Birding Copenhagen

The new blog!

2010-09-03T15:02:00.001+02:00

Terry has now moved to Beijing, China. His new blog - Birding Beijing - can be read here.

Tak og vi ses!

2010-08-26T17:57:00.003+02:00

The Danish telecommunications company, TDC, today cut off my phone and internet connection a day early (grr..) so I am writing this from Mojo coffee shop on Gothersgade in central Copenhagen. I have checked us in for the BA flight, via London, to Beijing tomorrow and we are just about packed. We plan to spend our last evening in Copenhagen with a take away and a beer on the harbour at Nyhavn.

With our packing surprisingly (and uncharacteristically) ahead of schedule, I couldn't resist a final visit to my favourite patch at Sydvestpynten this morning. There was a distinctly autumnal feel to the air with a cool, fresh south-westerly breeze and the air full of migrants - mostly Tree Pipits and Yellow Wagtails but also a few waders including Ruff, Golden and Grey Plovers. Along the sheltered hedgerow a Spotted Flycatcher competed with two Pied Flycatchers for the small swarms of flying insects that danced in the lee of the hedge and a moulting adult male Common Redstart claimed the lower ground, preferring to catch insects on the ground from a low perch. A lone Swift made me realise that I hadn't heard these brief summer visitors for a few days now - they always seem to disappear all at once - and it mingled with a mixed group of hirundines including adult and juvenile Swallows, House Martins and Sand Martins. The bushes were alive with Willow Warblers, Chiffchaffs, Blackcaps, Garden Warblers, Lesser and Common Whitethroats. It was a good reminder of just how good this patch has been for migration - the numbers of birds passing through has eclipsed anything I have seen in the UK. On a clear October day, especially after the first frost further north in Scandinavia, the sky can be full of finches - mostly Chaffinches and Bramblings - larks and buntings and it is a spectacle I will miss this year.

The hoped for rarity on my last full day in Denmark did not materialise but that did not take away the joy of a typically rich morning's birding at this special site. With my bike already packed and on its way back to London for storage, I caught the bus back to the city with a heavy heart. I hope I will be back one day!

Thanks to everyone who has read this blog over the last 3 years - your comments and support have made it a lot of fun and it is also a great record for me of my time here in Copenhagen.

As soon as I can I will post details of my new blog from Beijing - it promises to be a different, but I am sure just as bird-rich, experience!

Red-necked Phal: the video

2010-08-23T19:56:00.005+02:00

As promised... a short video of the Red-necked Phalarope during one of its more energetic spells.. the shutter you can here in the background is Eigil's. A fantastic bird.

Meanwhile, my contact in Beijing tells me that he has just seen the first returning Arctic Warbler in a local park. That certainly whets the appetite for the coming autumn!

Red-necked Phalarope from Terry Townshend on Vimeo.

Red-necked Phalarope

2010-08-23T16:36:00.011+02:00

Amazingly, on the very same puddle that the juvenile Broad-billed Sandpiper enjoyed so much at Køge, an equally confiding juvenile Red-necked Phalarope has now taken up residence! I made an early start to spend a couple of hours there this morning before work and enjoyed a fabulous close encounter with this stunning wader in the company of top Danish photographer Eigil Ødegaard. Several times it walked right up to us and, on occasion, it was too close for our lenses to focus!

It's going to be hard to leave Danish birding!

Click to big up the photos. Video to follow.

Broad-billed Sandpiper pt2

2010-08-21T08:49:00.001+02:00

A video (handheld) of the Broad-billed Sandpiper at Køge Sydstrand on 20th August.

Broad-billed Sandpiper from Terry Townshend on Vimeo.

Broad-billed Sandpiper

2010-08-20T22:06:00.006+02:00

This juvenile Broad-billed Sandpiper was exceptionally confiding today on Køge Sydstrand, about 40 minutes south of Copenhagen. It favoured some small pools along the beach about 300 metres south of the quay and fed actively in the company of some White Wagtails. I carefully stalked it to within 5 metres without too much trouble and then, as I got down on my stomach to begin photographing it, it began walking towards me! At one point the bird can't have been more than 3 metres away and appeared completely unfazed by my presence. Having a 400mm lens, this distance was perfectly adequate to get some pleasing images. As usual, they are best viewed at full size, so click to big 'em up!

Caspian Gull juvenile

2010-08-16T19:20:00.005+02:00

This juvenile Caspian Gull was one of two present at Damhussøen on Sunday afternoon. It was quite a large bird, so presumably a male, and showed pretty well in flight, on the water and on land. Note the typical tertial pattern, the longish all-dark bill, whitish head, pale underwing and relatively long, thin legs. Always a delight to see!

Farewell Denmark

2010-08-14T19:15:00.006+02:00

Libby and I decided that for our summer holiday this year we would stay local and take advantage of the time we had left in Denmark. So we hired a car, packed our tent and headed to the west coast of Jutland. We had already visited many of Denmark's prime spots including the islands of Bornholm, Langeland and Aerø plus Skagen, Fyn and most of Sjaelland, so it seemed fitting that our last trip in Denmark should be the west coast of Jutland, an area of outstanding natural beauty that we had not visited before (with the added bonus of the locals speaking Danish much clearer and slower than their compatriots in Copenhagen!).

We started by driving to Blåvand where we camped one night and explored the local area, including the famous birding hotspot of Blåvands Huk.. We enjoyed a walk on the expansive sandy beach and watched huge flocks of starlings wheeling in the air like a swarm of bees.. and a lone Honey Buzzard that seemed determined to head out over the sea towards the UK but got the willies about a kilometre out and turned back. The holiday homes here are lovely, nestled in the dunes, many with huge glass windows overlooking the sea... would be a lovely place to stay in October when all the tourists are gone and it's just you and the birds (plus probably several hundred birders!). Apparently they don't sell them to foreigners (sigh).

Next day we visited magnificent Ribe, the old capital of Denmark, a beautiful town with a real 'olde worlde' feel to it. Narrow cobbled streets, 16th century houses that were obviously built before spirit levels were invented and traditional wooden sailing boats in the harbour all make this town very 'hyggelig' as they say in these parts...

From there we took the coast road north past Esbjerg (not much here - it's an industrial town - but I will always remember it as the site of my only Danish Ross's Gull!), taking in a day trip to the island of Fanø, a gorgeous island with a couple of picturesque villages and wonderfully wild salt marshes and dunes..

From Fanø we worked our way north all the way to Thyborøn with an overnight stop in the underwhelming Hotel Ringkøbing in the fjord town of the same name. The stop did allow me to sneak away for a couple of hours to visit Vest Stadil Fjord where a juvenile White-winged Black Tern had been in residence for the previous few days. On arriving at the site, a couple of birders (Karl Erik Kristensen and Eigil Thomasen) were already looking and, before too long, we picked up the target bird among several juvenile Black Terns (the latter breed here, one of the few remaining sites for breeding Black Tern in Denmark). A few Little Gulls, a couple of Whimbrel, some Golden Plover and a quartering Marsh Harrier provided the support act, along with the good company of the two local birders.

At Thyborøn I failed in a brief attempt to see the Short-toed Lark that had been present for some time at Harboøre Tang and, instead of catching the ferry north and exploring further, we decided to head back via the lake district around Silkeborg given that the weather forecast was a bit iffy... This proved to be a good decision as we stumbled across a fantastic camp site near the village of Ry where, on arrival, a majestic White-tailed Eagle powered directly over us heading south-west. We were able to pitch our tent, on the eve of my 40th birthday (gulp) right by the lake side on a site that was simply excellent. It had the cleanest showers and toilets I have ever seen on a camp site, a great little shop at which one could place orders from the local bakery, canoe and kayak hire plus great walking on trails around the lake.. marvellous! It was a great pleasure to wake from my deep sleep on my 40th birthday to a breakfast of bread, cheese, pastries and freshly brewed coffee, all served just outside our tent on a picnic bench, in the sun, overlooking the lake.. better than any hotel and a fraction of the cost!

The journey home was uneventful and, within a few hours, it was raining, vindicating our decision to head back. A top trip and a great way to end our time in Denmark. In just two weeks time we'll be unpacking in Beijing and beginning a new adventure.

Photos: Blåvand lighthouse; a typical house on Fanø; part of the large flock of Starlings around Blåvand; and a house in Ribe, the old Danish capital

Caspian Gulls

2010-08-04T14:41:00.006+02:00

A few images of an almost adult (note slight dark marks in the wing coverts visible in the third image below) and juvenile Caspian Gulls taken in the Copenhagen area at the weekend. Final image is of the Caspian in the midst of a feeding frenzy - the gull at the top left looks scary!

Grebes

2010-08-02T09:54:00.002+02:00

Whilst searching for the Baltic Gull (see previous post), I was captivated by the behaviour of a young Great Crested Grebe. The young bird was begging mercilessly from its parents, even though it was almost the same size. On several occasions it hid its body under the water with just the head protruding, begging loudly. It almost looked as if this adolescent grebe was pretending to be very small so that its mother would still feed it..! I don't know if this is the scientific explanation of the behaviour I saw but, nevertheless, it made me smile...

Baltic Gull

2010-08-01T12:31:00.004+02:00

For almost a week now there has been a 2nd year 'Baltic Gull', the eastern Scandinavian race of Lesser Black-backed Gull (Larus fuscus fuscus), in the Copenhagen area. I finally caught up with it at Utterslev Mose, just north of Copenhagen, on Saturday afternoon. This subspecies is very difficult to identify for certain in most age groups due to the overlap between fuscus and the very similar intermedius. However, an advanced second year bird, as shown below, exhibits several features that make this bird a fuscus. First, the moult is more advanced than on most intermedius with nearly all of the feather groups being changed. It has a very pale head and underparts, advanced moult in the wings, and even has some blackish adult-type feathers on the wing coverts. The bill is also classic fuscus with two-toned colouring including a blackish tip. Finally, the size of this bird was more reminiscent of Common Gull than Herring Gull, another good indicator. A good opportunity to get to grips with a now uncommon bird in Denmark.

Wood Sandpiper

2010-07-31T11:28:00.005+02:00

Wood Sandpipers are one of the most common waders on Vestamager at the moment. There must be at least 50 of these attractive waders spread over the reserve. Occasionally one or two feed close to the hide at Sydmøllevej, offering fantastic photo opportunities, especially in the early morning light. This morning, after checking the waders on the scrapes (19 species - Little Stint, Temminck's Stint, Curlew Sandpiper, Grey Plover, Golden Plover, Ruff, Spotted Redshank, Redshank, Greenshank, Dunlin, Ringed and Little Ringed Plovers, Bar and Black-tailed Godwit, Snipe, Lapwing, Common Sandpiper, Green Sandpiper and Wood Sandpiper), I popped into the hide to see if there were any waders close by. This Wood Sandpiper fed quite happily at very close range - a fantastic bird!

Yet another YLG

2010-07-30T19:47:00.005+02:00

This afternoon I visited the large gull gathering at the Vattenfall Power Station near Christianshavn on Amager. Of course I was hoping to find my own Caspian or Yellow-legged Gull and I got lucky. Below are some (poor) photos of a juvenile michahellis but they show all the distinguishing features - dark face mask with lighter hindneck and forehead, dark tail band with whitish uppertail, lack of prominent pale window in inner primaries, whitish belly contrasting with dark underwing coverts etc. I had a niggling doubt about this bird due to its relatively small size but a quick email exchange with gull legend KMO reassured me that it was, indeed, a michahellis. Apparently some birds from the mid and eastern range can be quite small.

Always nice to find your own birds!

Another YLG

2010-07-30T11:54:00.006+02:00

Juvenile Yellow-legged Gulls are beginning to arrive in small numbers. At least the third individual in the Copenhagen area was found on Utterslev Mose, just north of Copenhagen. With the promise of a mostly dry forecast with the possibility of very light occasional shower, I went to have a look yesterday afternoon... Needless to say, given the proficiency of the Danish forecasting, I arrived to an absolute deluge and got a real good soaking in a heavy shower that lasted at least an hour..! Still, after sifting through the large gulls, I found this beauty... Apparently there is also a juvenile Caspian Gull around but I wasn't lucky enough to see that. Note the prominent black tail band with narrow white edge, the white uppertail and coverts, the longish dark wings without the prominent pale panel on the inner primaries (cf Herring Gull), the dark 'mask', dark bill, whitish belly and darkish underwing.

Yellow-legged Gull (juvenile) from Terry Townshend on Vimeo.

Local Patch

2010-07-29T14:03:00.005+02:00

Thanks to Brian Edwards for these aerial photos of Sydvestpynten (SVP) and Vestamager reserve, taken from aircraft either just arriving at, or departing from, Copenhagen airport. The first is a good reminder of the severity of the 2009-10 winter when SVP was in a state of almost permafrost. The second shows the lagoons and wetland area that act as a magnet for migrating waders. These adjacent sites are just a few miles south of Copenhagen city centre, on the island of Amager, and show the areas where I have spent many a happy hour during my time here in Denmark.

