På Verdens Ende 3 udgjorde Florian, Miles og János holdet til morgenobservation. János var tidligt af sted for at sikre gode pladser. Forholdene var lignende i går, dog mindre blæsende og derfor ikke så koldt, hvilket blev værdsat. Igen i dag kom en islom (great northern diver) forbi. Disse er efterhånden blevet faste gæster ved Grenen, men ikke desto mindre blev den værdsat. Især da den blev hængende lidt og rastede, så der var god mulighed for at se den. Det blev nævnt, at der måske ville dukke nogle sejlere op. Ikke længe efter spottede Miles netop en og råbte straks op. Det viste sig at være en gråsejler (pallid swift). Måske samme individ som har befundet sig i området de sidste flere dage? I hvert fald fløj den lige over hovedet på observatørerne, som også fik gode billeder af den. Andre bemærkelsesværdige fugle fra observationen var storspove (curlew), strandskader (oystercatchers), sortgrå ryle (purple sandpiper) og stenvendere (turnstones). Om end ikke ligefrem sjældne, var det alligevel nogle der blev sat pris på herude.

Gråsejler (Pallid Swift). Foto af Florian Hatt.

Ved Kabeltromlen så Amira og jeg (Lise) endda også gråsejleren (pallid swift) da den blev kaldt ud fra Verdens Ende 3. Med hensyn til ringmærkning havde en rolig, men ikke kedelig dag. Der var et fint antal fugle i nettene til at holde os beskæftigede og heldigvis god tid til dem også. Vi havde både genfangster og nye mærkninger af skægmejser (bearded reedling), som jeg på daværende tidspunkt tænkte ville være dagens højdepunkt. Sidst på formiddagen dukkede der dog en gransanger op, som muligvis kunne være en sibirisk gransanger (siberian chiffchaff). Forskellene mellem en almindelig gransanger og den sibiriske underart er subtile, men farven på eksemplaret fra i dag var mindre grønlig, gullig og snarere mere brunlig, hvilket ledte tankerne hen på, at det kunne være en sibirisk. Efter ringmærkning og fotografering fik vi bekræftet fra Simon, at det var tilfældet. 

Sibirisk Gransanger (Siberian Chiffchaff). Foto af Amira Nusibeh.

Senere gik vi afsted på lukkerunden tilfredse med dagens ringmærkning. Her ventede der os en sidste overraskelse. Nemlig en vandrikse (water rail), som Amira begejstret pillede ud af nettet. Vi hører vandrikse hver dag ude i rørskoven, men det er kun anden gang på denne efterårssæson, at en af dem går i nettet. Denne gang var det en ung fugl i sit første kalenderår, hvilket blandt andet kan genkendes på den mørke overside af næbet og de endnu ikke helt skarpe hvide streger på flankerne.

Vandrikse (Water Rail). Foto af Miles Scheuering.

I dag var desuden Amiras første som ringmærker med C-licens - tillykke! Og det endda på fornemmeste manér med smukt overblik og omhyggelighed.

Om eftermiddagen var Florian taget på fugletur i området nær stationen. Herfra kom et opkald fra ham om en mulig himalayasanger (Hume’s leaf warbler), som han længe har haft håb om at finde her. Det lykkedes ham at få lydoptagelser af fuglen, som herhjemme kunne bevise, at det minsandten også var en himalayasanger der var tale om! Det er kun fjerde fund for Skagen, så vi kunne fejre både denne og alle de andre skønne fugle fra i dag med kage hjemme på stationen.

Sidste nyhed herfra må være, at vi har fået besked om ringmærkningen af en skægmejse (bearded reedling), som blev genfanget ved Kabeltromlen den 27. oktober. Denne blev oprindeligt ringmærket ved Tømmerby Fjord i Thy den 5. juni i år, hvor der findes en ynglende koloni af skægmejser.

Kort med markering af lokaliteterne for henholdvis ringmærkning nederst til venstre og genfangst øverst til højre af skægmejse (bearded reedling).

