Doesn't seem to be a thread for this region, so here goes. Just back from a short holiday in Copenhagen, with a day trip to Malmo. Not really a birding holiday, a few hours on one of the days aside, but had my bins, and was noting what was about in any decent birding areas I happened to be in (and both cities do have good birding). A run down of some of those places, and what was about:
Copenhagen
Kastellet's an old moated star fortress (and still an active barracks) near the waterfront, the moat's well maintained, and there's good habitat surrounding it:
Black redstart (one singing male) Sand martin White wagtail Fieldfare Jackdaw (which were ubiquitous everywhere), magpie & hooded crow Swift (lots to be seen all over the city) Great spotted woodpecker Mallard and greylag geese with young Common tern Black-headed gull
Amager Fælled (Amager Common in English; Amager being an island to the SE of the city) is a well maintained scrubby woodland with (or the small accessible section of it I viewed, anyway) with a small lake (roughly half the size of Chorlton Water Park, perhaps) surrounded by a decent sized reedbed. Had a good few hours proper birding here (so a proper count!). Excellent warbler count, two species I've never seen before, and some other top birds; must be a stunning local patch for someone:
12 chiffchaff 10 willow warbler c4 blackcap 3 garden warbler 2 lesser whitethroat 9 whitethroat 11 reed warbler 1 sedge warbler Blue tit, great tit, dunnock, house sparrow, greenfinch, reed bunting, blackbird 4 sand martin 2 thrush nightingale Jackdaw, magpie, hooded crow Plenty of swift over 1 cuckoo (possibly more; heard calling constantly) Woodpigeon Moorhen, coot, mallard, greylag geese, mute swan 7 pochard 2 red-necked grebe Black-headed gull, common gull, herring gull and cormorant loafing on the lake 1 kestrel (in an altercation with a cuckoo) 1 marsh harrier
Common toads calling from all round the lake, too; fabulous sound.
Also a few great crested grebe on a series of boating lakes near the hotel, including one with four chicks, and lots of sand martin feeding here, too.
Malmo
Only a day spent here, with no 'serious' birding, but still, some great species noted.
The urban gull here's very much the common gull, all over the town; also a small house martin colony noted and the usual ubiquitous jackdaws.
Malmo castle's another one with a nice moat, with some gardens and a park adjacent to it:
A few singing reed warbler, and a single singing whitethroat, several greenfinch 2 fieldfare Coot and mallard with young, nesting mute swan 4 or 5 barnacle geese (another species I've not seen before)
A short walk from here is Ribersborg beach; full of locals taking advantage of the stunning weather, but a few species feeding on and over adjacent grassy areas, and some good 'uns on the water:
Lots of sand martin A few swallow over the water, with the more numerous martins White wagtail Starling, jackdaw, rook, hooded crow Red-breasted merganser Eider Mute swan Oystercatcher Common tern Common gull, herring gull
Quite a few birds, for what wasn't a bird-centric holiday!
-- Edited by Shannon Llewellyn on Wednesday 25th of May 2016 08:41:37 PM
Copenhagen
Kastellet's an old moated star fortress (and still an active barracks) near the waterfront, the moat's well maintained, and there's good habitat surrounding it:
Black redstart (one singing male)
Sand martin
White wagtail
Fieldfare
Jackdaw (which were ubiquitous everywhere), magpie & hooded crow
Swift (lots to be seen all over the city)
Great spotted woodpecker
Mallard and greylag geese with young
Common tern
Black-headed gull
Amager Fælled (Amager Common in English; Amager being an island to the SE of the city) is a well maintained scrubby woodland with (or the small accessible section of it I viewed, anyway) with a small lake (roughly half the size of Chorlton Water Park, perhaps) surrounded by a decent sized reedbed. Had a good few hours proper birding here (so a proper count!). Excellent warbler count, two species I've never seen before, and some other top birds; must be a stunning local patch for someone:
12 chiffchaff
10 willow warbler
c4 blackcap
3 garden warbler
2 lesser whitethroat
9 whitethroat
11 reed warbler
1 sedge warbler
Blue tit, great tit, dunnock, house sparrow, greenfinch, reed bunting, blackbird
4 sand martin
2 thrush nightingale
Jackdaw, magpie, hooded crow
Plenty of swift over
1 cuckoo (possibly more; heard calling constantly)
Woodpigeon
Moorhen, coot, mallard, greylag geese, mute swan
7 pochard
2 red-necked grebe
Black-headed gull, common gull, herring gull and cormorant loafing on the lake
1 kestrel (in an altercation with a cuckoo)
1 marsh harrier
Common toads calling from all round the lake, too; fabulous sound.
Also a few great crested grebe on a series of boating lakes near the hotel, including one with four chicks, and lots of sand martin feeding here, too.
Malmo
Only a day spent here, with no 'serious' birding, but still, some great species noted.
The urban gull here's very much the common gull, all over the town; also a small house martin colony noted and the usual ubiquitous jackdaws.
Malmo castle's another one with a nice moat, with some gardens and a park adjacent to it:
A few singing reed warbler, and a single singing whitethroat, several greenfinch
2 fieldfare
Coot and mallard with young, nesting mute swan
4 or 5 barnacle geese (another species I've not seen before)
A short walk from here is Ribersborg beach; full of locals taking advantage of the stunning weather, but a few species feeding on and over adjacent grassy areas, and some good 'uns on the water:
Lots of sand martin
A few swallow over the water, with the more numerous martins
White wagtail
Starling, jackdaw, rook, hooded crow
Red-breasted merganser
Eider
Mute swan
Oystercatcher
Common tern
Common gull, herring gull
Quite a few birds, for what wasn't a bird-centric holiday!
-- Edited by Shannon Llewellyn on Wednesday 25th of May 2016 08:41:37 PM