WILDFOWL PASSAGE AT GEDSER, ENOUGH TO GIVE YOU A SEIZURE!

A busy morning of standardised ringing was to be expected given the weather conditions (clear sky & north westerlies) and this did not dissapoint. The pre-dawn unfurling of mist nets after a text from Louis about a Nightjar on the approach road was greeted with a mixture of bird calls, most notably Bramblings, Goldcrests and Redwings. Migrants poured overhead throughout the five hours, in which the following 231 birds were trapped and ringed:

Wren 9
Dunnock 1
Robin 109
Song Thrush 5
Reed Warbler 1
Lesser Whitethroat 1
Common Whitethroat 1
Blackcap 16
Chiffchaff 49
Willow Warbler 4
Goldcrest 17
Blue Tit 5
House Sparrow 1 (a good bird to be ringed at Gedser believe it or not)
Tree Sparrow 1
Chaffinch 2
Brambling 5
Greenfinch 3
Reed Bunting 1

A quick lunch followed by watching streams of Eiders, Brent and Barnacle Geese migrating from the cottage window; 440 Eider in half an hour wasn't bad and had all three of us scrambling to the tip to witness an amazing and relentless passage of wildfowl in their thousands. Both Red-throated Pipit and Lapland Bunting were flushed from the stubble field which seperates Gedser Fuglestation from the tip of Baltic sea, and the following subsequent highlights were noted from there:

Record shot of 24 Common Cranes, photo by Hugh Hanmer

Spotted Eagle sp. 1

Osprey 1

Common Crane 24

Long-tailed Skua 1

Black-throated Diver 1

Red-necked Grebe 4

A pair of Teal in amongst Dark-bellied Brent Geese, photo Hugh Hanmer

Juvenile Merlin with alert White Wagtail, Photo by Gert

Migrating Eider, Photo by Hugh Hanmer

Record shot of a Lapland Bunting; a scarce Gedser bird, photo by Jack Ashton-Booth

Record shot Number 2 of a Lapland Bunting, photo by Jack Ashton-Booth

Rael observing sea passage of wildfowl, photo Jack Ashton-Booth

Migrating Flock of Barnacle Geese, photo by Rael Butcher

Dedicated Gedser birder Louis Hansen had counted over 6000 Dark-bellied Brent Geese at the time we all left to fulfill our computer based duties collecting two puffball mushrooms on our way which made for a nice free addition to our Bolognese!

Giant Puff Ball, a welcome addition to our pasta, photo Rael Butcher