LEO

Migration is now in full swing with many warblers and other passerines on the move. I visited Sydvestpynten this evening for a couple of hours. It was pretty windy with a moderate to strong westerly wind but clear and sunny. As expected, many small birds were sheltering in east-facing hedgerows. An adult female Red-backed Shrike was a good start, soon followed by 2 flyover Yellow Wagtails. On the shore were 8 Bar-tailed Godwits, 2 Common Sandpipers and a stunning summer-plumaged Grey Plover. On the lagoon there were 3 Wood Sandpipers and a Green Sandpiper.

As I checked the most sheltered hedgerow of brambles and hawthorn (with the faint hope of a Barred Warbler at the back of my mind) I was rewarded with 3 Whitethroats - two Common and a Lesser - a family party of Linnets, a Robin and 2 flyover Hawfinches. Then, something caught my eye and as I looked up there was a Long-eared Owl looking straight back at me... shuffling along its branch. As soon as it had clocked me clocking it, the owl flew out of the shrub and settled just 15 or 20 metres away, enabling me to grab this photo. It still looked very twitchy and just a few seconds later it flew again, this time over the other side of the hedge and out of sight. I am pretty sure this is a young bird - very pale overall with particularly pale facial discs. Long-eared Owls are pretty common in the Copenhagen area (they breed very close to the city centre and one winter roost site alone regularly holds 20-30 birds) but it is the first time I have seen one at Sydvestpynten, so I was pretty pleased.

Photo: Long-eared Owl, Sydvestpynten