Ringmærkningen/The ringing: Today the weather was a bit better than the last days and we could open most nets in the garden. There were also some more birds in the nets than the last days and we are hoping that it will only increase in the next days, as the weather will improve. Highlights of the ringing were some Redstarts “Rødstjert”, on the picture a juvenile female and an adult male.

Rødstjert 1K hun/ Redstart 1K female

Rødstjert 2k+ han/ Redstart 2K+ male

Hans came to pick up the cloak swaps of the Sparrowhawks “Spurvehøg”, that we caught the last days. Although we saw quite some in the air, they did not get caught in our nets today. In the afternoon I emptied and washed the bird bags.  

Trækket på Odden: Balancen i trækket var lidt tættere på det normale efter onsdagens forrygende rovfugletræk. Morgenen var lidt mere grå, og vinden var taget noget af, men kom stadig fra en sydvestlig retning. Det gav flere ænder i trafikken over havet med 170 Sortænder (Melanitta nigra) mod 34 dagen før. Desuden især 39 Spidsænder (Anas acuta) mod nul onsdag og 50 Pibeænder (Mareca penelope) mod 15 i onsdagstrafikken.

Til gengæld var der tydeligt færre rovfugle med kun to Hvepsevåger (Pernis apivorus), begge unge fugle, og langt færre Spurvehøge (Accipiter nisus) med bare 17 mod 152 dagen før.

Mange af dagens Tårnfalke fangede insekter i området før turen ud over havet, og en af dem hvilede sig et øjeblik mellem edderkoppespind på den gamle marinestation. Foto: Ole Friis Larsen/GFU 

Antallet af udtrækkende Tårnfalke (Falco tinnunculus) var dog stadig spektakulært og bemærkelsesværdigt med 51, selv om det var færre end de 69 dagen før.

Her er tre eksempler på, hvor usædvanligt de seneste dages træk af rovfugle har været for Gedser Odde. Stregen i graferne viser vores gennemsnit per time i alle de år, hvor vi har gennemført standardiserede daglige trækfugletællinger om efteråret. De grønne søjler viser trækket sidste år (2024) og de røde søjler er gennemsnittet per time i år. Alle tre grafer er hentet fra databasen Trektellen.

Trækket af Tårnfalke har ligget under gennemsnittet, men lidt højere end sidste år, indtil det eksploderede midt i september og de seneste dage har været usædvanlig stort, oven i købet efter det gennemsnitlige toppunkt. 

Den gennemsnitlige normal for Hvepsevåger viser en bølge i slutningen af august. Det er typisk de adulte/voksne, som passerer hurtigt og koncentreret, men i 2024 og i år stort set ikke er trukket via Gedser Odde. Derefter kommer de unge fugle i september. Sidste år kom der betydeligt færre end gennemsnittet, men i år har september budt på et usædvanligt stort træk, og vi kan se, at der kommer flest unge, som forventet, men også nogle voksne/adulte.

Spurvehøgene har vi været noget bekymrede for. Sidste år var trækket af Spurvehøge langt under gennemsnittet, og det toppede tidligere end normalt. Også i år har trækket været lavt i august, men i september er det taget hastigt til. Det bliver interessant at følge, hvordan det træk fortsætter ind i oktober.

Bemærkelsesværdigt var det også med et godt opbud af fuglefolk, som både bidrog med god stemning på Odden og observationer. Det er virkelig en glæde for os fra fuglestationen, at folk ser vores observationer i DOFbasen og bliver inspireret af vores daglige blogge til at komme for selv at opleve trækket. Ud over lokale deltagere, var der folk fra Nordsjælland og Jylland. En belgier kom, fordi han følger vores daglige indtastninger i den hollandske database Trektellen (de samme observationer, som har i DOFbasen). Tak til alle; det er meget sjovere, når vi er mange til at glæde os over fuglene.

Se alle dagens observationer fra Gedser Odde i DOFbasen.

Moths near the station: Still a lot of wind and some rain during the night. Moths evidently do not like that. Only 12 species (see table). Therefore it was nice that one was the Conformist (Rødelugle, see picture in blog of 11 september). Gert told me that that species normally does not come to UV light, but we had it now 3 times. It is more seen when one uses ropes with fermented stuff with sugar on it. 

