I celebrated the arrival of spring by taking a week-end off to Gedser. The southernmost point of Denmark is at the tip of a peninsula pointing down to Germany, on the island of Falster, and it’s a place I visited back in December. I had slept in the bird station there, and seen plenty of water birds, including scoters, Smews (Mergellus albellus), Long-tailed ducks (Clangula hyemalis) and the lifer Greater white-fronted goose (Anser albifrons).

I didn’t have much time to focus on photography this week-end, hence the low quality of most pictures. I hope you can forgive me that 😉
Here is a map of my week-end.

On Saturday morning, I woke up at 5, took an early train and reached Nykøbing F (F for Falster, because there are several Nykøbing in Denmark) at 9. There, I met Hans, my guide for the day. He had had the brilliant idea to wear his binoculars around the neck in the station, therefore I spotted him immediatly!

He took me by car to the south, along the coast facing the neighbouring island of Lolland. We hoped to see the flock of Lesser white-fronted geese (Anser erythropus) that were grazing in the meadows of Roden Fed, but we were way too far. Still, the strait produced scores of Eurasian wigeons (Anas penelope), and a few Brant geese (Branta bernicla), the first ones of the year for me. I also enjoyed a familiar sight: the ondulating, noisy flight of the White wagtail (Motacilla alba). They had been in Falster for three weeks, but I hadn’t seen any in Copenhagen before today, actually, so those were also my first wagtails of the year. I saw many more in Gedser.

Continue reading “To the south!”