Gedser Fuglestation Blog
Her på Gedser Fuglestations blog bringes korte nyheder i dagbogsformat om hændelser på fuglestationen.
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The Thrushes are Here
Ringmærkningen: Today, a grand total of... 10 birds! Plus 5 recaptures. Vindrossel/Redwing (Turdus iliacus) teased us today, with a flock flitting through the garden's berry-laden bushes, but just missing our mist nets. We did have two gorgeous male Bogfinke/Chaffinch (Fringilla coelebs) today - one 1K bird and one 2K+ bird. This lead to an educational comparison, with the moult contrast distinctly present in the wing of the 1K bird, and the adult not showing this contrast but instead possessing uniform plumage. It was nice to visualise the differences when ageing this species. I really enjoy handling Chaffinches, as they have a special place in my heart.
Bogfinke 2K+ han and 1K han, foto: Susanne Primdahl
Trækket på Odden:
by Lara W
A total of 7,109 birds of 52 species were counted on migration this morning. The morning started with reports from Gedser of large flocks of thrushes passing over the town, so we were hopeful of spotting at least several hundred of these birds migrating past the point. We were not disappointed! Mistle Thrush/Misteldrossel, Redwing/Vindrossel, Fieldfare/Sjagger, and Song Thrush/Sangdrossel were all seen on migration, with a total of 1,337 individuals counted, in both single and mixed-species flocks. Passerine and near-passerine migration in general was good for at least a couple hours of standard time, with 20 species seen, the most abundant of which were Chaffinch/Bogfinke and Brambling/Kvækefinke at 1,235 birds. Several medium-sized flocks of Twite/Bjergirisk were spotted much to our delight, with 63 individuals counted, up by several orders of magnitude from previous days. In addition, 825 Siskin/Grønsisken, 281 Linnet/Tornirisk, and a single late Barn Swallow/Landsvale were counted, among others. Thanks to Benjamin Lisse for keeping his eyes and ears peeled for all the small peep-peeps, as well as doing his level-best to teach me how to identify birds by their flight patterns, grouping, and general movement. I would like to take this opportunity to thank Ben for being a fantastic teacher, birder, and good companion throughout the long hours on the point. If you are reading this Ben, thank you, and good luck with your upcoming university exams!
Raptor migration was much slower than earlier on in the week, with just 19 Sparrowhawk/Spurvehøg and a single Rough-Legged Buzzard/Fjeldvåge making the crossing, although a couple of buzzards were seen hunting around the Fuglestation throughout the course of the morning. The Kestrel/Tårnfalk which has been hunting in the area around the point over much of the last week continued to keep us company, often coming down to earth within 15m of our position. The delicate features and colouring of this bird have always given me pause, the tear-shaped markings, reminiscent of a Cheetah/Gepard, running down from the inner eye corner on either side of the bill; the bill itself – sharply curved, and much more petite than the similar-sized Sparrowhawk’s; the warm reds and browns of the upperparts, paler belly and pantaloons (yes, they are pantaloons, do not try to convince me otherwise!) with their delicate barring, and deep browns and blacks of the primaries all combine to make a truly beautiful looking bird.
Common Kestrel on Gedser Odde, photo credit: Lara Winsloe
The large flocks of Barnacle Goose/Bramgås which are currently taking up residence in the area periodically swept above our heads, venturing a little out to sea before returning inland. We counted 50 of these embarking on migration, although several other geese were also noted flying south: 35 White-fronted Goose/Blisgås, 4 Tundra Bean Goose/Sædgås ssp.rossicus, and 6 Dark-bellied Brent Goose/Knortegås ssp.bernicla. Action on the sea was mainly confined to a couple of hours around the midway point of standard, with 2,318 Common Eider/Ederfugl, 176 Common Scoter/Sortand, and 86 Red-breasted Merganser/Toppet Skallesluger making up the majority. The last few Sandwich Tern/Splitterne appear to be passing, with 4 recorded, although gull migration appears to be picking up in volume, with 29 Common Gull/Stormmåge, 8 Herring Gull/Sølvmåge, 6 Black-headed Gull/Hættemåge, and 7 Little Gull/Dværgmåge recorded. 24 Red-throated Diver/Rødstrubet Lom, 5 Red-necked Grebe/Gråstrubbet Lappedykker, 10 Long-tailed Duck/Havlit and a surprising 13 Razorbill/Alk were also counted, although the appearance on the scene of two adult Gannet/Sule provoked particular interest. One individual remained within sight foraging, for a good half hour, gliding around 25m above the waves before abruptly folding in his wings to plunge downwards like a stone – crashing almost vertically through the waves to emerge, occasionally up to 30 seconds later, with a dramatic breaking of the dark waters around his shockingly white body. Being such a large bird, he was easily visible with the naked eye even several hundred metres out – a real pleasure to witness in his natural environment simply behaving like the wild creature he is.
