Fehmarn is a small German island lying in the western end of the Baltic sea. A bridge connects it to the mainland, Its position, just south of Denmark, means that it is well placed to receive autumn migrants coming south. The north coast is especially good for raptors and waders.

Roger White. Ken Hall and Robin Prytherch flew from Bristol to Hamburg and travelled north in a hire car to Burg auf Fehmarn which is the main town on the island.

Over the next 4 days we explored the main sites. These included Gruenebrink and Markelsdorfer Huk on the north coast, Sulsdorfer Wiek in the south and Staberhuk at the south east tip.

                 The point at Staberhuk

Raptor numbers were relatively small with just a few Honey Buzzards, Ospreys and Marsh Harriers. Sparrowhawks were watched coming in across the sea from Denmark but again the numbers were small. Four White-tailed Eagles were    probably local birds. Interestingly the number of raptors passing through the famous migration site of Falsterbo north east of here at the tip of Sweden were unusually low for the time of year, so clearly we had not picked the best weekend.

However, we were more than compensated by the number and variety of waders. One or two were missed but nevertheless  the count of 23 species of wader (“Limi” as the Germans call them) was impressive . We met a number of German Birders and found them invariably friendly and helpful. It was a challenge for some of them to practise their English but more of a challenge for us to practise our German! Fortunately Roger remembered most of the bird names in German so this formed a good basis for conversation!

                            Gruenebrink

Gruenebrink was especially productive this year because the water levels in the lagoons were ideal. The other coastal sites were relatively disappointing for shore birds whereas previously they had been very productive.

The main memories were the   huge numbers of Golden Plover, good numbers of Ruff, Spotted Redshank and Wood Sandpiper, and both Little and Temminck’s Stint. A Red-necked Phalarope on

             Protected beach at Gruenebrink

day one was joined by another the following day. The German name for this is Odinshuehnchen (Odin’s  chicken). I have yet to find out the derivation of this name. A Caspian Tern was seen at 2 sites, and there were good numbers of Cranes at Sehlendorfer See on the mainland.

On the sea were Common Scoter, Eider and Red-breasted Merganser, and  a single Arctic Skua strayed into one of the lagoons, chasing a tern.

Passerines were few, but Crossbills and a Red-backed Shrike were nice to see and there

       A few of the thousands of Golden Plover

were a lot of Yellow Wagtails. The inland fields, hedges and woodland were very quiet, and there were remarkably few birds in the villages. At Staberhuk, near the lighthouse there were Spotted and Pied Flycatchers and a lot of Chiffchaffs.

There were some  unexpected  absences, incuding Blackbird! but we counted a total of 100 species over the four days.

Roger White

Full details of the sites mentioned and other sites in northern Germany  will be  in the forthcoming new edition of the book:
“A Birdwatching Guide to North East Germany and its Baltic coast”

This was a very short weekend visit to look at some of the polders, and the Bee-eater sites. The weather was terrible initialy with torrential rain for the first 2 days.

No birdwatching was possible in the Lower Oder National Park. Only a singing Thrush Nightingale at Teerofen bridge was recorded. Further north there was little improvement, but on 1 July it was possible to look at some of the Mecklenburg polders. There were good numbers of Whiskered and Black Terns around at Menzlin and Klotzow polders but all their nests had been washed out.  Black-necked Grebes had suffered similarly.  Great Reed Warblers were singing well and there were the usual Bearded Tits. There were good views of White-tailed Eagles. At Kamp polder there was

Menzlin Polder

a nice collection of waders, with small groups of Ruff, Wood Sandpiper, Redshank and Snipe and a large flock of Lapwing.  Also here were some Cranes and several hundred Greylags.

This is the second year that Bee-eaters have bred in this part of Germany.  The main site has been well publicised on German websites, there has been a lot of disturbance from Birders and Photographers, and information is now being witheld. There are several disused sand quarries north of Anklam and these are the places that attract them. At the main site there were at least 6 active holes with birds feeding young.

A brief visit to Galenbecker See on the way back to the airport was rewarded by a Golden Oriole and a singing Marsh Warbler.

This was a short visit by Roger and Christine White to see some of the sites on and around the Baltic coast that had not been visited in November 2015.

