Magnus og jeg blev vækket i nat af Brian, der kom for at fortælle at Juliane havde fanget en Natravn på Storsig. Det er altid en stor oplevelse at se en Natravn i hånden, og især for Magnus, der aldrig havde set en før!

Natravn

 

På trods af nattens fangst, stod alle mand klar på Grenen klokken 04.40, spændte og parate fordi den standardiserede-efterårssæsons-morgenobs startede i dag! Dagens højdepunkt var en havlit, som er ret sjælden i Juli måned. Et par hvepsevåger trak ud og mange mursejlere fulgte dem. Ellers var det en ret stille, men varm morgen. Jeg er ikke sikker på at jeg har siddet i t-shirt klokken 07.00 på en morgenobs før:)

Tilbage på stationen begyndte der at komme meldinger fra Hulsig om at Munkegribben var på vej ind over byen. Vi satte os derfor ned bag stationen og kunne i lang tid nyde gribben flyve rundt skiftevis over byen og storsig. I dag skulle vi også sige farvel til Julian, som har været på stationen siden marts. Men det var ikke kun farvel i dag, for vi tog også imod Jule som skal være her indtil slutningen af Oktober

Magnus og jeg besluttede os for at gå en tur ned i byen for at handle ind til aftensmad, og for at se hvad den såkaldte Hellerup-uge (uge 29) kunne byde på. På vejen derned havde vi 11 Røde Glenter der kredsede over Storsig. Inde i byen fik vi købt en is og en øl, og kunne stadigvæk se Munkegribben flyve rundt højt over byen.

Vi fik bakset en solid gang rødkarry sammen til aftensmad, og nu skal vi se fodbold:)

Det har været en fornøjelse at være tilbage på Skagen Fuglestation for et par dage! Jeg vil også lige lade Magnus sætte et par ord på hvordan det har været at besøge Skagen Fuglestation for første gang:

Første indtryk af fugleverdenen ved Skagen fuglestation har været intet mindre end fantastisk! Jeg har kun været her i fire dage, men ved allerede, med sikkerhed, at det ikke er sidste gang jeg er her. Selvom dagene nogle gange kan føles lidt lange og søvnen nogle gange kort, gør højdepunkterne det hele værd. Højdepunkter såsom at blive vækket midt om natten fordi der er fløjet en natravn i nettet eller mit første møde med den enorme munkegrib som majestætisk kredser over fyrtårnet. Men det er ikke kun oplevelserne med fuglene der gør Skagen fuglestation til noget særligt. Fællesskabet med de andre fugleentusiaster på stationen spiller en ligeså stor rolle. Lige fra første morgenstund, til sent ud på aftenen er der god stemning og hyggelige momenter. Alt i alt en fantastisk oplevelse og en kæmpe anbefaling.

 

Link to today’s observations in DOFbasen from observers in the area

People: Juliane Rößler, Julian Helbig, Brian Browne, Simon S. Christiansen, Påll Vang Kjærbo, Magnus Lund Christensen, Rasmus Matthiesen-Juhl, Jule, Lærkebjørn & Mark Desholm 

My big plans last night to do a whole night of owling did not come to fruition as I slept through all my alarms, as did Juliane. That meant that instead we slept to a luxurious 7:30 and woke up well rested. Rasmus and Magnus awoke early to seawatch from World’s End 3, but the ocean was slow and the only highlight was good numbers (200+) of swifts (Mursejler) overhead. They returned to the lighthouse just as I was about to leave.

With a late start and reports of a slow ocean, I decided to head in a big loop, doing some passerine birding at Batteriskoven and along the edge of town before making my way up to “The Pencil”. Then I would walk the beach back from Nordstrand all the way around Grenen to the lighthouse as it got hotter, checking for shorebirds and pipits and looking for plover nests. Birds were not particularly active, but in the pine stands at Batteriskoven I found my first European Robin (Rødhals) since arriving and near the nature center I saw my first Long-tailed Tits (Halemesje). 

