March - April

Spring on the way
As the new year progresses, and the sun grows stronger, the days become longer and
the pace picks up. Depending on how hard the preceding winter has been, the northerly
migration begins in March, and the birds that have spent the entire winter in the region –
and which are to breed here – start to mark out their territory as the days grow warmer.

The bittern
One of the most remarkable sounds heard here in the spring, and in the late summer, is
the call of the bittern. The bittern is a brown heron which, for most of the year, can be
heard from the broad banks of reeds that ring the fjords. In early spring, the males of
the species can often be observed chasing each other through the reed banks. Good
spots for observing this ritual include Vest Stadil Fjord (the car park on Skelmosevej),
Nissum Fjord near Felsted Kog, Skjern Enge west of Lønborgvej, and Værnengene near
Værnsande. It is common to hear the special call of the male, a deep bass booming that
sounds like someone blowing over the top of an empty bottle. On clear days – and nights
– in late spring, the boom of the bittern carries for miles. The mild winters of recent
years have been kind to these birds, and in many places it is possible to hear a chorus of
bittern calls. It is difficult to spot these birds on the ground, as they are well camouflaged
in the dense banks of reeds where they hunt fish and frogs.

Get close to the geese
Some of the most noticeable birds in the fjord landscape in spring are the geese. They
are simply everywhere. In fact, you can see and hear tens of thousands of them on the
meadows, in the fjords and in flight. Every morning and every evening, they fly in long
strings and V-formations from their feeding areas on land to their “overnight accommodation”
on the fjords, where they are safe from foxes. The seaside meadows are good places to observe geese, but they also forage in the nearby cornfields, to the great irritation of the farmers who often erect scarecrows to chase the hungry geese away. Corn is very nutritious and the geese need to be in top form before setting out on the 2,000 km trip to their breeding grounds at Svalbard close to the North pole. They cover this distance in just a few days.

It is only permitted to hunt the geese in the autumn, so they are often very trusting in
spring, when it is possible to get right up close to them – especially in the morning. There are many good places to observe the geese: at Værnengene/Tipperne, on Harboøre Tange and along the coastal road that runs to the west of Nissum Fjord and Vest Stadil Fjord. The geese are fed at Vest Stadil Fjord, so they are particularly trusting there. Another feeding area is to be found at the mouth of the Skjern Å river. Most of the geese here are brent geese, but in recent years, the population of small, black and canada geese has grown appreciably. The mixed flock of geese also includes Greenland white-fronted geese, Canadian geese, bean geese and, occasionally, lesser white-fronted geese and snow geese. It takes patience and good binoculars to pick out the less numerous species. Some of the Brent Geese have been tagged with numbered plastic rings around their necks. These tags have helped collect a lot of information about the lives of the geese during the year. Nissum Fjord near Thorsminde, Fjandø and Nissum Bredning east of Harboøre Tange are all good places to spot the rare pale-breasted Brent Goose in early January and in spring. This is one of the rarest species of goose in the world and also breeds at Svalbard, where polar bears sometimes plunder its nests.

April
In April the number of birds in their colourful plumage increases rapidly. A great many species of wading birds can be seen in large flocks, busily hunting through the mudflats and seaside meadows for food before heading off for the Arctic regions. The sheer number of birds is impressive in itself, but some species are worthy of extra special attention.

The Ruff
The ruff is unfortunately declining rapidly in Denmark, and only Værnengene/Tipperne are currently home to healthy breeding populations. However, the Scandinavian populations are still appreciable, and towards the end of April and in May thousands of these lovely birds visit West Jutland. They are to be seen everywhere, making an early start on their mating dances. In small groups, the males hop and dance to attract the attention of the much more discrete females, which look on with interest. The mating dance of the reeve is one of the highlights of spring on the meadows by the fjords, and can be observed in many places – at Skjern Enge near Lønborgvej, for example.