Yellow Wagtail

2010-07-29T10:13:00.003+02:00

Yellow Wagtails are still fairly common breeders in this part of Denmark and a few pairs breed on Vestamager. This juvenile is learning the ropes around the pools on Klydesøen, Vestamager. Won't be long before he/she begins the journey south to Africa.

Water Rail

2010-07-24T12:47:00.004+02:00

This Water Rail was very active and uncharacteristically showy this morning from the hide south of Sydmøllevej at Vestamager. There were at least 4 of these skulkers in the reedbeds around the hide but this individual was the boldest of them all...

LBBGs

2010-07-23T16:32:00.007+02:00

In the UK I am used to seeing the graellsi form of Lesser Black-backed Gull (LBBG). This is the palest race of LBBG which breeds in the UK, Ireland and the Faeroes. Then there is the slightly darker intermedius form which breeds in western Europe (this is the main race breeding in Denmark). Further east there is the darkest of them all - fuscus - which breeds in eastern Sweden, Finland and possibly on the northern coast along the Norwegain/Russian border.

Yesterday at Damhussøen, in between watching the Caspian and Yellow-legged Gulls, I noticed the few intermedius LBBGs on site. I took three photos, only seconds apart so in the same light and with the same camera settings, illustrating the subtle variation in this species. The first is at the paler end of 'intermedius', similar to a 'graellsi' LBBG, the second a classic 'intermedius' and the third is at the darker end of 'intermedius', close to the tone of 'fuscus'. Note also the difference in the size of the white 'mirrors' on the primary tips. (I recommend clicking on the photos to big them up..).

The darker bird was wearing a Swedish metal ring. I managed to read the number and have reported it, so hopefully I'll soon know the history and origin of this bird.

Caspian Gull video

2010-07-23T09:34:00.002+02:00

A short video of the 5th calendar year Caspian Gull at Damhussøen on 22 July. It is almost in adult plumage but still has dark marks on the outer flight feathers and central tail feathers.

Caspian Gull from Terry Townshend on Vimeo.

Gulls

2010-07-22T23:01:00.009+02:00

Today I was mostly watching gulls... What? In summer?? Yes, well I guess it's a sign that winter is on its way.. This afternoon I cycled to Damhussøen, a large lake on the outskirts of Copenhagen, to look for a 5th calendar year Caspian Gull (Larus Cachinnans) that has just returned for it's 5th consecutive 'winter' at this inland lake. It is a colour-ringed bird (blue ring V483), so very easy to pick out. I arrived around 1430 and found the Caspian Gull immediately in the south-west corner of the lake, taking advantage of the bread being offered by local children. It was a beast of a gull, bulky with a prominent chest, longish straight bill, a dark eye and yellowish legs. The mantle was very similar in shade to the local argentatus Herring Gulls but note the reddish orbital ring around the eye and the bill/head shape which, together with the bulky chest and 'lanky' legs, give Caspian its distinctive jizz.

When I arrived I noticed a birder taking photographs of another bird and I thought he was probably just practicing taking shots of the local swans, ducks and Herring Gulls. However, within a few minutes a couple of other birders turned up, including Jørgen Christiansen, and it soon became apparent that the Caspian Gull was not the only attraction. There was also an early juvenile Yellow-legged Gull (Larus michahellis) on site. Bonus! Unfortunately, as soon as I got on it, it flew into the middle of the lake and settled on the water. I managed a few flight shots showing the striking tail band and the wings (showing a lack of a prominent pale patch on the inner primaries cf Herring Gull) and out on the lake it stayed until I had to leave at 5pm (I had an appointment at 5.30 to have my rabies jab ahead of moving to China!).

Another colour-ringed gull, a yellow-ringed Herring Gull (C6S08), is a bird from the Finnish ringing scheme (I saw the same bird at the same place in February this year), another sign that some birds are heading for their winter quarters already.. When it's 25 degrees C and sunny, it's hard to believe...

Photos: juvenile Yellow-legged Gull and 5th calendar year Caspian Gull

Ancient Danish custom

2010-07-17T23:23:00.002+02:00

Our flat overlooking Nyhavn has provided much entertainment over the last 3 years.. we have seen singing, dancing, police arrests, fire-eating, naked swimming competitions and seen Danish fans experiencing the agony and ecstasy (mostly agony) of the World Cup. But tonight we saw something that tops the lot! This poor guy was dressed by his 'mates' in pink armbands, a floppy hat and set adrift in a children's dinghy on a Saturday night in Nyhavn.. needless to say he provided some great entertainment for the assembled masses before eventually being allowed back onto dry land... An ancient Danish custom? I think a 'stag-do' is more likely...

Those crazy Danes.... from Terry Townshend on Vimeo.

Greenshank

2010-07-17T17:50:00.001+02:00

A video showing the typically frenzied feeding technique of the Greenshank. Taken from the hide south of Sydmøllevej on Vestamager.

Greenshank from Terry Townshend on Vimeo.

Pectoral Sandpiper

2010-07-17T10:48:00.008+02:00

A Pectoral Sandpiper was discovered at Klydesøen by Sebastian Klein on Thursday. Saturday morning was the first opportunity I had to go, so I was up very early and on site by 0600. I found it at about 0615 and was joined shortly afterwards by Mathias Vogdrup-Schmidt. We enjoyed pretty good views of the Pec Sand before, at about 0700, a fox caused havoc with the waders by slowly wandering onto the mud. Luckily, the Pec Sand did not end up as the fox's breakfast (unlike a poor Long-billed Dowitcher at LilleVildmose earlier this year) and we were soon enjoying further views as it favoured the muddy fringes of the scrape. This was only my second ever Pectoral Sandpiper and I took the opportunity to study it closely. It reminded me of a small Ruff with a similar pattern to the upperparts and similarly proportioned bill. Its legs were a yellowish green (versus orange on Ruff) and the bill was dark with a slightly paler base (only seen in good light and from relatively close distance). There was a strong demarcation between the breast streaking and the white belly and, from front on, the streaking lowered to a point on the centre of the breast. I did not see obvious 'V' markings on the back, formed by the scapulars but I believe this feature is more prominent on fresh juveniles. When it flew a short distance the rather plainish wings could be seen with a faint wing-bar. It tended to favour the muddier areas and I did not see it enter the water at all..

The light was beautiful and there were good numbers of waders around - we counted 19 species in all. The two Spoonbills were still on site and a single Caspian Tern was fishing at the back of the reserve. After a couple of hours I popped into the hide at Sydmøllevej and enjoyed close views of a Greenshank, a Wood Sandpiper and the resident Swallows... before cycling back for breakfast at 1000..

Photos: Greenshank, Wood Sandpiper and Barn Swallow

Bumble Bees

2010-07-14T13:15:00.008+02:00

A couple of close-up images of Bumble Bees (I believe they are a Red-tailed Bumble-bee and a Buff-tailed Bumble-bee respectively).

Queen of Spain Fritillary

2010-07-14T10:41:00.003+02:00

I believe that the photos below of a fritillary sp butterfly show a Queen of Spain Fritillary (Isoria lathonia). If anyone can confirm, please let me know. Although quite rare in the UK (and restricted to the south-east of England), these lovely butterflies are relatively common in Scandinavia, apparently. I took these images this morning at around 0730 near Jersie Strand as it was basking in the early morning sun. This is the first time I have knowingly seen a QoS Fritillary (an indication that I haven't given butterflies enough attention over the years!).

Waders galore

2010-07-12T10:41:00.005+02:00

Anticipating that at least the first half of the World Cup final would be excruciatingly bland, I spent yesterday evening at Vestamager, primarily looking for waders but also with a sneaky eye on the huge flocks of Starlings now congregating on the open land, just in case a Rose-coloured has slipped in unnoticed. I didn't see a pink bird among the thousands of Common Starlings but I did see 21 species of wader at Klydesøen and managed to dodge the thunderstorms by diving into the hide at Sydmøllevej! Highlights were 2 Broad-billed Sandpipers, a single summer-plumaged Little Stint and two Temminck's Stints. And the Spoonbill is still on site.

Wader species seen:

Oystercatcher
Avocet
Little Ringed Plover
Ringed Plover
Golden Plover
Lapwing
Little Stint
Temminck's Stint
Curlew Sandpiper
Dunlin
Broad-billed Sandpiper
Ruff
Common Snipe
Bar-tailed Godwit
Curlew
Spotted Redshank
Common Redshank
Greenshank
Green Sandpiper
Wood Sandpiper
Common Sandpiper

Photos: Spoonbill and Wood Sandpiper

Lightning over Vestamager, Copenhagen from Terry Townshend on Vimeo.

Moths

2010-07-10T22:26:00.004+02:00

A work visit back to London allowed me to tag on a flying visit to my folks in Winterton as they celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary (gulp). After a top meal, the balmy evening tempted me to dust off my moth trap that has been stored at my parents' place since I left for Denmark. It was worth the effort with an impressive haul that included 5 species of Hawkmoth!

Totals (not including several that were left unidentified):

7 Elephant Hawkmoths
1 Privet Hawkmoth
1 Poplar Hawkmoth
1 Eyed Hawkmoth (laid eggs in the trap!)
1 Hummingbird Hawkmoth (at dusk, before the light trap was activated)
5 Swallowtail Moths
2 Setaceous Hebrew Characters
2 Dark Arches
4 Buff Ermine
1 Garden Tiger (very impressive beast!)
1 Large Yellow Underwing
1 Brown-tail
1 Pebble Prominent

Plus 2 Cockchafers, 4 Harlequin Ladybirds and, at dawn, a Hedgehog sniffing around the outside!

MEGA: White-throated Sparrow!

2010-07-05T21:56:00.003+02:00

The third big rarity in as many weeks has just been disovered in Jylland (Jutland). A male American White-throated Sparrow is singing and showing well on and off in a garden in Skørping. Photos can be seen here.

Macro

2010-07-04T16:19:00.004+02:00

Over the last few months I have almost forgotten that I have a 100mm macro lens in my camera bag.. but it's at this time of year, when insects are at their most active, that a good macro lens offers some great photographic opportunities. On a cycle tour around Vestamager today, the strong sun and relative lack of wind meant that there were plenty of dragonflies, beetles and flies of various sorts on the wing, but noticeably few butterflies. The damselflies around a pond in Kongelunden were very active, foraging, defending territories and mating. If anyone knows the species in these images, please let me know (I think the third and fourth are Common Blue Damselfies)..

STOP PRESS: White-crowned Black Wheatear

2010-07-01T12:49:00.008+02:00

Hot on the heels of the Pacific Swift comes another first for Denmark - a White-crowned Black Wheatear! The bird, a second calendar year male, was discovered on 30 June in a private area at Saltbæk Vig, near Kalundborg in north-west Sjælland (about 60-90 minutes from Copenhagen). There is a guided tour this afternoon to see the bird at 1500. However, it is unclear whether the bird can be seen from public areas after a report this morning saying that it was seen on poles at a distance of 12 metres.

Pictures of the bird can be seen here.

It is a very rare bird outside its normal range. As far as I am aware there are only two records from northern Europe - one from the UK (Kessingland, Suffolk, 1-5 June 1982) and one from Germany (9-13 August 1986 in Eichstatt) plus records from southern Europe including single records from Spain, Portugal, Greece, Croatia and Malta and 7 from Turkey.

There is now a video of the bird by Rasmus Strack here.

Spoonbill

2010-06-30T11:19:00.005+02:00

I visited Vestamager for a couple of hours early morning. The Spoonbill was asleep in the corner of Klydesøen, species number 250 for me in Denmark! Wader passage was evident with 22 Wood Sandpipers, 5 Spotted Redshank, 3 Greenshank, 2 Ruff, 3 Dunlin and good numbers of Common Redshank. Perhaps the most notable sighting was an unseasonal Grey Wagtail that flew overhead and headed south-west out to sea.

On the way back I popped into the small wooden hide at Sydmøllevej, where I bumped into one of the rangers. He was about to give a live interview on Danish radio via his mobile phone about the importance of Vestamager as a nature reserve. He asked me if I had seen anything exciting and I mentioned the Spoonbill. He promptly mentioned it live on air. Interestingly, after the radio interview, I was talking to him about the viewing conditions at the site and how it would be fantastic to have more hides, ideally overlooking the western part of the lagoon. He told me that, after the current work to raise the flood barrier around the margins of the reserve, they were planning to install three wooden hides that would overlook that part of the reserve, with new pedestrian access granted along the dyke. This would be a brilliant development and would significantly improve the viewing of waders at this excellent site. Unfortunately it will happen after I have left Denmark but I look forward to hearing about more exciting sightings from Vestamager once the birders can see all parts of the area, including those hidden from current viewing positions.

This Little Ringed Plover is one half of a breeding pair, viewable from the Sydmøllevej hide.