Folk på stationen: Alix Bortolussi, Robert Luttik, Hanelie Sidhu, Ole Friis Larsen

 Ringmærningen/the ringing: 

The day started out to still be very windy and with some uncertain rain coming and going, so we originally kept the nets closed. Unsure if we would be able to open any nets at all today, I (Alix) went and joined the migration count for a little bit while the sun rose.

Eventually, Robert and Hanelie decided to open a few nets around 07:35, which were sheltered enough from the wind, and after the rain had passed.

We ended up with a very special morning of ringing with 5 sparrowhawks captured – 4 males and 1 female.

Beautiful female 1K sparrowhawk caught today - she was the biggest of our whole ringing sheet! Both in weight and wing length.

We also had the nice visit of a beautiful male firecrest. Very few birds in total, but an interesting diversity of species for a day that was maybe not so promising at first. See detailed ringing and recapture list of today below.

Male 1K firecrest. Notice the very orange under-crest, which is a sexing cue that this individual is a male!

Many raptors were flying relatively low and hunting around us, so we were hoping for one of the kestrels to find its way in one of our nets, but not today.

Here is a closeup of our Female 1K sparrowhawk. Notice the brown edges of the feathers on the upper wing, which is disctinctive of 1K birds of this species. And a closeup of her talons, which are the body part you should pay the most attention to when handling!

Trækket på Odden: Måske var det den stadig hårde vind fra vest på op omkring 18 meter i sekundet, der gjorde forskellen, og så at vejret forblev tørt, selv om meteorologerne havde stillet os i udsigt, at vi ville komme til at søge ly inde under halvtaget på den gamle marinestation i tre af dagens fem standardtimer. Dagen begyndte grå og blæsende, men efterhånden klarede det op til en del sol. Hvorom alting er, bød dagen på et overraskende og for Gedser Odde meget fint udtræk af rovfugle, mens der næsten ingen trafik var af ænder og andre havfugle.

Især 72 Hvepsevåger (Pernis apivorus) i løbet af standardtiden plus lidt ekstra var overraskende. 49 af dem kunne vi bestemme til unge fugle fra i år, som også er det mest forventelige på dette halvsene tidspunkt i september, hvor de fleste adulte/voksne fugle allerede er forsvundet mod Afrika, men otte af dagens Hvepsevåger var tydeligt voksne. Det var måske senere ynglende fugle fra Hvepsevågernes nordligste udbredelsesområde i Sverige og Finland. Normalt trækker der flere rovfugle via Hyllekrog på Lolland, men vestenvinden skubbede tydeligt til dem ud mod Gedser Odde og har måske rykket store dele af dagens rovfugletræk mod øst.

Der er stor variation i fjerdragterne hos Hvepsevåger, men her er to fugle af samme mørke type i onsdagens træk ved Gedser Odde. Den øverste har gule øjne og gråt næb med grå vokshud mellem næbbet og hovedet, hvilket er sikre kendetegn for voksne/adulte Hvepsevåger. Den nederste har mørke øjne og sort næb med gul vokshud, hvilket er sikre kendetegn for årets unger af Hvepsevåger (Musvåger har aldrig sort næb). Den øverst kan også bestemmes til en han på det grå hoved og næsten ingen mørke bånd på vingerne. Foto: Ole Friis Larsen/GFU 

Her er nogle eksempler på den store variation i fjerdragterne hos både unge og voksne/adulte Hvepsevåger:

Adult/voksen han med gråt hoved, gult øje og bredt felt uden bånd foran den sorte bagkant på vingerne.

En meget lys ung Hvepsevåge fra i år. Denne type har ofte en mørk maske over øjnene. Mønstre på vingerne er anderledes end hos voksne/adulte fugle, og halen er lidt kortere. I godt lys  som her, kan alderen afgøres på mørke øjne, sort næb og gul vokshud. Fotos: Ole Friis Larsen/GFU

Flot var det også med 69 Tårnfalke (Falco tinnunculus) samt fire andre arter af falke – Vandrefalk (Falco peregrinus), Dværgfalk (Falco columbarius), Aftenfalk (Falco vespertinus) og Lærkefalk (Falco subbuteo) – samt 6 Fiskeørne (Pandion haliaetus), 16 Rørhøge (Circus aeroginosus) og 152 Spurvehøge (Accipiter nisus).

