Ringmærkningen: Der var regn på radaren, men jeg tog chancen da det kun var en kort byge som var på vej.

Vinden gjorde dog at jeg måtte lukke 4 af de 5 net på første runde. DMI for Gedser virker pt ikke så det er svært at vide hvor meget vind der rigtigt er før man kommer ud til nettene.

Det eneste vi fik fanget i dag blev nogle blade, men heldigvis ser vejret godt ud for fangst i morgen.

Kristian og Benthe kom på besøg om eftermiddagen og havde kage med, stort tak for det!

Dagens fangst/Todays catch

Blade/Leafs 123

Trækket på Odden: En kold og grå morgen med kun en enkelt observatør til at registrere ikke ret mange fugle, det er et vilkår i den sene del af november, men uvant for dette efterår, som har været præget af, at vi har været heldige at have flere folk på fuglestationen med interesse i at registrere trækket. Kedeligt var det dog ikke at stå i læ af hækken på hele Nordens yderste spids mod syd med udsigt til dramatiske skyformationer og brusende bølger lige under klinten.

Der kom lige over seks hundrede fugle på træk i løbet af de seks timer, svarende til to fugle per minut. På sådan en dag uden travlhed var der til gengæld tid til at kigge efter specialiteter blandt mågerne; der var ingen, men træningen var god. Desuden kom der fugle forbi med smukke detaljer i fjerdragterne. Undersiderne på hannerne af de Store Skalleslugere (Mergus merganser) er okkergule for tiden, og det var en af dagens store glæder at få et par stykker tæt forbi. En iransk flygtning i Holland skrev for nogle år siden en roman om familiens liv i en moske, før præstestyret kom til. Ef af afsnittene handlede om medlemmer af familien, som satte fælder på taget for at fange trækfugle for at tegne detaljer i fjerdragterne af som inspiration til mønstre i tæpper, hvorefter fuglene (naturligvis) blev sluppet fri igen. Sådan kan man også stå på Gedser Odde og glæde sig over detaljer i de forbitrækkende fugles dragter.

De voksne hanner af Store Skalleslugere, som kommer forbi nu lyser op over de grå omgivelser i deres stærkt farvede pragtdragter. Undersidens farve kan variere efter kosten. Nogle er laksefarvede, andre med gullige. Foto: Ole Friis Larsen/GFU

Tid til fordybelse: Vi ser både hunner og hanner af Hvinænder (Bucephala clangula) i trækket. Nogle dage er der tid til at kigge dem bedre igennem. Her er det til at se, at det er en ung hun fra i år på det ufuldstændige mørke bånd gennem det hvide felt på oversiden af vingen. Øjet er og næbbet er ikke kun mørkt på grund af gråvejret, men afslører også en ung fugl til forskel fra en voksen hun med lyst gult øje og lysere næb. Foto: Ole Friis Larsen/GFU

Ud over trækket har der samlet sig flere tusinde Ederfugle (Somateria mollissima) til det årlige vinterophold ud for Gedser Odde. De ligger mest lidt langt ude, men det er noget af et skue, når der sejler en lodsbåd gennem flokken, og alle letter for at flytte sig. Der er også Sortænder (Melanitta nigra) og de små, elegante Havlitter (Clangula hyemalis) med i showet, men langt de fleste er Ederfugle, som røber sig med mikset af sort-hvide hanner og brune hunner og ungfugle.

Tusindvis af Ederfugle har slået sig ned på vandet ud for Gedser Odde. De ses bedst, når de flytter sig for en lodsbåd. Blandingen af lyse sort-hvide hanner og brune fugle afslører arten. Foto: Ole Friis Larsen

Se alle dagens observationer fra Gedser Odde i DOFbasen.

Folk på fuglestationen: Larissa Britton, Henrik Jørgensen, Ole Friis Larsen.

Ringmærkningen:

Der var rim på både bænke og græs da nettene skulle op, men heldigvis ikke i nettene.

Det var en flot dag til at starte med og solen var på så da vi havde haft 2 runder uden fugle(pga sol på nettene så fuglene kunne se dem) valgte vi at lukke og gå ud på Odden til de andre.

Larissa fik endnu en ny ringmærkningsart- stillits!

Lige nu ser det skidt ud for fangst i morgen da der loves regn, men vi håber det går uden om.

