I gar havde vi en god aften, hvor vi spiste med Det Grå Fyrs personale samt folket bag restaurant Blink. Vi havde forberedt 2 retter, og vi fik heldigvis god respons på maden. Det var hyggeligt endelig snakke med de andre og lære dem bedre at kende.

I dag havde vi regn fra morgenstunden, hvilket betød vores havobservstion blev udskydt til lidt senere hen på morgen, hvilket betød vi kunne sove en smule længere end normalt. I mens de tre andre stod og kiggede på havfugle, tog jeg en tur ud og kratluskede i området. Der var ikke mange småfugle at finde, men jeg fik dog hørt og set to Store Korsnæb ved Ellekrattet, så der kom da lidt ud af det. Ellers var det en stille og rolig dag uden for megen aktivitet pga. det meget stormfulde vejr.

Til trod for blæsten begav vi os ud igen hen på eftermiddagen, hvor vi ledte efter Lapværling og Dværgværling. Lapværlingen var vi heldige at se og høre, men vi fandt ikke Dværgen.

Om aftenen stod den på resterne for gårsdagens måltid og så tog vi derefter ud på nightcatching. Simon og jeg tog til Den Hemmelige sø, mens Hayley og Thomas prøvede lykken ved Nordstrand. Begge hold gik tomhændet hjem denne aften.

Last night, once it was dark, we opened two nets near to the Fuglestation. We really hoped to catch an owl! Thomas did the night checks this time and came really close to catching a Short-eared Owl (Mosehornugle). Unfortunately, it escaped from the net before he could get to it even though he ran as fast as he could to reach it! However, he got some great views of the bird and we hope to be able to try and catch it again tonight.

This morning was very quiet, particularly at the migration count. Gustav was at World’s End 3 and saw migrating Common Scoter (Sortand), Razorbills (Alk) and Red-throated Diver (Rødstrubet Lom), plus two Brent Geese (Knortegås) and a Shore Lark (Bjerglærke). Although there were not many birds it was a very sunny morning and a nice day to be out.

Meanwhile, Simon Jr, Thomas, Kirsten and I went ringing at Kabeltromlen. It was also a quiet morning for us, especially compared to the last couple of days, with a total of 27 new birds ringed. Highlights included some nice autumn finches. We ringed three new Bullfinches (Lille Dompap), a Lesser Redpoll (Lille Gråsisken) and three Brambling (Kvækerfinke). Thomas’ photo below shows the stunning plumage of a male Brambling that we caught.

Another interesting catch today was an adult male Blackbird (Solsort). We looked up his ring number and found that he was first ringed in November 2021 as a first-year bird. Amazingly, today was the eleventh time he has been recaptured, every time at Kabeltromlen.

In the afternoon we inputted data, checked sheets and analysed sound recordings. We then had time to relax and enjoyed watching some birding videos and playing table tennis. Later we started to prepare food for the dinner this evening which we are cooking for the lighthouse and café staff. We are looking forward to eating with everyone and hope they all enjoy the meal!

Ringing (Kabeltromlekrattet):

Total: 27

A link to today's observations from volunteers and local observers.

People: Hayley Land, Gustav Nyberg, Simon Kiesé, Thomas Weston, Kirsten Bregn.

After days full of highlights, it was clear that at some point a quieter day had to come. And that was today.

There were fewer birds than the last few days, but we still had fun and new guest Kirsten was able to ring a few birds. Both Bramblings (Kvækerfinke) and Redwings (Vindrossel) delighted us. Then suddenly a troop of 35 Bearded Tits (Skægmejse) flew over us, a few of which also landed in the area. This was Hayley's first observation of the species - super cool! Unfortunately they did not fly into our nets. Maybe next time.
There was also much less bird migration on the sea today. The highlight, however, was the passing Purple Sandpiper (Sortgrå Ryle). Plus the usual seabirds. It is also very cool that the Twites (Bjergirisk) have arrived in the meantime.