World Cup 2010

2010-06-29T22:44:00.013+02:00

Birding has taken a bit of a back seat for the last week or so as the World Cup enters the business end of the competition. England's heavy loss to Germany on Sunday was painful (particularly as I watched it with some German friends!) but I really can't understand all the fuss in the British media about England's failure. Did they really expect England to win the World Cup? On the evidence so far in this competition we are way behind most of the last 16. We are technically poor and the 100mph game we are used to in the Premiership might be great to watch (and it is) but it just isn't suited to tournament football where possession is key. We are an above average international side that probably hovers around the top 10 in the world. Quarter-finals is about our level and, if we had won the group (which we should have done, being drawn with teams much lower ranked than us) then we would have played, and probably beaten, Ghana in the second round and then we'd have had a good chance of reaching the semis in a match against Uruguay. As it was, we scraped through the group and, through finishing second, played Germany, a team consistently ranked higher than England and we lost. Am I surprised? No. Disappointed? A little. Is it a disaster? No!

Now, back to checking waders....

Waders' return

2010-06-25T20:14:00.003+02:00

After the over-excitement of the World Cup in the last few days (bye bye Italy and France), I decided to take a risk and skip the Portugal-Brazil game in favour of a couple of hours birding on Vestamager. For a change I thought I would go to the north tower and then Sydmøllevej in an attempt to score the Spoonbill that had been reported a couple of days previously (potential new species in Denmark for me). An Osprey circling with a fish being accompanied by a very vocal group of Oystercatchers was a good start. Then, on a flooded field by the entrance track to the tower, there were 5 Wood Sandpipers and a Greenshank. A reminder that, for some, the summer is already over and autumn migration has begun. No sign of the Spoonbill from the tower, so I nipped round to Sydmøllevej. Both Ringed and Little Ringed Plovers were just outside the hide and a couple of Yellow Wagtails flitted around on the track. A Swallow nest in the hide itself had 5 young inside, not far off fledging. I returned via Klydesøen where there were good numbers of Swifts, House Martins and a couple of Swallows. And a juvenile Red-necked Grebe was enjoying a piggy-back from its mum on the lake. Gorgeous evening and pleased to hear when I got back that Brazil-Portugal was 0-0. Looking forward to Spain-Chile, though.. Could we really have a last 16 without Italy, France and Spain?? Makes England's win and two draws look quite good!

Unintended Consequences

2010-06-22T14:43:00.004+02:00

We have all seen harrowing pictures of the wildlife directly affected the oil leak in the Gulf of Mexico but this video, put together by the American Birding Association, shows some of the unnecessary disturbance caused by the clean-up operation. Anyone got a direct line to Obama?

Pacific Swift - finder's account

2010-06-21T14:33:00.002+02:00

For those of you who can read Danish, the finder's account of the Pacific Swift can be seen here. Below is my (rough) translation.

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As most will know, on Tuesday 15 June, Stig Kjaergaard Rasmussen found Denmark's first Pacific Swift. Those who know their Danish ornithological history will realise that it is not the first new species for Denmark that Stig has discovered. Back in 1976 Stig, together with Vagn Valentinussen and Knud Freisleben found Denmark's first White-throated Sparrow. It was found in the eastern part of Kongelunden forest and, with this new find, Stig has now found two new species for Denmark less than 2km apart. An achievement that should motivate all patch-birders to get out into the field.

Stig has sent the following account of the fantastic Pacific Swift find:

Tuesday 15 June I was, as so many times before, on a morning tour of the Klydesøen area on Vestamager. It was an overcast and cold summer day so, after 4 hours in the bird tower, I decided to pack it in and head for home. When I reached Hejresøen I looked at the birds there, and at the eastern end of the lake I began to count the House Martins that were foraging over the lake with Common Swifts.

Suddenly, just after 1100, it happened. One of the birds with a white rump was swift-sized with a forked tail - a large swift. I could discount White-rumped Swift on grounds of size and Little Swift on grounds of size and because of the tail shape. So which species was it? I could not remember whether there were - apart from Pacific Swift - other Asian swifts with this appearance.

I watched the bird for some minutes down to 20 metres distance, before losing it behind some trees. What should I do now? I was on the one hand very pleased about the observation, but also annoyed to stand alone with a rare bird - and without being able to prove the observation with photos. I rang Tim Andersen and told him about the sighting. Tim concluded it was a Pacific Swift and gave me the mobile number of Alex Buhring, who was nearby in the southern observation tower.

Ten minutes later Alex was there. We looked for the swift, and before long saw it at full speed foraging over the lake. I rang Tim again, who reported the bird on DOFCall (the Danish rare bird alert system).

After half an hour the first breathless birders arrived. Soon the first photographer arrived and took picture after picture. The bird performed very well. It behaved in the same way the whole time and foraged together with Common Swifts quickly over the lake, sometimes low over the water and sometimes higher or over the treetops on the lake's opposite side. Then it would disappear briefly behind the trees at the end of the lake before reappearing again. Once it flew over the dam off Hejresøen.

It repeated this all the time while more and more enthusiastic birders assembled. The chat was lively and the photographers let loose,

In the time I saw the bird, I noticed the following features: the Pacific Swift had a typical swift profile. It was the size of, or a touch larger than, a Common Swift with longer, relatively narrow and pointed wings. It looked slimmer, more lanky than Common Swift, maybe due to the longer and more pointed tail. The tail was more deeply forked than Common Swift which was especially obvious when the bird could be seen from above when foraging low over the water.

The upperparts looked completely black at first but later, with a little sun, rather more dark brown, except for a broad, rectangular white rump, with the white reaching down to the rump's sides.

The underparts were dark brown, lighter than the upperparts. A large grey-white, diffuse throat patch. The underside of the body was lightly scaled which could be seen in good light, when it was close by. The underside of the wings showed darker coverts than primaries.

After 3 and a half hours, the party ended at 1430, just as abruptly as it had began. Strong thunderstorms approached and the Pacific Swift, with the Common Swifts, headed south.

For me it was an extraordinary birding experience. I could be very satisfied with the bird, and the fact that over 100 birders got to see it. It was just a pity that more birders - including those from further afield - didn't arrive in time.

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More Pacific Swift

2010-06-19T12:21:00.007+02:00

I am still going through the (300) photos of the Hejresøen Pacific Swift. Here are a few more... It is remarkable how the tail, when partially spread, was reminiscent of a pratincole sp (see, in particular, the third photo below).

Blyth's Reed Warbler

2010-06-18T12:47:00.002+02:00

For around a week or so there has been a Blyth's Reed Warbler holding territory about an hour outside Copenhagen at Vindbyholt. Having only ever seen one autumn 1st winter bird in the UK, I was keen to go and see it. These birds are mainly night songsters, so to have the best chance, I had to arrange a crack logistically challenging mission under cover of the limited darkness at this time of year. I ended up catching the S-train from Copenhagen to Køge and then the last local train to Faxe Ladeplads (with my bike) on Thursday evening and cycling from there. This meant I arrived in Faxe Ladeplads at 00:30, giving me about 2.5/3 hours of darkness. The first train back in the morning was at 05:00 so I knew I would have several hours to spend in the vicinity. Luckily there was also a Savi's Warbler, another night-time songster, reported very close to Faxe Ladeplads station so I started by cycling to that site. Sure enough, I could hear it immediately on arrival and it sang constantly for the 10 minutes I was there, alongside Thrush Nightingale, Marsh Warbler and a chorus of frogs. Good start. From there I cycled the 8km or so to Vindbyholt. It was a beautiful night - clear, still and warm - and I could hear more Thrush Nightingales, several Tawny Owls and a Long-eared Owl along the way. On arrival at the Blyth's site at 01:45 I could hear the bird immediately, singing from some thickish vegetation alongside a small brook. It was only a short walk along the edge of the brook to get closer and it was from here that I stood and listened as it sang, without interruption, until 03:05. Apart from the gentle sound of the running water, it was a completely silent night with no traffic noise and no other birds singing in the vicinity. It was like being in the company of a world-class musician playing a solo just for me..! The song reminded me of a slow and more relaxed Marsh Warbler - lots of mimicry with each phrase repeated up to 10 times but the phrases were not as 'hurried' as in Marsh and with longer gaps in between each burst. I started to note the different species that were being plagiarised - in that time I identified Great Tit, Willow Warbler, Icterine Warbler, Marsh Warbler, Reed Warbler, Blackbird, Swift, Thrush Nightingale, Greenfinch, Goldfinch, Linnet, Starling, Whitethroat and White Wagtail and I am sure there were more.

I recorded a sample of its song which you can hear below (recorded at 02:00am).

As it got light (it never really got fully dark!), I managed to see the bird - a dullish acro sp with a long, thinish bill, obvious supercilium and noticeably short primary projection relative to Marsh and Reed. It was really cool to see a singing Spring male instead of the skulky autumn juveniles we get in the UK.

Both Savi's and Blyth's Reed were new species for Denmark for me, so that takes my total, including the Pacific Swift, to 249. One more to the magic 250!

Blyth's Reed Warbler, 18 June 2010 from Terry Townshend on Vimeo.

STOP PRESS - Pacific Swift

2010-06-15T17:15:00.010+02:00

It is often said that the rarest birds turn up in June and July.. and today that saying came true with a first for Denmark in the form of a Pacific Swift found by Stig Kjaergaard Rasmussen (SKR) sometime around 11am at Hejresøen, Vestamager, just outside Copenhagen. I heard the news at about 1245 and was on site by 1330. Fortunately for me, the bird was still present with around 60-70 Common Swifts hawking over the lake. It favoured the north-east corner of Hejresøen and flew mostly at treetop height with occasional forays to the western end of the lake. It was about the size of Common Swift but was longer-winged and had an obviously longer and more deeply forked tail. Overall it was slightly lighter in colour than the Common Swifts with which it was associating with prominent scaling on the underparts. The white on the rump was very obvious and reached round onto the sides of the rump, making it visible when the bird was side-on. I watched it for about an hour until, at around 1430, a thunderstorm approached from the north and the swift flock rose high and drifted off south-east towards Sydvestpynten (in the direction of Falsterbo in Sweden). I lost it from view at around 1435 when the rain started. I left site about 10 minutes later having congratulated Stig on his amazing find - a well-deserved reward for the hours he puts in around Vestamager, counting each species he encounters. I got a heavy soaking on my bike on the journey home but it was a small price to pay. Wouldn't it be ironic if the last new species I see in Denmark is one that would normally be seen in China!

Öland

2010-06-13T19:46:00.009+02:00

After the recent news about moving to China I was resolved to try to make the most of my time here in Denmark. Top of the list was a visit to the Swedish island of Öland, a long thin stretch of land off the east coast of southern Sweden. It is known as a great birding destination, particularly during migration but it also has some summer breeders that are very scarce or absent further west. My target species was Barred Warbler. Having been based in the UK for so long I have seen a few autumn juveniles but I had never seen a Spring singing male. After a short conversation with Phil, we decided to spend two nights at Ottenby at the southern tip of the island to see what we could turn up.

After a very early start (0345) from Copenhagen I caught the train to Lund, from where Phil picked me up for the drive across Skåne. Our first stop was at a military firing range on the east coast of Skåne called Ravlunda. Live firing was taking place that day at 1300 so we had to be well out of the way by 12ish.. We arrived at 0800 and began brilliantly with a singing male Firecrest along the access road, soon followed by singing Woodlark, Golden Oriole, good numbers of Red-backed Shrike, a stunning male Montagu's Harrier, Osprey, singing Wryneck, Icterine Warbler, Thrush Nightingale... what a great site! A wander around finally produced a pair of Tawny Pipits, one of our target birds, as well as a few Black-throated Divers offshore. There was an outside chance of Barred Warbler here so, while Phil checked the main area for Tawny Pipits I nipped over to investigate a sylvia warbler that was singing from some scrub along the edge. I probably spent about five minutes here and these were the only five minutes that Phil and I were out of sight and not within audible range. Unfortunately for me (but fortunately for Phil) he heard and then saw a flyover Bee-eater! He immediately tried to get my attention through a combination of whistles, shouts and even calling my mobile phone (on silent!) but in vain. As I returned Phil was gesticulating wildly but I was just too late - the Bee-eater had flown out of sight. You win some, you lose some.
As the military began to set up their dummies and sights we took our cue and left, taking in a calling Lesser Spotted Woodpecker on the way - a thoroughly enjoyable few hours at a fantastic site. After a short rain-interrupted (and unsuccessful) attempt to see Serin, we drove on to Öland, jamming in on a White Stork along the way and picking up a few Red Kites.

Öland is a lovely island, around 137km long from north to south and a maximum of 16km wide and dominated in the southern part by the unusual limestone-based habitat called 'Alvaret'. We drove south along the west coast to Ottenby and checked in at the youth hostel (ideally located for birders). By now the rain had stopped but the mist had descended. Not ideal conditions but we did manage to pick up some waders on the drive down to the point (Redshank with young, Black-tailed and Bar-tailed Godwits, Whimbrel, Turnstone) plus a couple of 2k Little Gulls before calling it a day and heading back for dinner.