***
Se alle dagens observationer fra Gedser Odde i DOFbasen.
Folk på stationen: Lara Winsloe, Larissa Britton, Ole Friis Larsen, Anne Hermanns, Birgit Barkholt, Jakob Barkholt, Hans Lind, Susanne Primdahl
Få fugle og mange ringmærkere
Fuglemæssigt var det en stille dag med blot 16 ringmærkninger, men til gengæld var vi flere ringmærkere end sædvanligt. Der var nemlig hele 3 ret nye X-mærkere med på holdet i dag. En X-licens er den første licens, man får tildelt, når man starter som ringmærker.
Hvis vi tæller Hans med, som lige hjalp med et par fugle ved den ene X-mærker, var der hele 6 ringmærkere i gang i dag, så der var rigtig god tid til at snakke om håndtering og bestemmelse af fuglene.
Og så håber vi, at Anne fanger en ugle eller to i aften til at pynte på dagens ringmærkningsresultat.
Dagens ringmærkede (RI) og aflæste (RC) fugle:
Se alle dagens observationer fra Gedser Odde i DOFbasen.
Folk på stationen: Lara Winsloe, Larissa Britton, Ole Friis Larsen, Anne Hermanns, Birgit Barkholt, Jakob Barkholt, Hans Lind, Susanne Primdahl
Sparrowhawk in the garden
Ringing:
by Lara W
65 birds of 12 species were ringed today, with Goldcrest/Fuglekonge making up the majority at 40 individuals. Several thrushes came through too: 1 Blackbird/Solsort, 2 Song Thrush/Sangdrossel, and 3 Redwing/Vindrossel.
I had a lovely second calendar year (2K) male Sparrowhawk/Spurvehøg around midmorning, who as you can see from the photograph below, was almost completely slate-grey on the upperparts aside from a touch of rufous fringing to the lesser coverts along the scapulars, and a couple of brownish feathers over the rump. We also had a recaptured Sparrowhawk, the same male we ringed a couple of days ago, who is clearly still hunting around the station area before embarking on migration.
Male 2k Sparrowhawk/Spurvehøg, note slate-grey upperparts with rufous edges on Lesser covers on the leading edge of the wing (scapulars). Photo credit: Lara Winsloe
Redwing. Photo credit: Lara Winsloe
People at the station: Larissa Britton, Lara Winsloe, Ole Friis Larsen, Anne Hermanns, Susanne Primdahl
Dagens billedbog
Ovenpå gårsdagens altomsluttende tåge var det skønt med en flot solskinsdag, og lunt var det også på grund af den svage vind. Der var ikke det store rykind af fugle, men helt tomt var det heldigvis ikke.
Vi ringmærkede 45 fugle, og det var de mindste ringe, der var brug for. Det var nemlig Gransangerne og Fuglekongerne, som tilsammen udgjorde over halvdelen af dagens ringmærkninger. Især Gransangerne var godt rustet til det fortsatte træk med fedtscorer over middel.
Der blev fanget yderligere 7 arter, hvoraf nogle fremgår af de følgende billeder.