Dagens ringmærkning/Todays ringing:

Solsort/Blackbird 1

Bogfinke/Chaffinch 1

Stillits/Goldfinch 3

Grønsisken/Siskin 6

Total 11

Migration:

 by Lara W

This morning’s count was bittersweet, as it was my last time monitoring migration....at least until next Spring. Larissa will follow me back to the UK in the next few days. Ole and I were joined around halfway through the morning by Larissa and Henrik, and we four spent a happy few hours watching the birds pass by, as we laughed, and reminisced, and tried not to feel too sad.

The skies above seemed to mirror our feelings: a brilliantly glowing orange dawn gave way to spectacular cloud formations, with bright white puffballs to the north, and tremendous granite-grey anvils to the south. These dark clouds emitted sheets of rain way out to sea, with the beginnings of small twisters forming, winding downwards to the churning water below. The Eider/Ederfugl which have been resting around the point for a number of days now were still present in abundance (we estimated around 3,500), and would spontaneously erupt into fierce vortexes, the small wedge of clear sky between the sea and the clouds above becoming filled with their whirling silhouettes.

Dramatic skies over Gedser Odde, photo credit: Lara W. 

Migration numbers were relatively low, with 1,084 birds of 27 species counted. These included 90 Red-throated diver/Rødstrubet Lom, 104 Mallard/Gråand, 124 Barnacle goose/Bråmgas, 39 Whooper Swan/Sangsvane, and 155 Common Scoter/Sortand. We waited to see if the 18 Red Kite/Rød Glente from yesterday appeared, but had no luck. Instead, 3 White-tailed Eagle/Havørn, 1 Rough-legged Buzzard/Fjeldvåge, 5 Common Buzzard/Musvåge, and a single male Kestrel/Tårnfalk were spotted flying south.

As my time here at Gedser came to a close, I looked about me at the Point/Odde where so many birds have passed. There are so many good people, friends, and birders, who I have chanced to meet and spend time with here. My heartfelt thanks to each and every one of you, for your guidance, companionship, and good spirit. It is hard to leave, but I look forward to seeing you all again in Spring.

Vi ses!

The team at GFU (from right to left): Ole, Henrik, and Larissa. Photo credit Lara W. 

På stationen: Ole Friis Larsen, Larissa Britton, Lara Winsloe, Henrik Jørgensen

Ringmærkningen: Thankfully, the wind dipped enough today to allow us to ring for a few hours. After hearing Henrik talking consistently about his Redpolls/Gråsisken for the last couple of weeks, we were ecstatic to finally see one in the nets. I really appreciate Henrik letting me ring this bird, which was a new species for me. Also, my grattitude for teaching me a new way to measure wing length. We were lucky with Siskin/Grønsisken today, as well, with 12 ringed.

Mads and Tina popped by to the station after we closed the nets, bringing Smørrebrød for lunch. Thank you both from the bottom of our hearts for the lovely food and company. 

Trækket på Odden: 

by Lara W

Today saw a total of 2,146 birds of 27 species migrating, along with approximately 4000 Eider/Ederfugl resting on the water. 

Taken through the scope, around 4000 Eider/Ederfugl resting in a wide swathe out on the water. Photo credit: Lara W. 

It was fairly drizzly rain for most of the morning, so we took shelter under the old building at the point. Patio heaters being distinctly lacking, all three of us ended up losing most of the feeling in our toes and fingers, but a good time was had by all. Quite a few Divers/Lommer passed by, often in groups of 4 or 5, with a total of 206 Red-throated diver/Rødstrubet Lom, and 9 Black-throated diver/Sortstrubet Lom. A number of auks also passed - 16 Razorbill/Alk and 10 Guillemot/Lomvie, speeding by like the little torpedos they are. Several larger flocks of Velvet scoter/Fløjlsand came through too, totalling 168, plus 527 of their smaller cousins, the Common scoter/Sortand. 5 different gull/måge species were spotted: 33 Black-headed gull/Hættemåge, 14 Common gull/Stormmåge, 8 Herring gull//Sølvmåge, 8 Great Black-backed gull/Svartbag, and a single adult Caspian gull/Kaspisk måge. 