Saturday was a very different day weather-wise. No rain but instead a very strong south-westerly wind (averaging 15m/s with gusts up to 20-25m/s). Birding in this was a challenge. It was really energy-sapping and we were both pretty frazzled at the end of the day. We began in the relative calm of the wood at Norra Lunden where we soon connected with Collared Flycatcher (a pair in a nest box), heard a snatch of Red-breasted Flycatcher (heard only) and the first of many Rosefinches (nearly everywhere we stopped we heard one). A search for Barred Warbler in the almost gale-force winds was not looking promising until we heard a strong rattle from a bush which, on investigation, revealed a female-type Barred which unfortunately disappeared immediately. We drove up the east coast, stopping at Seby for waders (a one-legged Curlew Sandpiper the most notable bird here) and Hulterstad (4 Black Terns) before cutting across the west coast via Möckelmossen (a nice site but difficult to stay upright in the wind) on our way to Beijershamn. Here I had a strategic power nap while Phil braved the coastal walk, picking up Spotted Redshank, Wigeon and a few other bits and bobs.

From here we drove south again picking up Crane and Red Kite before looking for the reported Kentish Plovers at Ottenby. No sign of the plovers but we did meet a young Swedish couple who told us that they might have seen the Steppe Eagle that has been present on the island since the autumn. We headed back up that way more in hope rather than expectation but we were glad we did. We didn't see the eagle but we did connect with a nice male Goshawk before jamming in on a singing male Barred Warbler right next to the road. Phil skilfully maneouvred the car right alongside, allowing me to grab a few close-up snaps of this much wanted bird. It song-flighted a couple of times before crossing the road and diving into shelter (the wind was still very strong). There was a Red-backed Shrike in the same bush - just as it says in the books, these two species seem to be best buddies - wherever we saw Barred there was a Red-backed Shrike very close by.

The drive back to Ottenby produced a male Montagu's Harrier carrying food plus another Rosefinch by the side of the road. A nice finish to a challenging but productive day.

Sunday again started early at Ottenby, this time with Phil going for the Kentish Plovers (again unsuccessfully) and me poking around Sodra Lunden. With less strong (but still moderate) winds, I lucked in on 4 Barred Warblers, 2 Golden Orioles (including one adult male), Collared Flycatcher and several Red-backed Shrikes. The slightly less harsh conditions clearly lending themselves to improved birding activity. From here we drove north towards the bridge to Beijershamn where we connected with a good flock (30+) of Spotted Redshanks and a few Dunlin. It was here that Mrs B told us about a singing River Warbler just over the bridge in Kalmar. As it was on the way back we stopped off and saw and heard the River Warbler at pretty close range... a great bird. A lovely 'red' male Rosefinch was a bonus. The long drive back to Båstad ended with a failed attempt to connect with a singing 2k male Red-breasted Flycatcher close to the railway station but it didn't take the edge off what was a top trip. Thanks to Phil for doing all the driving - I don't know how he did it! I flopped onto the train and was back in Copenhagen by 6pm to enjoy dinner with my long-suffering wife!

China calling

2010-06-08T10:58:00.014+02:00

And so, after just over 3 years in Denmark, the inevitable news that every diplomatic couple receives, has arrived - that of our next posting. Last week Libby and I heard that we will be leaving Denmark and moving to Beijing at the end of August. It's a 11-month posting, after which we will almost certainly return to the UK.

I have to say that I have mixed feelings. Living in China for a year is, I know, going to be an amazing experience - it is probably now the second largest economy in the world (almost certainly overtaking Japan in 2009) and, if it continues its amazing growth, it will overtake the US as the number one in the next 20-30 years or so. The challenges associated with this growth, particularly for the environment, are of a scale that is almost incomprehensible to me, coming from a small island in the Atlantic of only 60 million people! China has an incredible 1.3 billion people (22 million in Beijing alone), many of whom aspire to the western lifestyle - a car, flatscreen TV, i-phone etc. Of course they have an absolute right to develop so the priority must be to find a way to help them to do it sustainably whilst at the same time reducing the impact our lifestyles in the west have on the planet to make room. I hope I can contribute in some small way while I am there.

It will be a completely different experience to living in Copenhagen. The cultural experience will be hugely rich - the people, their habits, the food, the city life will all be a change from the comfortable western European existence we have been treated to here. And the birds?! Oh, the birds will be very different.. probably not much on my doorstep except a few House Sparrows and maybe some Azure Magpies but with Beidaihe and Happy Island only around 3 hours away by train, I will be in for a treat at migration time. And I will hopefully be able to travel around a bit and get to grips with many of the 'sibes' that cause so much excitement when they turn up in western Europe - Pallas's Warblers, Yellow-broweds, Siberian Thrush, Red-flanked Bluetail, Siberian Rubythroat, Radde's Warbler, Amur Falcon etc etc...

However, as much as I am looking forward to the new adventure, I am also very sad to be leaving Denmark. We have both thoroughly enjoyed our time here. Copenhagen is a lovely city and the quality of life here is very high - public transport that works, amazing cycling infrastructure, quality food and, best of all, the people. We have found the Danes to be very friendly, helpful, modest, relaxed, well-educated and with a very similar sense of humour to us Brits. We have made some very good friends here (Kat, Michael, Kamilla, Mike, Barbara etc) with whom, I am sure, we will stay in touch for many years to come. The Scandinavian social model of relatively high taxes and a great welfare state lends itself to a happier and much more equal society than we are used to in the UK. My experience of doctors and dentists in Copenhagen is way beyond that of the UK and it appears that education is much less determined by your postcode. I know there are pressures and tensions here with some questioning the sustainability of this model, especially linked to immigration and to 'brain-drain' but, for me, it would be incredibly sad to see this model eroded - it is as close to utopia as I have seen!

On the birding front I have had a great time. I have so far seen 246 species in Denmark (will I reach 250 before I leave??), the vast majority of which have been seen locally using public transport or, most frequently, by bicycle. My favourite sites around Sydvestpynten, Kongelunden and Vestamager are fantastically varied habitats that Copenhageners are very lucky to have on their doorstep. And I have been able to get to grips with many species that are very scarce or rare in the UK - Marsh Warbler, Icterine Warbler, Rosefinch, Rough-legged Buzzard, Honey Buzzard, Wood Warbler, Red-breasted Flycatcher, Lesser White-fronted Goose, Black Kite to name a few. The birders here are very competent (dare I say, better than the UK on average?) and I have very much enjoyed meeting and talking to many in the Danish birding community - special mention must go to Henrik Højholm who has shown me some of the best sites (and birds), including Skagen, and there are many others - Stefan Sturup, Steffen Nielsen, Klaus Nellevang, Ole Nyegaard, Jan Speierman, Andreas Petersen, Thomas Hellesen, Andreas Hagerman, Morten Christensen, Sanne Busk, Jimmy 'Skat' Hansen, Morten Kofoed-Hansen, Stig Kjaergaard Rasmussen, Tim Andersen, Ib Jensen, Rolf Christensen, Klaus Malling Olsen, Frank Desting to name a few (not forgetting the other 'Brits' here - Mark Walker, Brian Edwards and David Collinge plus Phil Benstead over the bridge in Sweden). A big thank you to all of you for being so generous with your time, knowledge and using your excellent english to help me improve my Danish birding experience! If any of you are in Beijing in the next 12 months (or the UK after that), look me up!

Of course, this blog will continue until I leave and I hope to be able to blog in some form or another from Beijing.

This feels a little like a premature leaving blog post but hopefully I will be able to say some goodbyes in person before the end of August. In the meantime, happy birding!

'Fuscus-type' LBBG

2010-06-05T20:45:00.005+02:00

I started early today, reaching Vestamager at around 0445. Along Kanalvej there were the usual gulls feeding in the meadows but one stood out - a very dark Lesser Black-backed Gull with tiny white spots for mirrors on the primaries and overall a sleeker looking bird compared with the 'normal' LBBG with which it was associating. Unfortunately it flew as I was reaching for my camera which meant that I was only able to get a very poor record flight shot of it moving away. The 'fuscus' subspecies (known as "Baltic Gull") is notoriously difficult to identify for certain due to the variability of 'intermedius', so it will have to go down as a 'fuscus-type'.

The other highlight included 5 Razorbills past Sydvestpynten, not something I expect in June. I had a good walk around Kongelunden on the off-chance that there might be a Greenish Warbler but to no avail. However the walk did produce at least 11 singing Wood Warblers, a good number.

Photo: 'fuscus-type' Lesser Black-backed Gull and Wood Warbler

Red-necked Grebes

2010-06-04T09:22:00.002+02:00

A video of one of the pairs of Red-necked Grebes on Hejresøen, Vestamager. Mainly for UK readers who don't see RNGs very often (!)

Red-necked Grebes from Terry Townshend on Vimeo.

Swifts

2010-06-03T14:39:00.023+02:00

Swifts are amazing birds. It is said that, once leaving the nest, young swifts may not land for up to 3 years. They eat, sleep, drink, mate and collect nest material on the wing. A friend of mine once told me of his conversation about swifts with eminent Australian scientist, Professor Tim Flannery. Tim had told him that swifts were in the vanguard of species' journey to dominate the air. So far species had conquered land and the sea but none had yet conquered the air. Swifts were the closest to claiming that prize but even they depended on land to breed. Maybe one day swifts will give birth to live young on the wing...? Who knows. In any case, they are always a pleasure to watch and, this morning, I witnessed a small arrival of these birds at Klydesøen. After coming in off the sea they spent at least 30 minutes feeding over the water, often at very low altitude, allowing fantastic views. As always, I had my camera with me and, among lots of shots of sky and blurred dark marks, I managed to capture several pleasing photos - all thanks to the amazing focusing of the Canon EOS 1D. As always, click to big them up!

An Evening With Mark Walker

2010-06-02T00:15:00.003+02:00

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!

Swallow

2010-05-25T14:42:00.002+02:00

A photo of a Barn Swallow that I took a few days ago at Sydvestpynten. Despite their chirpy nature and very energetic flight, Swallows always look a little sad to me. Maybe in this case it's because the Danish spring isn't quite what he thought it would be!

Marsh Warbler

2010-05-23T20:55:00.005+02:00

Highlight this morning was a Lapland Bunting flushed from Kofoeds Enge that flew strongly north-east. Also seen were two Caspian Terns commuting back and forth along the shore at Sydvestpynten, a single small Diver (probably Black-throated), several Icterine Warblers, 4 Grasshopper Warblers along Kanalvej and a Marsh Warbler. Marsh Warblers are just arriving now, being one of the later arrivals in Denmark. The bird below has been present on Kanalvej for a couple of days and, as is typical with newly arrived birds, is quite showy. They are expert mimics and I could hear imitations of Swallow, House Martin, Great Tit, Redshank, House Sparrow, Starling, Icterine Warbler and Blackbird in its song. I am sure there are many more!

Photo: Caspian Tern
Video: Marsh Warbler

Marsh Warbler, Vestamager from Terry Townshend on Vimeo.

Rosefinch

2010-05-22T17:00:00.004+02:00

A warm night in mid- to late-May, coupled with misty conditions at dawn, always brings expectation - and usually no birds! However, for once, today that expectation was fulfilled with a Common Rosefinch at Sydvestpynten. I was a little late out today (Libby was flying to London this morning so, like the good husband that I am, I made her breakfast and helped her get ready). So it was good to meet Ole Nyegaard almost as soon as I reached Sydvestpynten who told me that there was a Common Rosefinch singing in the gardens by the car park. We walked over and could immediately hear it singing its characteristic wolf whistle-like song. After a few seconds we could see it in a birch tree and were pleased to see it was a nice red male (often one sees the rather drab first summer males). This bird had a red head, red on the upper breast and a red rump. I would think that this means it is at least a 3rd year bird (ie born at least two years ago). It was fairly mobile within the confines of the two gardens and sang almost constantly for the time we were there. I recorded a pretty grotty video and took a few photos (see below) before moving on to the point. On the way we bumped into Morten Christensen who had seen the bird earlier and he gripped us even more with news of a 'yellow' (ie adult male) Golden Oriole that he had seen migrating east from Kofoeds Enge - nice! I didn't score with the Oriole but did see 11 Honey Buzzards, a couple of Icterine Warblers, a Thrush Nightingale, 3 rather late Common Cranes, at least 30 Yellow Wagtails and a rather uncharacteristically showy Bittern that stood out in the open at Hejresøen.

Photo: 3k+ male Common Rosefinch, Sydvestpynten

Common Rosefinch from Terry Townshend on Vimeo.

More Wood Warblers

2010-05-20T08:38:00.003+02:00

A couple more photos of the Kongelunden Wood Warblers... they put so much effort into singing, their bodies literally quiver... I hope the females arrive soon!

Thrush Nightingale

2010-05-19T15:38:00.004+02:00

It was very warm this morning - the first time I have not needed gloves first thing! There was no sign of the Common Nightingale at the fort but there was a Thrush Nightingale singing nearby.