Den første fugl, der blev ramt af kameraet, var denne smukke Solsort han. Det er en ung fugl fra i år, så den har endnu ikke fået sit gule næb og ring om øjet. Foto: Susanne Primdahl
Her ses den udfoldede vinge på samme Solsort, hvor man tydeligt kan se forskellen mellem de brune ungfuglefjer fra fuglens første fjerdragt og de sorte fjer, som er blevet fældet og har den sorte farve, som vi kender fra den voksne Solsort. Foto: Susanne Primdahl
Der var også en enkelt Dompap forbi nettene. Det er en ung hun fra i år, og den havde følgeskab af en anden hun, som lige nåede at vende om ved nettet, da jeg kom hen til det. Der var sandsynligvis også en han sammen med dem, for på næste runde havde Spurvehøgen været forbi, og en stor del af hans fjerdragt lå efterladt ikke langt fra nettet. Foto: Susanne Primdahl
To unge Grønsisken hanner kiggede forbi sidst på formiddagen. Foto: Susanne Primdahl
På lukkerunden sad en ung Spurvehøg i et af nettene. Det gav Larissa mulighed for at ringmærke den art for allerførste gang, og hun klarede det i fin stil.
Jeg ved ikke, om Spurvehøgen havde hørt noget om, at man skal kigge ind i kameraet, eller om den bare forsøgte at se mig den anden vej igennem. Ret nysgerring ser den i hvert fald ud. Foto: Susanne Primdahl
Anne Hermanns er ankommet til stationen i dag, og i skrivende stund er hun allerede i gang med at forsøge at fange ugler, så det bliver spændende at se, om der bliver nogle natfangster at berette om de kommende dage.
Dagens ringmærkede (RI) og aflæste (RC) fugle:
Folk på stationen: Lara Winsloe, Larissa Britton, Ole Friis Larsen, Anne Hermanns, Susanne Primdahl
The Fog
Our morning started out with a fair few Wren/Gærdesmutte (Troglodytes troglodytes) and Goldcrest/Fuglekonge (Regulus regulus), both new birds and recaptures, showing that the station garden, with all its fruit trees, to be of significance to birds stocking up for the oncoming winter and as a migratory pit-stop. Fat scores are taken for all the birds caught, providing insight into how useful the site is for foraging. Much to my delight, a single Blue tit/Blåmejse (Cyanistes caeruleus) was caught, his rather chunky blue feet latching on to my fingers as I extracted him from the net, the better to gain the required leverage for a furious onslaught of pecking. Such a gorgeous little monster!
Blue Tit fresh out of the net, photo credit: Lara W
Catches slowed towards midmorning, as fog crept in from the sea (see Larissa’s beautifully evocative photos below), settling over the garden, muffling the peeps and trills of the birdlife, until all was peacefully still. The resident Kestrel/Tårnfalk (Falco tinnunculus) who often hunts in the meadow beyond the garden, returned several times to perch high up on the metal antenna throughout the morning, backlit by the pinkish dawn sky and, later, her silhouette an ideographic smudge of dark just visible through the fog.
Several Great tit/Musvit (Parus major) flew into the nets too, all male, with their striking mantles of forest green contrasted sharply against deep lemon-yellow underparts and inky blue-black head feathers. Birds at this time of year always appear so much more vibrant in their post-breeding plumage, the crisp autumnal air and diluted tones of the sun perhaps adding a certain edge to their ornamentation.
On the closing round, I was greeted by a juvenile male Sparrowhawk/Spurvehøg (Accipter nisus), glaring upside-down at me with a bewildered yet fierce expression in his pale yellow eyes (the iris of older birds becomes more and more orange). A young bird, from his overall chestnut colouring and heart-shaped markings on the breast feathers, and clearly a male from his small and dainty stature. I have been reading Ian Newton’s The Sparrowhawk (London, 1986), an interest sparked by the many titular birds migrating across Gedser Odde of late, and it seemed especially poignant to be granted the opportunity to study an individual up close. Delicately formed, his long legs ended in sharp, strongly curved talons, designed for puncturing - as my finger gratefully experienced- the pupil constantly dilating and constricting as he took in myself and his surrounds, a reflex denoting this species position as a visual predator. Sparrowhawks predominantly eat birds, with the much smaller males taking prey items of around 5-80g, which goes quite a way to explain the extremely disturbed Goldcrest I found in the net not a metre from the small raptor. Females on the other hand, being of a larger size, prey upon birds of around 20-120g, and are known to also take Woodpigeon/Ringdue (Columba palumbus, a fascinating name to speak aloud!). It is due to this diet that Sparrowhawks migrate south in autumn, as they follow their smaller passerine prey south for the winter. Most of the Sparrowhawks passing us here in Gedser will end up around Spain or thereabouts.
