A monstrous shadow passed overhead and time stood still

With more predicted rain for the morning I was naturally cautious about opening the nets but as has happened a few times this spring the rain failed to materialise and it turned into very good ringing conditions being calm and overcast; 47 new birds were caught through the morning consisting of a nice spread of migrants with 15 Whitethroats (including a returning bird ringed in 2012), 5 Lesser Whitethroats, 3 Pied Flycatchers, 19 Willow Warblers, a Blackcap, 3 Garden Warblers (including a returning bird ringed in 2010) and a Tree Pipit.

Whitethroat and Tree Pipit (tornsanger og skovpiber)

The day's (and my spring!) highlight however came at 08:00 when a magnificent BLACK WOODPECKER (sortspætte) flew low across the garden and headed out towards the tip - my heart was racing and I couldn't believe what I had just seen, it was a bird I've always wanted to see and even though I have never seen one before it was one of those things that as soon as it appeared you knew instantly what it was!  

   Only the third record for the Gedser area and with the nearest Danish population around 200Km to the north it is perhaps more likely to have come up from Germany - imagine that monster flapping about in a net, just imagine!   Despite a few birders arriving within 20 minutes it unfortunately wasn't seen again.

Another Serin flew over the garden as did a Black-throated Diver.   Two Cuckoos and a Redstart were the migrants highlights at Kroghage in the afternoon along with predictably good numbers of Willow Warblers and Whitethroats before the rain really came in early evening.