This afternoon we ringed in the garden and caught three birds. Then we went shopping and prepared dinner for tomorrow, as we invited the people from the café and lighthouse shop. Thomas found a young seal on his walk, which was very trusting in the most beautiful light. So I went back and took a few photos. He didn't look very healthy, but I'm not an expert on seals so I can't really judge. Let's hope for the best for the seal. We spent the rest of the day entering the ringing data and checking the data from the last few days. This takes a bit of time, but it also ensures the high quality of the data. Now it's closing time and I'm looking forward to trying to catch and ring Tengmalm's Owls later. That would be a real first. The chances are quite low, but definitely high enough to try as often as possible.

Have a look at this beautiful Red-throated Diver (Rødstrubet Lom), Thomas photographed this afternoon. The quite small and upwards directed bill is a good feature to identify the most common Diver (Lom) here.

Ringing (Kabeltromlekrattet):

Ringing (Fyrhaven):

Total: 56 (KAB) +3 (FYR) = 59

A link to today's observations from volunteers and local observers.

People: Hayley Land, Gustav Nyberg, Simon Kiesé, Thomas Weston, Knud Pedersen, Kirsten Bregn.

I dag drog vi alle afsted til ringmærkningen, idet vi vidste at denne dag nok kunne byde på et højt antal fugle i nettene. Simon og jeg var de første på pletten, fordi vi skulle åbne nettene denne tidlige morgen, så alt var klar til solopgangen. Allerede første omgang bød på lidt over 30 fugle, hvilket bekræftede os i, at vi lavede den rette prioritering med at være fire mænd stærk ved ringmærkningen. Knud sad selvfølgelig klar til at registrere trækket, mens vi havde hænderne fulde med fugle. 

Ringmærkningen foregik over 7 timer fra solopgang, og hen på formiddagen var vi alle klar til at fuglene i krattet snart gerne måtte slappe lidt af, smide fødderne op til sofabordet og tage sig en drink. I alt blev der ringmærket 126 fugle! Af disse kan der nævnes: Enkeltbekkasin, Træløber og Dompap han!

Efter vi var færdige med den travle dag, begav jeg mig ud til Skarvsøen. Det gjorde jeg for at registrere de rastende fugle, særligt vandfugle, der var til stede ved søen. Det er en opgave vi har i forbindelse med et projekt, der kaldes NOVANA. Det er et overvågningsprojekt af bestemte fugle i en begrænset periode. Ved søen var der ikke megen aktivitet, men det blev dog til lidt forskellige andefugle; Hvinand, Krikand og Gråand. Ellers kunne jeg få øje på nogle Skægmejser og høre nogle Vandrikse i rørskoven. 

På cykelturen hjem fik jeg øje på en Hugorm, der lå og solede sig i, hvad der må formodes at være den en af de allersidste solskinsdage dette år. Jeg skulle selvfølgelig hen og se om jeg kunne samle den op, men den her var ikke helt ligesom den sidste jeg fik fingrene i. Denne her var meget defensiv og ville ikke lade mig løfte den, så den fik lov at slange sig videre i det høje græs. 

Imens jeg rendte rundt ved Skarvsøen tog Simon ind til byen for at handle ind. Han står nemlig for maden i dag. Når han har madlavningen, er folket her altid lidt spændt på at se, hvad det ender ud med. Han er meget eksperimenterende. 

Hayley og Thomas registrerede alle de mange fugle, vi fik ringmærket denne morgen, hvilket også er et lige så udmattende arbejde som at ringmærke selve fuglene. Det hyggede de sig med i en time eller to. 

Vores gæst for ugen Søren forlod os efter ringmærkningen. Han har været en super duper-gæst, der har været en hjælpende hånd med madlavningen og indkøb. Han var også så flink at diske op med en chokoladekage og hjemmebagte boller. Vi håber han har en god tur hjem, og at han med sig har nogle fine billeder fra sit ophold heroppe ved fuglestationen. Tak for denne gang Søren!

Kirsten, vores nye gæst er også ankommet. Hun har været her før og er allerede bekendt med rutinerne her på stationen. Hun ser meget frem til at deltage i ringmærkningen, og se dette arbejde på nært hold. 