An adorable Long-tailed Tit (Halemesje)

Along the path that cuts through the marsh west of Batterivej, there were a pair of Common Cranes (Trane), probably one of only four breeding pairs in the area, and five Red-backed Shrikes, two of which seemed to have a nest. Once I reached the beach I kept my head down, stepping gingerly as I assessed each patch of pebbles underneath me in fear of crushing a clutch of plovers as I walked through the dunes. Although I saw at least 15 Common Ringed Plovers (Stor Præstekrave), I was unable to find any nests. However, I did see my first Sanderlings (Sandløber) of the season, resting and avoiding the tourists on a small sandbar off the beach. Finally I reached the tip at Grenen to find hundreds and hundreds of people enjoying the warm weather. However, the gull flock had moved to the water and I was able to pick out a decently close second-year Mediterranean Gull (Sorthovedet Måge).

Mediterranean Gull (Sorthovedet Måge)

Meanwhile, Rasmus and Magnus had ventured out to the trails behind the nature center after I passed by and went on a walk, highlighted by an Osprey (Fiskeørn) and a singing Common Rosefinch (Karmindompap). After returning they went on a nicke walk along the beach. In the afternoon Juliane struck out for Skarvsøen, where she was excited about some nice looks at a Redpoll (Gråsisken) and saw a Black Kite (Sort Glente). Julian has been hard at work all day finishing up computer work before he leaves on Wednesday.

Sunset over the heath

Finally, we all went out in the evening to our nightjar nets in Storsig to tear them down and relocate them to another location closer to the lighthouse. The mosquitoes were abundant and vicious as the sun set and my foolishly bare legs, arms and feet got massacred. But before too long we had packed it up and walked over to the old lighthouse garden where we will set up the nets and try for nightjars (Natravn) tonight. However, when we took it back out, the carefully packed net was hopelessly tangled and looped. We were at a loss as to how it happened, and spent an hour in the dark deknotting and looping while the mosquitoes feasted. Eventually we had to give up and bring out another net. Hopefully we catch some nightjars!

Julian and Magnus work to take down the net

Link to today’s observations in DOFbasen from observers in the area

People: Brian Browne, Julian Helbig, Juliane Rößler, Páll Kærbo, Magnus Lund Christensen, Rasmus Matthiesen-Juhl

Today it was time for another Ringing day. For me and Brian it was the first time ringing at Kabeltromeln, while for Julian it was his last ringing session at the Fuglestation this year. It was very hard for him to believe that after staying for over four months! Bao was also with us and very excited to ring european birds for the first time in his life. Påll and Family Rasmussen gave us a visit too, and the kids were once again fascinated by the birds.

Common Chiffchaff (Gransanger)

It was interesting how the site changed with the start of summer season. Where there was water all over before, there is now only mud left. The reeds and shrubs have grown a lot as well. The weather has been quite windy today, so we had to close up some nets after a short while. Nonetheless, we had a total of 14 birds, so there were enough for all of us to practice. The biggest Highlight we caught was a Common Linnet (Tornirisk), which is the first catch of the species at the station this year. Of course, as a matter of celebrating his last ringing day, Julian got to ring this special bird!

Common Linnet (Tornirisk)

There were a lot of passerines and other birds flying above our heads every now and then. There were a bunch of Common Crossbills (Lille korsnæb), three Honey-Buzzards (Hvepsevåge) (a lifer for me!), a Yellow Wagtail (Gul vipstjert) (a lifer for Brian!) and some Redpolls (Gråsisken). But just while we were already packing up, a European Bee-eater (Biæder) flew right above our heads! A lifer for me and Brian, and an exciting observation for the rest of the team. On our way back to the bikes, Brian started to clap near the reeds to attract some Waterrail (Vandrikse). The flushing worked, but not in his expected way – a few meters away, Påll saw a Bittern (Rørdrum) flying up. It quickly vanished into the reeds, so we didn’t have a chance to see it. But we are very happy for Pålls new lifer of course!

Brian went for a nap and some seawatching on the beach, where he observed some Little Terns (Dwærgterne). The rest of us returned to the station to do computerwork. In the afternoon we said Goodbye to Bao, who will continue with his student exchange in Denmark. We wish him all the best and it was very nice having him here! And another farewell had to be taken – our lovely guests Kristine, Martin and their kids were leaving us today. But not before they saw the Cinereous Vulture (Munkegrib) one last time, perched on a tree a few meters away from them! It was such a pleasure to have the Rasmussens as our guests and we hope to welcome them again sometime. The rest of the day was spent with completing tasks, until Rasmus and Magnus arrived at the station in the evening. They will join us for birding in the next couple of days. And also welcome to our new guests Lærkebjørn and Mark! We are very excited to have all of you over!

