Ringmærkning

Allerede da vi åbnede nettene kunne vi høre, at der var mange Sangdrosler (Turdus philomelos) i krattene hvor også nogle enkelte Vindrosler (Turdus iliacus) og Rødhalse (Erithacus rubicola) gav lyd fra sig. Den første runder var også imponerende med over 30 fugle, men her fra stilnede det stille og roligt af.

I de seneste dage har vi mærket Rødtoppede Fuglekonge (Regulus ignicapilla) næsten dagligt, så man er noget forvent med denne lille skønhed her på Gedser.

Rødtoppet fuglekonge. En lille skønhed, som vi er ganske forvent med på Gedser.

 Migration Count at Gedser Odde

by Lara W

The return of some sunshine and a drop in windspeed made for a welcome change on Gedser Odde today. Migration numbers during the morning standard count period were much higher than recent days, totalling 20,255 individuals representing 55 species, although this number was bolstered significantly by a flock of Woodpigeon/Ringdue (Columba palumbus) that quite literally darkened the skies; approximately 17,200 birds in a massive conglomeration crowded over the harbour and out southwards over the sea around midmorning. Aside from this mega-flock, our count included 11 Parrot Crossbill/Stor Korsnæb (Loxia pytyopsittacus), 6 Great white egret/Sølvhejre (Ardea alba), a single Whooper’s Swan/Sangsvane (Cygnus cygnus) (a lifer for me, which I absolutely jumped for joy about!), and 21 Woodlark/Hedelærke (Lullula arborea). Throughout the morning, we were kept company by a mixed species group of 100-200 Barnacle Goose/Bramgås (Branta leucopsis) and White-fronted Goose/Blisgås (Anser albifrons), which came down to forage and rest in the field behind the point, occasionally taking to the skies, honking and grunting in indignation, at any passing raptor or similar disturbance.

LAH and I stayed for a further five hours after standard time, and the numbers we had during the afternoon provides an interesting comparison to those counted over the course of the morning. In the table below, I have highlighted those species which showed a considerable percentage change in numbers migrating between the two time periods.

Additionally, we spotted a single Arctic skua/Almindelig Kjove (Stercorarius parasiticus), 2 Guillemot/Lomvie (Uria aalge) – which were, rather incongruously, leading a flock of scoter – 8 Twite/Bjergirisk (Linaria flavirostris), and two Bewick’s Swan/Pibesvane (Cygnus columbianus) (thanks Morten and Ben for pointing them out!). These swans would have been another lifer, but as I only caught a glimpse of their departing butts, I think adding them to the list would have been considered cheating! Thanks all for a great day out birding.

People at the station: Søren Mygind, Lara Winsloe, Lars Ulrich Rasmussen, Larissa Britton, Ole Friis Larsen