 En af dagens Tårnfalke lavt over marken på Odden i sit modvindstilløb mod havet. Unge Tårnfalke som denne er mere brune og sorte med hvide fjerspidser på oversiden. De kraftige mørke tværbånd på halen peger på en ung hun. Foto: Ole Friis Larsen/GFU

Desuden havde vi et pænt udtræk af småfugle, trods den hårde vind. Mest bemærkelsesværdig var måske en enlig Mursejler (Apus, apus). Vi er så langt inde i efteråret, en en hvilken som helst Mursejler kan vise sig at blive den sidste, vi ser.

Over havet var det to Almindelige Kjover (Stercorarius parasiticus), der vakte mest opsigt, men det er også værd at bemærke, at om end tallene er små, så er 28 hanner af Ederfugle (Somateria mollissima) et tegn på, at der er ved at komme gang i det store efterårsryk af Gedser Fuglestations logofugl. Ud over hannerne kom der 15 brune fugle (hunner og unger fra i år).

Fra fuglestationen var vi tre på plads fra starten og fik selskab af en fjerde lidt op ad formiddagen. Desuden fik vi godt selskab af Michael Thelander fra DOF Storstrøm, som mødte op med nogle folk, han har set på fugle sammen med i over 50 år, med afsæt i Vejle, og fra højskolen længere oppe på Falster kom Simon Vikstrøm med et hold.

I det hele taget en fin morgen med bedre vejr, bedre træk og mange flere fuglefolk end ventet.

Se alle dagens observationer fra Gedser Odde i DOFbasen

Moths found in the traps: Less wind and therefore more moths, but still not so good when there is hardly wind in the night. We counted 16 different species, most of them the usual suspects. One was new for the season the Mouse Moth.

Alix found yesterday afternoon a nice caterpillar (see picture). It was the caterpillar of a Bedstraw Hawk-moth (Snerresværmer).

Bedstraw Hawk-moth (Snerresværmer)

Folk på stationen: Grace Marsh, Alix Bortolussi, Robert Luttik, Hanelie Sidhu, Mads Elley, Gert Juul Jeppesen, Ole Friis Larsen

Udsigten over Gedser rev fra hele nordens sydligste punkt tirsdag morgen mellem klokken 8 og 9, da vindstyrken var på sit højeste. Der var kun barske måger og hårdføre Skarver i området samt en enlig Landsvale (Hirundo rustica), der foretrak at udsætte sit videre træk. Foto: Ole Friis Larsen/GFU

Ingen ringmærkning, ingen træktælling: Nogen storm var det ikke, og heller ikke det værste, vi har oplevet på fuglestationen gennem årene, men vejret var alligevel hårdt nok tirsdag morgen, til at vi besluttede os for at aflyse såvel standardringmærkningen som standardtræktællingen.

Vi bruger vejrdata fra DMI og regner med meter per sekund. Ifølge målestationen lige syd for Gedser var dagens blæst hårdest mellem klokken 8 og 9 med en middelvind på op til 18 meter i sekundet; det kaldes hård kuling. På samme tid nåede nogle af de hårdeste vindstød op på 24 meter i sekundet, hvilket bliver betegnet som stormende kuling.

Med den slags vindstyrker kan vi ikke arbejde. Inde i fuglestationens have har ringmærkerne en uskreven regel om, at de ikke sætter net op i vind over 9 meter per sekund af hensyn til fuglenes sikkerhed. Ude på Odden har også vindens retning betydning for, om vi kan finde ordentligt læ. Træktællerne skal tage hensyn til deres eget helbred; vi har ingen glæde af en medarbejder, der optræder som helt den ene dag og derefter er syg de næste to.

Desuden skal vi have læ til at kunne holde kikkerter og teleskoper stille. Kraftig vind kan også betyde, at vi ikke kan se særlig langt på grund af havgus over bølgerne.

Tirsdag morgen kom der kraftige byger med vinden, og vi skulle have stået i tørvejr langt inde under halvtaget på den gamle marinestation.

