Ballet of Bramblings - Ballet van Kepen - Fringilla montifringilla
In years of cyclic abundance following successful breeding seasons, huge numbers of Bramblings move over wide areas within West, Central and South Europe, with huge concentrations especially in South Germany, Switzerland and Austria, where estimated flocks of more than 10.000.000 individuals may gather at one roosting place. This mind-blowing phenomenon happens during winters with abundant supply of beechmast. Although these gatherings have mainly been documented in the continental beech forests of the submontane regions adjacent to the Alps, some keen birders managed to find a massive roosting place in Belgium in 2015. The dormitory was located in a very small Picea abies forest of a few hectares, adjacent to the large beech forests of Anlier and further Southwards of Orval, where the birds were foraging in large numbers during daytime. During the last two weeks of February, up to one million birds were estimated to come to sleep in the particular Norway Spruce forest. About ten years ago, during a mast year, sightings of massive groups of Bramblings suggest there must also have been also a similar dormitory in Wallonia, but then the phenomenon wasn't documented as precisely as in 2015.