This day started at a rather unusual time, or not, if you are at the Bird Observatory! Around midnight, Brian and I where still on the beach of Grenen, trying to catch waders. Unfortunately, we weren’t lucky so instead enjoyed a nice night walk, admiring the view of the lighthouse in the dark. At sunrise, our usual tasks called: Brian, Juliane and Knud attended to the migration count at World’s End 3 and Simon K., Páll and me were ringing birds at Kabeltromlen. It was my first time at this legendary site so I was shown all the nets and was excited to ring my first birds – hopefully many are still to come! There was also a slight breeze of wind, forcing us to leave some nets closed. Still, we caught surprisingly many birds with a strong second round of 15 individuals, including two Icterine Warblers (Gulbug) and many juvenile birds.

Icterine warbler (Gulbug)

Above us, some passerines were busy: Redpolls (Gråsisken), Common Crossbills (Lille Korsnæb) and a Tree Pipit (Skovpiber) flew over our heads while we were ringing. Checking the nets, a couple of Common Snipe (Dobbeltbekkasin) flew away startled. We used the spare time in between net checks for some seatwatching, getting an impression of what Juliane, Brian and Knud where dealing with a few hundred metres north: Migration was again slow with little to no activity on the sea. Some nice birds were still around though, like a Golden Plover (Hjejle), a Whimbrel (Småspove), three young Mediterranean Gulls (Sorthovedet Måge) and even a Yellow-legged Gull (Middelhavsmåge) on the beach.

Yellow-legged Gull (Middelhavsmåge)

Our guest Søren Roed also joined both the count and later the ringing to get an impression of what we are up to every morning. After this sleepless night and busy morning, we went back to the station and admired a stuffed stone-curlew (Triel) in the exhibition. You should check it out! All took a nap and got some rest before entering the data of the morning. I also went into town to get some groceries for the next couple of days that are going to be busy again. Until the evening, we took things slow to be prepared for what’s to come this night: We are going to try to catch and ring storm petrels (Lille Stormsvale)! If you want to find out whether we caught one of these magnificent birds, check out the blog tomorrow!

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

People: Brian Browne, Simon S. Christiansen, Simon Kiesé, Søren Roed, Juliane Rößler, Knud, Pedersen, Jule Tappe, Páll Vang Kjærbo

Today the day for me and Brian started extremely early, since we wanted to catch some birds at night. Brian went out to Kabeltromeln and tried to catch Common Snipe (Dobbeltbekassin) or other waders in the muddy patches along the paths, while I opened the net for nightjars (Natravn) again. After many sleepless hours, both of us remained unsucessful unfortunately. Maybe next time!

But our day wouldn’t have to stay without any birds, since there was CES-Ringing at Skarvsøen awaiting us. While Simon K., Brian, Páll and I participated in the ringing, Jule carried out the migration count at Worlds end 3 together with Knud. Above the calm sea without any wind, not much activity was to be seen today. But her morning was not without any highlights: a new highcount for the season of five Mediterranean Gulls (Sorthovedet måge) showed up, as well as one migrating Long-tailed Duck (Havlit). At the same time, our Ringing was quite successful, with 31 ringed and 9 recaptured birds in total and some pretty cool catches. We recaptured an over 6 year old Common Whitethroat, which must be familiar with Simon K. by now. According to our data, it was in his hand in 2024 and 2025 before!

Over 6 year old Common Whitethroat (Tornsanger), captured in Skagen every year since 2023!

We were also happy to capture our first Marsh Warbler (Kærsanger) for the season and see the comparison between Marsh- and Reed Warbler (Rørsanger). Later I had the opportunity to extract a beautiful adult Eurasian Jay (Skovskade), which might be the coolest bird I have ever taken out of a net by myself! Brian got to ring his first ever Steel-ring and learnt some handling techniques for such a big bird. We all were left with some pecks and bruises, but it was super exciting to admire the starring eyes and wings of a Jay from up close. On the last net-check, Brian got treated with a glowing red male Bullfinch (Dompap), which was one of the species he was hoping to get good looks on since he arrived at Skagen.

Adult Eurasian Jay (Skovskade)

Male Bullfinch (Dompap)

After the Ringing was done, many Raptors showed up again and were flying with the warm winds on this bright sunny day. There were a lot of Honeybuzzards (Hvepsevåge) and even a White-tailed eagle (Havørn) amongst them. After watching them for a bit, everyone returned to the station and went for a much needed nap. After our evening meeting,Simon K. prepared delicious Dinner and I made some warm Apple crumble. Afterwards I took a short walk along the beach, where a dark-morph Arctic Skua (Almindelig Kjove) flew by. Later in the night Jule and Brian went out to try and catch waders again. Unfortunately, they were without success. Luck doesn’t seem to be on our side at night!