Alt i alt gav det ingen mening for os at gå ud i det vejr, så vi brugte dagen til at slappe af, svare på mails, nyde Alix’ pandekager og arbejde med vedligeholdelse af vores udstyr. Alt sammen noget, der også er vigtigt for, at stationens frivillige kan fungere over længere tid.

Also the moths did not like to fly much during the night. We only had 9 species and just the normal ones you would expect.

Folk på stationen: Grace Marsh, Alix Bortolussi, Robert Luttik, Hanelie Sidhu, Ole Friis Larsen

Ringing:

Today we were joined by Tina for the first round. Because of the wind we thought she did not choose a very good day to come but the first round proved us wrong, I took another Red-breasted Flycatcher “Lille Fluesnapper” out of the net.

Lille Fluesnapper/ Red-breasted Flycatcher

After first round not many birds followed and a lot were Sparrowhawks “Spurvehøg”. They weather did not really look inviting for them to migrate and they flew very low because of the rainy weather, so they came all to our garden and four got caught, three first calendar year males and one second calendar year female.

Sparrowhawk male/ Spurvehøg han

In raptors and falcons and a few owl species, there is a strong sexual size dimorphism and we could see that very well in our birds, the female was significantly larger than the males.

Sparrhawk female/ Spurvehøg hun

Migration:

It was quiet out at the point today. A strong wind from the south and bursts of rain made observing the migration a little difficult – rain and hazy skies reduced visibility, while sheltering in the old building limited our view of the ocean. However, we still managed to observe 1310 individuals of 25 species! Running back and forth between shelter and good viewing points certainly made for a fun morning.

It seems that with the bad weather, raptors and passerines were a little more reluctant to leave land than in previous days (I would not want to migrate today if I were a bird either!). The Common Scoters (Melanitta nigra) didn’t seem to mind the wind and rain, still migrating in higher numbers than other duck species. They were by far the most numerous species migrating today, with a total of 767 individuals seen.

This week we’ve been seeing quite high numbers of Sandwich Terns (Thalasseus sandvicensis) migrating south. Within a few weeks we will no longer see them – how sad! There were also still high numbers of Little Gulls (Hydrocoloeus minutus) out today, with a nice mixture of both adults and juveniles passing by. They are truly beautiful birds, and as I learnt today, quite special to see here in Denmark.

It’s nice to begin to see changes in the composition of species migrating – even two weeks ago during my first two migration counts there were far fewer Little Gulls compared to what we’re seeing now. I hope to continue seeing changing patterns over the next few weeks. Each day brings something new, always leaving us excited for the next.

Moths caught in the traps

This night 21 species were able to find the traps, despite the strong wind (see table). Again a Lunar Underwing (Halvmåne Jordfarvugle). The only new one for the station this season was the Beaded Chestnut (Foranderlig Jordfarvugle). A common moth, which can be found in the whole of Denmark. See the picture.

Beaded Chestnut (Foranderlig Jordfarvugle)

 At thee station: Grace Marsh, Alix Bortulussi, Ole Friies Larsen, Robert Luttik, Hanelie Sidhu, Tina Elley, Mads Elley

Ringmærkningen/Ringing: 

Although we were not so happy this morning because we needed to shut down the nets not even an hour after opening, it turned out to be not such a bad day. And in the net-shutting down round, I took the third Red-breasted Flycatcher “Lille Fluesnapper” of this week out of the net. Unless us, who got quite a bit wet in the course of that round, the bird stayed dry and it was now Alix turn to ring it.

Lille Fluesnapper/ Red-breasted Flycatcher

We stayed quite some time in the house while it was raining outside, but at nine, we went out again and there was some activity after the rain. Robert hoped for a second Wryneck “Vendehals”, but it did not come, but quite some Chiffchafs were around, it was the species we caught most today.

Trækket på Odden: En våd morgen med let regn de første timer af observationen, men efterhånden klarede det op, og der kom flere folk med kikkerter, teleskoper og kameraer ud på spidsen, så vi efterhånden var et pænt stort hold til at kigge i alle retninger. Trækket af var lavt, bortset fra næsten 650 Sortænder (Melanitta nigra), der mest viste sig som små sorte prikker et godt stykke ude over havet, og selv om der var flere sæt øjne fokuseret på dagens enlige kjove, var den så langt væk, at det blev ved en ubestemt art.