Ringing (Kabeltromlen):

Enkeltbekkasin - 1

Gærdesmutte - 17

Jernspurv - 2

Rødhals - 6

Solsort - 1

Sangdrossel - 2

Vindrossel - 1

Munk - 8

Gransanger - 3

Fuglekonge - 36

Halemejse - 9

Blåmejse - 11

Træløber - 2

Kvækerfinke - 10

Lille Gråsisken - 1

Dompap - 4

Rørspurv - 12 

Total - 126

A link to today's observations from volunteers and local observers.

People: Hayley Land, Gustav Nyberg, Simon Kiesé, Thomas Weston, Knud Pedersen, Søren Wilhelmsen, Kirsten

Figure 1: Good morning from Worlds End 3 today. Photo by Gustav Nyberg

A change in wind direction to the North overnight and rain in the early morning was promising for some new migrants at Skagen. The team split up with Hayley and me going ringing and Gustav and Simon joining Knud for migration watch at Worlds End 3 (Figure 1).

Ringing started off dry with a light breeze and full cloud cover. All nets were open before sunrise and Redwing [Vindrossel], Song thrush [Sangdrossel] and Common Crossbill [Lille Korsnæb] were some of the first birds heard this morning. Small flocks of each species were regularly seen flying across the ringing site trying to migrate onwards. As a result, the first net round was relatively quiet, but included a few Redwing [Vindrossel], Song thrushes [Sangdrossel] and Wrens [Gærdesmutte]. While walking through the reedbed, I accidentally disturbed a Jack Snipe [Enkeltbekkasin] who was on the path, a species that does not tend to fly unless you are very close! The second net round was busier with an arrival of Goldcrests [Fuglekonge], Robins [Rødhals] and Reed Buntings [Rørspurv] so we called in additional support from Simon. A couple of minutes later I heard a bunting giving a ‘tik’ call as it flew over my head towards the migration watchpoint. An unidentified bunting at this time of year is exciting, I knew it was something more unusual, but the size was hard to tell. When Simon arrived, he said that he heard it too and that it landed next to him on the path. It was a Little Bunting [Dværgværling]! We were both very happy to confirm this bird and many birders tried to see it again. However, due to poor weather arriving we decided to close the nets for the day but was pleased to see two slightly more unusual species from the nets: two ‘Northern’ Treecreepers [Træløber] and an adult male Brambling [Kvækerfinke].

Migration watchpoint was busy today with highlights of two Sooty Shearwaters [Sodfarvet Skråpe], 640 Fulmar [Mallemuk], single Great Skua [Storkjove] and many Kittiwakes [Ride] bringing excitement to the observers. After we closed the nets and packed up, we all went to see a gorgeous adult Great northern diver (Islom) moulting from summer to winter plumage and feeding just offshore from the bird ringing station. Not only it was still in nice plumage, but it was Hayley’s first ever which made it even more exciting. This species is not that rare here but is still noteworthy for most of the local birders.  

Figure 2: One lucky Goldcrest (Fuglekonge) who was rescued by our guest this morning. Photo by Søren Wilhelmsen.

After a quick lunch, an afternoon of data inputting and cleaning followed. Søren, our current guest, made us a really nice chocolate cake so a cake-break was necessary. He told us about a Goldcrest [Fuglekonge] that was flying around the visitor centre below the bird observatory! It was captured by himself and released unharmed (Figure 2). Just to think where this bird could have migrated from in just one night to end up at Skagen is amazing.

The calm weather this afternoon and a keen team inspired us to open the garden mist nets and test a couple of traps. We were not expecting much so a Wren [Gærdesmutte] and two Great Tit [Musvik] was really nice! By normal standards, and for most ringers, this is not very exciting but for the first garden session since arriving, and in the afternoon, it was very rewarding. In between net rounds Hayley cooked us all a lovely dinner, Gustav went birding and Simon found a Red-necked Grebe (Gråstrubet Lappedykker) out at sea. 

Almost time for night catching, stay tuned for any updates.... 

Ringing [Kabeltromlekrattet]

Total: 48

Ringing [Furhaven]

Total: 3

Today’s observations in Dofbasen from observers in the area

People: Hayley Land, Gustav Nyberg, Simon Kiesé, Thomas Weston, Knud Pedersen; Søren Wilhelmsen.