On the subject of Nightingales, I recorded the showy Thrush Nightingale in Kongelunden this morning. And on this video you can even see the bird! Useful to compare with the song of Common Nightingale, although this individual didn't seem to display the full repertoire of the species.

Not much else to report - most of the flycatchers and Willow Warblers from a few days ago have moved on and there was very little visible migration at the point, the highlights being a single Caspian Tern and four Honey Buzzards.

Thrush Nightingale, Kongelunden from Terry Townshend on Vimeo.

The Invasion Begins...

2010-05-18T09:24:00.006+02:00

Honey Buzzards are very common in Scandinavia and, during my time in Copenhagen, I have been lucky enough to see hundreds of these fantastic birds of prey. They are highly migratory, wintering in sub-Saharan Africa, and it is at migration time when they are most visible (they are very difficult to see during the breeding season). At this time of year they arrive back on their breeding grounds and my local patch of Sydvestpynten is a good place to watch them arriving on warm spring days. They do not rely completely on thermals to migrate and have no problem crossing stretches of water so, as soon as the weather warms up from mid-May, they set off. Many of the Honey Buzzards arriving at SVP have set off over the water from further south (from Stevns or Møns) and their journey across the water probably takes around 30-60 minutes depending on their starting point. Yesterday I was at Klydesøen early on a sunny morning (where, incidentally, the water levels are very high - not great for waders) and, at around 0940 I sighted 6 Honey Buzzards coming in off the sea... With the sun shining and the temperatures warming up nicely, I knew the migration was starting so I legged it down to SVP to watch them. In just over an hour (0950-1100) I counted 66 Honey Buzzards powering across the water with active flight and arriving at just a few metres height. They arrived on quite a broad front from Avedøre in the west to Dragør in the east but many came right over my head. A wonderful sight and one that tells us that summer is almost here....!

A large flock (60+) of Blue-headed (nominate flava)and the Fenno-Scandian subspecies thunbergi Yellow Wagtails in the horse fields were a nice end to the morning.

Photo: a newly arrived male Honey Buzzard

Wood Warblers

2010-05-17T14:51:00.005+02:00

Thanks to Andreas for the comment on the "Sydlig Nattergal". With a second opinion from a respected birder, I am now confident it was a "Common" Nightingale. I hope it sticks around.

Over the last few days I have spent a little time watching the Wood Warblers in Kongelunden. I counted 6 singing males. Most of them were singing from high in the treetops but one seemed to favour the lower branches, offering superb views. I spent around an hour with this individual as it sang, oblivious to my presence... Definitely my favourite warbler!

Possible Common Nightingale, Sydvestpynten

2010-05-16T14:23:00.004+02:00

I managed to get up early today and cycled down to Sydvestpynten to see whether the misty weather with easterly winds had caused an arrival of birds. A few Spotted Flycatchers, Garden Warblers and my first Icterine Warbler of the year was a good start. And then I heard a Nightingale sp singing. I immediately thought it could be a Common Nightingale ("Southern Nightingale in Danish) as, just a few minutes before, I had been listening to a Thrush Nightingale banging out its song as I cycled through Kongelunden. The Sydvestpynten bird sounded different - much softer and without the harsh sounds of the Thrush Nightingale. I recorded the song - see below. I am not 100 per cent sure it is a Common Nightingale (could it simply be a 'subsong' of Thrush Nightingale?) so I would welcome comments from anyone with good experience of the two.

Also seen was an incredible group of 6 Caspian Terns migrating east along the coast - possibly a site record.

Possible Southern Nightingale, Sydvestpynten from Terry Townshend on Vimeo.

SVP

2010-05-14T14:24:00.005+02:00

I visited Sydvestpynten and Vestamager early this morning for the first time for a couple of weeks. Lots of new migrants now in with singing Grasshopper Warblers, Thrush Nightingales and Garden Warblers. A flock of 150+ migrating Barnacle Geese was good to see and there was a trickle of Yellow Wagtails and Tree Pipits flying overhead. Two Caspian Terns were a welcome sight - a pair of this scarce breeder has been seen now for around a week on and off at Vestamager/Kongelunden and, hopefully, they will stay to breed (probably on the nearby island of Saltholm). I bumped into Ole Nyegaard near Klydesøen and he told me he had seen a Red-breasted Flycatcher along Kanalvej at 0730 this morning. I had cycled along there at about 0545 but obviously I was still half asleep! I went back on the way home but, in 30 minutes of searching, I drew a blank. Sightings of this charming flycatcher are sadly very scarce in the Copenhagen area so it's a very good record.

One of the Grasshopper Warblers along Kanalvej was uncharacteristically showy and allowed me to video it singing from a fence right next to the cycle path - always fantastic to see and hear. If you listen carefully, as well as the Whitethroat, you may just here a Thrush Nightingale singing in the background. And at Kongelunden another Thrush Nightingale was similarly confiding whilst singing from a still largely leafless shrub - a great opportunity to study the northern cousin of the UK's Nightingale.

Photos: Caspian Tern and Thrush Nightingale

Grasshopper Warbler from Terry Townshend on Vimeo.

Skagen

2010-05-12T17:20:00.006+02:00

Since I have been living in Denmark I have heard so much about Skagen (the northern tip of Denmark) being a magical place in Spring for migration. It has a top class reputation and that is backed up by the records - Black-winged Kite, Bonelli's Eagle, Egyptian Vulture, Greater and Lesser Spotted Eagles, Steppe Eagle, Imperial Eagle, Three-toed Woodpecker, the list goes on and on. One look at a map tells you why Skagen is so good - it is effectively the northern tip of mainland western Europe and the narrow Skagen peninsula funnels northbound birds to the point at Grenen where birders wait with anticipation.

So when Henrik Højholm offered me a place to stay for a few nights in May this year, I jumped at the chance. As with most migration points, much is weather dependent and, unfortunately, my visit coincided with an unusual weather system that has meant that the winds have been predominantly from the north with very cold overnight temperatures - not the best for Spring migration. However, I thoroughly enjoyed the trip and saw some very good birds, too. Diver passage was a real highlight with well over 1,000 Red-throated Divers, several Black-throated and a probable White-billed which, for me at least, was just not seen well enough to clinch. We also saw a female Surf Scoter, two Dotterel and probably Denmark's last Crested Lark at the last-known breeding site in Hirtshals. A young (3 cal yr) Golden Eagle was fantastic to see attempting to migrate several times from Grenen and we found a 2nd calendar year male Montagu's Harrier (see below). A stunning male Lapland Bunting in summer plumage was a great sight coming in off the sea and despite the cold weather there were also reasonable numbers of some of the more common migrants including Wood Warbler, Pied Flycatcher, Redstart and, overhead, calling Tree Pipits and Yellow Wagtails were our constant companions. Raptor migration was disappointing (the eagle excepted) and the only falcons we saw were a couple of Kestrels (often at this time of year, especially in easterly winds, it is possible to see Hobbies and, if you are lucky, Red-footed Falcons). The stunning scenery makes Skagen all the more special and I hope I can make it back to experience it again in more favourable weather conditions.

I had fun putting together the video below - a summary of my visit to the tune of The Eels. Thanks to Henrik Højholm and Jimmy 'Skat' Hansen for their excellent company and for being my guides around this great site.

Photos: male Whinchat, Crested Lark and 2nd year male Montagu's Harrier

Birding at Skagen, Denmark from Terry Townshend on Vimeo.

Long-billed Dowitcher RIP

2010-05-07T11:38:00.002+02:00

On my return to Copenhagen yesterday I read an astonishing story about Denmark's 14th ever Long-billed Dowitcher. This American wader has been present for several days at Lille Vildmose in Jutland (Jylland) and has been enjoyed by many Danish birders. Yesterday, whilst being watched by a few birders, the Long-billed Dowitcher was caught by a Sparrowhawk and eaten by a fox! A dramatic photo of the fate of the Dowitcher can be seen here.

Last morning in Norfolk

2010-05-06T11:13:00.004+02:00

I spent three hours in the north dunes on my last morning in Norfolk before returning to Denmark tonight. Winds were in the east and migration was almost non-existent with a handful of Swallows and a few Linnets. After an hour of very little I decided to check the rocks for a late Purple Sandpiper and was rewarded with two of these smart waders feeding amongst the surf. Fantastic. The Ring Ouzel remained loyal to its small field and two Cuckoos were engaged in a territorial battle with energetic "cuckooing" and rapid chases along the dunes, again providing fantastic photo opportunities. The underwing pattern is truly stunning and something I have not noticed before..

It's been an enjoyable few days back on my old stomping ground despite the cold north-north-easterly winds which have had a dampening effect on migration. With Woodchat Shrike, Purple Sandpiper, Cuckoo and lots of common migrants, it's been an enjoyable few days.

Woodchat again

2010-05-05T22:17:00.003+02:00

As it was my last full day in Winterton, I paid another visit to the Woodchat Shrike in the valley. It was much more active today in the sunshine, feeding well and ranging further than the impenetrable bushes it has been inhabiting over the last few days of cold and windy weather. I saw it catch at least two lizards, one of which it impaled on a thorn. Although these birds are very common in southern Europe, it really was special to see one in the area where I grew up learning my birding skills.

Cuckoo

2010-05-05T15:15:00.003+02:00

Another early start in much better conditions (a light north-easterly and sunny clear skies) was rewarded with much more migration today. Linnets continued to dominate the passerine migration but there were also good numbers of hirundines (mostly Swallows but also a few Sand Martins and, later, a sprinkling of Swifts and House Martins). Two Yellow Wagtails, a few Meadow Pipits, a Hobby, Common Scoter, Gannets and Guillemots provided the supporting cast. Highlight was a very confiding Cuckoo that came from the north and passed very close by along the top of the dunes. It settled on a nearby fence and called actively for several minutes before settling to feed. My first of the year.

Vis Mig

2010-05-04T14:23:00.002+02:00

Another early start in marginally better conditions (still a fairly strong north-easterly with occasional showers) produced a higher number of migrants today. Highlights included 2 Hobbies, 2 Ring Ouzels, 2 Yellow Wagtails, 4 Common Cranes and 392 Linnets (a heavy passage, particularly in May).

Woodchat

2010-05-03T20:04:00.004+02:00

A few days in the UK with both sets of parents has given me the opportunity for a couple of days birding in my old stomping ground of Winterton-on-Sea in Norfolk. Unfortunately the weather has taken a turn for the worst with bitingly cold strong north-easterly winds and squally showers, some of which are wintry. The result has been very little migration. Luckily the weather has also meant that the star bird of the Spring so far in Winterton - a first summer male Woodchat Shrike - has stayed put, enabling me to catch up with a new bird for me for the parish.

Today I spent a few hours sheltering in the north dunes watching the few birds that were battling the winds to continue their migration north. A few Swallows seemed to enjoy the buffeting wind and 50+ Linnets chattered overhead. A single Ring Ouzel was feeding in a sheltered spot together with three Wheatears and a single Common Buzzard briefly took to the air before deciding better of it and returning to the shelter of the wood. Hopefully tomorrow will be better!

Photo: Woodchat Shrike

SVP

2010-04-29T00:05:00.004+02:00

I spent another couple of hours at Sydvestpynten this evening on a lovely warm spring day. A Hobby in off the sea flashed past and headed north-east and there were two Redstarts hanging out in the hedge. My first Common Whitethroat of the year bellowed out its scratchy 'song' from a blackthorn bush and there were at least two Lesser Whitethroats 'rattling' from the undergrowth. But the highlight was not one but two female Ring Ouzels in the horse fields. Not an easy bird to catch up with in the Copenhagen area so, after the single yesterday in the same place, to see two was a bonus. Video below.

Ring Ouzel, Sydvestpynten 28 April 2010 from Terry Townshend on Vimeo.

Ouzel

2010-04-27T22:30:00.002+02:00

A mooch around Sydvestpynten this evening produced a female Ring Ouzel, two Common Redstarts, two Lesser Whitethroats and good numbers of Willow Warblers. A group of 20 Barnacle Geese were at Kofoeds Enge, loosely associating with my record count of Greylag Geese at this site - 120. A search through Kongelunden to look for an early Wood Warbler proved fruitless and the Firecrest seems to have moved on. But a Bittern booming by the pumphouse at Hejresøen was proof that not all Danish Bitterns were killed off by the harsh winter...

Visible Migration

2010-04-26T09:01:00.007+02:00

With the weather forecast predicting a sunny day and south-east winds, many of Sjaelland's birders were at Gilbjerg Hoved (the northern tip of Sjaelland) on Sunday to witness the visible migration. This hot-spot is an excellent place to witness spring migration and when Henrik Højholm offered me a lift, I couldn't say no..