The only raptors seen were Red Kite/Rød Glente. A total of 28 came to the point, although only 9 migrated southwards into the oncoming rain. Two perched for a while in the small copse in the field behind the point, feathers ruffled and heads dipped low in a rather dejected pose.  Red Kites are known to go south as far as Italy, the Balkans, and northern Turkey - no wonder several braved the weather, the call of warmer climes must be pretty strong!

Se alle dagens observationer fra Gedser Odde i DOFbasen.

Folk på stationen: Larissa Britton, Lara Winsloe, Ole Friis Larsen, Henrik Jørgensen, Tina Elley, og Mads Elley

Ringmærkningen: Conditions were too rainy and windy for ringing today. Hans came by the station today and picked up the nets taken down by Henrik earlier this week. 

Trækket på Odden: Sea foam tossed up by the high winds littered my path as I walked to the tip before sunrise this morning. These high winds were set to continue for the duration of the count, so I sought shelter in the Marine Station. Very few birds counted by me today. A flock of Bean Geese/Sædgås was a nice treat, flying by relatively close. Also several Razorbill/Alk recorded. A solo count for me today meant that I had to find ways to entertain myself with the low number of migrating birds. Singing 80's songs seemed to do the trick. Depeche Mode and Duran Duran, mostly. Apologies to any beach goers for my pitchy renditions (particularly my version of Personal Jesus), but I hoped the blankets of rain and strong wind drowned me out. The weather is forecast to be similarly galey over the coming days, but we will see if the wind blows in anything exciting. 

Se alle dagens observationer fra Gedser Odde i DOFbasen.

Folk på stationen: Larissa Britton, Lara Winsloe, Ole Friis Larsen, og Henrik Jørgensen

Ringmærkningen:

Da nettene skulle op regnede de, så de kom først op 7.30. Vinden var lige på kanten og allerede 8.30 valgte vi at lukke da der kom regn og vinden havde taget lidt til.

Heldigvis var det ikke forgæves da en enkelt solsort gik i det ene af de 5 net.

I morgen ser det ud til at der ikke  kan sættes net op pga alt for meget vind.

Dagens ringmærkning/Todays ringing:

Solsort/Blackbird 1

Migration:

by Lara W

Today brought a total of 2,609 birds of 30 species on migration past Gedser Odde, plus a fair number of resting birds out to sea (Common Eider/Ederfugl being the most prevalent at approximately 2,500 individuals). 1 Sparrowhawk/Spurvehøg, a White-tailed Eagle/Havørn, 1 Common Buzzard/Musvåge, 6 Snow Bunting/Snespurv, and 600 Golden Plover/Hjejle were also counted around the point, although not actually migrating.

The activity of the Eider once again commanded most of our attention. A similar number to yesterday were out resting at sea, seemingly unconcerned by the choppy waves brought by the rather high winds. Two pairs of Eider we observed close to shore even performed courtship displays, which are commonly performed both in and out of the breeding season. Both males displayed what has been dubbed “Cooing-movement 1 and Bill-toss” (see the images below and accompanying references if you are interested to learn more), which has been noted in Common Eider and Spectacled Eider/Brilleederfugl. A rapid backward toss of the head so it invariably touches the back, causing the chest and neck to raise upwards, displaying their rather striking pink feathers in this region. The movement is often accompanied by a cooing ak-kooo call, although sadly the birds were drowned out by the rather violent crashing of the waves so we were unable to hear if they made these sounds. In any case, the two female birds seemed pleasantly entertained, responding with bill-tosses of their own to these attentions.

Above: Image showing a Common Eider/Ederfugl performing “Cooing-movement 1”, taken from Johnsgard, P.A., “Comparative Behaviour and Relationships of the Eiders” (1964), Papers in Ornithology, 63.

Still taken from a youtube video (credit to Michael Billerbeck – Birds & Nature) illustrating the Cooing-movement 1 behaviour as described in the paper above (Johnsgard, 1964). 

Other birds of note on migration were 10 Whooper Swan/Sangsvane; 4 Gannet/Sule, one of which sped by extremely quickly, looking rather like a finned torpedo; 3 Black-throated Diver/Sortstrubet Lom; 19 Red Kite/Rød Glente; 353 Brambling/Kvækerfinke, and 755 Siskin/Grønsisken.