As the weather forecast only predicted rain and storms for the morning, we were able to sleep in again. After a small breakfast the rain stopped and we could all go together to World's End 3 to count the migratory birds for at least two hours. Due to the rain, visibility was very limited, but that didn't stop Thomas from spotting a Sooty Shearwater (Sulfarvet Skråpe). How cool! Finally we all saw the cool species here and could cross "Sooty - wanted" (in the form of a poster of a bounty hunter) off the daily task board. In addition, three Arctic Skuas (Almindelig Kjove) especially delighted us.

Midday was filled with various activities. One was shopping and preparing food, another was taking down the tent at Kabeltromlen as the risk of it blowing away in tonight's storm is too high. Then Hayley and I went up the lighthouse with a spotting scope and were delighted at how much you can see from here. Even the Kittiwakes (Ride) off Grenen can be seen from here.

In the evening Thomas and I went seawatching again. The wind shifted a bit to the west and now 9 Fulmars (Mallemuk) were flying around in better visibility. We also saw two more Arctic Skuas (Almindeig Kjove). On our way back we found a Convolvulus Hawkmoth (Snerlesværmer). As a migrating moth it was also exhausted by the strong winds.

People: Hayley Land, Gustav Nyberg, Simon Kiesé, Thomas Weston, Søren Wilhelmsen.

A link to today's observations from volunteers and local observers.

Gustav and Simon Jr had a really good morning migration count at World’s End 3 with Knud today. They counted over 500 Razorbills (Alk) across the four hours and over 500 Pink-footed Geese (Kortnæbbet Gås). There were also good numbers of Red-throated Diver (Rødstrubet Lom), Gannet (Sule) and Common Scoter (Sortand). Two Long-tailed Ducks (Havlit) landed on the water and there were large numbers of roosting Dunlin (Almindelig Ryle) and Sanderling (Sandløber). There was also another very nice sunrise!

The biggest highlights of the morning were a Sooty Shearwater (Sodfarvet Skråpe) and a Long-tailed Skua (Lille Kjove). We have been hoping to see a Sooty Shearwater for a long time, so Simon and Gustav were very pleased with this sighting. We were also lucky enough to see the Long-tailed Skua (Lille Kjove) from Kabeltromlen, a new species for me. Interestingly, whilst we were at Kabeltromlen, a flock of Pink-footed Geese (Kortnæbbet Gås) also flew over and one of them had a leucistic wing. Leucism is a loss of pigmentation and can occur in skin, hair and feathers. Søren’s photo below shows the leucistic individual at the bottom left of the flock.

Thomas and I opened the nets at Kabeltromlen this morning, and were joined by Simon Sr and Søren. It was Thomas’ first-time ringing at Kabeltromlen although he has lots of experience ringing back home in the UK. He very quickly learnt his way around the nets! We had a good range of species but nothing unusual. Again, we caught lots of Blue Tits (Blåmejse) and also lots of Robins (Rødhals). Simon Jr kindly helped us close the nets after finishing the migration count and we compared our different net furling techniques. Søren took some great photos of the ringing process. Below you can see us looking at the moult of a Blue Tit (Blåmejse) and looking for fat on a Robin (Rødhals).

We returned to the station only to head directly back out again with Simon Sr on another birding trip around different parts of Skagen. Goldcrest (Fuglekonge) was the most common bird we saw but we also got some nice views of Brambling (Kvækerfinke), Greenfinch (Grønirisk), Crested Tit (Topmejse) and Stonechat (Sortstrubet Bynkefugl) among others. We checked the raptor trap in a plantation outside of Skagen which is used mainly in the spring to catch raptors. On the way back, we stopped off at a car wash so Simon Sr could get his car cleaned and went birding while it was washed! Lots of Chaffinches (Bogfinke) and two Yellowhammers (Gulspurv) were seen at this spot.

Goldcrest (Fuglekonge) photo by Søren Wilhelmsen.

