Maybe the spring is over now?

A quiet day, sunny with a fresh westerly breeze; only 10 birds were caught in the morning which comprised 3 Blackcaps, 2 Reed Warblers, a Chiffchaff, a Willow Warbler, 2 Linnets and another juvenile Treecreeper.

There weren't really any birds to photograph so here's a couple of smart moths from the station - Small Elephant Hawkmoth and Swallow Prominent

The afternoon was spent carrying out some more breeding bird surveys on another small island which included this handsome fellow!   A nice breeding plumaged Little Stint and a Little Ringed Plover were new Danish birds for me here alongside the breeding Terns, Gulls and Eiders.

 

 

 

Look out of the window

With the weather forecast changing every five minutes in regard to when and if any rain was going to arrive through the day, I had to rely on the often overlooked forecasting method of 'looking out of the window'!    This proved remarkably accurate as I managed to close all the nets ten minutes before heavy rain, thunder and lightning hit the station at 09:30!  
   The ringing session itself was very quiet with just 6 new birds caught; they were a nice mix of species though with the 4th Thrush Nightingale of the spring, a smart male Blue-headed Wagtail, a Linnet, a Chaffinch, a juvenile White Wagtail and a short-billed, still-fluffy juvenile Treecreeper.

Blue-headed Wagtail

Thrush Nightingale

Juvenile Treecreeper

 

A Grey Wagtail flew over the station before the rain (actually the first one I've seen in Denmark!) while on the sea 700+ Eiders flew west, 11 Curlews went east and there were a few Sandwich Terns and Swifts around.

Orache Moth - a pretty rare vagrant back in the UK but common here

Sparrowhawk Warbler

A real mixed bag of weather to start the day with thunder and lightning to the north and south of the station only producing one short, sharp shower at dawn but the easterly wind picked up noticeably and filled the nets with leaves; a few hours later though it had reverted back to being calm, sunny and warm.   These changeable conditions only produced 16 new birds through the morning's ringing session although it was a nice, varied mix with the definite highlight being a stunning Barred Warbler - a presumed 3K+ bird with very bright eyes.
   Other birds caught included a female Blue-headed Wagtail, 3 White Wagtails (2 juveniles), an Icterine Warbler, 3 Whitethroats, a Blackcap and a Chiffchaff.

Although I've seen and ringed a few autumn juveniles, this is the first spring Barred Warbler I've seen - brilliant!

Blue-headed Wagtail

 



 The day didn't stop with the ringing as around 07:30 I picked up a cracking GULL-BILLED TERN flying low NE across the fields just to the west of the station, giving great albeit brief views as it swept past - I found out later that this was a first for Gedser!

There wasn't too much else seen through the day with a few wildfowl at sea including small flocks of Goldeneye and Common Scoter, a few signs that Finches are starting to move around with 9 Common Crossbills and a Redpoll over the garden and a few Swifts heading back south already.

Eyed Hawkmoth

Flooded

Still summer!   The warm, sunny conditions with a light easterly breeze produced 24 new birds through the morning with the highlight being the second River Warbler of the last few days - this time caught at lunchtime as I was closing the nets, there was a bigger audience this time with half a dozen birders near enough to come and have a look.    The total also included 2 Red-backed Shrikes, 2 White Wagtails, a Robin, a Redstart, 2 Reed Warblers, 3 Icterine Warblers, a Lesser Whitethroat, 3 Whitethroats, 3 Blackcaps and a Chiffchaff.

The second River Warbler in the last few days and the 6th for the station

Red-backed Shrike - the first male to be caught this year

 

The Mistle Thrush was still in the garden along with a Nuthatch while birds from the surrounding area included a couple of singing Quail, a singing Golden Oriole from near Birkemose and a Black Kite cruising around.

Nadal

A good ringing day with a light easterly and patches of cloud moving across the sky; I managed 22 new birds through the morning which is a bit better than the last few days although the quality wasn't as high as yesterday!   Birds included a Sand Martin, a Robin, a Song Thrush, a Reed Warbler, 5 Whitethroats, a Lesser Whitethroat, an Icterine Warbler, 5 Blackcaps and a Red-backed Shrike.

The first Song Thrush in the garden since 18th May

 

Sightings in the area today included a couple of Penduline Tits heard over the tip and a singing Red-breasted Flycatcher at Frisenfelt from Louis while a Mistle Thrush in the garden was the first for a long time.

 

There seems to be some differing opinions on the Harrier seen yesterday; here are a couple of pictures by Mathias Blicher Bjerregard.

 

 

 

 

 

 



Spring just keeps on giving

A beautiful, calm, sunny, hot summer's day produced a typical 11 new birds in the nets through the morning but there was some real quality in the meagre total with the highlight definitely a cracking River Warbler caught at dawn - only the 5th to be ringed here at the station.   The rest of the birds included the first Nuthatch to be caught this year, a Marsh Warbler, a Garden Warbler, a Willow Warbler  and a Robin.

River Warbler

Nuthatch

 

The day's other highlight came at around 07:45 when a 1st summer Pallid Harrier flew east along the coast, pausing occasionally to circle and gain height giving good views from the station and to Louis et al out on the tip.   Other birds recorded from the point included an Osprey south, 4 Marsh Harriers, a Peregrine, a Golden Oriole mooching around and a selection of returning wildfowl with the most noteworthy being 700 Common Scoter.

 

The afternoon was quieter with an increase in Swifts noted over the station - probably birds already thinking of heading south again and some good breeding bird activity for the Atlas project that is running for the next three years with Lesser Whitethroats, Whitethroats, Chiffchaffs, Chaffinches and Yellowhammers all seen feeding chicks/fledglings.