An Evening With Mark Walker

This evening I joined fellow Englishman, Mark Walker, on a tour of Sjaelland primarily to see Nightjar at Melby but taking in a few sights along the way. First stop was Porsemosen where we had a modest start involving several Thrush Nightingales and Marsh Warblers as well as more common fare. Then up to Gundsølille to see one of the last (THE last?) remaining pairs of breeding White Stork in Sjaelland. These birds originate from the Swedish re-introduction scheme, so not sure if I am allowed to count them on my Danish list but I'll endeavour to find out... In the meantime they are innocent until proven guilty (species number 245). It was pleasing to see 3 young poking up their heads from the nest - hopefully they will all fledge to become true grown up Danish storks. Next stop was Melby Overdrev for Stonechat and Nightjar. We walked around for about an hour (in the rain, not forecast by the Danish Meteorological Institute I hasten to add, which I am sure won't surprise many Danes) and, after seeing at least 3 Red-backed Shrikes (1 male and 2 females), in almost the last group of bushes we checked we found a pair of Stonechat (species number 246) with at least 2 young. Fantastic. The male popped up onto a clump of heather and basked in the evening sunlight (even though it was still raining) - a stunning bird. I felt a little guilty at being underwhelmed by Stonechats recently having been born and bred at Winterton in Norfolk where at least 2 pairs have bred annually since the year dot. So I was determined to appreciate this pair very much. And I did.

Finally, we made our way back to the car park where we heard at least one, possibly two, male Nightjars 'churring' in the rain. A brief sighting of one displaying was sufficient for us to call it a day (still raining) and make our way home. A very pleasant evening - thanks Mark!