We arrived on site at dawn (around 0515) with a frost on the ground and a light south-easterly breeze. Immediately, around 20 Song Thrushes flew out of the bushes, gained height and began to head east.. a good sign. Birds began to pass in numbers beginning with Tree Pipits, Chaffinches, Bramblings and Siskins. As the morning began to warm up these were joined by Redwings, Fieldfares, a single Ring Ouzel, White Wagtails, Crossbills, Redpolls and the first raptors of the day - Sparrowhawks. As the morning drew on, a single Goshawk powered by, my first Yellow Wagtail of the year flew east calling and a Black-throated Diver passed just out to sea.

A few birders began to search the bushes around the headland for migrants and it wasn't long before the first of two Wrynecks was reported and the year's first Wood Warbler and Lesser Whitethroat. A couple of Whinchats, a Common Redstart and at least two Pied Flycatchers were also found close by.

By now the day was warming up and the stream of birds passing by included the first hirundines - Swallows, Sand Martins and House Martins all in evidence - and a single Waxwing reminded us that it wasn't summer just yet.

As the wind wasn't too strong, many people moved to a small hill, just inland, from where the views are more expansive (not recommended in windy weather - it is very exposed). From here the first Red Kites and Common Buzzards were seen and, later, the year's first Hobby, an Osprey and 2 Merlins flashed by.

By now I had managed to miss both Wrynecks, the Hobby and a Black Woodpecker that migrated east - all good birds - and a reminder that you can't be in all the good places at the same time!

We left the site at around 1430 as the migration slowed to a trickle. The afternoons can be good for the larger raptors and, after we left, at least 2 White-tailed Eagles were seen. Even though we missed these magnificent birds, we enjoyed a very good day of visible migration. Some of the Danes were a little disappointed (!), citing the previous cold night as the reason it wasn't an even better day. But, in my view, this was an excellent day of migration and one that would be very hard to match in the UK. Thanks to Henrik, Morten, Jan and Andreas for their company on the day.

Photos: one of the early Pied Flycatchers at Gilbjerg Hoved

Visible Migration at Gilbjerg Hoved, 25 April 2010 from Terry Townshend on Vimeo.

More Penduline Tits

2010-04-23T20:40:00.005+02:00

Another hour after work at Grønjordssøen was rewarded with fantastic views of the pair of Penduline Tits as they fed close to the path. With the evening sun behind me, the light was perfect for photography. The male was very vocal this evening, calling frequently and often bursting into song.. at one point he even collected some nest material.

Penduline Tits again

2010-04-22T20:22:00.003+02:00

I visited Grønjordssøen this evening after work and was lucky to immediately latch on to a Penduline Tit feeding in the reeds on the west side of the lake. It was calling frequently and soon I could hear a second bird calling to the south. Almost immediately the second bird came into view and started to feed close to the first, enabling views of both birds and clearly a pair. The male is ringed but I could not see a ring on the female. They continued to feed and, all around, there were singing Chiffchaffs and Willow Warblers, the latter only really arriving in numbers this week. It's been cold and blustery over the last couple of days (it even tried to snow yesterday!) but the window of evening sun, combined with the shelter provided by the scrub, meant it almost felt like spring!

Photos: Penduline Tit (first three), Chiffchaff and Willow Warbler

Great Snipe - the final cut

2010-04-21T11:16:00.002+02:00

And so, with negative news yesterday and no sign this morning, it seems that the Vestamager Great Snipe has probably moved on. However, us birders can't be too upset as it performed pretty well for four evenings and I reckon over 100 birders connected. It was never seen very well - the grass was just a bit too long - but it was seen 'hopping' and moving through the grass. But it wasn't the views that will stay with me - it is the sound it made. The 'song' is truly weird and like nothing I have experienced before... And so, as a tribute, I put together this short video to the backing of The Cure. Hope you like it. I should point out that the footage of the Great Snipe at the end is not the Vestamager bird - I wish - it is taken from a video recorded on the Great Snipe's Norwegian breeding grounds.

Great Snipe, Vestamager, 16-19 April 2010 from Terry Townshend on Vimeo.

Great Snipe

2010-04-18T00:39:00.005+02:00

What an amazing bird. Tonight, in the company of about 30 Danish birders (the second biggest 'twitch' I have attended after the Glaucous-winged Gull), I was fortunate enough to hear and (briefly) see the Great Snipe at Vestamager.

I arrived on site at about 2000 with the sun almost down and with a brisk westerly wind. Fortunately the cloud had broken quite a bit (apparently overcast conditions reduce the likelihood of Great Snipe lekking). About 20 people were there already and, slowly, the numbers built to 30 plus. At about 2050 the Great Snipe was heard and, over the next 20-25 minutes it displayed around 15-20 times at around 50-75 metres distance. The display is a bizarre series of clicks - some liken it to a bouncing table tennis ball - during which time it puffs out its chest and flashes its white tail feathers. A few minutes after it began displaying, despite the failing light, someone managed to find the bird on the ground in a telescope. The views were poor - mostly just a shape in the grass - but it was clearly the bird. I managed to find it in my telescope and watched it briefly move through the 10-15cm high grass with only the neck and head of the bird visible. At about 2115 it fell silent and, after a short unsuccessful wait to see if it would restart, I left the site at 2130. Brilliant - my first Great Snipe. Big thanks to Stefan for finding it.

Video below of the anticipating crowd at around 2030 (unfortunately it was too dark, and views too distant, to video the bird itself!).

EDIT: this evening (Sunday) I visited the site again and, this time, Franck Ishøj (he must have telescopic eyes) found the Great Snipe on the ground whilst it was still light and we watched it feed and move through the grass for around an hour before it began to display. Amazingly, we saw it leap into the air several times - almost like a flea - and flash its wings. Absolutely stunning.

Great Snipe 'twitch', Vestamager, 17 April 2010 from Terry Townshend on Vimeo.

Red-necked Grebes

2010-04-17T12:44:00.005+02:00

The Danish avifauna is broadly similar to that of the UK with one or two notable exceptions - for example, in Denmark, breeders include Black Woodpecker, Icterine Warbler, Marsh Warbler (very common), Greenish Warbler (now rare) and, at least in the Copenhagen area, Red-necked is the most common Grebe. I have been meaning to try to take some record shots of Red-necked for some time but, as with many things right on our doorstep, there has never been any hurry - "Oh, I can do that any time" is the common thought. Today I stumbled across a confiding pair in a drainage ditch near Klydesøen, Vestamager. It was a bit windy and the light wasn't ideal but I managed to take a few photographs of these stunning birds. At one point they even began to display, albeit half-heartedly.

Tonight I am going to have a second go at seeing a displaying Great Snipe that was discovered yesterday close to Copenhagen. It was found by Stefan Stürup at 2055 last night whilst touring Vestamager to listen for Spotted Crakes! (he is having a good few days having found the Penduline Tit a couple of days ago). Amazingly, it was around 10 metres from the track and Stefan saw and heard it giving its unique display several times until leaving the site at around 2120. He put the news out and, by 2200 I was on site but sadly there was no sign in an hour's vigil. I wondered whether I should return for dawn but decided against as Great Snipe are 'supposed' to display all night so, my thinking went, if it wasn't there at 2200 it had probably moved on. Imagine my frustration when I awoke this morning to a text message saying that it was heard displaying between 0445-0515! Hopefully it will still be there tonight but, with a fresh westerly wind and cloud cover, will it be up to strutting it's stuff?? You can see a taster of the lengths these bizarre birds go to to attract a mate here. Wish me luck!

Penduline Tit

2010-04-16T20:04:00.003+02:00

This evening I spent an hour at Grøndjordssøen, a small reed-fringed lake just south of Copenhagen. The reason was the return of the Penduline Tit. This site is probably the most reliable site for this scarce breeder in the Copenhagen area and today saw the first sighting of the year - found by Stefan Stürup. As usual with this species, it proved elusive and, after hearing it a couple of times, I eventually got reasonable views, albeit brief. The photo below illustrates the sort of views that were on offer - through branches and leaves that were swaying in the fresh north-easterly breeze (that's my excuse for the quality of the photo, anyway!). You can see that the bird was sporting a metal ring. Views were not good enough to view the details but, if it is the same bird as last year, it is a Danish ringed bird.

Photo: Penduline Tit, Grøndjordssøen

Spotted Crakes

2010-04-15T13:04:00.003+02:00

Last night I visited a small marsh called Råmose, just outside Copenhagen. The reason was that 2 Spotted Crakes had been heard 'singing' here for the last two nights, potetially a new species for me in Denmark. I arrived on site, courtesy of train and bicycle, at 2030 and, at about 2040, I heard one call briefly. Then, at about 2047 a Spotted Crake started calling frequently and, at 2105, it was joined by a second. To add to the atmosphere a Bittern was 'booming'. I was amazed that, in such a small marsh surrounded by urban development, there could be 2 Spotted Crakes and a Bittern!

I took a short video of the site and, if you turn up your volume and put your ear to the speaker, you might just hear the Spotted Crakes. Apologies to the Danes for murdering the pronunciation of the site....! And even more apologies to all for the David Bellamy impression at the beginning! :-)

This morning I spent an hour at Vestamager where the flock of Lesser White-fronted Geese is down to 9. I saw them much better than on Monday evening and could see that none of them was ringed. Two Peregrines (one adult and one 2nd year), 321 Barnacle Geese and my first Tree Pipit of the year flying north provided the supporting cast.

Spotted Crakes from Terry Townshend on Vimeo.

Lesser White-fronted Geese

2010-04-12T20:53:00.005+02:00

An astonishing 60+ Lesser White-fronted Geese were discovered this morning on Vestamager, just south of Copenhagen, by Tim Andersen. This is, I believe, the biggest number seen in Denmark for many a year. They are almost certainly from the Swedish re-introduction scheme and are on their way back to Sweden after wintering in more southerly climes. I managed to shoot down there after work and, after a 45-minute cycle ride on a glorious sunny evening, I arrived at Vestamager to find heavy mist rolling in from the sea... The geese were said to be distant - about 400 metres away - and when I arrived visibility was down to around 100m. Luckily, after about 20 minutes, the mist gradually cleared to reveal these diminutive geese feeding avidly on a grassy spit in the middle of the wetland area. Fantastic. A very small goose with a darkish neck, very round head and a prominent white patch above the bill, positively dwarfed by the larger Greylag Geese with which they were associating.

Grib Skov

2010-04-11T18:09:00.003+02:00

Libby and I packed a picnic this morning and enjoyed a long walk around Grib Skov (a large forest just north of Hillerød, about 45 minutes on the train from Copenhagen) on another fantastic Spring day. Highlights included displaying Black and Lesser Spotted Woodpeckers, a giant anthill and a close encounter with a (Wood?) mouse.

Amazingly, we ended the day having seen Black and Lesser Spotted but no Great Spotted Woodpeckers (although we did hear the latter). Both Black and Lesser Spot were displaying. I had never seen the display flight of Lesser Spotted Woodpecker before - a spectacular butterfly-like performance complete with fanned tail.. it must have looked very impressive to the attendant female as they soon both flew off together to a remoter part of the forest..! The Black Woodpecker was also very vocal and flighty and we were extremely lucky to stumble across it and for it to fly almost over our heads just as I had retrieved my camera from my bag.

The anthill was one of the largest I have seen - a very impressive sight and a real hive of activity with literally thousands of workers busying themselves. The mound was made out of thousands of pine needles and must have taken months if not years to reach this size..

Photos: Wood? Mouse, Lesser Spotted Woodpecker, Black Woodpecker and a giant anthill

Sydvestpynten

2010-04-10T17:59:00.002+02:00

A cracking Spring day today with a light, increasing to moderate, NW wind. The cycle down to Sydvestpynten produced Woodcock (flushed from the cycle path), Great Grey Shrike at the usual site west of Kanalvej and an Osprey in off the sea. I cycled to the point via Kongelunden and heard a Firecrest singing in the usual area. Then, at the point, I was joined by Ole Nygaard and we saw 2 Marsh Harriers, an adult male Hen Harrier and another Osprey come in off the sea from the south plus good numbers of migrating White Wagtails, Linnets, a few Meadow Pipits and a couple of Carrion Crows (quite scarce here).

When the migration slowed down we headed back to Kongelunden to see the Firecrests and, after a frustrating hour and a half where we heard it (them) singing only, we finally enjoyed a brief view of a male Firecrest seemingly displaying to a Goldcrest.. Not sure if these two hybridise, or what the result may look like, but it'll be interesting to monitor this bird over the next few weeks to see what happens!

Willow Warbler

2010-04-09T12:40:00.004+02:00

An early Willow Warbler was singing constantly in a small birch wood near Hejresøen today.. my first of the year and great to hear among the cacophony of the now common Chiffchaffs. A check on the Firecrest(s) in Kongelunden revealed almost certainly two singing males, although both proved very difficult to see in the canopy. An updated map can be found here.

The Tawny Owl was still at her regular roost and I finally caught up with the local Great Grey Shrike on Vestamager.

Firecrests

2010-04-07T12:41:00.005+02:00

An early morning visit to Kongelunden revealed almost certainly 2 singing male Firecrests (2 singing at different locations within a few minutes of each other). For anyone in the area interested in seeing it (them), you can find a google map here.

