During my second journey to the island “Greifswalder Oie” in December 2008
I found a complete new situation there. No migrating birds; on the whole island
where only a few songbirds. A pair of Ravens Corvus corax made their display flights,
a straying flock of Hooded Crows Corvus corone cornix, and 5 or 6 clicking
Water Rails Rallus aquaticus. But on the costline and at the water where a lot of seabirds.

A sleeping place of Great Cormorants Phalacrocorax carbo are located in the little wood.
It´s wonderfull to hear and see a flock of them, sitting down and clamouring through
the trees. There´s no stupid hunter or fisherman who attacks the birds…

Great Cormorant Phalacrocorax carbo, December 17th, 2008:
 

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One day a small flock of Bohemian Waxwings Bombycilla garrulus strayed around.
This should be an small foretaste for the weeks after my return home. Up to 150
individuals migrated through my hometown Leipzig in January 2009. But unfortunately
at bad acoustic surroundings…

Bohemian Waxwing Bombycilla garrulus, December 19th, 2008:
 

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After one week I finally managed to record the long call of a Water Rail Rallus aquaticus.
Prior to this the individuals hid within blackberry bushes and were clicking all the day,
but rarely “cried” their pig-like long calls.

Water Rail Rallus aquaticus, December 26th, 2008:
 

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After a short daylight period I had enough time to collate my recordings. Another recording
of a Deer Capreolus capreolus giving a alarm call is a nice one I found.

Deer Capreolus capreolus, alarm call, September 27, 2008:
 

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Whithin October 2008 Marcus and I were at a ringing station on isle
“Greifswalder Oie” in Northeast-Germany.
For me, this offered a complete new view/hearing on this topic.
At my hometown Leipzig, the bird migration only appears with
large flocks of greater birds like Cranes or Geese. Now there were
mainly songbirds. One of the most frequent appearing birds on the island
were Goldcrests Regulus regulus – their high pitched calls were anywhere.

During the hourly “control-walks” along the nets, i notice a sound, seemingly
of geese, always from the same direction. Once a day, Marcus told me
about a tree nearby the nets that sounded like White-Fronted-Geese Anser albifrons
or kind of New Music!?

The acoustic highlight for me was two days of heavy migration
of Trushes. At morning. i walked a bit around, as i noticed hundreds
of ascending Blackbirds Turdus merula, Song Thrushes Turdus philomelos,
Mistle Thrushes Turdus viscivorus, Fieldfares Turdus pilaris, Redwings Turdus iliacus
and a single Ring Ouzel Turdus torquatus.

Goldcrest Regulus regulus, October 12th, 2008:
 

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A tree, October 22th, 2008:
 

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various migrating songbirds, October 12th, 2008:
 

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© Pic by Marcus Held