The Fehmarnbelt and the surrounding waters are home to a rich birdlife. This must continue to be the case, also after the construction of the fixed link. In order to ensure that, the authorities need to know which birds are living in the area today.

With that in mind, an observational flight is sent up once a month with experienced bird counters on board. Over the course of two days, they count seabird populations over a wide area that covers both the Fehmarnbelt and the surrounding waters. These bird counters in the air are backed up by colleagues on the water who, over four days, observe the populations from closer quarters in smaller, limited areas.

The entire temperature scale is covered
The mapping of bird populations is performed by a consortium led by Denmark’s DHI and Germany’s BioConsult SH.

The bird count at sea has taken place every month since the autumn of 2008, and will continue until autumn 2010. This period has proven to be ideal to get an overview of the populations, explains Georg Nehls, Chief Executive of BioConsult SH:

“It’s an advantage that we’ve just had a harsh winter 2009-2010. The winter 2008-2009 was unusually mild, so we have actually been able to cover the whole spectrum,” says Nehls.

Birds seek out open water
Nehls believes that the winter which has just ended was unusual, but not extreme:

“We had winters that were much harsher in the mid-1980s and in 1995-96. During the cold winters of the 1980’s, many seabird species were forced to withdraw out into the North Sea, but we don’t get the impression that it happened this time. We have been able to follow a group of eiders and long-tailed ducks fitted with radio transmitters and these birds, at least, haven’t left the area. We can’t say anything definitive until we’ve analysed the data from all the counts, though,” Nehls goes on, adding that, despite everything, the region’s seabirds were not completely unaffected by the ice this winter:

“We have seen local populations moving around within the region between the waters surrounding Fehmarn. For example, a flock of long-tailed ducks had to move from the Bay of Lübeck out into the Fehmarnbelt temporarily due to ice in the bay.”