While Amira and Mara were opening the nets, I got the chance to sleep a bit longer today and join them for the first netround at sunrise. We were also joined by Henrik Møller Thomsen who came all the way from Aalborg to participate in the ringing and had quite a good day. The wind had died down over the past two days, so we were able to open all nets. We also managed to catch a few nice birds in the first rounds, with the highlight probably being a Firecrest (Rødtepped Fuglekonge) for many birders in the area. The cutest though were undoubtedly two Long-tailed Tits (Halemejse), which were also the first I had ever ringed.

Long-tailed Tit ( Halemejse) after ringing. Photo by János

Meanwhile, Florian, Miles, and Lise had a quiet morning at Grenen, which allowed them to discuss about seabird identification. The calm weather proved to be good for passerine migration and large flocks of Siskins (Grønsisken), Fieldfares (Sjagger) and Red Crossbills (Lille Korsnæb) were seen by both ringers and observers. They also saw a roosting Great Northern Diver (Islom) as well as a Great Skua (Storkjove) and we were able to spot a Grey Shrike (Stor Tornskade) and a big flock of Waxwings (Silkehale) from Kabeltromeln.

At the end of the count, Florian decided to search for Buntings (Værling), and Miles and Lise went for a run. Just as we had closed the nets and were packing our things, we received a Zello call from Simon who had found a Dusky Warbler (Brun Løvsanger) in Lille Vildmose. We all wanted to see this asian vagrant and while Miles and Lise just changed their running route, Amira, Mara and I arrived only 15 minutes later by bike. The bird didn't show up again though and I decided to go back after some time to have lunch and met Florian on my way who later also heard the bird call.

Florian an Simon looking for the Dusky Warbler (Brun Løvsanger). Photo by Amira

After a small break, Amira and Miles went for a swim, and I grabbed my bike and rode to Tilsandede Kirke, where Simon had told me there was a good chance of finding Parrot Crossbills (Stor Korsnæb) there. On my way I made a few stops in the harbor of Skagen to look for gulls. I saw nothing special, but close views of Guillemots (Lomvie) were definitely worth it and it was nice to explore the area. At Tilsandede Kirke I found no Crossbills but a big flock of roosting Waxwings (Silkehale) which was a good trade.

Waxwings (Silkehale) roosting on a tree. Photo by János

I headed back to meet up with the others to have coffee and cake and to say goodbye to Mara, who unfortunately had to return to Germany after three weeks at the Fuglestation. When I arrived at the lighthouse I was surprised to see a Swift (Sejler) (probably the Pallid Swift (Gråsejler) that had been in the area for the past two days) flying around it. I quickly made a video with my smartphone and called the others before the bird went out of sight and we could not find it again.

Swift flying around the lighthouse. Photo by János.

Later Simon drove Mara to the train station and Lise cooked a delicious dinner for us.

Ringing (Kabeltromlen):

Solsort 6

Sangdrossel 1

Rødhals 6

Gærdesmutte 3

Jernspurv 1

Bogfinke 2

Blåmejse 5

Munk 4

Lille Dompap 1

Fuglekonge 2

Gransanger 1

Rødtoppet Fuglekonge 1

Total new birds: 33

Highlights from World’s End 3:

Great Skua (Storkjove) 1

Great Northern Diver (Islom) 1

Lapwing (Vibe) 1

Link to todays observations in Dofbasen from the Skagen area

People: Mara Glane, Florian Hatt, Amira Nuseibeh, Miles Scheuering, Lise Mastrup, Simon S. Christiansen, János Schadl, Knud Pedersen and Henrik Møller Thomsen.

