Birds

WADDEN SEA´S BIRDS

"BLACK SUN" Birdwatching is a popular activity with some of the best conditions in spring and autumn. Particularly the starling migration during spring and autumn is an incredible sight. In Denmark we call this natural phenomenon “Black Sun” because thousands of starlings cover the sun, so that it cannot be seen. Also other migration birds like Sandpipers and Barnacle Geese make beautiful sights. The Wadden Sea is one of the world’s most important feeding grounds for migratory birds. Here birds congregate by 10 to 12 million to feed and increase their weight - some twofold - before continuing to their breeding grounds in the far North or to their winter quarters far South. No other place in Denmark has as many birds during the spring and fall migrations. Wading birds primarily eat snails, mussels and worms, and their different beak lengths mean they find different food. Short beaked birds such as sandpipers, plovers and redshank take mud snails and mud shrimps off the surface, while long beaked birds such as godwits and curlews can find mussels and sandworms deeper in the sand. The Oystercatcher take care of the common cockles and the common mussels, which it is expert at opening with a quick attack on the hinge muscle or by crushing the shell. During high water the mussel banks are left to the eider ducks. Ducks primarily eat the many mud snails, mud shrimps and other things off the surface of the water, and some ducks supplement their diet with the many plants that grow in the marsh. The Wadden Sea National Park also provides food for several breeding and wintering birds.

BLACK SUN - THOUSANDS OF STARLINGS IN THE SKY In Spring and Autumn huge numbers of migration starlings land in the marshes at the Wadden Sea. They are looking for daddy long legs and garden chafer grubs in the wet meadows. At such time you can observe a fascinating panorama called “Black Sun” (Sort Sol). Hundreds of thousands of starlings turn the sky black when they are circling around creating fascinating formations in the air before they land at dusk in an area covered with reeds. Several starlings descend on the same reed – the uppermost in danger of being caught by a bird of prey, while the lower ones might end with their feet in water. Some evenings the starlings are especially active “air dancing” - making rapid changes of direction and flying around the air before they decide where to settle for the night. This is due to birds of prey nearby – goshawks, falcons or common buzzards. The birds of prey do usually catch many starlings during the air show and the starlings will all start to fly together, trying to come above the birds of prey to make a counter attack with vomit and bird droppings which make the birds' feathers sticky so that they can't fly. Other evenings no birds of prey are nearby. Then the starlings make no “air dances” but descend directly in the reeds. Often the starlings will change their sleeping locations, as they try to trick the birds of prey. Besides the reeds often break because of the heavy weight of the amount of birds. You can’t quite be sure where the starlings choose to stay for the night.

THE STARLING Starlings are small to medium-sized passerine birds in the family Sturnidae. The name "Sturnidae" comes from the Latin word for starling, sturnus. Many Asian species, particularly the larger ones, are called mynas, and many African species are known as glossy starlings because of their iridescent plumage. Starlings are native to the Old World, from Europe, Asia and Africa, to northern Australia and the islands of the tropical Pacific. Several European and Asian species have been introduced to these areas as well as North America, Hawaii and New Zealand, where they generally compete for habitat with native birds and are considered to be invasive species. The starling species familiar to most people in Europe and North America is the Common Starling, and throughout much of Asia and the Pacific the Common Myna is indeed common.passerinebirdsfamilyLatinmynasglossy starlingsiridescentplumageOld WorldEuropeAsiaAfricaAustraliaPacificNorth AmericaHawaiiNew Zealandinvasive speciesCommon StarlingAsiaCommon Myna Starlings have strong feet, their flight is strong and direct, and they are very gregarious. Their preferred habitat is fairly open country, and they eat insects and fruit. Several species live around human habitation, and are effectively omnivores. Many species search for prey such as grubs by "open-bill probing", that is, forcefully opening the bill after inserting it into a crevice, thus expanding the hole and exposing the prey; this behavior is referred to by the German verbzirkelninsectsfruit omnivoresgrubs Plumage of many species is typically dark with a metallic sheen. Most species nest in holes, laying blue or white eggs.eggs Starlings have diverse and complex vocalizations, and have been known to embed sounds from their surroundings into their own calls, including car alarms, and human speech patterns. The birds can recognize particular individuals by their calls, and are currently the subject of research into the evolution of human language.car alarmshuman language

THE STARLING OF WADDEN SEA