April in North Germany is often not very productive as far as bird numbers and variety are concerned. In April, many of the migrants have yet to arrive, and most of the winter visitors have departed.

 We based ourselves at Großenbrode, a seaside holiday resort on the Baltic coast just south of the island of Fehmarn. Visits made included Graswarder peninsula at Heiligenhafen,  Sehlendorfer See, Oldenburger Bruch, Barkauer See, Neustadt, the coast near Grömitz, and Rupersdorfer See at Lübeck.

Graswarder is a unique narrow peninsula with a sandy shore on the Baltic side and salt marsh on the ‘inland side.’ It is a NABU protected site, where breeding species include Common Gull, Little, Common, Arctic and Sandwich Tern, Avocet, Redshank. A tall hide gives views over the reserve. Sehlendorfer See is a wetland west of Heiligenhafen close to Lütjenburg. Viewing is better than at Graswarder and there is a good observation platform from where breeding Avocets, and a Common Tern platform can be viewed.White-tailed Eagles breed nearby.

Oldenburger Bruch, is a flat, wet valley through which a small waterway, Oldenburger Graben flows into the north sea. In later spring and summer there will be good numbers of birds, including Red-backed Shrike and wetland warblers. Barkauer See, south of Eutin,  was well worth a visit. Bluethroats were singing and there were several warblers, including Reed and Savi’s. Cranes were calling and Marsh Harriers were overhead.

Rupersdorfer See at Lübeck was full of duck, mainly Shoveler and Gadwall. Also Goosander, Egyptian Goose, Black-necked Grebe, Great Egret and a White-tailed Eagle, being chased by a Raven.

All these and other sites will be included in the next book describing bird sites in NW Germany.

A long weekend exploratory trip by Roger and Christine White to a part of the North Sea coast of Schleswig Holstein that was not visited in November 2015. It was mostly wet and windy, but milder than usual for February. Here are some of the highlights.

After the evening flight from Bristol to Hamburg (BMI) we travelled north to Tönning which is an attractive old harbour town on the River Eider. This was the base for the next 3 nights. Nearby, and just inland from the North Sea is Katinger Watt, a large wetland reserve. Among the wildfowl were 5 Smew (4 drakes) and a raft of Goldeneye. There is a large barrier across the mouth of the Eider as it enters the North Sea. The tide was low and on the extensive mud were Shelduck and Curlew. The first geese in any numbers were found on the coast just north of St Peter-Ording. Several hundred Barnacle Geese with a few Greylags were feeding in the wet meadows. The beach and the dunes here are a protected site for breeding waders, especially for Ringed and Kentish Plover.

The village of Bergenhusen to the east of Tönning is known as the Stork Village. Most of the nests were on the roofs of old thatched houses. Sometimes a few White Storks remain for the winter but we did not find any. The rough fields and marshes in the surrounding lowland are protected areas for breeding waders, the most threatened being Black-tailed Godwit. In some meadows nearby was a flock of 70+ Whooper Swan together with a mixed flock of geese. These were mainly Greylags but in addition were, Barnacles, White-fronts and a few Bean Geese. Next stop at The polder areas around Beltringharder Koog, north of Husum was where goose flocks were now in thousands, and Brent Goose was added to the list. There is a large observation tower here. Suddenly there were huge numbers of geese, duck and waders – mainly Curlew, Grey and Golden Plover – in the air. A search for the cause quickly revealed a juvenile White-tailed Eagle flapping slowly north.

The tide was high during a short visit to the Eider barrier. Little was seen out to sea but a Short-eared Owl flapped slowly along the shore and settled briefly on a rock before continuing south. Speicher Koog is another coastal reserve extensive rough ground, marshes and open water. there was little to find either on the sea or inland on this wet , blustery day, but it was nice to see a Rough-legged Buzzard which we disturbed from the side of the road.
A final stop at St. Margarethen on the way to the airport where there was yet another flock of Barnacle Geese.