In those moments of relative peace, we watched the skies. Strong winds scudded the clouds and rain showers along above us, we saw a brief hail/snow downpouring off to the north-west as a sheet of white against the grey cloud behind, even a rainbow came out to say hello. The waters remained stubbornly opaque, a kind of soapy green topped with white crests for the most part, though the skies above changed colour as often as blinking. Sulphur yellow, white gold, payne’s gray, ultramarine, slate and pink and cerulean and chalk.

Skies over Gedser Odde, photo credit: Lara W

På stationen: Lara Winsloe, Larissa Britton, Henrik Jørgensen

Ringing: 

Due to fairly strong winds, none of the nets were opened at the station today. As the season for standard ringing is almost over, Henrik took the opportunity to take down all the nets barring 5, and he also powered through all the data checking, so we are now fully up to date! Thanks Henrik!

Migration count at Gedser Odde:

We had an exceptional day at the point, particular with regards to the number of Common Eider/Ederfugl on migration. A total of 15,402 Eider were counted migrating, with a further 2,400 resting on the sea, a remarkable number for November. Sometimes, when the birds rest on the sea like this, we see them almost circling around - flying south for a little ways only to come back north, or simply moving a few hundred metres from one "restaurant" to another. We made doubly sure that those birds counted "migrating" were absolutely moving purposefully south. The numbers were truly incredible, and at one point, the pilot boat chugged its way right across the area of the sea where we had spotted most of the Eider resting - a veritable swarm of birds arose, stacked perhaps 20m off the water and stretching for 300m at least north-south. These birds came back down to rest after the boat had passed, but it gave us a much better idea of just how many birds were resting on the water. We think this vast number of Eider have finally been pushed to migrate south (as numbers have been significantly lower for a good fortnight or more) by approaching low pressure from further north in the Baltic Sea. 

In total, 17,242 birds of 24 species were counted migrating; as stated above, the vast majority of these were Eider. However, larger numbers of Common Scoter/Sortand and Long-tailed Duck/Havlit were also seen migrating, with 930 and 358 counted respectively. Red-breasted Merganser/Toppet Skallesluger were also seen in good numbers (287), along with a few less common species such as Red-necked Grebe/Gråstrubet Lappedykker (4) and Razorbill/Alk (22). 

A single Gannet/Sule was spotted relatively close to shore, plus 14 Great White Egret/Sølvhejre, which at first glance I thought were Swans/Svaner, given they flew from the north low over the water - every other time we have seen this species over the point, they have flown much higher and only in flocks of up to 6. 

Great White Egret/Sølvhejre on migration at Gedser Odde, approximately 1km off-shore. Photo credit: LAH

All in all, a very blustery morning with plenty of birdlife to distract us from our increasingly numb fingers and toes! 

People at the station: Larissa Britton, Henrik Jørgensen, Lara Winsloe

Ringmærkningen: 

Der var lidt mere vind i dag så igen forblev nogle få net lukket da de fanger for mange blade.

Det var helt stille i haven med fugle så de net som ikke var oppe blev taget ned for i år.

Der var også tid til at få lavet datatjek mellem runderne, så der er nu kun det som er i de 2 mapper tilbage.

I dag var sidste dag med standardringmærkning, så fra i morgen vil de fleste net blive taget ned for i år, men nogle få forbliver oppe til en gang slut december alt efter vejret.

Om lidt vil vi tage lidt flere net ned da de lover skidt vejr med både kraftig blæst og regn den næste uges tid.

Vejret den næste uges tid ser skidt ud for fangst i haven, men forhåbenligt kan der komme et enkelt net op.

Dagens ringmærkninger og kontrol/Todays ringing and recapture:

Fuglekonge/Goldcrest 1

Rødhals/Robin 1

Solsort/Blackbird 1(1)

Total 3(1)

Trækket på Odden: Today, it was just Louis and I at the tip (we were missing Ole and Lara). The weather was not as pleasant as yesterday, but a greater movement of birds for which I was grateful. We had yet another (!) Great Northern Diver/Islom – the third counted at the tip over the last month. Then, a burst of avian activity. Louis heard a Serin/Gulirisk in a flock of Twite/Bjergirisk, making us jump to our feet. Then, a Hen Harrier/Blå kærhøg interrupted our chatting as it flew just metres from us. Almost simultaneously, we heard a Snow Bunting/Snespurv as it flew by. A really exhilarating few minutes. Later on, we heard and observed two more Snow Bunting, though these individuals were not migrating. Near the end of the count, we had a group of 13 Red Kite/Rød glente fly overhead, which was a perfect conclusion to a sweet morning of quality birding.