This morning, Florian, János, and I headed to World’s End 3 for the migration count with Knud. János left a bit earlier to bird along the way and noted many Eurasian Blackbirds (Solsort) along the sandormen track. We hoped that activity would be good, though there was little wind and not so much activity over the sea. There was good passerine activity, with many large flocks of Eurasian Siskens (Grøninsken) and Fieldfares (Sjagger). Early on, we received a message from Mara asking if it was too late in the season for Garden Warbler (Havesanger). We wondered if they had caught a garden warbler or if it could be something even rarer. A garden warbler was still exciting to me, as it would be a lifer. A few minutes later, we got a Zello from Simon that they had caught a Garden Warbler! I hurried over to Kabeltromlen, but there were several other birds in the round, so I had a little time to bird and enjoy the cake that Jørgen brought. We catch Garden Warblers in the ringing from May through September, but they had pretty much left by the time I arrived.

Garden Warbler (Havesanger) caught and ringed at Kabeltromlen this morning. Photo by Mara

While I was gone the other observers saw a resting Great Northern Diver aka Common Loon (Islom). It was a rather chilly morning, but we enjoyed seeing several flocks of Whooper Swans (Sangsvane) and good numbers of Red-throated Divers aka Loons (Rødstrubet Lom). The ringers, Mara, Amira, and Lise, had a busy first few rounds before things quieted down. They did enjoy seeing many blackbirds in the area early on, and the lull in activity provided time for the task of painting the new cable drum (kabeltromlen).

Ringing cake brought by Jørgen Hulbæk

After the count, Florian, János, and Simon went looking for buntings in the brushy, reedy areas west of the sandormen track. There is currently an influx of Black-faced Buntings (Gråhovedet Værling) in Europe, so we at the station are quite hungry for buntings. However, they had no luck today. While not a Black-faced Bunting, there was a Yellow-browed Warbler (Hvidbrynet Løvsanger) found in Skagen today. It interrupted several of our lunches and was originally called out as a Hume’s Leaf Warbler (Himalaya-sanger), which prompted us to hurry over toward the nature center to see it. Yellow-browed is a relatively common vagrant to Europe, but it was still a lifer for me, so I was quite excited to see it.

While János, Florian, Amira, and I were looking at the warbler, Mara and Lise set up some traps for Rock Pipits (Skærpiber) on the beach. They used mealworms as bait and then played Rock Pipit calls and songs to attract them. They did get some interest but the birds only inspected the traps without going into them. While Florian was busy cooking us a delicious dinner, Amira and János went out night catching for Eurasian Woodcocks (Skovsneppe) at Bankes Marker next to Batteriskoven. They saw several but were unable to catch them. The real highlight was finding a hedgehog (pindsvin), which it is getting rather late for.

The hedgehog (pindsvin) observed by Amira and János at Bankes Marker. Photo by János

This evening is Mara’s last night at the station, so we finished watching Pirates of the Caribbean 2: Dead Man’s Chest.

Link to today’s observations from the area

People: Mara Glane, Florian Hatt, Amira Nuseibeh, Miles Scheuering, Lise Mastrup, János Schadl, Simon S. Christiansen, and our guest Jørgen Hulbæk

I went once again out for observing at World’s End III. The first hour already brought us a Black-throated Diver (Sortstrubet Lom), which we hadn't seen so often in the last weeks. It was also a good species for Anton, one he doesn't see very often. Afterwards, we sadly had to say goodbye to him as his "Praktik" week from school had already come to an end. But with seven lifers during the last days, it can't have been such a bad time!


Beautiful sunrise

Later that morning, we received a Zello message from Alex, who was sitting at Nordstrand. A Great Northern Diver (Islom) was on its way to us! Barely a minute later, it appeared at our location and migrated southeast not too far away. Shortly afterwards, a suspiciously large pipit (piber) was reported, also from Nordstrand, also flying in our direction. I got ready with my audio recorder and camera, but the bird just didn't want to show up. Instead, a flock of Water Pipits (Bjergpiber) made a migration attempt, which was also nice to see. Furthermore, a late House Martin (Bysvale) showed up and some Shore Larks (Bjerglærke) were resting on the beach.

There were also some birds at the ringing with a nice flock of Blue Tits (Blåmejse) and surprisingly many Blackcaps (Munk) for this time of the year. János was able to see Bearded Reedlings (Skægmejse) in hand for the first time, so this was exciting.

