Another day dawned with a mysterious fog that had descended the previous evening, but like the resilient birds we study, we patiently awaited the opportune moment to venture out for another day of ringing and observation.

Accompanied by a buzzing entourage of mosquitoes, Michael, Zach, and I headed over to Kabeltromlen. The mistnets welcomed more birds than it did yesterday, surpassing yesterday's count. Among them were an Icterine Warbler (Gulbug) and a Song Thursg (Sangdrossel). Amidst the flurry of feathers, Troels brought the team Danish pastries to share, energizing us for what’s to come. nthusiasts in Skagen. After capturing photographs of the Nightjar, we released it onto a neighbouring tree branch, where it blended back into its surroundings.
Misty Morning

As the ringing session approached its end, Simon's heard the call of a Nightjar (Natravn), setting our pulses racing with anticipation. Zach and I went about our rounds, until we heard it call again, and with a sense of urgency finished the round, ready to look out for the mysterious guest. Zach found it camouflaging itself as an ordinary branch, where it flew straight into the nets. Simon livestreamed the moment on Facebook, sharing the experience with bird enthusiasts in Skagen. After capturing photographs of the Nightjar, we released it onto a neighbouring tree branch, where it blended back into its surroundings.

Nightjar (Natravn)

People: Jakob Bjarkholt, Michael Colley, Simon S. Christiansen, Toh Ying Ying, Troels Eske Ortvad, Zach Pannifer, Lauren Evans, Dante Shepherd, Jane & Jens Peter Brenøe

Link to observations in Dofbasen from observers in the area

Ringing (Kabeltromlen)

Natravn (Nightjar): 1

Sangdrossel (Song Thrush): 1 

Rørsanger (Reed Warbler): 1

Kærsanger (Marsh Warbler): 4

Gulbug (Icterine Warbler): 1

Tornsanger (Common Whitethroat): 3

Munk (Blackcap): 2

Bogfinke (Chaffinch): 1

Total: 14

We woke this morning to a heavy blanket of fog which had rolled in off the sea overnight. Michael, Ying, and Lauren (later joined by Simon, Jakob, and Oluf) still headed to Kabeltromlen for ringing but had a very slow morning with only 11 birds, including 4 Kærsanger (Marsh Warblers). After 4.5 hours of few birds and many mosquitoes, the fog still hadn’t cleared so they decided to close the nets and head back to the station to get on with other tasks.

Few birds at the ringing site meant lots of time for artisitc photos of the many spider webs!

Zach attempted to undertake morning observations from Kabeltromlen however the sea fog meant he couldn’t see more than a few metres in front of him! I headed out to join Troels at the Aarhus University radar station. On the way, I decided to have a quick scan of the 2000+ Sortand (Common Scoter) resting off the tip and was pleased to pick out a distant Amerikansk Sortand (Black Scoter) in the flock- likely the same bird that was seen c10km down the coast 9 days prior. Migration was rather slow, although there were still a few Hvepsevåge (Honey Buzzards) attempting, and most birds turned back when seeing the fog still lingering on the horizon. In the afternoon, Lauren and I headed out to Skarvsøen to see the Drosselrørsanger (Great Reed Warbler) found a few days ago and we were lucky enough to see it perched high in a bush singing.

A full list of today's observations can be found here.

Skagen Fuglestation: Jakob Bjarkholt, Michael Colley, Simon S Christiansen, Toh Ying Ying, Troels Eske Ortvad, Zach Pannifer, Lauren Evans, Dante Shepherd, Jane & Jens Peter Brenøe

Kabeltromlen Ringing Totals:

Kærsanger (Marsh Warbler)- 4

Munk (Blackcap)- 2

Tornsanger (Common Whitethroat)- 2

Gærdesanger (Lesser Whitethroat)- 1

Gærdesmutte (Wren)- 1

Bogfinke (Chaffinch)- 1

Total: 11

Today was mine and Dante’s first day back in Skagen after a brief trip back to London. Ying and I started the morning at 02:45am (which was a bit of a shock to the system after a week off!) by heading to Kabeltromlen to have the nets open for sunrise. We were later joined by Simon, Jakob and our guests Jane and Jens, and had an excellent morning of 69 birds including another male Kernebider (Hawfinch) and 18 Kærsanger (Marsh Warbler) which is our highest catch of this species in one day this year so far. Throughout the morning, Simon was also taking blood samples from trans-Sahara migrants to test for West Nile Virus which was interesting to watch.

Male Kernebider (Hawfinch) at Kabeltromlen.

Skovpiber (Tree Pipit) caught at Kabeltromlen.

Zach headed up to World’s End for morning observations where the highlights included 1 Pirol (Golden Oriole), 1 Serin (Gulirisk), 1 Karmindompap (Rosefinch) and 15 migrating Hvepsevåge (Honey Buzzards). Michael and Dante headed out to the Aarhus University radar station at the tip to join Troels for the day. They managed to measure the flight height of numerous Canadagås (Canada Geese), Hvepsevåge (Honey Buzzards) and a Lærkefalk (Hobby).

