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The Mute Swan: National Bird of Denmark

Niels Lisborg
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The Mute Swan: National Bird of Denmark

The Mute Swan (Cygnus olor) became the national bird of Denmark in 1984, replacing the Skylark (Alauda arvensis). At first the Mute Swan was not granted officially status as the national bird of Denmark by law but by a popular vote held by a Danish TV show.

No trumpets but vibrant throbbing of the wings.
The Mute Swan is not completely mute. It is less vocal than the noisy whooper and Bewick’s swans which communicate in the air emitting strong trumpets. However, mute swans do make a variety of grunting, hoarse whistling, and snorting noises, especially in communicating with their cygnets, and usually hiss at competitors or intruders trying to enter their territory. The most familiar sound associated with mute swan is the vibrant throbbing of the wings in flight which is unique to the species. The mute swan is one of the heaviest flying birds.

“The Ugly Duckling”
The Mute Swan probably derives its popularity in Denmark because of its role in “The Ugly Duckling” by the Danish poet and author Hans Christian Andersen (1805–1875).

The Mute Swan is native to Denmark. The nest is build near water, or on floating islands. As material they use herbs and branches of small thickness. The structure can have a diameter of two meters.

Sources: worldatlas.com, 10000birds.com, wikipedia, nationalpedia.com.

Visit the worlds largest limestone mine

Marianne Riis
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Visit the worlds largest limestone mine

1,000 years of limestone mines under Denmark.

Limestone mine
Visit the Wolrds largest Limestone mine. Credit: Marianne Riis.

In Mønsted Limestone Caves in Central Jutland there are more than 60 kilometres (about 37 miles) of underground paths. Some are as large as cathedrals and others are so narrow that a grown man cannot walk through them upright.
The caves are very old. When Denmark was becoming an increasingly Christian nation around the 11th century, limestone mining was a profitable industry because the stone was used in cathedrals.

An underground lake. Photo credit: Niels Lisborg.

These tunnels open up into various cave “rooms,” some of which contain entire underground lakes. Visitors to the Mønsted Kalkgruber museum can wander through the caves on their own or take a train ride tour throughout.

Lots of space for adventure. Photo credit: Niels Lisborg.

Inhabited by more than 18,000 bats.
The limestone caves are inhabited by more than 18,000 bats during winter. Mainly Daubenton’s bat (Myotis daubentonii) but also The Pond bat (Myotis dasycneme). During spring and summer the bats are active all over Jutland feeding on insects.

Visit the caves.
See opening hours and find more information about the caves at Monsted-Kalkgruber.dk

Sources: atlasobscura.com, monsted-kalkgruber.dk.

Denmarks largest land-breeding predator

Marianne Riis
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Denmarks largest land-breeding predator

The Grey Seal

After a hundred years of absence from Danish waters, first of all, due to hunting, the Grey Seal has reintegrated over the past fifteen years and now occurs regularly in locations in the Baltic Sea, the Wadden Sea and the Kattegat. The Grey Seal now again breeds a few places along Danish desolated coasts.

Denmarks largest land-breeding predator.
The scientific name of the grey seal, Halichoerus grypus, is Latin for “hook-nosed”; males have large, arched snouts.
The Grey Seal is a large seal, with bulls in the eastern Atlantic populations reaching 2.5–3.3 m (8.2–10.8 ft) long and weighing 170–310 kg (370–680 lb); the cows are much smaller, typically 1.6–2.0 m (5.2–6.6 ft) long and 100–190 kg (220–420 lb) in weight. Individuals from the western Atlantic are often much larger, males reaching 400 kg (880 lb) and females weighing up to 250 kg (550 lb).
Danish scientists are familiar with examples that Grey seals have killed Harbour seals and eaten them. They are bigger and more aggressive. Some of them may even have specialized in Harbour seals and actually also on Harbour porpoises.

The origin of the mermaids
The view of a grey seal is that of a bobbing head as the seal rises out of the water for a look above the surface. At first glance seals adopting this behaviour look remarkably like people bobbing up and down in the water, a fact which undoubtedly contributed to legends of mermaids.