Se alle dagens observationer fra Gedser Odde i DOFbasen.

Folk på stationen: Larissa Britton og Henrik Jørgensen

Ringmærkningen: 

Der var lidt vind så nogle få net der var udsat for vind(og så også en masse blade) blev ikke åbnet.

Der var meget stille da nettene skulle op så vi vidste at det nok ville blive en ret stille dag. Stille blev det så også for der var kun fugle på første runde og de 2 sidste.

Da jeg havde god tid kunne jeg vaske fugleposer(som også bliver brugt om 2 dage når nettene skal pakkes ned i dem).

Lara og hendes forældre tog til København, men Lara er tilbage i morgen eftermiddag/aften.

Der loves 8 m/s vind i morgen så det bliver ikke alle net som kommer op på dagens sidste standarddag.

Trækket på Odden: I took over the count from Ole at around 9:30 today, just as the cloud was lifting. Conditions cleared up nicely, but the light made it tricky to sex Eiders, for example. There was good raptor movement this morning, with Sparrowhawk/Spurvehøg, Red Kite/Rød Glente, Common Buzzard/Musvåge, one Rough-legged Buzzard/Fjeldvåge, and a single Hen Harrier/Blå kærhøg. I had good views of Gannet/Sule, too. Ole and I recorded a single late Sandwich Tern/Splitterne, as well. Once back at the station, we had a sleepy afternoon. We also went to collect some firewood to light the fire. With my hands full of logs, I went to return to the house but stacked it and fell backwards. Henrik and I laughed, but now come to think of it, my leg hurts... 

Ringmærkningen: Et hurtigt kig på dagens vejr meldte om kommende regn i løbet af standardtiden, men vi satte næsten alt op da det kun var lyseblåt på radaren (let regn). Det dryppede kun men en times tid kom der lidt regn men heldigvis så lidt at vi sagtens kunne fortsætte.

Fuglekonge havde vi kun 1 af i dag, det har ellers været en af dem som vi har fanget flest af de sidste mange dage.

Hans var en kort tur forbi fuglestationen.

Lara og hendes forældre kørte en tur til Lolland ved middag.

I morgen skulle det holde tørt, men med lidt mere vind (dog ikke meget).

Efter middag kom Tina ud på fuglestationen så vi alle kunne få handlet da vi var løbet tør, stort tak for det!

Trækket på Odden: Morgenen startede smukt med en glødende solopgang mellem skyerne over havet, og der var fuld knald på farverne i nogle få øjeblikke, før det hele lukkede til, og vejrradarens varsel om regn forekom realistisk. Vi endte med at få et par timers finregn og ellers gråt i gråt gennem de fem timer. Det betød ikke, at det blev en kedelig dag.

Selv om dagens tal endte i den lave ende af skalaen med lige under 1.900 fugle fordelt på 30 arter, var det smukt at se lidt Spurvehøge (Accipiter nisus) flyve ud over havet. En af dem var endda så venlig at lande og stå til skue et øjeblik på græsset ved klinten, en stor gråblå hun med ravfarvede øjne, næsten som en Duehøg (Accipiter gentilis). På et andet tidspunkt fortrød en gruppe på 8 Røde Glenter (Milvus milvus) deres udtræk, vendte om og satte sig et stort træ i haven til en af gårdene i baglandet. Da de senere lettede, sluttede de sig til 29 nye Røde Glenter, og alle 37 trak ud i samlet flok, meget smukt.

I havtrækket var der god underholdning og udfordring for dagens hold – Lara, hendes far Mark og undertegnede – i mere end et halvt hundrede lommer, godt med skalleslugere, hvoraf de Toppede Skalleslugere (Mergus merganser) nåede op over 200, og endnu en pæn dag for de lysryggede Bjergænder (Aaythya marila), som nåede over 100 i tætte flokke. Værd at bemærke var også trækket på næsten 100 Fløjlsænder (Melanitta fusca).

