onsdag 28. august 2024
Five-forty five and the moon is shining down on two ringers going around the garden to open the nets for another day of, hopefully, good ringing. The air is calm, barely a zephyr moving the wings. Though it is dark some blackcaps can be heard in the bushes and some swallows are calling as they fly towards Gedser Point and continue across the Baltic Sea to Germany and beyond. Such mornings, such moments as this are special and a good reward for rising early.
The first couple of rounds do not disappoint and produce most of the birds that are shown in the table below. Henrik almost has a large animal to extract from one of the nets. Chris, unaware that on the previous round Henrik had opened the two sparrowhawk nets (their migration has just begun), and Chris walking into the sun nearly walks straight into the net - a perfect example of how mist-nets should work but on the birds.
Normally we would have closed the nets at ten forty-five but today we had a group of visitors that were coming to the station to see some bird ringing and other aspects of the station's work. Thirty-four visitors arrived at 11 o'clock and were shown various aspects of the stations work and given an interesting talk about bird migration by Hans.
Then the visitors were split into two goups and taken on a guided walk around the garden by Henrik and Chris. During the walk they were shown how the nets work and fortunately for Henrik and Chris a few birds had gone into the nets. This was fortunate as it meant that the two ringers could demonstrate some of the work they do here: extraction, ringing and taking certain biometrics.
The visit was a success, the days ringing was a success. And hopefully tonight's efforts for nightjar and tawny owls will be similarly successful!
Many thanks to all the Gedser volunteers who came to help with the visit of such a large group, you are the unsung heroes of the observatory's success - thank-you!
Today's ringing: first number newly ringed, second number is retraps
Jenspurv/Dunnock -/1; Rødstjert/Redstart 6/-; Kærsanger/Marsh Warbler 2/1; Rørsanger/Reed Warbler 3/-; Gærdsanger/Lesser Whitethroat 6/- ; Tornsanger/Whitethroat 4/-; Munk/Blackcap 7/2; Løvsanger/Willow Warbler 7/-; Grå Fluesnapper 1/-: Broget Fluesnapper/Pied Flycatcher 3/-; Stær/Starling 1/-; Stillits 2/- Totals: new/retraps 42/4
På stationen: Chris Sharp, Henrik Jørgensen, Benny, Hans, Gert, Bente, Esther, John.