Link to today’s observations in DOFbasen from observers in the area

People: Juliane Rößler, Julian Helbig, Brian Browne, Bao Shen Yap, Simon S. Christiansen, Martin & Kristine Rasmussen, Påll Vang Kjærbo, Erik Christophersen, Magnus Lund Christensen, Rasmus Matthiesen-Juhl, Lærkebjørn & Mark Desholm

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Today was our expedition to the island of Hirsholm! Páll picked us up at 7:30 (although he only had four seats so Julian took the train) and we drove down to Frederikshavn. There we boarded a small boat in the harbor that pushed off on the 30 minute journey to Hirsholm, a small island about 5km off the coast. The sea was impossibly smooth and glassy, and we enjoyed a beautiful smooth ride over as we watched Black Guillemots (Tejst) buzzing by the boat.

Páll looking out over the smooth seas from the boat

We soon docked in the small harbor on Hirsholm, where the water, docks, breakwaters, walls, and houses were coated in a thin layer of guillemots! Hirsholm is a nesting colony of not only Black Guillemots (Tejst), but also gulls such as Common (Stormmåge) and Black-headed (Hættemåge) and Sandwich Terns (Splittetern). There were nests everywhere, and adorable fledglings were waddling up and down all the paths! Looking briefly into one nest while the parent was away, I even got to watch a chick starting to hatch!

Vocal Common Gull (Stormmåge) family

The island is quite small, and although we only had 3 hours to explore, we were able to see the whole thing quickly. As we wandered around the grassy paths and beaches, we saw both Black and Common Redstart and many shorebirds, including a group of Ruddy Turnstones (Stenvender) on the rocks and several Common Sandpipers (Mudderklire). I discovered a pair of Rock Pipits (Skærpiber) that seemed to be visiting a nest and gave nice view to several of us. This is one of very few scattered breeding locations of this species in Denmark! The nesting guillemots are incredibly photogenic, and we spent some time taking photos as pairs visited burrows, brought food to each other, and performed courtship dances. Before we knew it the boat had returned and we were climbing back in. We had a great time and we all agreed we could’ve used a few more hours while Julian claimed he could spend four weeks.

On our way back the water was so calm that I could prop up a scope between my legs and scan the island of Kølpen, where there is a huge colony of Great Cormorants (Skarv), and in years past, the only nesting pair of European Shags (Topskarv) in the country! I was able to pick out a smaller slimmer cormorant on the rocks, and Bao got some photos to confirm it as a shag. Did not see its mate, but it looks like they’re back nesting another year!

Back in the harbor we met some people who told us they had seen a group of spoonbills (Skestork) just south of the harbor. We drove over to where they told us to go but unfortunately they were nowhere to be seen. However on our drive back our spirits were lifted by a majestic kettle of a dozen Red Kites (Rød Glente) and one Black Kite (Sort Glente) circling just over the road, giving us amazing views at these beautiful raptors. We arrived back at the lighthouse around 2:00 and dispersed to rest, take naps, and make lunch. Julian, having taken the train, was still on his way back, and he called me as he walked up past Batteriskoven that there was a White-tailed Eagle (Havørn) circling with the Cinereous Vulture (Munkegrib) over Storsig. What a duo! I stepped outside and was able to view both, but at that point they were separated and the vulture was fairly distant. It was a warm sunny afternoon and raptors were evidently taking advantage of the thermals as a steady procession of Honey-buzzards (Hvepsevåge), Common Buzzards (Musvåge), Red Kites (Rød Glente), and Kestrels (Tårnfalk) soared out past the lighthouse. I went out to watch them and take a nap on the beach in the sun before jumping in the sea. Julian went out to swim just after me and we both agreed it was the warmest and nicest it has felt.

It's not easy to find a bird that makes a White-tailed Eagle (Havørn) (above) look small.

Meanwhile, as it was their last day (and Kristine’s birthday!), the Rasmussens were setting up a lovely dinner for us all outside. Martin made some delicious lasagna and Kristine decorated the picnic table in the garden. Simon and Lisa arrived with their 9 week old puppy, which made for an adorable scene as two year old Otto and four year old Karl Anker played with him. We sat down to eat around 6:30 with the perfectly glassy sea behind us and a buzzing cloud of Common Swifts (Mursejler) swirling around the lighthouse above. After dinner, Juliane brought out a lemon cake she made with a blueberry guillemot on top, and we sang the english and danish happy birthday songs for Kristine.

