Strynø, 28 May 2012

On the last day of Sannes’s visit we took the ferry to Strynø, a very small island just west of Langeland.

View from the Ferry from Rudkøbing to Strynø

The harbour on Strynø

A small pond in Strynø Village.

Common Moorhen, Grønbenet Rørhøne (Gallinula chloropus) with its offspring - from a small pond in Strynø Village.

Many of the old houses in Strynø Village is restored.

Edible Frog, Grøn Frø (Pelophylax kl. esculentus) - from a small pond in Strynø Village.

Edible Frog, Grøn Frø is used for food, particularly in France for the delicacy frog legs.

The old windmill at Strynø.

Another view of the old windmill at Strynø.

View from Strynø to an even smaller island - Strynø Kalv

Kindergarten of Common Eider, Ederfugl (Somateria mollissima)

Back at the harbour on Strynø

Langeland 27 May 2012.

Tryggelev Nor. The nature reserve at Tryggelev Nor (Nor means a cove in Danish) is a part of the EU Natura 2000 network, designated to protect the best nature sites in Europe. The area has neen purchased by The Danish Bird Sanctuary Fund in 1976. Sheep and cattle are hired to graze the area to avoid that the meadow turns into scrub. In the background the sea and Ristinge Klint.

Female Great Crested Grebe, toppet lappedykker (Podiceps cristatus) at the nest in Tryggelev Nor

The male Great Crested Grebe, toppet lappedykker.

Pair of Red-necked Grebe , gråstrubedet lappedykker (Podiceps grisegena) at Tryggelev Nor.

Red-necked Grebe , gråstrubedet lappedykker (Podiceps grisegena)

Common Eider, Ederfugl (Somateria mollissima) with its ducklings in the sea outside Tryggelev Nor

The females of the Common Eider, Ederfugl gather their duckling in kindergartens where several females can protect the duckling from doves and other predator birds.

Strandskade, Eurasian Oystercatcher (Haematopus ostralegus) at Nørreballe Nor. Our next visit was to Nørreballe Nor Over a hundred years ago, Nørreballe Nor was an brackish fjord, connected with the Baltic Sea through Tryggelev Nor. (Nor means a cove in Danish). In 1883, the two Nors were separated with a dam, and Nørreballe Nor was dried off with the help of a windmill, and later an electric pump. It was then cultivated for agricultural purposes for the next 120 years, but in 2004 the whole area was purchased by The Danish Bird Sanctuary Fund who stopped the pump and reconstructed Nørreballe Nor. The fields are now covered by up to 2 meters of water, and many wild birds visit this area.

The Pied Avocet, Klyde (Recurvirostra avosetta). at Nørreballe Nor

The last stop of the day was at Ristinge Klint, where we had dinner. In the background Bagenkop

Langeland 26 May 2012.

My cousin Sanne was visiting Lisbeth and me during the Whitsun holiday, so we had some very intensive days showing Sanne some of the nice places on Langeland.

Our first stop was having lunch at the sea shore.

Our next visit was to Skovsgaard Gods. Skovsgaard Gods is a magnificent stately home and estate set in the countryside of South Langeland. It was bequeathed by its owner to the Danish Society for Nature Conservation. It now houses a large organic farm which is open to the public. There are several exhibitions relating to the countryside of the area. The grounds contain more than ten kilometres of marked nature trails. The museum has beautiful landscaped gardens and houses three museums. It has a restaurant. It was not yet opened when we visited it.

Gulstav mose Our next visit was to Gulstav mose and Downs klint at the southernmost tip of Langeland

Gulstav mose

Grey Heron, Fiskehejre (Ardea cinerea) fishing in Gulstav mose

Downs klint

Gulstav mose and surrounding areas are famous for its "wild" Exmoor horses. En spændende attraktion i Gulstav Mose er de flotte, vilde heste.

We also visited the nearby village of Bagenkop, where we meet this nice Red-breasted Merganser, Toppet Skallesluger (Mergus serrator) couple

Glumsoe, 25 May 2012

A meadow next to the lake.

Flowers in the meadow.

Great Crested Grebe toppet lappedykker (Podiceps cristatus) in Glumsoe Lake

The Crested Grebe feeds mainly on fish, but also small crustaceans, insects and small frogs. Great Crested Grebe is an excellent swimmer and diver, and pursues its fish prey underwater.

Ristinge Klint, Langeland, Denmark 24 May 2012

Ristinge Cliff is a geological attraction, 30 metres high, with a unique wild flora and fauna. It is possible to walk along a path on the top of the clif. The cliff top affords a magnificent view across the entire coast and the cove beyond. Traces of two different Ice Ages and an interglacial period are visible here. The various strata are clearly visible in the cliff: the soft white quartz sand layer and the yellow ridges of moraine clay.

View from Ristinge Cliff to the sea below. The poles are used as support for fishing nets.— at Langeland.

The sea around Langeland is rich in Common Eider, ederfugl (Somateria mollissima) Common Eider is the largest duck found in Europe and in North America It feeds on crustaceans and molluscs, with mussels being a favoured food. The Eider will eat mussels by swallowing them whole; the shells are then crushed in their gizzard and excreted. When eating a crab the Eider will remove all of its claws and legs and then eat the body in a similar fashion. The eider's nest is built close to the sea and is lined with the celebrated eiderdown, plucked from the female's breast.

Male Yellowhammer, Gulspurv (Emberiza citrinella).

Female Yellowhammer

Ristinge burial mound. Approximately 86,000 prehistoric burial mounds from the time span 4000 BC to 1000 AD have been recorded in Denmark, leaving an average of about two mounds per km2. The Early Bronze Age from 1700-1000 BC was one of the most intensive mound building periods

Ristinge klint is a protected area. Part of it is owned by the Danish state. To avoid that the area is overgrown by scrub, a cattle grazing has been introduced to area supported by the state.

Tystrup Lake, Zealand, Denmark, 19 May 2012

Northern Lapwing, Vibe (Vanellus vanellus)

Common Shelduck , Gravand (Tadorna tadorna).