Further south, Knud found a Slangørn (Short-toed Eagle) although unfortunately, none of the station team managed to see the bird.

A full list of today's observations can be found here.

Skagen Fuglestation: Jakob Bjarkholt, Michael Colley, Simon S Christiansen, Toh Ying Ying, Troels Eske Ortvad, Zach Pannifer, Lauren Evans, Dante Shepherd, Jane & Jens Peter Brenøe

Kabeltromlen Ringing Totals:

Kernebider (Hawfinch)- 1

Solsort (Blackbird)- 1

Skovpiber (Tree Pipit)- 1

Munk (Blackcap)- 18

Tornsanger (Common Whitethroat)- 3

Gransanger (Chiffchaff)- 1

Løvsanger (Willow Warbler)- 9

Gulbug (Icterine Warbler)- 3

Kærsanger (Marsh Warbler)- 18

Rørsanger (Reed Warbler)- 5

Lille Gråsisken (Lesser Redpoll)- 3

Rødstjert (Redstart)- 1

Gærdesmutte (Wren)- 1

Havesanger (Garden Warbler)- 3

Total: 69

What a thrilling day back in Skagen, greeted by beautiful clear skies this morning. I joined Esben, Michaeland Jakob for ringing at the CES site. The melodious Great Reed Warbler from yesterday was still singing by the Cormorant Lake and this avian celebrity emerged from the lush foliage towards the end of the ringing session. There were many cuckoos calling and flying around the site, and an uncommon brown morphed (likely female) cuckoo! We ringed a Blackbird and some Marsh/Reed Warblers along with other familiar species. A Reed Warbler was also caught with an egg in tow, which was swiftly released after banding and weighing her to return to her nest.

Over at radar and observations, Troelse, Lisa, Zach, Jane, and Jens had an eventful day, with a Black Kite, Red Kite, Ospreys, Sparrowhawks, and both the Black and Red Throated Diver. Bird migration is in its full bloom now, with many Honey Buzzards filling up the skies within the first two hours, also counted an astonishing flock of ten migrating towards the North. And then, in an unexpected twist, a Steppe Eagle arrived and captivated many for a half-hour, becoming the crowning glory of the day, a true feast for the eyes and the envy of every birder present.

People: Esben Hansen, Jakob Bjarkholt, Lisa Vergin, Michael Colley, Simon S Christiansen, Toh Ying Ying, Troels Eske Ortvad, Zach Pannifer, and our guests Jane & Jens Peter Brenøe

Ringing Total (CES):

Solsort (Blackbird) - 1

Kærsanger (Marsh Warbler) - 1

Rørsanger (Reed Warbler) - 17

Gærdesanger (Lesser Whitethroat) - 6

Today's Observation:

Steppeørn (Steppe Eagle) - 1

Sort Glente (Black Kite) - 1

Rød Glente (Red Kite) - 1

Hvepsevåge (Honey Buzzard) -27

Havørn (White-Tailed Eagle) - 2

Ringdrossel (Ring Ouzel) - 1

Stenpikker (Wheatear) - 1

Sortstrubet Lom (Black Throat Diver) - 2

Full list of observations entered in Dofbasen by Observers in the area

This morning I headed to World's End to start observations at 04:30. The first hour was pretty quiet - nothing seemed to be happening out to sea and not much was migrating over land, other than a Spotted Flycatcher (Grå Fluesnapper) that flew over heading south. Then as some fairly thick fog rolled in from the southwest a Great Northern Diver (Islom) flew north west and a Hobby did some hunting too. I then decided to leave World's End and relocate to Kabeltromlen and join Michael, Lisa and Esben so that I could watch some of the ringing whilst the fog made visibility poor for observations. I timed it pretty well because the round they did just after I arrived produced a stunning male Red-backed Shrike (Rødrygget Tornskade), which I had the privilege of also being able to hold before it was released. I also had my first attempts at extracting some birds from the nets with the help of Lisa. I also ringed four birds for some more practice durig the slower rounds. Troels also joined us to take some more blood samples testing for West Nile Virus together with Simon.

Rødrygget Tornskade (Red-backed Shrike) by Zach Pannifer

Once we had closed all the nets Simon and Lisa took me to listen to a singing Great Reed Warbler (Drosselrørsanger) by the Cormorant Lake. This was my first time checking out the lake and so I also saw my first ever Red-necked Grebes. On the way back to the observatory we took an opportunistic stop for the Blyth's Reed Warbler (Buskrørsanger) that had just been found by Troels. Whilst out Michael cleaned the observatory and then we both enjoyed a much needed nap mid-afternoon.