Guillemot cake!

Finally after everything was cleaned up, Julian, Juliane and I did some computer work and sat in the garden, while Bao walked to Skarvsøen, where he saw his lifer Red-necked Grebe (Gråstrubet Lappedykker) and Common Grasshopper Warbler (Græshoppesanger). I climbed up to the top of the lighthouse to watch the sunset and watched a low fog bank creep across Storsig as the sun went down, arriving to the lighthouse as it began to get dark. A beautiful end to a wonderful day!

Link to today’s observations in DOFbasen from observers in the area

People: Brian Browne, Julian Helbig, Juliane Rößler, Bao Shen Yap, Páll, Martin Rasmussen, Kristine Rasmussen, Otto & Karl Anker, Simon Christiansen, Lisa Vergin

When I came back from our night out at Storsig at 05:15, Juliane and Brian were already in bed catching up on the sleep we didn’t get during the night, and I then did the same.

Coming back home from a long sleepless night.

 

We all woke up at about nine, when the sun was already shining bright outside and it started to get warm. Henrik Rask had already left. After breakfast, I went out the door and noticed there were quite a few raptors soaring high up in the cloudless blue sky, mainly Common Buzzards (Musvåge), Honey Buzzards (Hvepsevåge) and Kestrels (Tårnfalk). Together with them, also the Cinereous Vulture (Munkegrib) had come up to Skagen again. It’s so crazy how it has become almost a daily bird to watch! Because of the raptor activity, Brian and I decided to bike to Saftevandsbakken for some hours of raptor watching. Juliane went grocery shopping first, and joined us a bit later.

On our way to Saftevandsbakken.

We had our hopes up to find a special raptor among them, but unfortunately we didn’t (apart from the Cinereous Vulture (Munkegrib) of course). Juliane was looking for insects, especially beetles, while Brian and I were taking a little nap in the sun, and found an interesting ant species (Narrow-headed Ant, Rød Hedemyre). All the raptors didn’t really come close or overhead today, so we only saw them from far away. At 15:00, we left the place, and went into town to get some fantastic, refreshing ice cream, since it got very hot. Back at the station we met Simon and Páll, who moved to Skagen from the Faroe Islands, and will join us in the field during the upcoming weeks. After we took an Evening Meeting and did some data entry, Bao arrived at the train station and got picked up by Simon. Bao is an exchange student from Singapore and will stay with us for the next few days. Great to have you here!

People: Brian Browne, Julian Helbig, Juliane Rößler, Simon S. Christiansen, Martin & Kristine Rasmussen, Páll, Bao

Today we got up super early to start into the day Brian and I have long been waiting for: our first Ringing at Skagen Fuglestation! We all hopped on our bikes and cycled for a short while towards the site near northbeach (Nordstrand). When we arrived, the most beautiful sunrise was glowing through the fog and made the landscape look like a painting. We jumped into our waders and started opening nets, which made me have a very close aquaintance with the muddy marshwater. Back at the ringing table Simon joined us and we waited for the first net check, enjoying the view on Cormorant lake. I saw my first ever Red-necked Grebe (Gråstrubet lappedykker) which even had a chick, while Brian spotted a Green Sandpiper (Svaleklire) as a new lifer for him. Later that day, he also identified a Caspian Gull (Kaspisk måge) on the lake and saw his first Marsh harrier (Rørhøg)!

Sunrise at Skarvsøen

However, soon the first ringing could start. There were not too many birds per check, so we could take our time to practice handling, measurements and moult patterns. Some time later Kristine, Martin and their kids gave us a visit. It was very cute to see the little ones fascinated by the birds and to observe their unstoppable will for going on adventures. Many Common Whitethroats (Tornsanger), Reed Warblers (Rørsanger) and Blackcaps (Munk) later, we were all sweaty and exhausted but richer in knowledge and experience. It was a lot of fun and we are already looking forward to the next ringing day at Kabeltromeln on Sunday! After packing up, Julian and Brian jumped into the sea, while I headed home to eat and get some computerwork done. On their way home, Julian and Brian spotted the Cinereous Vulture (Munkegrib) over Grenen again, this time surrounded by Common Buzzards (Musvåge), Common Kestrels (Tårnfalk) and Red Kites (Rød glente), which are a new lifer for Brian as well! Reunited at the station we rested for a bit, until we had to leave for some more orchid counting in the afternoon.