Later, Simon Jr and I checked the owl nets after the strong winds and got a nice view of a Wheatear (Stenpikker) and a Stonechat (Sortstrubet Bynkefugl). We then finally had time for some much-needed food! Simon Jr, Gustav, Thomas and I then headed out for another birding walk to World’s End 1 but didn’t see much this time. Back at the station, still fuelled on coffee and cake from our friends in the lighthouse shop, we entered all the ringing data, analysed nocturnal migration sound data, and admired the great photos that Søren took today. Finally, Gustav and Thomas have just set off to the Secret Lake with the hand net. Fingers crossed they catch something!

Ringing (Kabeltromlekrattet)

Total: 88

People: Hayley Land, Gustav Nyberg, Simon Kiesé, Thomas Weston, Simon S. Christiansen, Knud Pedersen, Søren Wilhelmsen

A link to today's observations from volunteers and local observers.

Eager to get to the migration watchpoint for the morning we (Thomas, Simon, Søren and Hayley) left the bird observatory around 07:00am. The cycle down was very windy and there were hopes for some interesting sea birds that may have been blown across the North Sea overnight. Amongst the group there were varying expectations with Sooty Shearwater [Sodfarvet Sråpe] and Sabines Gull [Sabinemåge] mentioned a couple of times by the others. As it was my first time to the migration watchpoint, I was excited to see anything!

Figure 1: The migration watching team this morning within the dunes. Picture by Søren Wilhelmsen.

Walking around the dunes there were already birds moving and Simon quickly spotted a Hen Harrier [Blå Kærhøg] hunting the area and a small flock of Pink-footed Geese [Kortnæbbet Gås] migrating over our heads having just arrived off the sea. We arrived at the watchpoint around 07:20 and joined Knud on the dunes. Knud had already been watching the sea for ten or fifteen minutes, so we weren’t too far behind him. After being set our bird counting roles for the count we began counting (see Figure 1).

Figure 2: A Herring Gull (Sølvmåge) adult and juvenile on the beach today with part of the gull flock behind. Picture by Søren Wilhelmsen.

 The flocks of gulls on the beach (see Figure 2) varied throughout the morning but included large numbers of Herring Gull [Sølvmåge], Great-black Backed Gull [Svartbag], a few Lesser-Black Backed Gulls [Sildemåge] and up to 5 Caspian Gull [Kaspisk Måge], including a mix of juveniles and near-adults. Ring reading was successful with at least five colour rings read too. Wading birds were on the move this morning with small flocks of Dunlin [Almindelig Ryle], Sanderling [Sandløber], Knot [Islandsk Rye], and Golden Plover [Hjejle] recorded, as well as a single Grey Plover [Strandhjejle] on the pool. An exciting moment was when a small wader followed one of the Golden Plover [Hjejle] from the sea and landed in front of us. It was a juvenile Ruff [Brushane]! Out at sea there was a nice movement of ducks, with small flocks of Teal [Krikand], Velvet Scoter [Fløjlsand] and Wigeon [Pibeand] moving both SE and NW. Common Scoter [Sortand] were ever present but there were flocks moving NW too. Seabirds were few and far between but included a few Kittiwake [Ride], Fulmar [Mallemuk] and flocks of Guillemot [Lomvie] and Razorbill [Alk]. Simon was very good at spotting birds of prey today and saw a Merlin [Dværgfalk] and a Peregrine [Vandrefalk] migrating to Denmark.

A personal highlight, and one that the others enjoyed too, was the migrating geese. Due to the sun, flocks of around 20-50 geese were counted migrating at distance but were not identified to species level. However, as the morning continued, the geese flocks began to arrive from a slightly different angle. It was incredible to witness, with some flocks really struggling with the wind before heading SE. Identification became easier as the morning continued with both Greylag Geese [Grågås] and Pink-footed Geese [Kortnæbbet Gås] seen in the flocks.

We arrived back just after midday, ready for some afternoon birding! Due to the windy weather this morning and rain in the afternoon there was no ringing undertaken today though tomorrow is looking more ideal.

A link to today's observations from volunteers and local observers.

People: Hayley Land, Gustav Nyberg, Simon Kiesé, Thomas Weston, Simon S. Christiansen, Knud Pedersen; Søren Wilhelmsen.