Also seen was a pair of Treecreepers nest-building next to the path.

Firecrest again

2010-04-03T16:14:00.003+02:00

Today I found another Firecrest, this time in potential breeding habitat at Kongelunden. It was singing constantly and very active, mostly in the tops of the larch and spruce trees. Also seen today were a summer plumaged Black-throated Diver, 2 Long-tailed Ducks, 3 Common Scoter, a Nuthatch attempting to migrate (very scarce on the island of Amager) and, most surprising of all, a Camberwell Beauty butterfly that accompanied me briefly along a track before flying off powerfully north - a real surprise!

A late afternoon foray...

2010-03-29T20:23:00.002+02:00

... resulted in 3 adult Lesser Black-backed Gulls (pretty much summer migrants here), 2 migrating Cranes and 250+ Greater Scaup still at the northern tip of Amager. Oh, and a puncture on my bike thanks to a discarded piece of barbed wire (I could hear the hiss as my front tyre deflated in about 10 seconds resulting in a long walk home!).

Another early bird..

2010-03-27T23:59:00.000+01:00

With the influx of Alpine Swifts in the UK I have been keeping my eyes peeled just in case... although I haven't seen any of these very smart swifts yet, today I was rewarded with my earliest ever House Martin, a single flying north just south of Copenhagen city centre at Ørestad.

Vis-mig

2010-03-26T13:01:00.002+01:00

Another cracking spring day and, while working from home, I was very fortunate to see an Osprey drift slowly north over Copenhagen city centre in the company of a single Common Buzzard and a Sparrowhawk. Bonus! Later in the afternoon I spent 2 hours at Sydhavnstippen and scored with another Osprey (see photo) and a British Pied Wagtail (pretty scarce here and my first in Denmark). It had a jet black nape, back and rump and was consorting with a typical continental White Wagtail. Unfortunately it didn't hang around and about 20 seconds after I saw it, if flew off strongly north with its partner. 21 Little Grebes together in a huddle just off the harbour was the biggest group I have seen together...

Photos: Osprey and a diving Little Grebe

Firecrest

2010-03-25T11:44:00.004+01:00

A dawn start on a beautiful spring day saw me make my first visit to Sydvestpynten for several months (it has been in a state of permafrost for most of the winter!). Birds were on the move with good numbers of migrants overhead - Bramblings, Skylarks, Siskin, Common Redpolls, my first White Wagtails of the year (5), 3 Meadow Pipits (my first for some time) and a trickle of Reed Buntings - and also some good movement on the sea with lots of Eider, Goosander and Goldeneye moving through. Four Chiffchaffs, including 2 singing birds, were my first of the year.

However, the very first bird I saw today proved to be the star. I had just parked my bike and taken out my binoculars from my backpack when I caught a glimpse of a small passerine flitting through a small leafless shrub. I put my binoculars up to me eyes and was very pleased to see a lovely Firecrest - the first time I have seen one on the local patch and a great start! I watched it for about 10 minutes as it fed very low down (often on the ground) and made its way along a small hedgerow, eventually disappearing into the thicket. Spring is definitely here!

At the point itself a 'northern' Long-tailed Tit flew in off the sea in the company of 8 Great Tits and rested briefly before making its way inland..

Photos: Firecrest at Sydvestpynten and a northern Long-tailed Tit fresh in off the sea'

The Cranes..

2010-03-24T19:52:00.002+01:00

The last couple of days has seen the beginning of the Crane migration. Thousands of these magnificent birds migrate north to their Swedish breeding grounds in late March and, if the winds have an easterly component, many drift across to Denmark. I arrived backin Copenhagen from a work trip to Brussels this afternoon and, shortly after I arrived home, I caught sight of a flock of 26 Common Cranes flying over Copenhagen town centre.. a real sign of Spring. This photo, taken last March, illustrates just what a spectacle Crane migration can be..

Nordic Jackdaw

2010-03-20T07:45:00.004+01:00

Jackdaws are very common in Denmark and, particularly in winter, it is common to see the 'Nordic' subspecies (Corvus monedula monedula). These birds are distinctive as they have a paler 'cheek', usually paler underparts and, most obviously, a whitish 'collar'. I was prompted by this bird to read up about the 'Nordic' Jackdaw. Apparently they breed in Norway and Sweden, with Denmark a sort of 'in between' zone where both this form and the nominate form - Corvus monedula spermologus occur and breed. Of course, monedula is most common here during winter when many of this form migrate south from their northerly breeding grounds. There is a good article (from Dutch Birding) here on the different subspecies of Jackdaw in Europe.

This individual perched up nicely right in front of me, so I couldn't resist snapping him..

Nearby, this Great Crested Grebe, beginning to moult into summer plumage, was feeding just offshore.

Harrier

2010-03-17T19:16:00.005+01:00

A short visit to the northern tip of Amager revealed that the flock of Scaup was still present (over 500 in the flock), now with the smart addition of a drake Smew and a few Red-breasted Mergansers. A Hen Harrier made a couple of passes over the small area of rough ground near the wind turbines before being seen off by the local crows..

I am still feeling crock so my forays are limited at the moment.. With the milder weather of the past couple of days (it is even predicted to reach 10 degrees C tomorrow!), I am itching to get out and about....

Photos: Hen Harrier with a Hooded Crow in hot pursuit; female Scaup showing the wing pattern (note how the white band stretches beyond the inner wing - grey in Lesser Scaup - see previous posts); and, finally, the Spring weather caused this drake Scaup to break out into song...!

Greater Scaup

2010-03-14T17:36:00.004+01:00

A foray out to the northern tip of Amager today produced a flock of 550+ Greater Scaup, easily the largest flock of these birds I have seen. They were resting just offshore and I spent a good hour going through the flock examining the glorious plumage of the adult males and checking for anything unusual in amongst them. It was odd having to find the odd Tufted Duck in a huge flock of Scaup - in the UK it is usually the other way around!

A couple of times the flock was seemingly spooked by something and took to the air in a whirr of wings and splashes but, after a couple of circuits, always returned to the same area. The majority (at least 350) were females with a mixture of adult and immature males making up the remainder. A joy to see.

Photos: part of the flock of 550+; Scaup taking off; Scaup in flight; Scaup landing; portrait of male and female asleep; and portrait of an adult male.

The Good, The Bad and The Ugly

2010-03-14T11:47:00.005+01:00

For most of the last week I have been stricken with a very persistent and annoying throat virus which is seriously restricting my excursions. The furthest I have got is up to the Little Mermaid to look at the water birds.

There has been a thaw of late and, although most freshwater lakes are still frozen, Nyhavn is now pretty much ice-free for the first time since late December and all of the sea water canals are now open again.

Spring passage is already underway with nearly 800 Common Buzzards migrating north reported from one site in northern Sjaelland yesterday.

I nicknamed this trio The Good, The Bad and The Ugly.

Photos: 'northern' Long-tailed Tit, Hooded Crow and an aberrant-billed first winter Herring Gull

Lesser Spotted Woodpecker

2010-03-11T11:57:00.008+01:00

There are few more prominent signs of spring than drumming woodpeckers. In Denmark we have a mixed variety of woodpeckers - we have the very common Great Spotted Woodpecker, the scarce Lesser Spotted Woodpecker plus the monster Black Woodpecker. Some parts of Denmark also have the Green Woodpecker but this is a very scarce bird in the Copenhagen area. Vaserne is a place to the north of Copenhagen that consists of some damp woodland (with lots of alder carr), a lake and some scrubby open areas. It is one of the most reliable places to see and hear Lesser Spotted Woodpecker in the area.

A short visit on Monday, feeling distinctly under the weather, was my first trip to this site and I was impressed. The first few hundred metres walk revealed good numbers of Brambling, a pair of Hawfinches, 4 singing Nuthatches, 3 singing Treecreepers and 4 Red Squirrels. I met local birder, Frank Desting, who was also looking for LSW. After walking along the most suitable area, we heard some light tapping that we thought immediately could be a LSW. After a couple of minutes of checking the nearby trees, Frank spotted a fine female Lesser Spotted Woodpecker feeding close to the path at head height. It fed actively for several minutes, flitting between the trees, before being lost to view as it made its way deeper into the wood. I later heard a Lesser Spotted Woodpecker drumming and it is likely that it was the same bird. It used to be thought that only the males drummed but it has since been proved, at least with Lesser Spotted, that females also drum regularly in spring.

The walk back also produced a Great Grey Shrike that was sitting sentinel-like atop a tall birch tree.

Photos: female Lesser Spotted Woodpecker (males have red on the head)

More Lesser Scaup photos

2010-03-09T16:39:00.004+01:00

Some more photos of the Lesser Scaup... although appearing to have a purple sheen on the head in overcast conditions, it often looked green in the sun. A good reminder that the purple sheen, said to be typical of Lesser Scaup, is not a reliable characteristic.

Libby commented on the puffed out cheeks of this bird (visible in the 4th photo below) and, in fact, the prominent cheeks are characteristic of both Lesser Scaup and its fellow North American cousin, the Ring-necked Duck. So much so that some Danish birders liken these birds to 'Dizzy' Gillespie, the famous jazz musician. You can see why by clicking here... Quite a good likeness!

More Gull Heads

2010-03-03T20:53:00.004+01:00

The local gulls are now attaining their summer plumage - in the adult Herring Gulls this means a clean gleaming white bonce and, with the Black-headed, it means a nice chocolate brown hood (incidentally, the Danes have got it right - they call the Mediterranean Gull "Black-headed Gull" as it actually has a black head - our "Black-headed Gull" has a brown head).

The first Herring shot below was shaking its head - I like the water droplets captured (as it was a sunny day, the shutter speed was very high, freezing the motion).

Photos: Herring Gull (first two); and Black-headed Gull moulting into breeding plumage

Diving

2010-03-03T14:23:00.003+01:00

I visited the local gulls this lunchtime and, although the sea is now free of ice, the harbour is still largely frozen. A cormorant was feeding close by, along the edge of the ice, and it was fascinating to watch it dive and follow it underwater in the very clear and relatively shallow water. My field guides always told me that one of the behavioural differences between Shags and Cormorants was that Shags jumped clear of the water before diving, whereas Cormorants were more 'lazy', with a shallower movement. In the sequence of photos below, you can see the legs clearing the water in the third photo, something that I thought was more akin to Shags. Maybe the sinensis subspecies of Cormorant (the slightly smaller version of the UK's nominate carbo) is a sort of 'in between' version..!

Photos: Cormorant dive sequence

Lesser Scaup

2010-03-02T18:24:00.005+01:00

The lure of a second year male Lesser Scaup just 20 minutes from Copenhagen at Roskilde was too much today so, during a long (very long) lunch hour I caught the train to have a peek. The forecast was for the 'odd light shower' around lunchtime and then clear skies in the afternoon. For those of you familiar with the prowess of the Danish Meteorological Institute it will not surprise you to hear that I arrived in Roskilde in the midst of a blizzard with heavy snow and strong winds. The 'light shower' lasted about 45 minutes and, by the time it had moved on, the place was transformed with a layer of snow a couple of centimetres thick.

Arriving on site at Roskilde Fjord, the Lesser Scaup was on show immediately and at very close range in a reasonably sized ice-free area close to shore. However, it then proceeded to swim away with some Tufted Ducks and spent most of the next hour at the edge of the ice, around 20-30 metres away. It fed actively and at one point took flight, circled the area a couple of times and then, realising that this was the only ice-free area in sight, returned.

The bird was about the size of a Tufted Duck (ie smaller than Greater Scaup) and with a more 'peaked' head (not as round as Tufted Duck). It's head had a purple sheen to it in some lights and the black 'nail' on the tip of the bill was much thinner than on the surrounding Tufteds. A couple of times it conveniently wing-stretched, allowing the diagnostic wing-pattern to be seen (with a white bar on the inner 'arm' and a greyish bar on the outer 'hand').

This bird is only the 7th record for Denmark of this American duck (if accepted as a wild bird) and has attracted a stream of admirers since its discovery at the weekend.

Photos: Lesser Scaup

Scaup

2010-02-21T18:43:00.002+01:00

After a pretty grotty day today (very cold and with blustery snow showers), the last hour before dusk was clear with a much reduced breeze. I took my bike but I almost fell off as soon as I got on due to the steering being frozen solid! Thankfully, the steering began to free-up after a few seconds and I cycled north along the promenade up to Copenhagen harbour. The unfrozen channel hosted thousands of Tufted Duck with a few Scaup, Goosander, Smew, Coot and the odd grebe in amongst them. The evening light, although fading, was casting beautiful shadows from the colourful clouds onto the water and, although using low shutter speeds I was able to capture a few nice photos of the Smew and Goldeneye plus a couple of flight shots of small flocks of Scaup. The cold was penetrating and, although it's been good to have a proper Scandinavian winter this year, I am beginning to look forward to the thaw and some warm spring mornings...