This was a weekend visit by Roger White, Robin Prytherch, Ken Hall and Chris Adams to the northern part of Schleswig Holstein up to the Danish Border.  As can be seen from the photos the weather was generally dull and there was a fair bit of rain. We flew from Bristol to Hamburg where we picked up a car and drove to Gelting which is on the Baltic coast near Kappeln. This is a commentary on the main sites visited on the Baltic and North Sea coasts.

Geltinger Birk is a large peninsula with muddy shores, marshland, some woodland and a large lake with islands. A single Waxwing was at the car park near the mill. On the large lagoon and the adjacent shore were large numbers of waterfowl, which included Greylag Geese, Eider, Scaup, Red-breasted Merganser, Wigeon, Shoveler and Pintail. On the eastern side of the peninsula were more Eider,  Common Scoter, Mergansers, Goldeneye and good numbers of Barnacle and White-fronted Geese on the wet meadows. Lapwings were the only waders.

Schlei Fiord is best viewed from the north shore, and it is possible to walk towards the spit of land that encloses the large lagoon. Duck on the water included Goldeneye and Merganser. There were Barnacle and Greylag Geese and a very large flock of Golden Plover on the muddy shore.

The whole of the North Sea coast from Husum to the Danish border is flat with a long dyke, behind which are the polders (Koogs), a lot of which are preserved wetlands, with marsh, reedbeds and extensive stretches of open water.  We looked at Rickelsbüller Koog, Hauke Haien Koog and Beltringharger Koog. As well as huge numbers of geese, and a lot of duck,  there were large flocks of waders. The highlights included 20,000 + Barnacles, Whooper and Bewick Swans, Pink-footed and Brent Geese, Smew, and enormous wader flocks coming inland on the rising tide, mostly Dunlin, Grey and Golden Plover, Oystercatchers, Avocets. On the salt marsh were small flocks of Twite.

The reported Gyr Falcon was not seen but there were several Hen Harriers, and close view of Rough-legged Buzzard

On the return journey to Hamburg during further stops on the Baltic coast we added , Slavonian and Red-necked Grebe, Goosander, more Smew, Long-tailed Duck and a Short-eared Owl which flew in from the sea.

The total of 88 species in 3 days was a lot more than expected.  Further information on this and on other trips can be obtained from Roger on roger.white4@virgin.net

Bob McMillan has recently been to Brandenburg and has posted a short report and some nice photos on his website:  http://www.skye-birds.com

He recorded 85 species, including a Caspian Gull.  There is a small breeding population in the south of Brandenburg. They breed on islands in the former open cast mining sites. In winter they are most often seen on the Baltic coast.

This is an abbreviated report of a Bristol Ornithological Club visit

Monday 15 October
A group of 12  flew from Bristol to Berlin, arriving  1615 pm local time. Picked up a 9 seater Ford minibus and 4 seat Citroen estate). After some delays due to roadworks we arrived at Semlin at 1930. 7.30 pm.  Supper at the Bauenstübchen restaurant.

Tuesday 16 October
Left at 8.30 am and headed towards Buckow, stopping on the way at a Black and Middle Spotted Woodpecker site near Nennhausen. Were unlucky with these but had Marsh Tits, Goldcrest, Short-toed Treecreeper, and Nuthatches +. At Buckow there was a small group of Great Bustards in a rape field near the road. A ringtail Harrier and a flock of Corn Bunting were seen well on the way to the main hide. From the hide were. A special sighting here was our first White-tailed Eagle flying with 3 Red Kites. East of Buckow was another group of 34 female Bustards, again in a rape field. just north of Barnewitz. 14 males were then found at another site near the village of Haage, Red Kites here and a small flock of Golden Plover flew by.

A lot of Cranes in the fields on the way to Linum. Drove down to the Fischerei and walked around the ponds Great Egrets +, and a variety of duck inc Gadwall, Pochard, and Wigeon and Shoveler. A Black Woodpecker flew over and a Merlin was seen from the first hide. In the distance 2 White-tailed Eagles were sitting in a tree. Chiffchaff, Siskins and a single Redpoll were added. Bearded Tits were both seen and heard and a Penduline tit nest was found and photographed. Also Willow Tit here. At the sluice we watched the arrival of the Cranes, and finally tore ourselves away from this spectacular sight at 1830. Yesterday’s count had been over 90,000 !