Træk af Bjergænder er et forholdsvis almindeligt syn ved Gedser Odde i det sene efterår, men intensiteten har de seneste dage været usædvanlig på dette tidspunkt af november. De røde søjler viser trækket i dette efterår, de grønne søjler sidste års træk, og kurven er gennemsnittet over flere år. De seneste dages træk svarer til gennemsnittet midt i december og ligger desuden langt over sidste  års mere beskedne træk af Bjergænder. Grafik: Trektellen

Se alle dagens observationer fra Gedser Odde i DOFbasen.

 Folk på stationen: Lara Winsloe, Laras forældre, Larissa Britton, Henrik Jørgensen, Ole Friis Larsen.

Ringmærkningen:

af Larissa Britton

Another day with lower expectations (regarding number totals) has surprised us. As with previous days, we had some time in between rounds, so Henrik utilised this productively and did some data checking. I, on the other hand, used this time to catch some zzz's - rest is productive, too.

Whilst extracting a couple of Goldcrest/Fuglekonge, we both watched as a Eurasian Treecreeper/Træløber flew straight into the net (the first Træløber ringed in Denmark was in 1922, according to The Danish Bird Migration Atlas). Other than this, the usual suspects today: Blackbird/Solsort, Robin/Rødhals, Dunnock/Jernspurv, Wren/Gærdesmutte, and a single Redwing/Vindrossel. As always, I keep a holistic eye out around the gardens for other flora and fauna - and fungi. Today, a nice species of Waxcap/Vokshat (Hygrocybe, pictured below).

After the count, Lara and I met with Ole, Tina, and Mads, to discuss our return to the station next Spring. Much to our delight, they brought Cinnamon cake to said meeting - lækkert!

Hygrocybe sp., foto: Larissa Britton

Trækket på Odden: 

by Lara W

A little less fog and a few more birds today at the point, with a total of 2,660 birds counted of 32 species. There were also quite a number of birds resting on the sea, most of which were Common Eider/Ederfugl (925), although there were also a few Long-tailed Duck/Havlit dotted amongst them.

1,263 Eider/Ederfugl were counted migrating, along with 557 Scaup/Bjergand, 274 Common Scoter/Sortand, 94 Long-tailed Duck/Havlit, 41 Velvet Scoter/Fløjlsand, and 16 Goldeneye/Hvinand. 3 Great Crested Grebe/Toppet Lappedykker, 14 Red-throated Diver/Rødstrubet Lom and 5 Black-throated Diver/Sortstrubet Lom also made an appearance.

A few raptors made the drop today, with 4 Rough-Legged Buzzard/Fjeldvåge, 4 Sparrowhawk/Spurvehøg, 2 Red Kite/Rød Glente, and a single 1K/1cy Hen Harrier/Blå Kærhøg spotted migrating, although 3 other Red Kite/Rød Glente approached the cliffs but eventually decided against it today. We did spot a very smart looking Black Redstart/Husrødstjert perched in a bush nearby, which Ole managed to photograph after much sneaky stalking (see below)!

Black Redstart/Husrødstjert. Photo credit: Ole Friis Larsen. 

There was a small disaster today that absolutely needs to be reported. As I reached into my rucksack for my coffee mug, my trusty Thermos flask fell out, and with a somewhat pathetic sound of demise, smashed to the ground. I still had hope, right up until I unscrewed the cap to find the inner glass tube had broken into a thousand jagged pieces. Having rushed myself to hospital at one point in the past after determinedly eating homemade jam from a broken jar (I clearly didn’t die as I am sitting here writing this rather long and involved story (you’re welcome)), I decided against using the flask. It was definitely a good day for my father to have visited from the UK, as he very soon after returned to the station to retrieve a replacement thermos – five hours is, afterall, quite a long time to sit without coffee on a cold and blustery cliff.  Thanks Dad :)

En meget mørk Hvid Vipstjert (Motacilla alba), som ledte efter mad på stranden sammen med to andre meget lysere Hvide Vipstjerter viste sig ved nærmere undersøgelse at være den britiske underart yarrellii, som åbenbart har taget en stor omvej i sit træk mod varmere himmelstrøg. Foto: Ole Friis Larsen/GFU

Se alle dagens observationer fra Gedser Odde i DOFbasen.

Folk på stationen: Lara Winsloe, Lara's Family, Larissa Britton, Henrik Jørgensen, Mads Elley, Tina Elley, og Ole Friis Larsen