Simon had a guided tour today for Norwegian high school teachers, so they also came to visit the ringers but also the observers afterwards. I was spontaneously asked to give them a short presentation on the equipment we use during migration count, which was unexpected but fun.

After four hours of counting, I stayed outside, as there were some Yellowhammers (Gulspurv) and Reed Buntings (Rørspurv) present, which always gives hope for rarer buntings. There seems to be a big influx of Black-faced Buntings (Gråhovedet Værling) going on in Europe, which will hopefully also reach Skagen! And indeed, a rare bird suddenly appeared. It wasn't a bunting, but a large pipit flying over me, calling luckily.


Large pipit alert!

It sounded like a Richard’s pipit (Storpiber), but at this time of year I wanted to check again later on the sound recording to see if it was not a Blyth’s pipit (Mongolsk Piber). It must have been the bird from Nordstrand, which had probably stopped somewhere to rest in the meantime. In the evening when checking the recording, it turned out that it was a Richard’s pipit (Storpiber), the first one for Skagen this year, and a very late one too!



Some more news about rarities: Unfortunately, it turned out that our potential Eastern Yellow Wagtail (Sibirisk Vipstjert) from the 29th of October cannot be assigned to a population east of Taimyr region for sure. Either the quality of the recording is too bad, or the bird comes from the region, where Yellow Wagtails seem to carry mixed genes of Eastern and Western. It's a bit sad that the bird cannot be confirmed, but thanks to Alex Hellquist's analysis, it's still exciting to know that it was a bird of an eastern origin! Perhaps simply not far enough from the East. We will never know. The bird had migrated out to the sea, so couldn’t be found again in the days after the sighting.

Link to today’s observations from the area

People: Mara Glane, Florian Hatt, Amira Nuseibeh, Miles Scheuering, Lise Mastrup, Anton Møbjerg Toft, Simon S. Christiansen, János Schadl and our guest Jørgen Hulbæk

Efter en del dage med regn var vi glade for at vejr-radaren endelig sagde der ville være tør vejr. vi cyklede glade til verdens ende 3, Vores forhåbningerne var høje efter som vi havde haft mange havfugle de sidste par dage.  Jeg satte mit skop op sammen med dagens hav-opsavations hold bestående af Janos der ankom i går, Florian ,Knud og mig. nærmest lige efter vi havde sat skopende op begynde regnen. Jeg beklagede mig over vejret for vi jo blevet lovet tør vejr, men trods regnen var humøret højt og det blev kun endnu højre, da en sodfarvet skråpe kommer flyvende helt tæt på langs stranden.  vi fuglte skråpen intil den nåede katagat og var 50 meter fra klitten. Efter vi havde set den fantastiske nærgående skråpe fortsatte opservationen. Kort efter havde vi en landovertrækende islom efter-fuldt af en stor kjove dansende over og under horisonten.

I mellem tiden havde ringmærkernde (Mara, Amira,Lise) haft en rolig morgen med et par fugle per runde. men midt i den rolige morgen kom en landtrækende islom den samme som blev set ved verdens ende 3. Efter følgende kom der lidt gang i fuglene, og på næste runde var der en rødtoppetfuglekonge i nettet. Den rødtoppet fuglekonge var en genfangst hvilket tyder på, at den er stationær fugl. Da de går på næste runde ser de nettet er fyldt med blåejser, og så skal tingene gå stærk de mange blåmejser, bliver hurtigt befriget fra nettet og puttet bokse så bliver hurtiget og effektivt ringmærket. Efter en pause går ringmærkerne på den sidste lukke runde, hvor der venter dem den behaglige overrakelse af en lille flok grønsisker venter dem. De ringmærker, og fotograferer grønsiskene som så bliver sat fri.