Wednesday 17 October
Left hotel at 8.30 am. Tree Sparrows, Siskins and Marsh Tits on a feeder near the hotel. The first geese were near Parey.9.15 am travelled west from here towards Parey – a group of Whitefronts and a single Barnacle. A stop on the road to Gülpe was very rewarding. A flock of Fieldfare and a Yellow Hammer here but best of all were good views of two flying Rough-legged Buzzard. Not much at the hide but a Kingfisher flashed by. From the hide were plenty of duck and geese. During the walk through the trees there was a frustratingly elusive group of small birds which included Tree creeper and Crested Tit. Good views off shore of Bean Geese. Red Squirrel seen.

Moved on across the border into Saxony Anhalt and paused at the hide just north of Jederitz. Great Egrets, White-tailed Eagle and 2 Hen Harriers here. The weather was now poor, and raining by the time we reached Havelberg. A pair of Black Redstarts on the Church completed our visit. On the way back, an Eagle passed across the front of the bus and landed in a field. A flock of mainly Whitefronts near the road included a single Barnacle. The species count had gone up to 80.

Thursday 18 October

Left at 8.30  Stopped at a lake near Netzen on the way to the airport.  Bearded Tits heard. On the lake amongst the many Shoveler were a couple of redhead Smew and a Whooper swan. A lot of geese around – Whitefront, Bean andGreylags. Two WT Eagle sightings and a Marsh Harrier did a fly past. Left here at 1.15 pm for the return flight to Bristol.

Total species count was 83.

Ones that we missed
As expected there was no Moorhen or Dunnock. We ought to have seen Goshawk and Great Grey Shrike, and Hawfinch is always a possibility. A bit surprising not to find Bramblings. The high water level at Gülper See meant that waders were in short supply.

Roger and Christine White

Summary of a short tour from Hamburg to Fehmarn, then Copenhagen and on to Falsterbo in Sweden.

Friday 12 Sept
Collected hire car from Hamburg airport in the afternoon and drove to Grünebrink on the north coast of Fehmarn.. A lot of waders and Shelduck on the lagoon. No raptors seen.
Saturday 13 Sept

Went to Orth and walked along the dyke. Red-breasted Mergansers on the seaward side. Lapwings ++ and variety of duck on the inland water. Then on to Markelsdorfer Huk. Walked to the lighthouse then left through a gate to the beach and continued on to the point. Greenshank, then lot of Spotted Redshank, Avocet, Knot, Redshank, Dunlin, Grey Plover, Lapwing. Eiders on the sea.

Sunday 14 September

A visit to the reserve at Wallnau, It was not a good time to visit and the bird life was sparse. Avocet, Wigeon, Snipe. Back again to the east end of Grünebrink. Numerous Dunlin, Lapwing, Shelduck. Sparrowhawk.

Monday 15 September
Drive to Lübeck and then train north to Denmark. Picked up car at Copenhagen airport Crossed the Oresund bridge to Sweden, heading for Skanor.
Tuesday 16 September
Sunny today but still fresh east wind. Got to the lighthouse area about 8.45. Small bird migration still in full swing against the east wind. 3 Woodlark as we got out of the car. Stood near the lighthouse and watched Chaffinches, Linnets, Siskins coming in large numbers. Lots of Sparrowhawks (50+) a few Buzzards, Marsh Harrier, 2 Hobby, Merlin around the lighthouse, 3 Red Kites, One low Honey Buzzard as we got back to the car. Ate lunch at the Heath. Some high Buzzards, Red Kites, and more Sparrow hawks.
Wednesday 17 September
At the lighthouse at 8.30. Not quite so windy, but still east. Fewer small birds and not quite the same Sparrow hawk numbers. Late am went back to the lighthouse. Some more raptors around. 2+ Hobby, Red Kites and distant larger raptors. Goldcrests, Chiff Chaffs, Black Woodpecker around the lighthouse. Cranes, Marsh Harrier, Sparrowhawks. Tree pipit, Crossbill.. Back to Copenhagen for the return flight to Bristol.

Full details of the sites on Fehmarn are in “A Birdwatching Guide to North East Germany and its Baltic coast” – see Information section.