I dag kom regnen ind over Skagen, hvilket betød at vi hverken observerede eller havde gang i ringmærkningen. I stedet befandt vi os indendørs og kom foran med papirarbejdet, der er i forbindelse med ringmærkningen af fugle. Hayley og Thomas tjekkede ringmærkningsark, hvor fuglenes alder, vægt, køn og vingelængde efterfølgende skal puttes ind i en database. Imens blev Simon færdig med den ene af sine sjældenheds rapporter. Sjældenhedsrapporterne skal skrives i forbindelse med at dokumentere den Atlantiske/Scopolis Skråpe vi havde for nogle uger siden samt den Østlige Gule Vipstjert, vi havde i sidste uge. Imens de andre var travlt optaget havde jeg det første praktik indkald, der er i forbindelse med mit studie, hvor jeg blev informeret om den kommende opgave, jeg skal skrive.

Denne dag var samtidig en mulighed for at introducere Thomas til alt det praktiske på stationen, så han er helt ajour, når vi vender tilbage til den vante hverdag. 

Efter regnen tog vi allesammen ud på kratlusk, hvor vi prøvede at finde nogle af de fede efterårssangere. Det lykkedes ikke, men vi så en hel masse Fuglekonger. Vi så også en sen Løvsanger og Broget Fluesnapper. En enkelt Ringdrossel meldte sig også på banen og Simon fandt sin nye yndlingsstol.

Søren og Hayley står i dag for aftensmaden, som allerede dufter helt fantastisk. Jeg tror de har gang i tarteletter sin kylling. Det glæder jeg mig til at sætte tænderne i.

Simon og Thomas er lige smuttet ud for at se om de kan være heldige med aftens nattefangst, vi vender tilbage i morgen med nyheder om deres udflugt ud til Grenen. 

Ingen ringmærkning.

People: Hayley Land, Gustav Nyberg, Simon Kiesé, Thomas Weston, Simon S. Christiansen, Søren Wilhelmsen.

A link to today's observations from volunteers and local observers.

Most of today took place at Kabeltromlen. At the same time as the ringers got up, Antonia had to leave us today to go to Blåvand, where she will be helping at the Bird Observatory for the next two months. I can speak for all of us that we will miss you very much. It was a great time and we were able to share beautiful experiences. It's amazing how much you've learned in your short time here, and I'm sure you'll be able to put it to good use and perfect it in the next two months. It started early in the morning here and we were able to ring a few birds in the first round. Especially some Wrens (Gærdesmutte) were conspicuous, as we had had considerably fewer the last few days. In the second round we had the highlight of the day - a Yellow-browed Warbler (Hvidbrynnet Løvsanger)! This is now the second and the cool thing was that this beautiful bird even had a moult limit in the greater coverts (GC), which is rarely seen in this species. This made it easy to determine the age of the bird and to see that it hatched only this year.

Then we caught three Lesser Redpolls (Lille Gråsisken) travelling together in a troop. And this was by far the nicest flock I have ever seen! One bird was unringed and got a Danish ring from us. But the other two already had a ring. One was ringed in Sweden, wow! But the other one pleased me even more: a ring from Germany. Just for fun I asked at home, because we had ringed some redpolls in Horumersiel, where I learned ringing in Germany. And the answer took me completely by surprise. The bird we checked today was actually ringed in Horumersiel in mid-April this year. How cool is that?

Shortly before the end of the ringing session Rebecca left, as she will also be leaving us today to return to Scotland to continue her studies. It was a lovely time with you and it was always totally great to see you getting excited about all things natural (from fungi to butterflies). Good luck with your studies and I'm sure we'll see you again!

As we had ringed several birds and were exhausted after the long session, we first had some refreshments and then started to enter all the ringing data. Then Thomas also arrived. He is coming to the UK and will stay with us for the autumn. I am already looking forward to the cool time we will spend together! Tomorrow it is supposed to rain, then I will finally find the time to write the rarity reports for the rarities of the past days.

Ringing (Kabeltromlekrattet):

Total: 131