Anderledes var det med rovfuglene, som omgående reagerede på opklaringen. Fire Fiskeørne (Pandion haliaetus) kom næsten i samlet flok, hvilket var lidt usædvanligt. Fiskeørne plejer at flyve hver for sig. Vi fik også hurtigt øje på et par unge Aftenfalke (Falco vespertinus) og en Lærkefalk (Falco subbuteo).

Ung 1k (første kalenderår) Aftenfalk på træk ved Gedser Odde søndag morgen. Nogle af de unge Aftenfalke kan ligne unge Lærkefalke til forveksling. Denne fugl havde næsten mørk hætte som en Lærkefalk, men den hvide 'halsring' var mere markant. De Sorte striber på undersiden nåede ikke så langt ned ad kroppen som hos en ung Lærkefalk, og de to forlængede midterste halefjer er mere oplagte hos Aftenfalk end hos Lærkefalk (men de kan være slidt korte).

Ung 1k (første kalenderår) Lærkefalk på udtræk ved Gedser Odde søndag morgen samtidig med Aftenfalke. Den havde en mere rent mørk hætte med kraftigere skægstribe og kortere mere ufuldstændig hvid hvid halsring om i nakken. Desuden var der mørke striber på undersiden hele vejen ned ad kroppen til den okkerfarvede undergump. Fotos: Ole Friis Larsen/GFU 

Desuden kom der nogle unge Hvepsevåger (Pernis apivorus), og ude på Odden så folk to adulte/voksne hunner af Blå Kærhøg (Circus cyaneus) trække ud efter standardtiden, mens vi inde på fuglestationen så en adult/voksen hun Hedehøg (Circus pygargus) komme strygende over haven og fortsætte ud mod stranden. Alt i alt ikke så ringe endda med rovfugletrækket, selv om vi stadig synes, at nogle af arterne ligger under gennemsnittet på dette tidspunkt af efteråret. 

Dagens uden tvivl vildeste oplevelse fik vi, da en ung Aftenfalk stjal en mus fra en Tårnfalk (Falco tinnunculus). Den formentlig temmelig utilfredse Tårnfalk forfulgte den lidt mindre Aftenfalk hen over marken, og vi så dem i et heftigt korporligt slagsmål, som endte med, at Tårnfalken gav op og fløj væk, mens den unge Aftenfalk åd sig mæt i sit livs måske hidtil største måltid.

 Drabeligt slagsmål på marken ved Odden, efter at den unge Aftenfalk havde røvet en mus fra Tårnfalken. Det foregik med sylespidse klør, og vi troede på et tidspunkt, at Aftenfalken var alvorligt såret efter kampen

... men det var Aftenfalken ikke. Den kiggede sig vagtsomt omkring efter at have fordrevet den lidt større Tårnfalk.

Musen var et stort måltid for Aftenfalken, og det tog lang tid at få den flået til passende bidder. Fotos: Ole Friis Larsen/GFU

Se alle dagens observationer på Gedser Odde i DOFbasen.

Moths caught in the traps: This night 29 species were able to find the traps. There were some really interesting ones, another Pale Pinion (Alliance-stenugle). A Lunar Underwing (Halvmåne Jordfarvugle, see picture) and a Lunar Yellow Underwing (Skarpskygget Smutugle). All these moths are not really common. But the species of the day was a Porter's Rustic (Gæstugle). Was not easy to pinpoint the name, but we think it is the right species. It is a rather small moth with not much color. This one is really rare, only a few sightings in Denmark. If we have it wrong, then it is the Strandært-Ugle (Athetis lepigone) which would also be new for us. 

Lunar Underwing (Halvmåne Jordfarvugle)

Porter's Rustic (Gæstugle)

Folk på stationen: Grace Marsh, Alix Bortolussi, Robert Luttik, Hanelie Sidhu, Ole Friis Larsen

Ringing 

It was still a bit windy in the garden so we were rather surprised that the first round was pretty good. After it slowed down quite fast and we also got some rounds without birds. A nice surprise in the nets was a Sparrowhawk “Spurvehøg”, the first that Alix ringed.

