Excursion to the northern Wadden Sea
Excursion to the north of the
Wadden
Sea , stopping at Sneum floodgate south of
Esbjerg , and a visit to Blåvand Bird station. Several small islands have also been constructed in the lakes around Sneum floodgate, where thousands of black-headed gulls breed, their calls a distinctive phenomenon throughout the summer half-year. The gulls provide protection for various other bird species. The many pairs of eyes are a good defence against birds of prey like the marsh harrier and the peregrine falcon, which often pass by. When this happens, all the gulls fly up and stress the birds of prey, and they go away. The black-necked grebe, seen in spring in the lake, thus depends entirely on the presence of the gulls, which are therefore important for the lake’s birdlife. Many wading birds are to be seen in the spring and autumn months, using the clay pits as a resting area at high tide. Golden plovers, lapwings, sandpipers, whimbrels and godwits fly in when the tide is coming in on a fixed route over the dike and into the lake.
