mvecht`s not so big third year 2021

[PeterHG]

Glad to hear the move went well and you started off with some beautiful photos from the island!

[mvecht]

Went for a drive today and came by these relatively close to the road. As soon as I got out of the car they started walking away.

#21 (IOM 5) Whooper Swan (Cygnus cygnus).

It is a very rare breeder in Denmark but in Winter time there can be more than 10,000 birds in Denmark with the Island of Moen being one of the better places to see it.

[Galana]

2 hours ago, mvecht said:

they started walking away.

Funny that. They do it here too.

[mvecht]

Today I went on a wild goose chase

A Red-breasted Goose has been seen for a few days at a reserve not too far away so I went looking for it.

This is an interesting bird that breeds in Northern Siberia. It will typically build its nest close to the nest of either Peregrine Falcon or Snowy Owl to protect itself from predation from Arctic Foxes. Occasionally it will fall prey to the raptors instead!

It is supposed to winter near the Black Sea but will sometimes follow Barnacle Geese to Western Europe.

One of the first sightings of the day was one of the local White-tailed Eagles.

 

Which in turn made all of the Geese do this

 

Not easy to spot the Red-breasted Goose but after a while they settled down.

#22 Red-breasted Goose (Branta ruficollis)

[mvecht]

At the reserve in Bøtø Denmark were also a few

#23 White-fronted Geese (Anser albifrons)

 

[mvecht]

Also 

#24 Common Crane (Grus grus)

Two pairs that are likely to breed in the reserve

[mvecht]

A few distant #25 Smew (Mergellus albellus)

[mvecht]

#26 Yellowhammer (Emberiza citrinella)

[mvecht]

#27 Great Egret (Ardea alba)

Still an uncommon bird in Denmark but numbers are increasing.

[Galana]

Excellent day out. I would love to see a Red-breasted Goose.

[PeterHG]

Very good sightings there and an impressive eagle shot!

[Soukous]

15 hours ago, Galana said:

I would love to see a Red-breasted Goose.

 

me too

[Soukous]

18 hours ago, mvecht said:

At the reserve in Bøtø Denmark

 

so you are not restricting yourself to Møn, Bøtø looks interesting

[mvecht]

@Galana@PeterHG @Soukousthank you for the comments.

I will not limit my birding to the local Island as other places offer excellent birding too 

Today however I was birding on the Island and got a very early for the year

#28 (IOM 6) White Wagtail (Motacilla alba alba) which is the European continental subspecies.

[mvecht]

#29 (IOM 7) Gadwall (Mareca strapera)

[michael-ibk]

A couple of very cool species here! Love the Whoopers - and the Eagle shot.

[elefromoz]

A great start to your island birding. I love the photos of the masses of Tufted Ducks with the iceberg, worlds away from what Im used to seeing. The thousands of Geese flying off in panic as the WTE flies over is awesome too. 

[mvecht]

 @michael-ibk@elefromozThank you for the kind words. 

4 hours ago, elefromoz said:

Tufted Ducks with the iceberg

Iceberg is an exaggeration here. It does not get that cold in Denmark . When it was really, cold ice was extending some 50-100m from the coast and what you saw in the picture was just a small lump that had broken off.

PS I did include the ice in the picture as I personally liked the concept of an iceberg

Edited February 26, 2021 by mvecht
typo

[mvecht]

#30 (IOM 8) is a bird I rarely see

Mistle thrush (Turdus viscivorus) Island of Møn, Denmark

[mvecht]

Island of Møn, Denmark

#31 (IOM 9) Shelduck (Tadorna tadorna)

 

IOM #10 Common Buzzard, already counted in the total

[mvecht]

#32 (IOM 11) Eurasian Skylark (Alauda arvensis)

 

Edited February 27, 2021 by mvecht
typo

[mvecht]

In the garden

#33 (IOM 12) Blue Tit (Cyanistes caeruleus)

[mvecht]

At the northern part of Møn, Denmark

#34 (IOM 12) Common Pochard (Aythya ferina)

 

Some very distant #35 (IOM13) Golden Plover (Pluvialis apricaria)

 

At the time I did not see the raptor in the top of the picture!

A little later I found 10 White-tailed Eagles sitting together as well as a Peregrine Falcon and a Hen Harrier.

All to far away for pictures even by my standards 

[mvecht]

#36 (IOM 14) Greater Scaup (Aythya marila)

with a Tufted Duck in the foreground.

[Galana]

Coming along nicely. Two I won't see on my IOM are Scaup and Pochard.