Source: dce.au.dk, jp.dk, NaturGuide.dk, irelandswildlife.com, Wikipedia.

The untamed sand dunes of Rubjerg

Marianne Riis
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The untamed sand dunes of Rubjerg
The Lighthouse was expected to fall into the sea before the year 2020. In 2019 it was moved 70m inland. Photo: © Niels Lisborg.

If you want to experience wild and untamed nature in Denmark then you should visit Rubjerg Knude Lighthouse. Here you will find massive hills of sand covering the area surrounding the old lighthouse.

The Rubjerg Knude lighthouse (in Danish: Rubjerg Knude Fyr) is located on the coast of the North Sea in Rubjerg, in the Jutland municipality of Hjørring in northern Denmark.
Close by the small and cozy town of Lønstrup you will find Rubjerg Knude with the high and impressive sand dunes. Some 90 meters above sea level and still growing in size.

It is a very dramatic nature scenery where the sea frequently takes a “bite” of the coastline and several meters disappears every year.

The Lighthouse was expected to fall into the sea before the year 2020 – now it has been moved 70m inland.
For about 120 years, the Rubjerg Knude lighthouse has been perched on a sand dune on the northern Danish coast, but coastal erosion from North Sea winds threatened to topple it into the sea. In 2019 the lighthouse was moved 70m inland, to give it a 40-year reprieve.

Rubjerg Knude Lighthouse is a popular excursion target for both locals and tourists. If you are travelling to North Jutland, you should not miss this opportunity to experience this historical lighthouse. The lighthouse is still open for visitors and free to enter.

Rubjerg Knude
Rubjerg Knude Lighthouse is a popular excursion target for both locals and tourists. Photo: © Niels Lisborg.

When the lighthouse was built it was more than 200 m from the beach and there were no large dunes around it. Over time the sea moved in closer and the wind blew large amounts of sand up from the cliff. In the late sixties the sand dunes were so high that it was sometimes impossible to see the lighthouse from the sea. The lighthouse was first lit on December 27, 1900. On August 1st 1968 the fight was given up against the sand dunes and the sea – and the light was lit for the last time.

Sources: VisitDenmark, VisitNordjylland, Wikipedia.

Ancient burial mounds in the Danish countryside

Marianne Riis
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Ancient burial mounds in the Danish countryside
Burial mounds from the Bronze Age – artificial hills of earth and stones built over the remains of the dead. Vendsyssel, Jutland. Credit: NaturGrafik.dk.

No matter if you go by car, bicycle or hiking through the Danish countryside there is a good chance that you will pass by ancient tombs. You will find peat burial mounds from the early Bronze Age. They look like small hills – and you will propably also cross dolmens built of large granite blocks during the Stone Age.

Dolmens of stone (3500-3200 BC)
The dolmens were built of large granite blocks. The oldest dolmen chambers are small and thought to have been for single burials. Later the dolmen chambers became larger and an entrance was added, so they could be used for several burials. The dolmen chambers were covered with an oblong or round mound. The weather has often taken its toll on the dolmens, so that the mound itself has usually been eroded away. This leaves only the characteristic burial chambers, which were originally covered. 2300 dolmens are preserved in Denmark, only a tenth of the original number.

Peat burial mounds from the Bronze Age (1500-1200 BC)
Several burial mounds were built in the Early Bronze Age. In the burial mounds the elite of the time were buried, dressed in clothes woven from wool and with fine gifts of bronze. The majestic Bronze Age mounds are often located on hills. In the period 1500-1200 BC, thousands of peat burial mounds were erected all over the country. No less than 86,000 burial mounds have been registered in Denmark, where the majority have been built within the three centuries of the Late Bronze Age.

Source: National Museum of Denmark, kongeaastien.dk

The Danish Wadden Sea – one of the world’s most valuable tidal areas

Marianne Riis
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The Danish Wadden Sea – one of the world’s most valuable tidal areas

The Danish Wadden Sea is the most northern part of the Unesco World Heritage.