Early in the count, we saw three Long-tailed duck/Havlit (Clangula hyemalis) - it is really exciting to see these arriving. Later in the morning, the fog closed in. After patiently waiting for the fog to lift, emerging from the mist, two Guillemots appeared - one Black/Tejst (Cepphus grylle) and one Common/Lomvie (Uria aalge). Soon after this, a group of three Red-necked Grebe/Gråstrubet Lappedykker (Podiceps grisegena) followed. 12 Red-throated Diver/Rødstrubet Lom (Gavia stellata) and two Black-Throated Diver/Sortstrubet Lom (Gavia arctica) were also counted in the intervals of good visibility. The fog closed in on us once more and, this time, would stay for the remaining duration of the count. Today's foggy interludes were spent chatting, keeping an ear out for any birds flying overhead concealed in the fog, and munching on 'local' (a.k.a, from Denmark) pears - tak, Louis!
Se alle dagens observationer fra Gedser Odde i DOFbasen.
Beautiful challenges
Ringmærkningen: As a guest ringer, only spending six days here, I was not expecting to describe our ringing exploits here as it will take me at least that time to work out protocols and ring sizes, and without understanding a word of Danish. So it was a bit of a surprise to be asked to write a blog on the wettest day of the visit – the offer declined until today when the sun emerged at dawn and the wind dropped to allow us to continue our capture of Goldcrests (Fuglekonger) and Wrens (Gærdesmutte) in good numbers. These were interspersed with Firecrests (Rødtoppet Fuglekonge), a bird rarely seen in the UK but seemingly not uncommon here. But back to the Wrens which are moving in family groups of one or two adults with up to four youngsters. It’s a novelty to see what is usually a sedentary bird moving in migration. This is unlike the extraordinary number of Goldcrest which we know move across seas in the spring and autumn but demand respect that such a small bird of only a few grams can fly such long distances.
So far, the scene is set for a routine morning’s ringing but just to keep us on our toes, a Short-toed Treecreeper (Korttået Træløber) was caught. Not that difficult to tell from my usual Common Treecreeper (Træløber), as the long, curved bill, seen in the photo, is the most obvious and striking feature. There are several other distinguishing features between the species but most are small in detail and best left to the black-art practised by ringers.
Short-toed Treecreeper. Photo: Roger Dickey
When ringing in a different country or environment, it is rather nice to come across old friends, in this case, Chiffchaffs (Gransanger), a solitary House Sparrow (Gråspurv), and a young female Bullfinch (Dompap). Soon after having her ring checked, the sparrow retired to a nearby tree and expressed her lack of amusement with a long tirade of alarm calls.
House Sparrow female. Photo: Susanne Primdahl
And with all these small birds about and with so many Eurasian Sparrowhawk (Spurvehøg) flying overhead, it was almost inevitable that one would chance its luck but become caught in one of our nets. A cold glare from this yellow-eyed raptor makes one almost sorry for any unfortunate potential prey. Ours today was a young female, looking so much larger than the males, and probably an inexperienced hunter, hence becoming trapped in our net.
Today's ringed (RI) and recaptured (RC) birds:
Trækket på Odden: Dagens største udfordring på landets sydligste punkt kom aldrig tæt nok på til at blive set ordentligt, men den trak heller ikke ud, så måske er vi heldige at se rovfuglen igen. Det var en Rørhøg (Circus aeroginosus), som så ud til at have nogle interessante lyse tegninger på undersiden af vingerne, en såkaldt hun-farvet brun fugl. Fugle, som ser anderledes ud, end vi forventer er altid spændende; det kan være usædvanlige mønstre eller tegninger inden for rammerne af den normale variation hos mange arter, men det kan også være sjældne repræsentanter for andre bestande, hybrider af to arter, underarter eller ligefrem arter end dem, vi er vant til at se i den daglige trafik af fugle.
Standardtiden bød ellers på et varieret udvalg af 47 arter uden nogen imponerende antal, med et samlet resultat på 6.000 fugle, hvoraf halvdelen var Ringduer (Columba palumbus) – svenske, finske og russiske fugle på vej til overvintring i Vesteuropa.