Sparrowhawk "Spurvehøg"

Also a picture of a Redstart “Rødstjert”, an Africa migrant that we do not have in the nets so often anymore and you always don´t know when you see the Africa migrants the last time.

Redstart/ Rødstjert

Moths caught in the traps

This night brought 22 species. Of one moth sitting on the wall I thought it was the Silver Y (Gammaugle) a common moth for this time of the year, but Gerd said have you seen the confusa on the wall. I said where did you see it and than he showed it and it was the Dewick's Plusia (Sølvdråbugle). Both for me and Hanelie a new species. It is a species you can see all over Denmark, but it is seen more at the eastern islands of Denmark. Evidently this is the moth of the day, but we had another beautiful Moth: the Frosted Orange (Burreugle) and of this you will find also a picture below.

Dewick's Plusia (Sølvdræbugle)

Frosted Orange (Burreugle)

Migration: Today at the point we had another nice day observing the migration. I’m beginning to feel like my blog entries are becoming a little repetitive, so to make it more exciting, here is our day in the form of a limerick:

One of the nicest birds we saw today was the little gull

Moving like a tern but with a beautiful pattern, this bird is never dull  

The raptor we saw migrating in the largest numbers was the sparrowhawk

A fast and agile bird, watching it makes me wish I could fly too, instead of walk

All were flying hard against the wind, hopefully they catch a lull

It’s exciting to see the change in species every day

Each new silhouette, colour, and shape flying quickly away

The differences are becoming more clear

With helpful advice from locals being very dear

If only the birds would for a little longer stay!

Overall, it was a productive day out on the point: we observed 1543 individuals of 35 species with help from our fellow birdwatchers. It’s quite nice standing in the sunshine overlooking the ocean, and I’m looking forward to seeing new species tomorrow, as it seems that different birds are passing through each day. Let’s see what tomorrow brings!

At the station: Mads Elley, Grace Marsh, Alix Bortolussi, Robert Luttik and Hanelie Sidhu

 Rødhals/ Robin

Ringing:

The day started very windy but the wind slowed a little bit down during the morning. As expected, this did not bring many birds. Today Grace went to the migration count again and Alix, who had arrived yesterday evening joined us in the ringing. We had quite many zero rounds or rounds with only one bird. The highlight was a female Goldcrest “Fuglekonge”, we did not have these in the last days.

Fuglekonge hun/ Goldcrest female

Moths caught today

Despite the strong wind during the night still 25 species in and around the traps. We had a few moths that are probably migratory moths. One was the Cotton Bollworm (Kriger Trækugle) which is a pest on cotton. In Denmark it predominantly found near the coasts. No cotton in Denmark but it can also survive on other plants, it is considered as one of the most polyphagous and cosmopolitan pest species according to Wikipedia. An other moth (much smaller) that is a migrant from the south (central and south Europe) is the Blastobasis phycidella (no English and no Danish name). This is a rather rare moth for Denmark only a few entries in both Arter or Naturbasen. Bornholm is a good place with a few numbers and two places in Lolland, one on Copenhagen and now also one in Falster. These two moths are the moths of the day (see pictures).

Cotton Bollworm (Kriger Trækugle)

Blastobasis phycidella

Migration: This morning was very windy, so instead of staying out on the exposed point, we moved to the side of the old building to shelter and stay warm. This meant our view of the ocean wasn’t as good and we had to be a little quicker while counting. We still managed to count 965 individuals of 33 species, which is good!

There were still low numbers of ducks migrating; however, we had some cool birds to make up for it. These included an Arctic Skua (Almindelig Kjove, Stercorarius parasiticus), a Long-tailed Skua (Lille Kjove, Stercorarius longicaudus), three Black-throated Divers (Sortstrubet Lom, Gavia arctica) and quite a few Bar-tailed Godwits (Lille Kobbersneppe, Limosa lapponica).

Notable migrating raptors today included Osprey (Fiskeørn, Pandion haliaetus), Honey Buzzards (Hvepsevåge, Pernis apivorus), and Hobbies (Lærkefalk, Falco subbuteo), which were all very nice to see.

