Hilsen fra Jesper

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 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

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

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 En spændende attraktion i Gulstav Mose er de flotte, vilde heste. I oktober 2006 blev der udsat 25 Exmoorhopper og -ungheste på et 100 hektar stort areal på Langelands sydligste spids. Desuden kom en hingst fra Tyskland til flokken i 2007. Hingsten levede helt op til forventningerne, idet flokken i 2010 var oppe på omkring 75 dyr. I efteråret 2010 solgte Naturstyrelsen, som ejer hestene, 22 heste til et afgræsningsprojekt i Vestjylland. Trods det, er den livskraftige flok i efteråret 2011 allerede oppe på over 70 heste igen, og den er nu delt i to flokke med hver sin førerhingst og -hoppe. We also visited the nearby village of Bagenkop, where we meet this nice Red-breasted Merganser, Toppet Skallesluger (Mergus serrator) couple

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 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 Dyssen ved Ristinge Klint ligger 30 meter over havoverfladen. Den ligner nærmest en tegneseriedysse: Fire bæresten med e...n femte, dækstenen, ovenpå. Der er en god grund til, at de fleste ser dette lidt simple design for sig, når de tænker på en stendysse. Langt de fleste dysser er nemlig ruiner. En stor del af det oprindelige anlæg med en kæde af randstenskæd og en jordhøj er så nedbrudt og fjernet. Først når man kommer helt tæt på dyssen, ser man, at der er 3,5 meter til toppen af dækstenen. 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.

Northern Lapwing, Vibe (Vanellus vanellus) Common Shelduck , Gravand (Tadorna tadorna).