sandy beach I laid my eyes on a lot of bird activity on a small rocky pier covered in green sea weed and moss.The main inhabitants were the Herring gulls (Larus argentatus)
But on closer inspection I found some Ruddy Turnstones (Arenaria interpres) amidst the Gulls. Though these are quiet common waders in this part of the world and also quiet frequently sighted along coastal areas back home in India (And surely at Uran and Sewri in Mumbai) I always managed to miss them, although I am not sure if I had seen them in Uran during the first Mumbai Bird Race.
So most probably this is another 'lifer'. Here some more snaps of the Turnstones.

I shall end this (probably) last posting as a Dutch Resident with this snap of the sun setting into the North Sea.

Map at the lake

A lifer yet again :) .... today at the Kralingse lake here in Rotterdam I saw this beautiful Map Butterfly (Araschnia levana) .
Though I really find this butterfly beautiful - I have to say that the Common Map (Cyrestis thyodamas) back home in India looks a lot more like a map than this one !!!

Also from the lake today are these two fellows...

Female Blackcap (Sylvia atricapilla)

Common Chaffinch (Fringilla coelebs)

Hedge Accentor

Got another lifer! My first Hedge Accentor (Prunella modularis). Also known as Dunnock, the guide book says that it's the regions only widespread Accentor.
(Thanks Ben van den Broek and others from birds-pix for id help !!)

Southern Hawker

Saw this beautiful - Southern Hawker(Aeshna cyanea) - this morning at a city park in Rotterdam. This female was very cooperative and sat still for a some nice snaps.

Though I have seen this species many times before it was always only zooming past me. This species can fly very fast and for very long periods of time. Finally, today I got it !! :)

Check some nice snaps of this species at - http://www.dragonflysoc.org.uk/frameset.htm?aecya&species&aes

If the Southern Hawker on camera wasn't enough reason to celebrate - I also had a feast with these beautiful butterflies... Also at the same small park next to the Euromast almost in the middle of Rotterdam.

Red Admiral (Vanessa atalanta)

Large White or Cabbage White (Pieris brassicae) Speckled Wood (Pararge aegeria)

Comma (Polygonia c-album)

And last but not the least this small blue butterfly - the Holly Blue (Celastrina argiolus) - The same species that I was unsure of in the Hague a few months ago ... but this time there is no such doubts.. (Read more about this species @ http://www.rspb.org.uk/wildlife/wildlifegarden/atoz/h/hollybluebuterfly.asp)

from the Hague

Here's some snaps from WestbroekPark in Den Haag.

Coot (Fulia atra)
Egyptian Goose (Alopochen aegyptiacus)

Egyptian Goose (Alopochen aegyptiacus)
Blackbird (Turdus merula)
This is the only snap and view i managed of this butterfly. Looks like a Holly Blue (Celastrina argiolus)
[But I could be wrong]

And check out my luck, three species of Damselflies in one single frame - with the
Blue tailed damselfly (Ischnura elegans) in the centre and

[ Large red damselfly (Pyrrhosoma nymphula)to the left and
Common Blue damselfly (Enallagma cyathigerum)to the right]

Common Blue damselfly (Enallagma cyathigerum) -Male

Large red damselfly (Pyrrhosoma nymphula) - Male

Blue tailed damselfly (Ischnura elegans) - Pair

Blue tailed damselfly (Ischnura elegans) - Male

De Hoge Veluwe National Park (Re)visited

Yesterday I went to De Hoge Veluwe National Park in province of Gelderland, here in the Netherlands. This 55 sq. km park has many kinds of habitats and is a great place to watch birds. However, since I had gone there with my school our main aim was to see the Kruller Muller Museum housed at the heart of the Park and the St. Hubertus hunting lodge designed by famous dutch architect Hendrik Petrus Berlage.

So the little birding I did manage was en route (and while at) these buildings.

Barn Swallow (Hirundo rustica) -
- The swallow are back announcing the arrival of summer!!
Pied Wagtail (Motacilla alba)

Pied Wagtail (Motacilla alba) and a female Blackbird (Turdus merula)

Pied Wagtail (Motacilla alba)
Chaffinch (Fringilla coelebs)

This however, was my second visit to this beautiful park. (Check out some snaps from my previous trip there by clicking - HERE )