The Danish Wadden Sea has many particularities, making this region a true treasure chest of natural highlights, all waiting to be explored. There are many possibilities for you to explore on your own, or maybe to join the many guided tours.

Attracting millions of migratory birds.
The Wadden Sea is of particular importance because it is one of the world’s most valuable tidal areas, being located in the middle of the Eastern Atlantic migratory routes. It attracts between 10-12 million migratory birds each year that use the coastline as their stopover and wintering area in northern Europe.

Watching seals.
In addition to the birdlife, this vast wetland area with its miles of precious beaches is home to Denmark’s largest population of harbour seals (Phoca vitulina), with sightings throughout the summer months being virtually guaranteed. Sometimes you will also see the big Grey Seal (Halichoerus grypus, meaning “hooked-nosed sea pig”). The Grey Seal is the biggest land breeding mammal in Denmark and also considered the largest predator on land (along the beaches) in Denmark. The Grey Seal can sometimes prey and feed on large animals like harbour seals. It has also been blamed for a spate of mysterious mutilations of harbour porpoises in the North Sea.

Go for a walk on the sea bed.
No recreational activity is more characteristic for the Wadden Sea region than taking a walk on the flat side. Reveal what is at the bottom of the Wadden Sea by taking a walking tour. Twice a day – in the hours around low tide, the Wadden Sea gets dry and you have the chance to actually get there and experience how it feels like to stroll on the sea bed.
However, be aware of the tide! Please, remember the fact that some 6 hours later high tide brings the water back. You must be safe ashore before then!

The Wadden Sea is the largest, flattest and wettest National Park in Denmark. The area was appointed the status of National Park in 2010.

Sources: waddensea-worldheritage.org, vadehavscentret.dk, Visitdenmark.dk

Please, keep your dog on a leash

Marianne Riis
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Please, keep your dog on a leash
On beaches from 1 October until 31 March you are permitted to take your dog off its leash – provided that you keep it under absolute control. During summer season dogs must always be kept on a leash. Credit: NaturGrafik.dk

Dogs must be on a leash when you are visiting forests and nature areas according to Denmark’s Protection of Nature Act.

A visit to the countryside should be enjoyable and trouble-free for you and your dog. However, please remember that dog owners are responsible for controlling their dogs’ behaviour in public. By law, you must control your dog so that it does not disturb or scare farm animals or wildlife. Dogs must basically always be on a leash when you are visiting forests and nature areas according to Denmark’s Protection of Nature Act.

Avoid taking you dog into fenced nature areas with farm animals

It is best to avoid encounter livestock. If a farm animal chases you and your dog, it is safer to let your dog off the lead – don’t risk getting hurt by trying to protect it.

It is best to avoid encounter livestock. Credit: NaturGrafik.dk

Beaches

On beaches from 1 October until 31 March you are permitted to take your dog off its leash – provided that you keep it under absolute control. During summer season from 1 April until 30 September dogs must be kept on a lead. The fine for not having your dog on a lead is 2000 DKK (270 EUR). Please notice, on some beaches dogs are total banned. You should therefore always read the local signage carefully.

Why must my dog be kept on a lead?

Many children and adults are afraid of dogs, and these people also have the right to feel safe in the countryside and at the beaches. They have no way of knowing that your dog would never do them any harm.
Besides dogs allowed to run free can frighten and cause distress to wild animals in the countryside. The smell of a dog means that it can take some time before some animals dare to return to their pastures or young. Dogs off their leads can start to roam, and there have been instances of roaming dogs that have mauled wild animals.

Who enforces the law?

In public nature areas including the beaches, it is normally government officials like forest officers or rangers who enforces the law. In urban areas it is always the Police.

Remember that the basic rules still apply even if where there are no signs.

Source: The Nature Agency, VisitNature.com, NaturGuide.dk

Danish butterflies in decline

Marianne Riis
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Danish butterflies in decline

Denmark’s butterflies have undergone an accelerating negative trend since the mid-twentieth century.

