Mega dag i Gedser - den 26. maj – a day to remember!

Morgnen begyndte stille og rolig men herlig nattergale sang fra Sønder Boulevard.

Men allerede på vej til Odden havde en vagtel ”spyttet” sin underfundige sang ud over markeren med sin strofer ”wet my lips” ”wet my lips” (lyt her).

På selve Odden kunne igen de herlige strofer fra en nattergal sang høres.

Ikke længe efter ankomst kl. 0439 fløj en gulirisk omkring og karmindomappen sang sin ”pleased to meet you” sang (lyt her).

Straks før kl. fem og igen ved halv otte tiden hørtes det skønne kald fra en pirol (lyt her).

Men dette var kun en lille forsmag på en lang varm og enestående dag i Gedsers ornitologisk historie – a day to remember.

Ved 7-tiden dukker en skøn trane op fulgtes op som straks fugtes af en turteldue! Og endnu en gulirisk flyver omkring og kalder over de to Københavnere der ikke var forvent med det ene eller det andet – skønt skønt.

Forbi flyvende turteldue

Men så  - - - BANG!

En mindre hvid hejre (med medium mørk ryg) dukker  frem lavt over markerne mellem Frisenfelt og Gedser Fuglestation mod vest og nord!!! Arten er set 15 gang før i Danmark men tilsyneladende aldrig på Falster eller Lolland – så dette var stort som vi siger.

Forfærdeligt foto - men fuglen er 1,5-3 km væk!!

Puha godt vi var to til denne observation J

Det var svært ikke at være glad for at se denne sjælden fugl i Danmark. Men mere skulle komme til!

Ved halv ni tiden var det tid til dagens sorte glente – men i dag to samtidig – sort glente er ganske almindelig ved Gedser i dette forår hvor vi har set flere sorte glenter end røde!

Senere ser vi dog også en rød glente som følges op af en rødstrubet piber og en hvepsevåge.

Men så BANG igen!! En buskrørsanger dukker frem! Kun syvende fugl i Gedser området og denne på samme små-lokalitet som først fund i Gedser ved Frisenfelt! (lyt her) (også mange grønne frøer - men lyt efter de knirkende strofer).

Buskrørsanger i sin favorit busk - en lille pil med rørskov omkring

Medens kødranden af ornitologer stod der og nød deres kryds på deres lister faldt de i staver og glemmer at lytte til den lille fluesnapper der synger løs over deres hoveder – men så blev de blev vækket da der hørtes en biæder trække forbi.

Biæder - fra dagen før

Ja en dag der ville kunne huskes.

Mvh, personalet ved Gedser fuglestation

The quality continues

I'm running out of original ways to describe the weather so I won't try - it was still hot and sunny although the NE wind did increase through the day.   Ringing was pretty quiet through the morning with just 22 new birds and nothing later than 07:30 but we did pass through the 3,000 birds for the year mark!   The total included 2 Common Rosefinches, 6 Icterine Warblers, 2 Lesser Whitethroats, 6 Whitethroats, 2 Garden Warblers, a Spotted Flycatcher and a Yellowhammer.

Common Rosefinch

Yellowhammer

There were more quality birds to be had in the area today with the two headliners being a a small size white heron (possible pond!!) which flew west along the coast towards town at 07:42 (0741?) to ca 07:47 (updated 23/06 2014) and secondly a Blyth's Reed Warbler in full song at the small roadside pond near Frisenfelt Farm just down the road from the station; he was blazing away like a trooper at lunchtime and showed reasonably well for short periods.   There was also a Quail singing here first thing in the morning.

   The other bird news all came from the tip and all early in the morning where the pick included a Turtle Dove and a Golden Oriole flying around, a Red-throated Pipit south and 2 Black Kites over.

Internets down! Now its back!

The glorious, summer-like conditions remain over Gedser and today (25th) it produced a good varied morning's ringing with most of the action predictably in the first few hours of the day; highlights for me were 2 awesome Hawfinches, another Red-breasted Flycatcher, a nice female Blue-headed Wagtail and the overdue first Marsh Warbler of the spring to find its way into a net.
   Other migrants caught included 8 Icterine Warblers, a Reed Warbler, a Lesser Whitethroat, 6 Whitethroats, 7 Garden Warblers and a Yellowhammer.