Efter følgende tager næsten alle ringmærker, og opservatøre hjem til det grå fyr og spiser frokost efter frokosten spredes folk som vilde vinde.                                                                                           

Jeg sidder og spiser frokost da jeg for fra beskeden fra Janos, mulig gråsejler set ved Nordstranden. Jeg skynder mig ud til min cykel, og fræsser af sted mod nord stranden da jeg ankommer smider jeg hurtigt min cykel, og løber op mod kliterne for at overblik. Jeg spotter hurtigt Florian der står med et skop jeg spænder hen til ham, og han lader mig se sejleren i hans skop. Minuter efter ankomer de lokale ornitogloger, og vi følge sammen sejleren der flyver rundt om hoved på Janos der fotograferer alt hvad han kan. Sammen med de lokale bliver vi enige om det ligner en grå sejler meget godt, kort efter sender Janos et billed billedet viser en perfekt gråsejler med maske og lyse brun fjerdragt. ogsår er vi sikre den bliver meldt ud på zello som en sikker Gråsejler. Vi prøver at komme tætter på på gråsejleren som stadig flyver rundt over Janos i ditancen. Vi går hurtigt over klit rækkerne med højt humør da vi når til janos, er fuglen lige over os. Sejleren giver en imponerende fremvisning  af dens imponernde luftfærdigheder. Alle ser fuglen godt og stemningen kunne ikke være bedre.  Da det begynder at blive mørkt tager vi hjem til fejring af den fede fugl ved det gråfyr.

Gråsejler

Hjemme ved det gråfyr bliver der åbnet alkohol fri champange alle på fuglestation for et glas mens vi holder aften møde hvor diskutere hvad der skal ske i morgen.

Ringmærkning (Kabeltromlen)
Solsort 1
Musvit 2
Skægmejse 1
Grønsisken 6
Blåmejse 51
Munk 2
Fuglekonge 2
Total 65

Højde punkter fra Verdens ende 3
1 Sodfarvet skråpe
2 Islom 
1 Stor kjove
2 Sangsvane
1 Havterne

Link til alle dages opservationer

folk på stationen: Mara Glane, Florian Hatt, Amira Nuseibeh, Miles Scheuering, Lise Mastrup, Anton Møbjerg Toft, Simon S. Christiansen, János Schadl and our guest Jørgen Hulbæk

Although the forecast showed rain for most of this morning, we no longer truly believe it, and so we decided to brave the outdoors and try out both ringing and observing. Often the best birds come in the least pleasant and most unpredictable weather!

The rainy showers didn’t dampen our spirits and the observers (Lise, Florian, Anton, Jørgen and I) were all super excited to head out to World’s End 3 today. It was busy from the moment we arrived with lots of divers in the first few minutes, including two Great Northern Divers (Islom) and many Red Throated Divers (Rødstrubet Lom). However, the highlight for us today has to be the spectacular, mind-blowing views we had of a resting Sooty Shearwater (Sodfarvet Skråpe). As soon as we heard a Zello from other observers at Nordstrand that it was travelling east towards us, we all scanned the sea furiously until we spotted it. They have such a unique and cool flight, dipping up and down, above and below the horizon, dodging the waves with ease; they really are the kings of migration. This individual seemed to have settled in the area and spent the morning zigzagging between the tip of Grenen and Nordstrand, and coming in right over the strandline.

We also really enjoyed watching the many Little Gulls (Dværgmåge) flying by today, with several groups made up of both adults and first calendar year birds. The juvenile Little Gulls can sometimes be confused with juvenile Kittiwakes (Ride) because of the similar black markings on the wing, but Little Gulls are much smaller, daintier, with quick wingbeats and a more erratic flight. A personal highlight for me was a pair of Oystercatchers which landed at the tip soon after we arrived. Whilst they’re a common species, they are the first we’ve seen on migration count and also remind me of my home in Cornwall in the UK where I see and hear them almost daily. The Glaucous Gull (Gråmåge) from yesterday was also spotted again amongst the big gull flock; I wonder how much longer it will hang out here with us.