Roger White, Robin Prytherch and Ken Hall

This is an abbreviated account, describing the main highlights of this 4 day trip.

Itinerary: Torgelow, Anklam and Dargun.

Monday 2 June
Afternoon flight Bristol to Berlin. Night at Torgelow

Tuesday 3 June
Stopped on the road Klepelshagen.. In the distance where mowing was being done were 4+ White-tailed Eagle, 2 Red Kite. Red-backed Shrike by the roadside. Near Klepelshagen were 20+ Black Tern on the pond. Also Common Tern on platforms. Osprey on pole in distance. Marsh Warblers. Marsh Harrier. Wood Warblers nearby. Continued on to Galenbecker See where we walked down to a rather rickety platform overlooking the lake. Here and nearby were Black Woodpecker, Golden Oriole, Marsh Warbler, Icterine Warbler, Fieldfare, Thrush Nightingale. Common Terns on the lake. Further views of the lake from the Fischerei but nothing new seen.

A short stop in the village of Putzar in a small park provided views of Tree Creeper, Black Woodpecker and Redstart Bearded Tits in the reeds on the south shore of Putzarer See. Board walk continues through the reeds over standing water, but a false step means wet feet, and the view at the end is no better than from the platform.

A short walk along the wet valley at Landgrabental bei Zinzow. Grasshopper Warbler, Sedge Warbler and Whinchat. We did not walk as far as the standing water.

In the meadows and scrub near Leopoldshagen on the Settin lagoon. were Yellow Wagtail, Marsh, Icterine and Great Reed Warbler. Also Blacktailed Godwits. Night at Anklam.

Wednesday 4 June
At Schanzenberg east of Anklam were Grasshopper and Savi’s Warbler and Thrush Nightingale. Continued to Kamp polder where there were breeding Blackheaded Gull and Black tern.

On to Bugewitz, polder and drove towards Rosenhagen. Sedge and Reed Warbler, Yellow Wagtail, Rosefinch. Thousands of Cormorants in trees in distance.
Anklam West polder. Great Egrets, Black and Whiskered Terns, Two Sea Eagles, Black-necked Grebes. Drove along the track and in the tree area came to a covered observation platform. Good display boards.
Menzlin polder. Highlights here during a short walk Red-necked Grebe, Penduline tits feeding young and Rosefinch. Also River Warbler singing.

On to Murchiner Wiesen. There were Tree pipit. Whinchat, Stonechat. we did not proceed to Johannishof polder but instead went on to Dargun. Levin polder was different from usual because there were no Marsh Terns. However, 6 Garganey, Shoveler, Gadwall, both Red and Black Kites, Sedge, and Savi’s Warbler. Osprey nest in distance. to the south
At Große Rosin polder were Black Tern and Common Terns, Garganey. Night at Dargun.

Thursday 5 June
From Dargun we drove to Klein Menzlin and on to Nehringen. The track down to the valleys proved to be very rewarding as usual. In this open marshy ground with willow bushes, birds included. Yellow Wagtail, Barred Warbler, Marsh Warbler, Thrush Nightingale, Marsh Tit, Red-backed Shrike,

Friday 6 June
Left Dargun to go to Heilige Hallen. Storks nest at the forest centre near Lüttenhagen. Short walk into the forest from Paradise Gardens. Could not find Red-breasted Flycatcher on this occasion. Firecrest heard and briefly seen.

Back to Berlin for the pm flight.

Species count 115 (16 Species of Warbler)

Roger White and Stephen Daly

This was a ‘fam’ (Familiarisation visit) in preparation for the tours by Limosa and Travelling Naturalist starting in 2013.

22 October Semlin. At the lake were Great Egrets, Black-headed, Common and Herring Gull. Tree Sparrows. At the lake near Ferchesar there was not  much on the water, but Goldcrest and Marsh Tit in the pines, and Redpolls flew over. On to Buckow, via Nennhausen. A short stop in the side road just after crossing the railway bridge, where there were 6 Buzzards and scattered Lapwings. At the main tower hide were 3 Hen Harriers. Common Buzzards +, some very pale, but surprisingly, no Rough-legged Buzzards. No Great Bustards seen from the hide. but there were 36 (33 females) were feeding in a rape field near Buschow. Near Haage  was a flock of ca 2000 Lapwings and 200 Golden Plover, and 12 male Great Bustards.  Lot of Cranes in the fields around here.

