Ringmærkning: Med stærke vinde fra syd var vi ikke sikre på, hvorvidt vi overhovedet ville kunne stable en standard-mærkning på benene her til morges, men vi endte dog med at kunne åbne nok net.

Og det var godt at vi kunne, for i løbet af standard-tid fangede vi en helt masse: Flere tusinde blade røg ihærdigt i nettene, ofte så hurtigt at vi ikke kunne få visse net helt blad-fri, selv når både Børge og jeg aktivt pillede dem ud. Vi fik derudover fornøjelsen af en lille kvist med tre ellekogler, som viklede sig rigtigt godt ind i et af nettene, og som jeg måtte pille i stykker for at kunne få ud. En sjælden gang imellem sad der også et lille væsen med næb, klør og befjerede vinger i et net, og disse pillede vi mere forsigtigt ud og tog lidt mere data på end alle bladende. Det endte med at blive til 5 af disse små mærkværdige bæster, hvoraf 3 allerede havde en af de små metal-ringe, vi sætter på deres små ben, på, mens vi selv måtte sætte ringe på de resterende 2. 

Disse små væsner, kaldet "fugle", kan inddeles yderligere i forskellige arter baseret på deres form og udseende, hvilket vi selvfølgelig også gjorde som del af de data vi tog på dem. To af fuglene var meget små og spinkle med en mærkværdig gul stribe oven på hovedet, og disse hørte til arten "Fuglekonge" (Regulus regulus). Vi fangede også en fugl, som var lille og kompakt med spættede brune farver, som er en såkaldt "Gærdesmutte" (Troglodytes troglodytes), samt to lidt større brunlige fugle med store rødlige mærker på deres hals/bryst, kaldet "Rødhalse" (Erithacus rubecula). Vi fik også mulighed for at vise at par af disse væsner frem for Mads og Tina, samt to af deres venner, som kom på besøg.

Fangsterne af fugle er opsummerede i tabellen herunder:

Trækket på Odden: In today's very stormy weather out at the tip, I was not the only one to look for a sheltered place and just stay there. Most birds did the same. While I yesterday had thousands upon thousands of small passerines flying over me and heading towards Germany, it was a total of 17 individuals today! A few more also came towards the tip, tested the winds and decided not to migrate today and instead have a cozy morning in the bush at the tip. Especially nice were three Yellowhammers (Emberiza citrinella, "small yellow bunting"), perching on top of the bush and allowing for great views and even pictures through the scope.

An especially yellow Yellowhammer. Based on this intense colouring, this bird is most likely an adult (2k+) male. Yellowhammers are partially migratory; some fly south and others stay in northern Europe for the winter. They can be seen in big flocks in the fields and also sometimes visit birdfeeders.

On the water too, very few birds were migrating. Common Eiders (Somateria mollissima, "very soft wool-body") and Eurasian Wigeons (Mareca penelope, "Penelope's small duck") comprised the biggest proportions of migrating waterfowl, but they too only came in small numbers. It is interesting to see the gender shift in the Eiders: When I first counted migration in September, it was almost a sensation to see a female type in the flocks. Now, it is almost equal, even slightly tipped towards the female type birds. But this shift is expected and reflects their typical migration patterns. Speaking of migrating waterfowl, almost all of the Barnacle Geese (Branta leucopsis, "white-cheeked burning-goose") from the fields left. In the last days, huge flocks of several thousand birds would periodically fly up and settle down again. Today, only about 500 bird were present on all fields combined.

Two of the four Barnacle Geese left on the field closest to the tip. They feed on the leftover sugar beets and other remainders from this year's harvest.

But whoever says that the marine migration did not yield anything special today would be an idiot, even more than the bird I am talking about. A total of six Northern Gannets (Morus bassanus, "idiot from bass rock") migrated by. This is pretty special for Gedser, as these birds are usually in more open waters. The next breeding colonies are found on Helgoland and the Norwegian coast. So these Gannets must have already had quite a trip behind them. Furthermore, they all seemed to be adults (5k+), as I could not see any black feathers outside of where they are supposed to be. These biggets seabirds of the northern Atlantic can migrate far outside of breeding season.

Not only the scientific name insults these birds as idiots, in German it is known as clumsy, in French as insane and the Poles call it a "silly goose". This origins in this bird's awkward movement on land. In the air though, they are nothing but elegant. On their long and slender wings, Gannets can glide quickly over the sea. When they spot prey, Gannets will fly up and plunge-dive with speeds of up to 100 km/h into the water where they use their feets and wings to dive even deeper.

Another nice surprise was a visit by Mads and Tina, some of the very few people I have seen this morning at the tip. They actually came at the exact right time to see one of the Gannets fly by.

Fugle registreret i standardtiden: 879 . Arter: 24. Tællingen startet 07:28, sluttet klokken 12:28.

Se alle dagens observationer på Gedser Odde i DOFbasen. 

På stationen: Alba M. Holmberg, Børge Langkilde, Marek Ebert, Mads Elley og Tina Elley + to af deres venner, som kom på kort besøg.