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

People: Juliane Rößler, Brian Browne, Jule Tappe, Simon Kiesé, Páll Vang Kjærbo, Simon S. Christiansen, Knud Pedersen, Søren Roed

We went to bed last night unsure what the morning would look like with strong winds and rain forecasted, but planned on going out anyway. When we awoke at 4:00, the wind was whipping but the rain had not materialized so we biked out to World’s End 1 to start the morning count in a more sheltered place. However, the rain arrived soon after us and soon it was difficult to see past the breakers. There were few birds moving, and what was moving was not easy to identify through the mist and haze. We finally ended early once the rain picked up and obscured the ocean almost completely, with close to zero migrating birds to show for our efforts.

Arriving back at the lighthouse, we warmed up with some hot chocolate and then all went to our beds and napped for the next three hours. After we reemerged, the rest of the morning and early afternoon was spent doing computer work and data entry while the wind rattled the windows. Simon K left to go into town with his father, and they had a nice afternoon visiting the art museum and Skagen Bakery. As the weather abated slightly, Jule set out to go look for some birds and enjoyed a nice walk by the sea, but saw few birds in the weather.

Around 16.00 we drove into town and went grocery shopping before meeting Simon’s father and going to the bowling alley! We bowled two games and had a lot of fun— Simon and Juliane tied the first round and Jule won the second, miraculously beating her first score by over 100 points.

Action shot of Juliane

After bowling we returned for an evening meeting with Páll, who had spent the day canoeing eight hours from Mosbjerg to Teersted. He saw a Common Kingfisher (Isfugl) along the way. We also welcomed our new arrival in the guest apartment, Søren— welcome to the station! The rest of the evening was spent eating potato leek soup in front of the world cup final. As it got dark, Juliane went to sleep while Jule, Simon and I grabbed the hand nets and went out to go night catching. Jule walked through the heath while Simon and I walked the beach to Grenen, but we all returned at the same time empty handed. With an early start tomorrow morning for ringing at Kabeltromen tomorrow, we jumped quickly into bed.

Det Grå Fyr on our way back from night catching

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

People: Brian Browne, Juliane Rößler, Jule Tappe, Simon Kiesé, Páll Kærbo, Kersten Kiesé, Søren Røed

This morning, a loud bang woke us up. There was a thunderstorm outside! Heavy rain beat against the windows and there were loud rumbles, so we had to postpone our daily migration count by an hour. On our way to World’s End 3, I was greeted by a very cute Common newt (Lille Vandsalamander) that had dared to walk the paths around the lighthouse after the rain.

Common Newt (Lille Vandsalamander) next to the lighthouse

The migration count that Brian, Juliane and I did, was slow with only a very small number of passerines and little activity on the sea. However, after the rain, the views of the rising sun and calm sea were magnificent!

After the count, we all went our separate ways. I decided do some more birdwatching in the bushes behind World’s End, coming across a number of Common Whitethroats (Tornsanger), Siskins (Grønsisken), Linnets (Tornirisk) and Great Tits (Musvit). The highlight of the walk was an unexpected Cuckoo (Gøg) that was perching on a branch. Also, I came across a Common Toad (Skrubtudse) that was lying on the sand in the middle of the pathway. A very nice sight! After a short lunch break, I went on another walk around Storsig where I was surrounded by Common Kestrels (Tårnfalk) and saw an extremely fast Woodpigeon (Ringdue) flying with the wind.

Meanwhile, Juliane and Brian went back to the lighthouse and entered some data on the computer. In the afternoon, Juliane biked to the CES site to cut vegetation so we are prepared for some bird ringing next week! While cutting, she even got to see an Adder (Hugorm), a common snake around the heathers of Skagen. After that, Juliane looked at the sea from Nordstrand and was amazed by the high number of Northern Gannets (Sule) and the interesting pattern of waves that the wind created in the sea.

Our team at the observatory also expanded today! In the afternoon, Simon (not to be confused with Simon S. Christiansen) arrived and will be staying with us until the end of August. After his arrival, he used his chance to see the Cinereous Vulture at Hulsig and got some nice pictures of the impressive bird.

Cinereous Vulture (Munkegrib) at Hulsig

He later joined Brian who was seawatching at World’s End 1 where they spotted a Northern Fulmar (Mallemuk) close to the beach. After this day of wind and rain, we all enjoyed a nice dinner together.