Meanwhile, the ringers (Mara and Miles) were having a slow start to the morning after opening nets slightly later than usual because of the rain, until the inevitable happened and one of the many Blue Tit (Blåmejse) flocks flew into the nets. I was called in from observations to help extract and ring the birds in time to dodge the rain showers. As well as the 71 Blue Tits, we also had a recapture Firecrest (Rødtoppet fuglekonge) from last week and a Great Tit (Musvit) which was first ringed by Michael Ancher at Jennes Sø last year.

In the afternoon, Anton went on a walk around Ellekrattet where he saw two Hen Harriers (Blå Kærhøg) fighting, flushed a Woodcock (Skovsneppe) and almost got attacked by an Adder (hugorm)! Florian stayed down at the beach by World’s End 3 and got an even closer look at the Sooty Shearwater, and I headed down to the beach again after lunch and briefly joined Knud for some “gulling”. I hoped I might see the Glaucous Gull but it had flown elsewhere, so instead I enjoyed the lovely Caspian Gulls (Kaspisk Måge) of various ages and spotted a few colour ringed gulls too.

I arrived home to the delicious smell of baking Banana Bread which Mara had made for us all, and then we all gathered for a session from Simon about the ethical considerations needed for bird ringing and had a quick quiz on identifying rare Phylloscopus warblers. This evening, we also welcomed János from Germany who will be spending the rest of the Autumn season with us and is the final volunteer to arrive this year!

Link to today’s observations from the area

People: Mara Glane, Florian Hatt, Amira Nuseibeh, Miles Scheuering, Lise Mastrup, Anton Møbjerg Toft, Simon S. Christiansen, János Schadl and our guest Jørgen Hulbæk.

Hej!

The weather in Grenen today made us feel like we were swallowd by a cloud. The sun was gone the whole day and the air was full of tiny water droplets, covering everything in moisture. Nevertheless Miles, Amira and I went out to open the nets, only to closes them half an hour later, for a rainshower that was predicted by the radar. We opened again after that, to catch 6 birds in total and then decided it was getting too wet and the rain was too unpredictable to keep going. We still had a nice time out, because it is always nice to hang out with my co-volunteers! 

Miles and Amira ringing in the tent 

The observers had a great time at Worlds End 3. Through the mist they were able to see a Great Northern Diver (Islom) and even a White-billed Diver (Hvidnæbbet Lom). They also had the best views (front-row seats basically) on a Sooty Shearwater (Sodfarvet Skråpe). It flew very close to the shore and they were all able to see it graciously flying. Anton even predicted it 10 minutes before it showed up, so maybe it was a wish come true. Florian also had a good instinc, when he decided to check on the gulls resting. He spotted a first year plumage Glaucous Gull  (Gråmåge). It took a bath in the pools on the beach and Miles was also able to swing by on the bike to see it (some may call that twitching). 

To brighten the grey rainy day, we went to the bakery in Skagen fo coffee and cake. The town, shops and also the bakery are already decorated for christmas, which made everything even more hygge. We went on a big shopping trip to the supermarket after and Simon had to pick us up with his car, because we bought food for days. 

Coffee and cake - well earned as always

After we got back, I had the honour of presenting some photos, ringing numbers and insights on another bird ringing station I have been to - the Greifswalder Oie. We will be out nightcatiching tonight, so stay tuned for some Jack Snipes (Enkeltbekassin) or Woodcocks (Skovsneppe). There is an ongoing discussion on which bird is cooler - will we ever find an answer?

Me, presenting another great ringing station located on an island in Germany

Update: Simon and Lise caught the coolest of those two!

Jack Snipe (Enkeltbekassin)

People: Mara Glane, Florian Hatt, Amira Nuseibeh, Miles Scheuering, Lise Mastrup, Anton Møbjerg Toft, Simon S. Christiansen, and our guest Jørgen Hulbæk

Dagens morgenobservation blev varetaget af Miles, Florian, Anton og Jørgen på Verdens Ende 3. Det blev en stille morgen, hvor aktiviteten dalede op ad formiddagen, men allerede tidligt dukkede der dog en islom (great northern diver) op. Denne var til stor glæde for observatørerne, da den gav sig til at raste tæt på kysten i et stykke tid, hvor de kunne betragte den. Derudover så de en del lommer, især rødstrubede lommer (red throated divers) samt flere flokke af grønsiskener (siskins) og blåmejser (blue tits), der enten træk eller gjorde forsøget.