Harry

2010-02-21T12:01:00.005+01:00

It is now not uncommon to see the bodies of birds that have succumbed to the prolonged cold weather lying on the ice. In Copenhagen harbour I have seen several Coots, the odd duck and occasional thrush sp. The local gulls don't need a second invitation to tuck in and I guess, in a way, this is a bonus for those birds higher up the food chain. The photo below shows a young Greater Black Backed Gull getting to grips with a dead Coot.

Meanwhile, 'Harry' the Herring Gull is getting increasingly territorial near to the Little Mermaid in Copenhagen. He was ringed as a chick in summer 2006 just a couple of kilometres from here and likes to let the other gulls know who is in charge. Here he is 'long-calling'... a handsome fellow!

Photos: Herring Gull 'long-calling' and a GBB Gull tugging at a dead Coot, a victim of the prolonged cold spell

Sika Deer

2010-02-21T00:11:00.003+01:00

Today I spent the afternoon in Dyrehaven, the former royal hunting grounds just north of Copenhagen. There are apparently around 2000 deer of three species - red, fallow and sika - that roam the old forests of mostly beech and oak and I came across two large herds of Sika deer today, probably numbering around 60-70 animals in total. I also saw evidence of Wild Boar, although none were seen.

There are some incredible gnarled oaks in the park and these are home to relatively high densities of Nuthatches, Treecreepers and Woodpeckers (including Black, Great Spotted and Lesser Spotted).

The area is served well by trains and a good way to see the park is to catch a train to Skodsborg and walk south (around 2 hours) to Klampenborg Station. This walk take you across a stream between Rådvad and Strandmøllen that is a traditional wintering area for Black-bellied Dipper. Today I had no luck with the Dippers but I did see a cracking male Goshawk, several Treecreepers, Nuthatches, Common Buzzards and Great Spotted Woodpeckers and heard what turned out to be an elusive Black Woodpecker. I heard a couple of Great Spots drumming but they are clearly not yet in full drumming mode - with several inches of snow still on the ground, who can blame them. Another month and the early morning air will be filled with head-banging woodpeckers - this has to be one of the best places in the country to see Greater and Lesser Spotted plus the scarcer Black.

The deer posed pretty well today - although wild, they are relatively approachable given the numbers of people that use the park for recreation.

Photos: Sika Deer; and a Nuthatch of the Scandinavian subspecies

Glaucous-winged Gull

2010-02-16T21:46:00.010+01:00

What. A. Beast.

That was my reaction to seeing only the 5th ever recorded Glaucous-winged Gull in the Western Palearctic region. This large, stocky gull is an extremely rare vagrant from north-west North America, breeding across Alaska and Washington State and wintering along the west coast of the US as far south as California. The individual in the photographs below was first seen by a lucky few in Århus, Jylland (western Denmark), on 27 November for just a few minutes and then not again until 21 December - again by just a handful of observers and for a very brief period. Despite much searching by local birders, it was not relocated. Both of the original sightings were at Århus harbour, a major port with an estimated 20,000 gulls in the area in winter. Almost two months passed before the next sighting, on 14 February, at a freshwater lake called Braband Sø, just west of Århus city. Again, the bird did not stay long and disappeared after around an hour. Frustrating. But this new sighting offered hope to those wanting to see this now mythical bird. A few optimistic individuals turned up the following day, 15 Feb, to see if it would put in another appearance at the same site. After several hours waiting in the freezing cold, at 1129 it suddenly flew in and landed among the 100 or so other gulls, Coots, Moorhens and Mallards that have congregated in this area. Just reward for the seven birders, including a German twitcher from Bremen, who had made the effort. The bird stayed onsite until 1245 at which time it flew off east (towards the harbour), again causing much frustration for the tens of birders that were travelling to the site after the news of its reappearance.

Needless to say, after sightings on two consecutive days at the same site and around the same time, many more birders turned up on Tuesday 16th, including me! I arrived on site at around 0915 and already there were 30 or so birders present. This number swelled to at least 80 by 1130 (around the time the bird was seen on the previous two days) but, of course, the bird didn't realise it had a script to follow and, by 1400, it still hadn't shown up. People began to drift away and, despite sightings of Bittern (2), Smew (2), a White-tailed Eagle and Short-toed Treecreeper, spirits visibly sank, especially as it was below freezing. I amused myself by searching through the Common and Black-headed Gulls for colour rings and there were 4 with various combinations of rings, including two Common Gulls from Estonia. After exhausting the colour rings, I thought I'd check some other local sites, mostly to get my blood moving again. I checked a small unfrozen patch of water at the other end of the lake (4kms away) and, despite there being a much larger congregation of gulls here (at least 300), there was no sign of the "monster". Then, after spending a few more minutes back at the original site, I decided to try the harbour - at least I stood a chance of finding the resident Mediterranean Gull (a potential new Danish bird for me) among the thousands of gulls assembled on the ice in the harbour. I swapped mobile numbers with a Danish guy - Henrik - in case either of us heard any news.

No sooner as I had arrived at Århus harbour and began checking the first group of gulls, I received a text message from Henrik - the bird had been found - not at the original site but a couple of kilometres away along the river that flows out of the lake. I grabbed my bike and began the 20-minute return journey. About half way there my phone beeped and, again, it was Henrik. The bird had flown off! My heart sank. But I continued back to the original site to find out the latest. According to a group of Danish birders it was seen by just two birders, one of whom was unsure of the identification and wanted to see the wing pattern. He flushed the bird and it flew up, confirming the identification but also causing it to fly off! Needless to say, this guy was not popular with the masses waiting at the original site! Nevertheless, most of the people had decamped to the site of this fresh sighting in the hope that it might return. Henrik and I decided to go back to the original site given that the observer thought it "might" have flown in that direction.

We arrived there at around 1500 and, immediately a shout went up of "Der er det!" (there it is!). Unbelieveably, the Glaucous-winged Gull was circling low overhead and, after a couple of passes, landed on the ice some 100 metres away. Wow! It was a beast. A very stocky gull with relatively short legs and a short primary projection, giving it a "stubby" appearance. It sported a very marked 'hood' of dark streaks and blotches which reached some way down the breast and, on the upperside, merged onto the mantle. The wing-tips were a light grey with white 'mirrors' on the outer edges of the primaries and the bill a dull yellow with black markings and a weak reddish 'gonys spot'. One Dane remarked that it reminded him of a Great Skua and I can see the resemblance - it was 'front-heavy' with a deep bulging breast.

Birders immediately began to throw bread, trying to tempt it to stay and even come closer. It proceeded to perform very well over the next hour, walking around the ice, throwing its weight around a bit and occasionally flying around. Despite its large size it was not particularly aggressive and, in fact, most of the time it seemed to be looking around in all directions wondering what was happening not realising that it could scare the living daylights out of the other gulls and eat as much food as it liked if it wanted to...

Over the next half an hour or so, more birders arrived, running from the site where it was seen earlier and, with joy on their faces, they set up their telescopes to take a closer look while their lungs recovered. I would estimate that, in that hour, around 60-70 birders were present at one time or another.

True to form, after an hour or so, the bird suddenly flew up, circled, and headed east... And that was that.

I left at 1600 to catch my train home having had a thoroughly enjoyable day - it's not often I go on a 'twitch' but I have to say that this was a fantastic experience with the late drama making it all the more rewarding.

For anyone interested in going to see the Glaucous-winged Gull, check out this map which highlights the most productive sites and parking places.

UPDATE: The Glaucous-winged Gull was seen today (Wednesday) at the same place; and already I have received information about two of the colour-ringed Common Gulls. Both were ringed in Estonia with one ringed as a breeding adult male in 1991, making it at least 21 years old... but it still has some way to go to beat any records - the oldest Common Gull in Europe was ringed as a chick in Denmark and reached the ripe old age of 33 years and 6 months!

Photos: Glaucous-winged Gull (4th winter); and a couple of photos of the "twitch"

More water birds

2010-02-13T23:39:00.005+01:00

Some more photos of some of the waterbirds on show today. The cold weather is making them much more approachable than usual. Little Grebes are particularly confiding at the moment and I enjoyed watching up to 6 of these tiny birds feeding successfully today. The last photo below shows the density of birds in the relatively small patch of open water - how many species can you see (I make it 9)?

Photos: Little Grebe; Little Grebe with fish; a presumed Pochard x Tufted Duck hybrid; and an example of the range of species sharing the small open area of water today.

Smew

2010-02-13T16:33:00.003+01:00

With temperatures still below freezing and nearly all freshwater lakes frozen over, any areas of sheltered unfrozen water are seeing large congregations of waterbirds. I stumbled on one such patch of water this morning just outside Copenhagen. It was rammed with birds. Little and Great Crested Grebes, Pochard, Tufted Duck, Wigeon, Mallard, Smew, Goosander, Mute Swan, Cormorant and Coot, alongside Black-headed, Common and Herring Gulls, were all trying to take advantage of the feeding opportunity with a dead immature Mute Swan on the ice testament to the very difficult conditions these birds find themselves in this winter.

I focused on the Smew - a stunning bird that is usually pretty scarce in winter in the UK but is here in good numbers (the count at one site just outside Copenhagen reached 200 earlier this year). On this patch of water there were two splendid drakes with two female "red-heads" in close attendance. I sat down close to the edge of the lake and waited. After a while the birds seemed to get used to me with the Coots first to come close, soon followed by the Goosander, Pochard, Tufted Duck and Little Grebes. After about 15 minutes they all seemed very comfortable with my presence. The grebes were feeding well, managing to catch small fish at regular intervals, with gulls quick to pounce as soon as they surfaced with something edible. In my 60 minutes on site I did not see a gull manage to steal a catch at all.. the grebes simply dived if attacked.

The Smew gradually came closer - first the stunning males, soon followed by the females. I watched them diving, preening and sleeping over the course of the hour and I was lucky enough to get some decent photos. They really are stunning birds.

Photos: drake Smew (first four); and a 'red-head' female

Hundested Havn

2010-02-06T22:09:00.006+01:00

Today I visited the harbour town of Hundested, on the northern coast of Sjaelland. This meant taking the 40-minute train ride via the "S-tog" from Copenhagen to Hillerød and then 45 minutes on the regional train from Hillerød to Hundested. I arrived just as the cloud broke to reveal a gorgeous sunny, if a tad parky, day. The main reason for visiting this small harbour town was that there had been two birds reported here over the past weeks that I had not yet seen in Denmark - Purple Sandpiper and Iceland Gull. Checking the flocks of gulls for the 'Iceland' would also humour my new found interest in gulls, something that is worryingly becoming a passion of mine. Who'd have thought it - me, a larophile... ha ha..

Anyway, a thorough check of the harbour revealed a disappointing number of gulls - probably only around 100 - mostly Great Black Backed and Herring (including two yellow-legged Herring Gulls) with a few Common and Black-headed in amongst them. Unfortunately no sign of the Iceland Gull. Some compensation was the good number of Goosander in the harbour and I enjoyed watching these splendid 'sawtooths' (just check out the 'teeth' in the middle photo below) diving and feeding on the edge of the ice. A few sinensis Cormorants (the continental race of Cormorant - see here for how to compare the two races - not easy!) were loafing around and two Rock Pipits fed amongst the fishing boats. A look on the rocks eventually revealed a Purple Sandpiper, one of my target birds, probing around just out of reach of the waves. After watching it for around 10 minutes I did one final sweep of the harbour to look for the Iceland Gull. No sign. But I was rewarded with a flyover White-tailed Eagle that headed west over Roskilde Fjord and, in the last half an hour before my return train, a fishing boat came into harbour and the gulls feasted on the by-catch that was thrown overboard as the haul of what looked like plaice and other flatfish was taken ashore. There were a few squabbles between Goosander, which were adept at retrieving the small fish thrown overboard as they sank, and the Great Black Backed Gulls that proceeded to attempt to steal the fish as soon as the Goosander surfaced (I guess they can't swallow under water?).

A few Twite feeding on some weeds on a small area of waste ground constituted my last birds of the day.

Photos: Goosander; and a rather handsome sinensis Cormorant

Walrus

2010-02-05T15:54:00.003+01:00

A Walrus was sighted today on the west coast of Denmark. Apparently in poor condition, it may have to be put down. More here.

Gull Heads

2010-02-04T23:03:00.008+01:00

Some close-up shots of Herring Gulls' heads... the first is a "2nd winter", the second a "1st winter" and the third a near-adult (4th winter). They are prettier than people give them credit for!

The Spoon-billed Sandpiper

2010-02-04T21:36:00.005+01:00

I have just finished reading a very bleak, yet inspiring, series of posts about the plight of the Spoon-billed Sandpiper. You can read the first post (with links to the others) here. It is a bird I have long wanted to see and I hope that its serious decline is reversed soon before it's too late. The loss of this charismatic and unique species would be symbolic of the accelerating extinction of species which is now estimated to have reached 10,000 times the background rate. A must read for anyone interested in birding or conservation.