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

People: Brian Browne, Lærkebjørn Desholm, Mark Desholm, Simon Kiesé, Juliane Rößler, Jule Tappe

Alles vækkeure ringede rigtig tidligt i dag, da afgangen mod dagens morgenobs på Grenens yderste klitrække var sat til kl. 04.15. Vi må dog indrømme, at det ikke helt lykkedes familen Desholm at komme op så tidligt. Men de gæve observatører fra fuglestation og samt Páll, der også deltog var klar med kikkerterne. Det blev en varm men stille morgen med vildt god sigtbarhed og de sædvanlige måger og terner (der blev også aflæst nogle), og også med en dejlig overraskelse i form af en fouragerende mosehornugle mellem klitrækkerne. Dertil en havlit, ederfugle, sortænder, en enkelt fløjelsand, en smålom og en større, (end marsvin) uidentificeret havpattedyrsrygfinne.

Omkring kl. 10 lød munkegribbe-alarmen igen igen på Zello, og fuglen lod sig nydeligt beskue fra Saftevandsbakken sammen med ca. 40 røde glenter og 3-4 hvepsevåger over og omkring den store radarkuppel. Familien Desholm var igen ude ved Tværvej i Hulsig bed aftenstid og se gribben på relativt tæt hold både siddende i et højt grantræ og cirklende lavt over tilskuernes hoveder.

Brian observerede en forbitrækkende lærkefalk, 34 røde glenter, vores allesammens munkegrib, et par musvåger og hvepsevåger senere på dagen på vej ud til Skarvsøen, hvor han talte skarverne (442) og så 20 fiskehejrer.

Til aften var Juliane ude og beskære vegetationen omkring netbanerne til CES-mærkningen i de kommende uger ved Skarvsøen. Jule indtastede data for første gang og lavede dejlig mad.

Alt i alt må vi sige, at dette års juli-tur til Skagen mest af alt minder om en fugletur til det sydlige Europa – både hvad angår luft- og vandtemperatur og ikke mindst den store majestætiske munkegrib, som nu på anden uge kredser over Skagen og Hulsigs glade ornitologer.

Vi sluttede dagen af med et dejligt aftenmøde udenfor (se foto) i det fine Skagenslys.

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

People: Mark Desholm, Lærkebjørn Desholm, Brian Browne, Juliane Rößler, Jule Tappe, Páll Kærbo

Today Brian, Magnus, Rasmus, Jule and I all went out early to start migration counting at sunrise. It was quite a slow and warm morning, without much activity on sea. A highlight for me was the Long-tailed Duck (Havlit), which I missed yesterday and have seen it today for the first time in my life! Jule was very happy about a Crested Tit (Topmejse) passing by just a few meters away from us, since she hasn’t seen them one a long while. Rasmus and Magnus had to catch their train in Skagen, so they left a bit earlier and said Goodbye to us. We wish you all the best and hope you visit the station again soon!

Sunrise at Verdens ende 

After counting time was over, Brian took a nap on the dune while Jule and I headed back to the station. On our way we saw a Honeybuzzard (Hvepsevåge) very close, a special moment for both of us. After some rest and data entry, Jule went up the lighthouse and got a great view on the Cinereous vulture (Munkegrib) from up there. Brian looked out of the window, saw around 50 Raptors soaring above Saftevandsbakken and decided to cycle there immediately. Jule went with him and I joined them a bit later after getting computerwork done. There were a couple of Honeybuzzards (Hvepsevåge), Common Buzzards (Musvåge), Common Kestrels (Tårnfalk) and tons of Red Kites (Rød glente), but no rarities amongst them.

Red Kite (Rød glente)

Afterwards we went shopping together, I prepared Dinner and went for a fantastic swim at the beach. Mark came over for the evening meeting and told us about the Raptors and Whimbrels (Småspove) he observed today together with his kids. The meeting developed into an hourlong conversation, talking with him about bird migration studies and his former experience in politics. For me, having the opportunity to exchange with our guests of all different scientific backgrounds and perspectives, is one of the most valuable things about staying at the station! We all enjoyed it a lot, but it got quite late and we all hopped into bed very soon to be prepared for our next migration count tomorrow.

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

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

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.

Just south of Skagen a Black Stork was called out by others, but unfortunatly it turned around before reaching us.

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, Páll Vang Kjærbo, Erik Christophersen, Magnus Lund Christensen, Rasmus Matthiesen-Juhl, Lærkebjørn & Mark Desholm