Sidstnævnte lagde i den grad også vejen forbi nettene ved Kabeltromlen. På trods af to første runder, hvor der henholdsvis var 2 og 6 fugle i nettene, viste det sig snart at blive en travl dag. På tredje runde ankom Mara og jeg (Lise) til de første net i rørskoven og blev mødt af net, der var fuldstændigt proppede med blåmejser! Vi tog en dyb indånding og herefter gik de næste tre timer for vores vedkommende med at pille fugle ud af nettene uden stop. Der blev heldigvis hurtigt kaldt på forstærkning fra Simon, Miles, Florian og Anton, så vi tilsammen havde en chance for at holde trit med både ekstrahering og ringmærkning af alle mejserne. Da vi endelig var i mål og herhjemme havde genvundet noget nyt energi, kunne vi tælle til præcis 200 blåmejser, som havde fået nye ringe på i dag.

Udover blåmejserne, havde vi desuden glæden af nogle skægmejser (bearded reedlings), som altid ser meget fornemme og elegante ud. Især hannerne der, som navnet antyder ligner, at de har lange overskæg.

Om morgenen havde Simon desuden kaldt to rødtoppede fuglekonger (firecrests) ud på Zello (walkie-talkie app) nær Kabeltromlen, som han kunne se begge havde ring på. Ikke lang tid efter dukkede de minsandten også begge op i to af vores net. Dermed kunne vi også tælle dem blandt dagens genfangede fugle, og de er da også en kæmpe fornøjelse at se i hånden med deres skarpe øjenstribe og hannernes nærmest knaldrøde krone.

En af dagens to genfangede rødtoppede fuglekonger (firecrest). Foto af Mara.

Der blev desuden set både bjergpiber (water pipit) og ringdrossel (ring ouzel) ude ved Grenen. Ringdroslen var endda så venlig at dukke op, mens Simon viste en gruppe pædagogstuderende rundt i området.

Således endnu en begivenhedsrig dag her i Skagen. Nu ser vi frem til den aftensmad, som Miles netop er ved at lave til os og forhåbentligt (sandsynligvis) endnu en spændende dag i morgen. God aften herfra.

Dagens observationer fra Grenen kan ses her.

People: Mara Glane, Florian Hatt, Amira Nuseibeh, Miles Scheuering, Lise Mastrup, Anton Møbjerg Toft, Simon S. Christiansen, og vores gæst Jørgen Hulbæk

This morning, Amira, Anton and I opened the nets at the ringing. Mara joined for first round, after a much deserved lie in. Mara is always at the ringing and always helping open, so we were happy to give her a little extra sleep today! There were many birds flying overhead and in the bushes, with large flocks of siskens (grøninsken) and fieldfares (sjagger). We had good numbers of birds in the nets, including a flock of long-tailed tits (halemejse) and a bearded reedling (Skægmejse). There was rain forecasted for mid-morning, so we knew it was coming, but of course we had several large flocks of blue tits (blåmejse) just as we were trying to close. It seems like we always catch the most birds when it is raining! We were still able to close nets and get the birds ringed in a timely fashion, which we were pleased with.

The observers had a nice morning at World’s End 3 with several good birds. Lise and Florian joined Knud and Jørgen and they braved the rain showers to continue counting for the whole morning. They had a Great Northern Diver aka Common Loon (Islom), a Little Auk aka Dovekie (Søkonge), and a Grey Phalarope aka Red Phalarope (Thorshane) just as the count was ending! They also saw a House Martin (Bysvale), which is now very late. The possibility of it being a Siberian House Martin (Sibirisk Bysvale) was mentioned, though this species has never been recorded in the Western Palearctic and it would be very difficult to confirm without a DNA sample.