Onsdag bød på to udtrækkende Musvåger (Buteo buteo). Statistikken viser med røde søjler, at trækket af Musvåger er kommet godt i gang i anden halvdel af oktober efter længe at have været svagere end normalt (kurven). Trækket tegner lige nu også til at blive større end sidste år, da det også foregik i sidste halvdel af oktober. Grafikken viser intensiteten i trækket som fugle per time i vores standardtid. Kilde: Trektellen.
En af Musvågerne i efterårstrækket ved Gedser Odde sidste år var denne meget lyse variant - bemærk de mørke øjne, som er karakteristiske for adulte/voksne Musvåger og her er særlig tydelige. En af gevinsterne ved at arbejde meget med trækket er oplevelsen af de store variationer, der forekommer hos mange arter. Arkivfoto: Ole Friis Larsen/GFU
Det meste havtræk så ud til at foregå langt ude over havet, hvor vi akkurat kunne ane uskarpe mørke prikker af andefugle flimre i disen og modlyset. Sådan et træk kan vi ikke forholde os til med usikre antal, der for de flestes vedkommende er umulige at bestemme. Standarden ved Gedser Odde siger – som mange andre steder – at vi skal tælle de fugle, vi kan se i håndkikkert og kun bruge teleskopet til hjælp til at bestemme de fugle. Det kan ingen helt overholde, men det er en tommelfingerregel om ikke at bruge tid på de allerfjerneste fugle.
Fra land kom der lidt mere gang i trækket af Spurvehøge (Accipiter nisus). To adulte/voksne hanner af Blå Kærhøg (Circus cyaneus) vakte også opsigt, og flere fik tid til at øve sig på at bestemme småfugle. Ofte er det ikke muligt at bruge detaljer i fjerdragten til identifikation, men så kan vi arbejde med flokkenes størrelse, bevægelsesmønstre og tæthed i kombination med fuglenes silhuet – og når der er folk med særlig god hørelse: fuglenes kald.
Se alle dagens observationer fra Gedser Odde i DOFbasen.
Folk på stationen: Lara Winsloe, Larissa Britton, Susanne Primdahl, Roger Dickey, Mads Elley, Ole Friis Larsen.
Skønne skandinaviske konger
Ringmærkningen: Allerede i går lignede vejrudsigten noget, der ikke ville give mulighed for en standardmærkning i dag. Der var udsigt til regn hele formiddagen, men man skal aldrig opgive håbet.
Vi fik lavet datatjek helt frem til dags dato, og derefter fik vi lige nøjagtigt åbnet nettene 5 minutter før deadline. Når det er for dårligt vejr fra morgenstunden, må vi nemlig højst forsinke åbningen med to timer.
Det støvregnede stadig, så vi åbnede kun 6 net og gik de første runder hvert kvarter for ikke at få våde fugle. Efterhånden kom solen frem og gav os det skønneste vejr, mens nettene leverede lidt fugle på næsten hver eneste runde. Og det var heldigt, at vi fik åbnet i rette tid til at tage imod to udenlandske gæster.
Først kunne Roger pille en svensk Fuglekonge ud af nettet, og allerede på næste runde fik jeg en finsk Fuglekonge, så der var glæde på ringmærkerfronten. Det er altid noget særligt, når der dukker fugle op, som er ringmærket i udlandet.
Fuglekongerne dominerede endnu en gang billedet, som det har været tilfældet i flere dage, mens Gærdesmutterne ikke gjorde så meget væsen af sig i dag. Det kan meget vel være den sene netåbning, der er årsagen til det, for Gærdesmutterne kommer næsten altid i størst antal tidligt på morgenen.
Sådan ser en svensker forresten ud. Foto: Susanne Primdahl
Og sådan ser en finne ud, når det handler om Fuglekonger. Foto: Susanne Primdahl
Dagens ringmærkede (RI) og aflæste (RC) fugle:
Trækket på Odden: Når vi går ud for at tælle trækfugle og indsamle data, er det altid bedst at tage ud på Odden uden forventninger om noget som helst – så bliver man ikke skuffet. Denne tirsdag startede vådt, og regnen fortsatte to en halv time ind i standardtiden. Det gav kun ganske få fugle i havtrafikken og ingen fra land. Dagens mest bemærkelsesværdige oplevelse var imidlertid, at der næsten heller ingen fugle kom, da regnen sluttede, og det oven i købet klarede op til noget solskin.