Within just fifty years, a total of twelve species – corresponding to approximately 10% of the overall number of Danish butterfly species – have disappeared from the Danish countryside.
The reasons for the enormous decline in the species of Danish butterflies are mainly found in the intensification of forestry and agriculture, which has resulted in limited space in the modern landscape for wildernesses and butterflies. Today there is about 65 species of day-active butterflies with permanent populations in Denmark.

12 common Danish butterflies

During a summer holiday in Denmark you will still see many different butterflies. Her are 12 common species:

Coverage of the decline of the Danish butterflies was made possible by a new database that contains almost half a million butterfly observations from all over Denmark. The database contains historical data from collections at natural history museums and entomological societies, private collections, and more recent data from atlas studies and popular citizen science databases.

Lepidoptera-species of Denmark consist of both the butterflies and moths recorded in the country. There are a total of about 2,625 species of Lepidoptera in Denmark.

Sources: scitech.au.dk, Wikipedia.

The wolf is back in Denmark – two centuries after extermination.

Marianne Riis
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The wolf is back in Denmark – two centuries after extermination.
The wolf is back in Denmark. So far, a majority in the Danish population seem to welcome the wolf. Credit: Christian Schmalhofer, Dreamstime.com

Wolves are again a part of Danish Nature and Wildlife.

There had been no sightings of wolves in the country the past two centuries until a male was found dead in a national park in Northwestern Jutland in 2012. Since then single wolves have been spotted wandering in Jutland, Denmark’s peninsula bordering Germany.

The gray wolf originally was found throughout the northern hemisphere in every habitat where large ungulates were found. From mid-Mexico and India to the North Pole, the wolf roamed areas as diverse as Israel and Greenland. As human settlements encroached on wolf habitat, encounters with wolves increased, especially with livestock. Firearms, poisons and traps were developed and used ruthlessly against wolves. In Denmark the last wolf was shot in 1813.

The Danes and the Wolf
So far, a majority in the Danish population seem to welcome the wolf.
Some people, especially in the areas where the wolves have been seen, say they are afraid that the wolf will approach their houses and snatch their children.

Recent sightings of wolves in Jutland have Danish farmers worried about the safety of their livestock. However, domestics dogs seem to be a bigger problem when it comes to attack on sheeps.
Since 1974, Europe has not experienced a single prepatory wolf attack on humans.

Sources: rewildingeurope.com, netnatur.dk, revitalizationnews.com, The fear of wolves: A review of wolf attacks on humans.

Denmark’s most poisonous mushroom.

Marianne Riis
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Denmark’s most poisonous mushroom.

“…Even the ingestion of half a sponge can have fatal consequences”

Destroying angel (Amanita virosa) is considered one of Denmark’s most toxic fungus. Deadly poisonous! Destroying angel can be found in mixed broadleaf and birch woodland. Credit: NaturGrafik.dk

As it stands in the woods with its clean, snowy color, it looks like innocence itself. The snow-white mushroom Amanita virosa is in English known as the “Destroying Angel”.
The name is very appealing because one should not be fooled by the innocent appearance of the fungus. Amanita virosa is considered one of Denmark’s most toxic fungus. Deadly poisonous!
Some of the most creepy of this mildly “Angel” is that poisoning symptoms often only appear many hours later. And here it may well be too late where liver and kidneys have taken irreparable damage. Even the ingestion of half a sponge can have fatal consequences.

Confusion with edible Agaricus mushrooms
The Destroying Angel has been the cause of many deaths in Europe – including Scandinavia.
Anyone gathering mushrooms to cook and eat needs to be able to identify this poisonous amanita fungus and to distinguish between a young Destroying Angel and an edible Agaricus mushroom.

Amanita virosa can be confused in its very young stage with the attractive edible Agaricus mushrooms. However, edible Agaricus mushrooms have colored slats (from pink to brown), where the Destroying Angel has white slats.

Amanita virosa, The Destroying Angle,. Credit: Eric Steinert, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikipedia.

For good reasons, you should never eat fungi where there is only the slightest doubt about the identification and determination.

Sources: VisitNature.com, first-nature.com. Featured image: Credit: Miika Silfverberg, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikipedia.

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