Despite the wind and cloud, visibility was very good, and the sun eventually came out and warmed us up a little. We were again joined by five or so birders, which was nice. Hopefully tomorrow brings a few more ducks for us to look at.

At the station: Mads Elley, Grace Marsh, Alix Bortolussi, Robert Luttik and Hanelie Sidhu

 Sedge Warbler "Sivsanger".

Ringing:

Today Robert and me took care of the garden and it´s birds while Grace went to the migration count. There were more birds in the garden than the day before and in the first round we were surprised by a Red-breasted Flycatcher “Lille Fluesnapper” in the net. And then – same round – a second one. One for each of us and there were also some other nice birds in the garden: Robert took a Wryneck “Vendehals” out of the net and Grace and some birdwatchers came from the tip to see it doing it´s Wryneck – show. They are moving their heads like a snake when you have them in hand.

Wryneck "Vendehals".

Later I had a Sparrowhawk “Spurvehøg” in the net.Sparrowhawk "Spurvehøg".

Other birds that we do not catch so often here at Gedser were a Reedwarbler “Rørsanger” and a Sedge Warbler “Sivsanger”.

Red-breasted Flycatcher "Lille Fluesnapper".

Moths caught in traps

Today we had 29 species (note that there are often not the same species as the day before). We had a few new species for us like the Conformist (Rødelugle). After 5 years of catching moths I still have quite a few news each year. The Conformist is a relative rare species. The Bulrush Wainscot (Stor Rørugle) was also new for Hanelie, but not for me (it was my second one). Those are also the moths of the day. 

Conformist (Rødelugle)

Bulrush Wainscot (Stor Rørugle)

Migration: 

While this morning was a little slow for ducks, it turned out to be an excellent day for raptors. Clear, open skies with very little wind and a bright sun meant migrating flocks were not very visible from the point for Mads and I. Despite this, we did still manage to see quite a few species migrating, including good numbers of Eiders (Ederfugl, Somateria mollissima) and Widgeons (Pibeand, Anas penelope). A couple of new species for me included the Velvet Scoter (Fløjlsand, Melanitta fusca) and Red-breasted Merganser (Toppet Skallesluger, Mergus serrator).

As the day got later and the air warmed up, we began to see more raptors fly over the fields behind us. We ended up seeing four species of falcon: Red-footed Falcon (Aftenfalk, Falco vespertinus), Common Kestrel (Tårnfalk, Falco tinnunculus), Hobby (Lærkefalk, Falco subbuteo), and Merlin (Dværgfalk, Falco columbarius), although the Merlin did not migrate during our count today.

Other birds of prey sighted migrating included 41 Sparrowhawks (Spurvehøg, Accipiter nisus), two Marsh Harriers (Rørhøg, Circus aeruginosus), a Hen Harrier (Blå Kærhøg, Circus cyaneus), and a young Honey Buzzard (Hvepsevåge, Pernis apivorus). We even glimpsed a White-tailed Eagle (Havørn, Haliaeetus albicilla) in the distance (not migrating), so it really was a wonderful day for raptors! They attracted quite a crowd, with four birdwatchers joining us at the point to observe.

Overall, it was a very nice morning in the sunshine watching raptors and searching for ducks on the glaring water. This evening has brought some strong winds a rain to Gedser, so hopefully a few more ducks will be visible during tomorrow’s count – we’ll have to wait and see what the morning brings!


One of today's two Red-footed Falcons. Both were first year birds and especially this one came very close giving us excellent views. (Photo: Mads Elley)

At the station: Robert Luttik, Hanelie Sidhu, Grace Marsh, Mads Elley.

 Ringing: This morning was dark and overcast with very little bird activity. We had a slow morning with very few captures towards the end of the day. In total, we caught 20 individuals of six species, including five recaptures. A nice bird today was the Pied Flycatcher or Broget Fluesnapper (Ficedula hypoleuca). Rain is forecast for this evening and tomorrow, so hopefully the change in weather brings more birds to Gedser and captures pick up! 

A beautiful Broget Fluesnapper! 