Extracting the first bird!

Many 1st year Juvenile Blackcaps (Munk) around

When we arrived at the field with Knud and John, a flock of cows was grazing the field we planned to work on. While we waited for them to move on, we observed a very pretty Stonechat (Sortstrubet bynkefugl). Thankfully the cows let us pass and we started counting endless Heath spotted orchids (Plettet Gøgeurt) all over the meadow. In the end, there were over 13.000 of them! On our way back to the car, Brian saw a Great Spotted Woodpecker (Stor flagspætte) as another lifer. A bit tired but satisfied we arrived back home, where Erik and Henrik were expecting us. Henrik is going to be our guest until tomorrow and we had a very nice chat with him. I cooked some dinner and Simon joined us afterwards for a short evening meeting. Looking at the calm sea on this bright sunny evening, Brian couldn’t help himself but to go seawatching. He spotted several Fulmars (Mallemuk), a Razorbill (Alk) and Velvet Scoters (Fløjlsand).

Very calm sea at Grenen

Very late in the evening, we headed out to Storsig. We aimed to catch some nightjars and maybe some quails if they turned up. It was very foggy again, which set a beautiful scene over the Heathland. Just a few minutes after we opened our nets and turned on the speaker, we saw a Nightjar flying over us! For Brian it was a lifer, and for me it was an awesome experience, since European Nightjars are one of the species I was looking most forward to before coming to Skagen. Unfortunately, we haven’t caught one in the net, but it’s still good to know they are around. We also heard a few quails singing, so Julian tried to find and catch them. Unfortunately that was without success as well, and in the early morning hours Brian and went back to go to sleep, while Julian stayed a hit longer before he left. On his way back, he saw a Short-eared owl (Mosehornugle) and enjoyed the breathtaking view from the top of the lighthouse, before he finally went to bed as well. What a long and exciting day that was!

Det Grå Fyr on a foggy night

Link to today’s observations in DOFbasen from observers in the area

People: Juliane Rößler, Julian Helbig, Brian Browne, Simon S. Christiansen, Kristine & Martin Rasmussen, Knud Pedersen, John Brask, Erik Christophersen, Henrik T. Rask

This morning started out with a seawatch from Grenen at WE3. I arrived just after Juliane around 4:50 and we were met by Martin and Knud. With light winds and clear skies visibility out to the horizon was quite good, but the unimpeded rising sun obstructed a good portion of the sea. There was less activity than the previous morning, but we still enjoyed the continuing high numbers of Arctic Skuas (Almindelig Kjove) harassing terns over the beach. I even had one chase a tern over my head on the Sandomentrak, before I had even reached the beach! Over the course of the morning we saw nine, five light morphs and four dark morphs. Perhaps with some luck one of the rarer species will make an appearance in the coming days! Juliane enjoyed three lifers: a very distant Northern Fulmar (Mallemuk), close migrating Razorbill (Alk), and a nice male Velvet Scoter (Fløjlsand) that joined the Common Scoters (Sortand) on the water.

A great comparison between the two color morphs (light and dark) of the Arctic Skua (Almindelig Kjove)

Juliane returned home while I elected to take a nap in the dunes, a pleasant way to enjoy the first warm sunny morning since I arrived. After I awoke I birded my way back along the Sandomentrak and came quite close to crashing while biking back— unfortunately in full display to the people on the back row of the Sandomen, whose looks of concern quickly gave way to stifled laughter.

Arriving back at the lighthouse I walked into a kitchen converted to an art studio— Julian and Juliane had their watercolors out and were painting some observations from the last few days. Juliane was working on a Gray Seal (Gråsæl) and orchids from the count on the same page as a finished Cinereous Vulture (Munkegrib). Julian was finishing up a pencil sketch of an Arctic Skua (Almindelig Kjove) before painting it and I enjoyed watching as it slowly gained color, realizing into an impressive depiction of such a sharp bird. Just the latest in a long line of painters drawn to Skagen!

