Sep - Oct
Autumn – the trip southIn autumn, the great migration to the south of young and old birds naturally attracts birds of prey. From September until the end of the year, there are plenty of opportunities to watch the peregrine falcon hunting. For most of the day, it sits immobile on a fencepost, watching and waiting. So you have to pay careful attention to “high points” in the landscape to spot it. It is gradually becoming a common sight in most wetland areas. The hunt is an impressive show, and once you have seen the bird accelerating to catch a flock of ducks, you can easily understand why the birds of the meadow are nervous when a falcon is in the area. If you see a large flock of wading birds and ducks taking to the air at the same time, it is likely that the hunterbird is on the prowl. Sometimes, it flies up to a great height, folds its wings into its body and dives towards its prey, dispatching it in mid-air with its powerful claws.
Another impressive bird of prey is the white-tailed eagle, which has become a regular visitor to the fjords in recent years. It can be observed almost all year, but appears in larger umbers in autumn and winter. These birds are probably Danish and North- German specimens – most of them young birds without white tail feathers – that have discovered the rich hunting grounds around the fjords. The species has been spotted in many places, but the Skjern Å River Valley and Klægbanken in Ringkøbing Fjord are particularly good sites. The best view of Klægbanken is from Halby harbour southeast of Ringkøbing. Some years, even more birds can be seen here.
On a blustery autumn day when the wind blows in from the west, a great many storm petrels may appear. These are best observed from the top of a dune through a good pair of inoculars, or even a telescope.