Efter en halv times sol kunne vi se en flok på 27 Musvåger (Buteo buteo) kredse over området. 14 af dem trak kort efter ud mod syd, mens resten forsvandt tilbage mod nord, men det var så nok dem, der lidt efter lidt kom sivende og bragte det samlede træk af Musvåger op på lige netop 27. Efter mandagens store træk af Spurvehøge (Accipiter nisus) troede vi, at opklaringen ville sætte gang i nogle Spurvehøge, men der kom kun tre i løbet af de to en halv time med tørvejr. Den slags oplevelser er med til at gøre det interessant at registrere fugletræk, som vi helt oplagt stadig mangler masser af viden om.
Vores beslutning om systematisk at køns- og aldersbestemme Fjeldvåger (Buteo lagopus) på træk var en særdeles overkommelig udfordring tirsdag, da der kun kom en enkelt i standardtiden, og den kom så fint tæt forbi, at den uden videre kunne bestemmes til en 1k ung Fjeldvåge fra i år.
Tirsdagens enlige Fjeldvåge på udtræk var en ung fugl fra i år. Den kan aldersbestemmes på lys iris i øjet, mørk bugplet (selv om den ikke er helt tæt), diffus overgang til mørkt bånd på undersiden af vingerne og halen. Foto: Ole Friis Larsen/GFU
Trækket af småfugle forblev småt, og opklaringen satte ikke skub i fugle ude over havet, snarere tvært imod. Til gengæld betød opklaringen, at vi kunne se de få, der trods alt var.
Se alle dagens observationer fra Gedser Odde i DOFbasen.
Folk på stationen: Lara Winsloe, Larissa Britton, Susanne Primdahl, Roger Dickey, Mads Elley, Ole Friis Larsen.
Mandagstrafik præget af høj kvalitet
Ringmærkningen: Fra morgenen var det temmelig blæsende, så vi var nødt til at lade nogle af nettene være lukkede. Men en af fordelene ved den dejlige stationshave er, at der stort set altid kan findes steder i læ af buske og træer, hvor vi kan åbne net. I dag lykkedes det at bruge ca. halvdelen af havens netmeter.
Det blev en meget stille dag, og det var primært fugle fra de seneste dage, der besøgte os. Nogle gange er kvalitet dog bedre end kvantitet, og jeg tror, Lara var helt tilfreds med kvaliteten, da hun satte ring på sin allerførste Rødtoppede Fuglekonge.
Kun 6 fugle fik ring på, og 10 tidligere ringmærket i haven blev aflæst. Vi fik stadig vores daglige motion på netrunderne, og så var der god tid til at udveksle erfaringer og metoder med Roger.
Rødtoppet Fuglekonge. Foto: Lara Winsloe
Dagens ringmærkede (RI) og aflæste (RC) fugle:
Trækket på Odden: Et fint træk af Fjeldvåger (Buteo lagopus) for tredje dag i træk pyntede på statistikken, og trækket af Fjeldvåger tegner endda til at blive et af de mere imponerende i de seneste år. Fjeldvågerne er kommet senere, end de skulle ifølge gennemsnittet for Gedser Odde, men tidligere end sidste år og de seneste dage i betydeligt større antal.
I gruppen af frivillige, som arbejder med at registrere trækket af fugle på Gedser Odde, besluttede vi mandag morgen at indlede et projekt, hvor vi i de næste fem år dagligt vil alders- og kønsbestemme så mange Fjeldvåger som muligt for at få et bedre overblik over trækket. Det samme vil vi gøre med Hvepsevågerne, men det er ikke længere aktuelt for i år.
Grafikken fra vores tællinger af Fjeldvåger i den hollandske database Trektellen viser, at trækket af Fjeldvåger i de seneste dage (grønne søjler) er eksploderet efter indtil nu at været bagud i forhold til gennemsnittet (stregen), men dog er begyndt tidligere i år end sidste år (røde søjler) og allerede er større. Grafikken viser intensiteten i trækket som fugle per time i vores fem standardtimer. Kilde: Trektellen
Tallene vil fremgå af DOFbasen. Mandag så vi 40 Fjeldvåger i standardtiden. Det var 17, som vi ikke kunne bestemme nærmere på grund af afstand og belysning, 13 adulte/voksne hanner, 5 adulte/voksne hunner, 3 juvenile/1k og 2 adulte/voksne, som vi ikke kunne kønsbestemme på grund af forholdene.