Arctic Skua by Julian Helbig (watercolor)

I joined the Rasmussens on a shopping trip into town to pick up some much-needed groceries while Juliane did some cleaning, and after I returned Simon stopped by to do some planning for tomorrow, our first day of ringing since Juliane and I arrived. After he left, we ate dinner and prepped some gear for the early morning tomorrow!

Link to today’s observations in DOFbasen from observers in the area

People: Brian Browne, Julian Helbig, Juliane Rößler, Knud Pedersen, Martin Rasmussen, Kristine Rasmussen

Juliane and I went out early in the morning to World’s End 3 and started our morning observations at 5 am, Brian and Martin joined us a bit later, and within the second hour, also Knud arrived. It was a very good morning: Chilly winds and cloudy sky, many birds: A lot of terns (Terne) and gulls (Måge) were resting on the beach or foraging around the tip, almost 90 Red-throated Divers (Rødstrubet Lom) on the water, and a Grey Seal (Gråsæl) hanging out in the surf. But the most impressive were definitely the Arctic Skuas (Almindelig Kjove) – ten or more of them, both light and dark colour morphs, were flying very close to or even over the beach, chasing gulls and terns, sometimes even landing on the sand! This was so much fun to watch. Then suddenly, Brian spotted a Manx Shearwater (Almindelig Skråpe), a bird that we’ve been hoping for a lot the past days, since the wind conditions have been very good for it to turn up. Unfortunately it went straight down on the water before anyone else could see it. After some time however, it flew up again for a few seconds, so also Knud and Juliane saw it. In the end, I was the only one of us who didn’t see it, sadly. I really hope to get one within the next days. Later, the birds’ activity decreased, and so Juliane and I decided to leave after our third hour was done, Brian stayed a little longer and got some more seabird species like Velvet Scoters (Fløjlsand) and Black-throated Divers (Sortstrubet Lom). Meanwhile at the station, we both did some drawing. Juliane made a wonderful illustration of the Cinereous Vulture (Munkegrib). And guess who turned up just half an hour later?! Either summoned by the beautiful drawing, or brought up by the sun now shining and warming up the area, or probably by both, the vulture actually came all the way up and past town again! After receiving the messages on Zello, we first saw it from the window. Then we got out the door and watched as the big bird slowly passed the lighthouse. Many people, even non-birders, stood outside with us and enjoyed great views on the by now highly popular rarity. Our guests Martin and Kristine – and also their young children – saw it too, which they were very happy about, since it was something they really hoped for when getting here. After going out all the way up to Grenen, the Cinereous Vulture (Munkegrib) slowly made its way southwest again at around 12:45.

Cinereous Vulture (Munkegrib)

Juliane's fantastic sketchbook page, showing the Cinereous Vulture (Munkegrib), the Grey Seal (Gråsæl) and some Gannets (Sule).

After all the vulture action, I went on a long walk from Grenen to Nordstrand and up to the Pencil, where I had a little pick-nick; from there back inland over Jennes Sø and Storsig. In the beginning, some dark rain clouds moved in and the wind picked up to almost stormy conditions, but after a while it cleared up again. As I was walking along the beach, I kept an eye out for Common Ringed Plover (Stor Præstekrave) nests and chicks. I also visited the location of the one nest we found some days ago, but unfortunately I couldn’t find anything there now.

Clouds moving in at the Sandormtracks.

Vest Fyr ("The Pencil")

In the meantime, Brian did some computer work first and then went for a little walk too, where he enjoyed good looks at different more common birds. After that, he prepared dinner for us, I came back just before eight o’clock.

People: Brian Browne, Julian Helbig, Juliane Rößler, Knud Pedersen, Simon S. Christiansen, Martin & Kristine Rasmussen

Today the winds finally quieted down a bit, after it had mostly been stormy since Brian and I arrived. That meant much better conditions for observing passerines, so Brian went out early to check out the area at Batteriskoven. His trip was very successful and amongst the impressive number of 50 species he observed, there were some new lifers for him, like Garden Warbler (Havesanger), Bullfinch (Dompap) and Common Crane (Trane). He also saw some Tree pipits (Skovpiber) singing and displaying right on the other side of the road next to the lighthouse.