Male and female Hawfinch

Blue-headed Wagtail

Marsh Warbler

 



 There was some excellent vis mig action at the tip today as well, with the quality coming late morning (in fact, almost as soon as the group of four birders staying at the station for the weekend left to go back north!).   A Black-headed Bunting called a few times as it went south down the coast, a total of 8 Bee-eaters also flew south (two groups of three and a two) and a Red-rumped Swallow flew south down the coast and out to sea with presumably the same bird coming back north 45 minutes later.
   Also seen were a few raptors including 6 Honey Buzzards north and an Osprey, 5 Kestrels, 6 Marsh Harriers and a few Buzzards going south.

Also of note the Great Reed Warbler, first seen at Kroghage yesterday was still singing occasionally but not showing at all!

Dingy Mocha

 

The photograph I took of a Dragonfly and put in yesterday's post was not, as I surmised a Northern White-faced Darter but instead it was a Large White-faced Darter Leucorrhinia pectoralis which is much rarer and is the first record for the Gedser area!

 

Large White-faced Darter - worth another picture!



Record

A cloudy start slowly cleared to leave another warm, sunny, calm day with the wind in the west; there were a few bits around in the morning as I managed to catch 44 new birds with the 7th Red-breasted Flycatcher of the year creating a new spring record for this species.   Other migrants caught included 8 Icterine Warblers, 3 Redstarts, a Reed Warbler, 5 Whitethroats, 7 Garden Warblers, a Blackcap and 16 Willow Warblers (they're back!).

Redstart

 

Two Honey Buzzards came in and a Serin flew over the garden in the morning while there were a selection of migrants just north of us that we are lacking in the nets so far this spring with 4 Common Rosefinches, a Wryneck, 3 Red-backed Shrikes and 2 singing Marsh Warblers around Birkemose and just beyond.

 

A Black Kite was fighting with a Short-eared Owl over the station in the evening.

Northern White-faced Darter Leucorrhinia rubicunda (probably!)

The promise of a rumble

A similar start to the last few days but shortly after dawn the wind switched round to the west and started to pick up bringing some cloud with it and for a short while, the promise of a storm with rumbling thunder getting closer and closer.....before it veered off to the north-west, brightened up and became another lovely, warm day!   Another similar morning ringing wise as well with 28 new birds caught - perhaps fewer birds than of late but really its pretty similar numbers, just minus the 15-20 Willow Warblers we were catching daily which seem to have stopped.
   There were some good birds in the total however including 2 Thrush Nightingales, another Red-breasted Flycatcher, 3 Common Rosefinches and 2 Icterine Warblers.   Other migrants consisted of a Wood Warbler, 2 Garden Warblers, 7 Whitethroats, 3 Chiffchaffs, a Spotted Flycatcher and a Siskin.

If you squint and hold him up to the sun, there maybe some red coming through on the latest RBF!

Wood Warbler

The first Siskin to be caught since 3rd April was probably a failed breeder as she had a big brood patch just starting to dry out and go wrinkly!

 

There were a few other birds around the garden through the morning with a Golden Oriole calling before flying off over the station, a Hawfinch which dropped in briefly, a singing Redpoll and 2 late Bramblings.   A singing Marsh Warbler was the only bird of note at Kroghage in the afternoon.

Red Admiral

Its about time you showed up

Hot, hot again with the wind still in the east and a little stronger - very pleasant to be out but it produced a ringing session with far fewer birds than of late with just 19 new caught.   There were some good things though (especially for a young British ringer just starting out in the world!) with two more Red-breasted Flycatchers, 4 Icterine Warblers and a Common Rosefinch part of the catch; other migrants included 2 Redstarts, 3 Garden Warblers, 2 Lesser Whitethroats, a Whitethroat and a Goldfinch but for the first time in ages, no Willow Warblers.

Red-breasted Flycatcher (with a red breast - just!)

 

It was also a day for returning birds from last year with 3 Whitethroats and 3 Icterine Warblers [re]appearing in the nets for the first time this year.   Also seen through the morning were 6 Common Crossbills, a smart rufous morph Cuckoo and a female Red-backed Shrike.

Chocolate-tip