Generally bright and sunny with clouds scudding rapidly across the blue sky in the strong, cold force 7 NE wind; the nets were steady but unremarkable as we struggled to 91 new birds in the tricky conditions with 2 Firecrests the only birds worth a mention.  

Today's totals - 19 Wren / Gaerdesmutte;  7 Dunnock / Jernspurv;  23 Robin / Roedhals;  1 Blackbird / Solsort;  5 Song Thrush / Sangdrossel;  1 Blackcap / Munk;  8 Chiffchaff / Gransanger;  13 Goldcrest / Fuglekonge;  2 Firecrest / Roedtoppet Fuglekonge;  6 Blue Tit / Blamejse;  1 Tree Sparrow / Skovspurv;  3 Chaffinch / Bogfinke;  1 Brambling / Kvaerkerfinke;  1 Lesser Redpoll / Lille Grasisken

Overhead though, it was an awesome day with the skies constantly full of birds, dominated again by 800+ Cranes seen over the garden through the morning (a brilliant 4,265 were counted from the point - a new Gedser record count!); also very obvious were 500+ Barnacle Geese (6,990 were counted at the point!) and 200+ Brent Geese (820 were counted at the point!)

                Other birds were not so obvious but did include a Richard’s Pipit which went over calling (at one stage it was flying in the middle of a flock of Cranes!) along with small numbers of Swallows, Skylarks, Meadow Pipits Mistle Thrushes, Stock Doves, Reed Buntings, Chaffinches, Bramblings and Siskins etc.   Raptors were represented by several Rough-legged Buzzards (73 was the day's total) and Red Kites with a steady trickle of Common Buzzards, Sparrowhawks and Kestrels.

                I went out to the point after lunch where there were tens of thousands of Eiders pouring south in huge flocks - 43,000+ were counted through the day along with big numbers of other Geese and Ducks; a flock of 17 Little Gulls were off the tip before I got restless and went for a walk north up the coast and across the fields where birds included 15 Grey Plovers, 30 Dunlin and 6 Sanderling on the beaches, 6+ Rough-legged Buzzards, a Hen Harrier, a Red Kite and two first winter Little Gulls across the fields north of Gedser and a smart Great Grey Shrike hunting along the eastern edge of town all with the backdrop of constant flocks of noisy Barnacle and Brent Geese, Cranes and Eiders all pouring south – fantastic!

For more blue sky birding pictures from Gedser today www.wykebirding.blogspot.com