Common Crane (Trane) at Batteriskoven

 

Crested Tit (Topmejse) at Batteriskoven

I woke up a bit too late to join Brian on his trip, so I went out on my own to check out the shores of Grenen, and I’m very glad I did so! Soon I was rewarded with seeing two Red-throated Loons (Rødstrubet Lom) very closely, with one being in fabulous breeding plumage, as well as two Arctic Skuas (Almindelig Kjove) trying to steal food from a Sandwich Tern (Splitterne). I already learnt so much about Gulls and Terns from Julian and Brian, so I was very happy when I could identify two Little Gulls (Dværgmåge) in a flock of Black-headed Gulls (Hættemåge). Soon another highlight appeared: I saw a group of cetaceans, which might supposedly have been Harbour Porpoise (Marswin), for the first time ever! Very happy I returned back to the station where I met Brian and a very diligent Julian, who had been doing computer work all morning.

In the afternoon, Knud picked us up to help with the annual orchid counts at Hulsig Hede. Some fields in this area are managed only for conservational purposes, meaning they are completely put out of agricultural use. In order to keep the grass short and the area free from trees and shrubs, cows are grazing the fields regularily. This kind of management started about 30 years ago, which allowed a valuable habitat to evolve, that is rarely found anymore in cultural landscapes these days. So it comes, that these habitats provide the special conditions needed for native orchid species to grow. On our fields today there were 3 species to be found: Lesser Butterfly Orchid (Bakke Gøgelilje), Heath Spotted Orchid (Plettet Gøgeurt) and Northern Marsh Orchid (Purpur-Gøgeurt).

From left to right: Lesser Butterfly Orchid (Bakke Gøgelilje), Heath Spotted Orchid (Plettet Gøgeurt), Northern Marsh Orchid (Purpur-Gøgeurt)

Joined by John and Family Rasmussen, we arrived at the fields after a short drive from the Lighthouse. Luckily there were no cows on it today, so we were good to go! Knud showed us our position and then we started to walk over the field in a zigzag-pattern, while counting the total number of every species seperately. It was a very fun tasks, walking around the field with Meadow-Pipits (Engpiber) and Skylarks (Sanglærke) singing and displaying all around us. In the end, we counted over 5000 of the Lesser Butterfly Orchids and a few dozens of the other two species. Compared to last year, all of them had increased numbers, which is great news!

After our little session in botany, we headed home and held the first official evening meeting with our new guests. Martin and Kristine told us they saw a Little Tern (Dværgterne) at Grenen today, which is awesome! The rest of the day was rather quiet and cozy. Julian went for a walk, Brian took a much needed nap and I prepared some dinner. After all we went to bed early, preparing for seawatching at sunrise tomorrow.

Link to today’s observations in DOFbasen from observers in the area

 

People: Juliane Rößler, Brian Browne, Julian Helbig, Knud Pedersen, John Brask, Martin & Kristine Rasmussen

This morning Juliane and I enjoyed a little extra sleep, waking at 6:00 to head out to seawatch. However, Julian had the exact opposite experience: he had fallen asleep while doing computer work and was just leaving the couch to go to bed as I got up. He caught up on sleep while Juliane and I said goodbye to our guest Mette (who was leaving us to return home) and biked out to Grenen. The strong northwest winds of the last few days continued and we hunkered down atop a dune as we seawatched. We enjoyed a show of close foraging gannets, and the highlight was a second-year Mediterranean Gull (Sorthovedet Måge) that joined the small gull flock at the lagoon, a lifer for both of us.

Mediterranean Gull (Sorthovedet Måge) in the lagoon.

After we finished counting we walked up the beach to where a few hundred gulls were roosting. Among them were three Caspian Gulls (Kaspisk Måge), my first opportunity to study this species. I’ve been focused on trying to pick one out since I arrived earlier this week, and so it was satisfying to finally succeed. Unfortunately Juliane headed home before she got to see them.

Caspian Gull (Kaspisk Måge) in the gull flock on the beach. Note the smaller, slimmer bill, small dark eye, round head, and upright posture while standing to separate from European Herring Gull (Sølvmåge).

The early afternoon was spent cooking, resting, and playing guitar before we launched into an exhaustive cleaning of the house. We all went on separate walks along the trails near Det Grå Fyr before reconvening for a dinner that Julian had prepared. We also welcomed our new guests Martin and Kristine Rasmussen and their two young boys— we’re excited to have them around this week!

Link to today’s observations in DOFbasen from observers in the area

People: Brian Browne, Julian Helbig, Juliane Rößler, Mette Breed, Martin Rasmussen, Kristine Rasmussen