Moths caught in traps 

Today only 22 species, but two new for the season: Clancy's Rustic (Caradrina kadenii, no Danish name) and the Green-brindled Crescent (Tjørneugle). So two species of the day. Caradrina kadenii is relative rare in Denmark and mainly found on the eastern islands, with quite a few sightings in Falster. By the way, Hans Lind has the most entries in Naturbasen.

Clancy's Rustic (Caradrina kadenii)

Green-brindled Crescent (Tjørneugle)

Trækket på Gedser Odde:
Endnu en dag med ret svag vind, i dag omkring syd. Trækket domineres af ænderne med Sortand (Melanitta nigra) og Pibeand (Mareca penelope) som de mest talrige. Ternerne aftager dag for dag mens Dværgmåger Hydrocoloeus minutus) fortsætter med at trække i pæne antal.
I dag kom falkene mere på banen med 3 dværgfalke (Falco columbarius) og 1 Lærkefalk (Falco subbuteo). Efter standardtiden eksploderede Odden i Lærkefalke med yderligere 25 trækkende af denne elegante falk.
Vejrudsigten lyder på regn i aften og i nat med nærmest ingen vind i morgen tidlig. Vi får se hvad morgendagen bringer af fugle til Danmarks sydligste punkt.

 
Dagens første Lærkefalk kom allerede kl 7.43.

På stationen i dag: Grace Marsh, Haneli Sidhu, Robert Luttik og Mads Elley

 Ringing:

The wind direction was similar but a little different as the as the last days, north east and it was a rather over casted morning. That brought us 52 new birds plus five recaptures from the last days. As I assumed yesterday also today a Tree Pipit “Skovpiber” in the net. Today more Blackcaps “Munk” and Chiffchaffs “Gransanger” than Robins “Rødhals”. The highlight was a Sedge Warbler “Sivsanger”.

 Sedge Warbler "Sivsanger".

Moths caught in the traps

We had 28 different species in the traps and a few less common ones like the Rush Veneer (Vandrehalvmøl) and the Pale Pinion (Alliance-stenugle). The last moth is predominantly found in the Eastern parts of Denmark and I found this could be the moth of the day (see picture).

The Pinion (Alliance-stenugle)

Trækket på Gedser Odde:
De senere dage har vi skrevet en del om vinden. Man kan sige, at det ikke er relevant i dag, for der var stort set ingen bevægelse i luften. Sigtbarheden over havet var også ringere end længe, og lidt længere oppe på Falster var der temmelig diset, så forventningerne til dagens træk var beskedne. På flere måder levede trækket op (eller ned?) til forventningerne, da 3 Spurvehøge (Accipiter nisus) var dagens eneste rovfugle og blot 51 småfugle fordelt på 5 arter blev noteret. Vi fik dog fornøjelsen af efterårets første fire Bjergvipstjerter (Motacilla cinerea), og de var nok de mest beslutsomme og fløj uden tøven afsted mod Tyskland.
Til gengæld er trækket af andefugle nu ved at være godt i gang. Igen i dag passerede vi 1000 Sortænder, og svømmeænderne kom også forbi i ganske pæne antal. Kjoverne har også fundet Gedser Odde og dagens 5 Almindelig Kjove (Stercorarius parasiticus) blev suppleret med 2 Lille Kjove (Stercorarius longicaudus), som fulgtes ad og jagtede lidt rundt med de fouragerende Splitterner (Thalasseus sandvicensis).
DMI varsler regn de kommende morgener, så mon ikke det igen bliver trækket over havet, vi kommer til at ”nøjes med”.

En af udfordringerne med svømmeænderne er, at de som regel kommer i blandede flokke. Her har en flok Pibeænder (Mareca penelope) og Krikænder (Anas crecca) fået selskab af en Knarand (Mareca strepera) og en Skeand (Spatula clypeata).

En af dagens kjover, som først blev set som en Lille Kjove på grund af de lange midterste halefjer og de kun to tydelige hvide fjerskafter i hånden (set på afstand), men ved nærmere eftersyn viste den et tydeligt brystbånd og hvidt på flere af håndsvingfjerene, så den endte i bogen som Almindelig Kjove.

På stationen i dag: Grace Marsh, Robert Luttik, Mads Elley og Hanelie Sidhu