A walk in the woodland near Nennhausen failed to produce either Black or Middle Spotted Woodpecker – just Great Spotted and Marsh Tits.  Next stop Linum ponds for the Crane roost, At 1700 Geese and Cranes were already arriving in large numbers. Amazing noise. 60,000 Cranes had been counted the previous day. 50 Great Egrets had already arrived.

23 October
Left at 0900 through Parey to Gülpe See via Große Graben Niederung.  Mainly Greylags in the fields. Yellow Hammers, Reed and Corn Buntings. On the approach to Gülpe  there was a Rough-legged Buzzard at last. Misty view of the lake  from the main hide. Variety of duck here including a Redhead Smew. A Goshawk flew in. nearby. There were two White-tailed Eagles on the left in trees. One gave great views as it flew past us in front of the hide. Lot of small birds in the woodland here (as usual) They included Crested Tit, Marsh Tit, Willow Tit, Brambling. Went round to north bank of the lake. 3 Rough-legged Buzzard, flock of Fieldfare. Stopped at the Pump house for lunch.  2 more Rough-legged Buzzard, and a large flock of Corn Bunting. Crossed the river towards Havelberg. Hen Harrier and two Great Grey Shrikes on the way, seen from the car.

24 October
Strengsee. Good views of Bean Geese in the stubble and great Bearded Tit views. Whooper Swans, Great Egrets, Wigeon, Shoveler.
On the way back to the airport a Black Woodpecker flew across in front  of the car. We stopped at the south shore Großer Müggelsee, south Berlin. However the birds were too far away to identify, since they were all on the north side of the lake. On the previous day Red-necked, Slavonian and Black-necked Grebe had been seen as well as a Black-throated Diver.

Species List October 2012
Whooper Swan – 4 Strengsee
Geese. Large numbers everywhere, mostly Bean Geese, feeding in the fields, on the water at the lakes and ponds or flying over. The roost at Linum must have contained over 10,000.
White-fronted Goose.
Bean Goose
Greylag Goose
Wigeon
Gadwall
Teal
Shoveler
Pochard
Tufted Duck
Goldeneye – few at Gülper See
Smew – 1 Gülper See
Common Crane – flocks of varying sizes were common in the fields and huge numbers came to the Linum Roost
Great Egret – commonly seen. 50 at Linum roost
Red Kite – ca 10
Hen Harrier – ca 10
Sparrow Hawk – 4
Goshawk – One Gülper See
Merlin – 1
Kestrel -5
Common Buzzard – very common
Rough-legged Buzzard – 7
White-tailed Eagle – 7
Great Bustard – 48 seen. In two flocks in the Buckow area
Golden Plover – 2 flocks, with Lapwings
Lapwing – flocks of up to 2,000
Kingfisher – 1 on the canal near Liepe
Black Woodpecker – 1
Swallow – 1
Black Redstart – 1
Great Grey Shrike – 4
Bearded Tit – 3 groups at Strengsee
Willow Tit 2
Marsh Tit – 6
Crested Tit – 2
Tree Sparrow – common
Brambling – 2 flocks
Siskin – surprisingly, only 1
Redpoll – small numbers
Corn Bunting – several flocks of 50+

Also seen: Mute Swan, Mallard, Pheasant, Little Grebe, Great Crested Grebe, Cormorant, Grey Heron, Moorhen, Coot, BH, Common and Herring Gull, Feral Pigeon, Stock Dove, Woodpigeon Collared Dove, Green, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Wren, Robin, Blackbird, Fieldfare, Song Thrush, Redwing, Goldcrest, Great Tit, Blue Tit, Nuthatch, Tree Creeper sp, Jay, Magpie, Jackdaw, Rook, Carrion Crow, Hooded Crow, Raven, Starling, House Sparrow, Chaffinch, Greenfinch, Goldfinch, Yellow Hammer.
Total Species – 83

Surprising Omissions: White Wagtail, Coal Tit, Dunnock
.