Nogle Musvåger (Buteo buteo) kan til forveksling ligne adulte/voksne hanner af Fjeldvåger som fuglen herover fra mandagens træk på Gedser Odde, men bemærk blandt andet mønstrede knopletter og mørke dækfjer på Musvågen til forskel fra Fjeldvågen herunder. Foto: Ole Friis Larsen/GFU
Over 208 Spurvehøge (Accipiter nisus) pyntede også gevaldigt på et ellers slunkent træk af de små her, der og allevegne-rovfugle, der altid er en storslået oplevelse, når de kommer susende tæt forbi mennesker på Odden.
Trækket af Spurvehøge (grønne søjler) har indtil nu mest ligget under gennemsnittet (stregen), men sidste år var det sene træk af Spurvehøge også større end normalt (røde søjler). Kilde: Trektellen
Adult/voksen han i dagens strøm af Spurvehøge. De unge har bleggule øjne, som efterhånden bliver mørkere. Øjenfarven på denne han passer på en han, der er 1-2 år. Foto: Ole Friis Larsen/GFU
Mandagens træk var i det hele taget et rovfugletræk med ligeså mange Musvåger (Buteo buteo) som Fjeldvåger og kun beskedne antal fugle i havtrækket ud af Østersøen.
Se alle dagens observationer fra Gedser Odde i DOFbasen.
Folk på stationen: Lara Winsloe, Larissa Britton, Roger Dickey, Ole Friis Larsen og Susanne Primdahl
Buzzards & Goldcrests
Ringmærkningen: October ringing continues apace. Today, there were 69 new birds and 11 recaptures, with Fuglekonge/Goldcrest (Regulus regulus) dominating this total (see table with totals, below). Ringing feels like a unique ritual, with each ringer having a preferred way of doing things. Every ringer I have worked with here is very open and willing to teach and show their ways, for me to then decide what I feel most “natural” doing. I am learning so much every day, for which I am very grateful.
I thought I ought to mention the Fungi of the fuglestation. Mushrooms are cropping up around every corner and, in recent days, a nice Stor Parykhat/Shaggy Inkcap (Coprinus comatus) has appeared on a shady patch of lawn (see photograph below). These are edible when young, albeit with a very short shelf life due to deliquescence (when this mushroom ‘digests itself’, practically melting! Spooky stuff, it is the season, after all).
Stor Parykhat/Shaggy Inkcap (Coprinus comatus), foto: Larissa Britton
Trækket på Odden:
by Lara W
I realise it seems trite to start each blog with a weather report, but I do not think I can overstate how wonderful it is to see the approaching dawn, with all its varied colours, when walking towards the point each day to start the migration count. Today the deepest mix of magenta and vermillion was streaked across the horizon, a band of dark payne’s grey of cloud above and ultramarine waters below. Breathtaking.
Migration numbers totalled 5196 individuals of 55 species, showing a good spread of biodiversity, even if overall abundance was relatively low for so late in the season. A fair few gulls were counted moving south, including 36 Common Gull/Stormmåge, 8 Caspian/Kaspisk Måge (along with 1 flying north), and 31 Herring Gull/Sølvmåge. Raptor numbers continued apace, and by the late morning, it seemed the buzzards were queuing up to leave. A total of 58 Rough-Legged buzzard/Fjeldvåge, 20 Common buzzard/Musvåge, and 126 Sparrowhawk/Spurvehøg migrated south today, some passing close enough to satisfy the photographers in the group. Getting an up-close look at the rough-legs over the past two days has certainly solidified positive identification of this species in my mind, when I first started (wow, 7 weeks ago!), I had great difficulty discerning between the three buzzard species present, but I feel I am slowly getting there! I can only thank the other regular birders at Gedser Odde for being such wonderful and patient teachers.
Rough-legged Buzzard/Fjeldvåge on migration, photo credit: Ole Friis Larsen.