Lise was excited to visit World’s End 3 for the first time, after we went to Nordstrand the first time she went observing. She said even with the rain it was still very cozy and hygge, being with everyone and bundled up in many layers. They also saw a Short-eared Owl (Mosehornugle), only the third we’ve seen here this fall.

The view from Kap Gadagung this afternoon. Photo by Miles

After the morning’s activities, many of us went out birding. Florian visited Kabeltromlen after the ringing was finished and saw many siskens, as well as some Mistle Thrushes (Misteldrossel), which was quite nice. In the afternoon he went out to Ellekrattet, where we ran into each other. It was nice to be out, and we saw several Bearded Reedlings very close, along the edge of the reed bed. We have taken quite a liking to the woods east of the Grenen stables, and today Amira visited them. She says they may be even better than Batteriskoven!

This evening, Lise cooked us a delicious dinner and afterward Amira and Anton went out night catching woodcocks (skovsneppe) at Bankes Marker next to Batteriskoven. They saw several but unfortunately did not catch any. Anton was quite excited to go out, and I think we will go out with Simon later this week.

Highlights from World’s End 3:

Link to today’s observations from the area.

People: Mara Glane, Florian Hatt, Amira Nuseibeh, Miles Scheuering, Lise Mastrup, Anton Møbjerg Toft, Simon S. Christiansen, Knud Pedersen, Michael Ancher and our guest Jørgen Hulbæk

Because of the strong southeasterly winds, almost all of us headed to Northstrand this morning for the migration count, and squeezed into our cozy nook sheltered from the wind. Mara attempted to open a few nets at Kabeltromlen in the hope of demonstrating some bird ringing to a visiting tour group. Unfortunately, two hours later, she had caught a single Goldcrest (Fuglekonge) and had only three nets open, so decided it was best to call it a day.

Meanwhile, at observations, we (Miles, Florian, Lise, Anton and Amira) had an exciting start to the morning with two Great Northern Divers (Islom) in the first few minutes as well as several more later on. It’s always a privilege to see these majestic birds flying past so close and be able to compare them properly to other diver species. We were also super excited by the two Little Auks (Søkonge) which we saw migrating past, particularly the second one which appeared in the last five minutes of the count when we were quite cold and needed a lift in our mood. It was especially nice to see these birds alive after, yesterday, our guest Lone brought us a dead individual she’d found on a nighttime walk on the beach by our lighthouse. Another highlight was a larger than normal number of Goldeneye, and I really enjoyed seeing the piercing golden eyes and glistening square black heads of the males as they flew past us tæt på land (which we’ve finally learnt means ‘close to the shore’ in Danish!).

Afterwards, some of us went home to warm up whilst others went searching for more birds. Miles, Florian and I all went different ways at first but ended up accidentally crossing paths quite a lot; I’m not sure who was following who? The best birds from our efforts were four Lapwings (Vibe) spotted by Miles as he cycled from Northstrand to Batteriskoven, but we all saw lots of other lovely common species too, including noticeably many flocks of Siskin (Grønsisken). I also found one of my favourite fungi, the Inkcaps, which drip a thick black liquid from their gills, historically used as ink for writing important documents, how cool!

Once we were all home, we put in a big effort to get all the cleaning of the apartment and lab done before a fun outing to Simon and Lisa’s house in Skagen. They were hosting an open house to celebrate  Lisa’s birthday which was earlier this week, and so kindly invited us all! Happy Birthday Lisa. It was really nice to gather around the table together and enjoy some delicious pumpkin soup, baked goods and drinks. It felt very autumnal and a really lovely treat after a long day out in the cold and wind. How hygge :)

Link to today’s observations from the area.

People: Mara Glane, Florian Hatt, Amira Nuseibeh, Miles Scheuering, Lise Mastrup, Anton Møbjerg Toft, Simon S. Christiansen, Lisa Vergin, Micahel Ancher and our guests Lars and Lone