Out to sea, we had a flock of 19 Pink-footed geese/Kortnæbbet Gæs passing south, along with 24 Dark-bellied Brent Goos/Knortegås, 55 Barnacle/Bramgås, and 102 White-fronted Goose/Blisgås. 6 Crane/Trane were seen flying far out to sea, and 2 Red-necked Grebe/ Gråstrubet Lappedykker. Looking over our shoulders to the west, we were treated to a view of approximately 2500 Golden Plover/Hjelje rising en emasse from their position on the island, to flock high above, their alternating golden and white colours reflecting like mirrors across the intervening kilometres.
Passerine migration was highest in the earlier hours of the morning, with 2531 individuals counted of 16 species, including 1086 Chaffinch/Brambling/Bogfinke/Kvækerfinke, 820 Sisken/Grønsisken, 340 Linnet/Tornirisk and 78 Meadow Pipit/Engpiber, plus a single Great Grey Shrike/Stor Tornskade. Thanks to Benjamin Lisse for keeping eyes and ears peeled for the small peep-peeps flying out south!
One final note before I sign off for the evening: take a look at this little cutie seen in Gedser earlier tonight!
A Hedgehog/Pindsvin in Gedser town, photo credit: Lara Winsloe
See all observations from Sunday at Gedser Odde in DOFbasen.
People at the observatory: Lara Winsloe, Larissa Britton, Susanne Primdahl, Rie Birkelund Elgaard Jensen, Ole Friis Larsen and Roger Dickey.
En Kongeederfugl!
Ringmærkning:
Ganske som i går var det en dag med en tilpas mængde fugle.
Om aftenen havde vi et arrangemetn med temaet "Nat i natuen". Eftermiddagen blev brugt på at checke om data er blevet lagt korrekt i vores databasen. Så alt i alt blev det en lang travl dag.
Vi lader derfor tabellen nedenfor fortælle resten om dagens mærkning.
Trækket på Odden:
by Lara W
The day began with a sky full of pinks, golds, and washed-out blues as the sun rose above the waves, rounded clouds tinted with light as the dawn broke. A total of 4442 individual birds of 42 species were counted during standard time. A great many Barnacle geese/Bramgæs periodically arose in long lines, swarming the inland horizon with honks and the whistling of wings, as they flew from one foraging area to another. Throughout the morning, we were treated to a flurry of activity from the raptors passing south, with 93 Rough-Legged Buzzard/Fjeldvåge, 64 Sparrowhawk/Spurvehøg, and 9 Common buzzard/Musvåge flying out over our heads and also coming out over Gedser harbour. A White-tailed Eagle/Havørn was spotted lazily gliding out over the sea, passing round the point and disappearing off to the small sandy island to the west, most likely on a foraging trip, his wing tips dipping in and out of the early morning haze.
Dawn over Gedser Odde, photo credit: Lara Winsloe
Flocks of seabirds were somewhat fewer than on previous days, with 1376 Common Eider/Ederfugl, 493 Wigeon/Pibeand, and 145 White-fronted goose/Blisgås counted. Interspersed between these flocks, and often intermingled, were 13 Tufted duck/Troldand, 6 Scaup/Bjergand, and 3 Goldeneye/Hvinand. Around midmorning, a majestic adult Gannet/Sule flew across the horizon, strong and sure wingbeats carrying him swiftly onwards.
After standard time ended, a few of us stayed to watch the migration continue into the afternoon, although I will admit I spent more time reading than birding! A report had come from Sandhammaren, Sweden, of an eclipse male King Eider/Kongeederfugl which had passed them at approximately 1030 this morning, and we were hopeful of catching a glimpse. We were in luck. After scanning carefully each Eider flock, at 14:58, a bird matching this description appeared, to our hoots of joy. The distinctively large bill with prominent orange knob at the base was a dead giveaway, a wonderful sight! Given the time this bird was originally spotted in Sweden (if it was indeed, the same individual), it means he flew at least 170km in just under 4.5 hours, quite a feat! A male in full breeding plumage was also reported passing Sweden in the last couple days, so perhaps we will spot him in the days to come.
People at the station: Lara Winsloe, Larissa Britton, Susanne Primdahl, Rie Birkelund Elgaard Jensen, Søren Mygind, Ole Friis Larsen.