Highlights from the field:

Islom (Great Northern Diver) - 1

Hvepsevåge (Honey Buzzard) - 3

Lærkefalk (Hobby) - 1

Rødrygget Tornskade (Red-backed Shrike) - 2

Ringdrossel (Ring Ouzel) - 2

Nattergal (Thrush Nightingale) - 1

Drosselrørsanger (Great Reed Warbler) - 1

Buskrørsanger (Blyth's Reed Warbler) - 1

Full list of observations entered in Dofbasen by Observers in the area

Ringing (Kabeltromlen):

Rødrygget Tornskade (Red-backed Shrike) - 1

Grå Fluesnapper (Spotted Flycatcher) - 1

Kærsanger (Marsh Warbler) - 9

Gulbug (Icterine Warbler) - 5

Løvsanger (Willow Warbler) - 6

Lille Gråsisken (Lesser Redpoll) - 2

Gærdesanger (Lesser Whitethroat) - 2

Rødstjert (Redstart) - 1

Munk (Blackcap) - 10

Rørspurv (Reed Bunting) - 1

Bogfinke (Chaffinch) - 4

Tornsanger (Whitethroat) - 1

Havesanger (Garden Warbler) - 2

Total: 45

People: Esben Hansen, Lisa Vergin, Michael Colley, Simon S Christiansen, Troels Eske Ortvad, Zach Pannifer, our guests Jane & Jens Peter Brenøe. 

The day started well an early morning ringing session, where the nets where open by 4:30am at Kabeltromlen and we were later joined by Simon,We had a positive session with 72 birds of 14 species, it was marsh Warbler day with 15 marsh warbler/ kersanger and it was a nice day of ringing  with many species where recorded, we had had the first grey wagtail for the spring.

Troels was also at the ringing site taking blood samples on birds from africa for West Nile virus.

My experience of the day was, i had two new species on my in-hand list which were Hawfinch and Grey Wagtail, where the opertunity to able to age them all, then that has added to my ringing experience. Zach was on observations but also based at Kabeltromlen for the day and so helped out a bit with taking photos from the ringing when needed.  After a longday of ringing and birding, Simon and Lisa cookd us a delicious dinner.

 Kernebider (Hawfinch) by Zach Pannifer

People: Lisa Vergin, Michael Colley, Simon S Christiansen, Troels Eske Ortvad, Zach Pannifer

Highlights from the field:

Sydlig Nattergal (Common Nightingale) - 1

Nattergal (Thrush Nightingale) - 1

Sort Glente (Black Kite) - 2

Havørn (White-tailed Eagle) - 1

Biæder (Bee-eater) - 1

Sortspætte (Black Woodpecker) - 1

Pirol (Golden Oriole) - 4

Karmindompap (Rosefinch) - 1

Gulirisk (Serin) - 1

A Greenish Warbler (Lundsanger), Bluethroat (Nordlig Blåhals) and River Warbler (Flodsanger) were also seen or heard by other birders in the area. Link to full list of observations here.

Ringing (Kabeltromlen):

Gransanger (Chiffchaff) - 1

Løvsanger (Willow Warbler) - 9

Kærsanger (Marsh Warbler) - 15

Rørsanger (Reed Warbler) - 2

Tornsanger (Whitethroat) - 5

Gærdesanger (Lesser Whitethroat) - 3

Havesanger (Garden Warbler) - 6

Munk (Blackcap) - 4

Gulbug (Icterine Warbler) - 7

Lille Gråsisken (Lesser Redpoll) - 10

Kernebider (Hawfinch) - 1

Rødstjert (Redstart) - 1

Rødhals (Robin) - 1

Musvit (Great Tit) - 1

Gærdesmutte (Wren) - 1

Skovpiber (Tree Pipit) - 1

Bjergvipstjert (Grey Wagtail) - 1

Bogfinke (Chaffinch) - 2

Total: 72

Michael and I got up at 02:30 and shortly afterwards headed out to Kabeltromlen to open the ringing nets. Later, as ringing commenced, we met the Head of the Danish Ringing Centre, Anders Trøttrup, and his nephew Johan. The first round was very disappointing as we had zero birds in the nets but thankfully activity picked up in the second round. Overall, it was still relatively quiet compared to some recent days and the lack of excitement started to show through our fatigue. But all it took was a star bird on one of the rounds and we were full of life again. Despite it flying past us minutes beforehand, none of us expected to see a Green Sandpiper (Svaleklire) in one of the nets! I see Green Sandpipers quite a lot back home in south London but this was the first one I have ever seen in the hand. It was also a new species for Michael to ring. It was great to see it up close and appreciate all of the plumage details that are often only seen badly in the field.

After closing the nets Michael and I then collected a dead Roe Deer and took it back to the freezer in the lab so it can be used later on at a raptor trap. No one was on observations today but whilst ringing we also noted 4 Honey Buzzard (Hvepsevåge), 1 male Red-backed Shrike (Rødrygget Tornskade), 1 Fieldfare (Sjagger), 1 Rosefinch (Karmindompap) and 4 Crossbill (Lille Korsnæb).

Link to today's observations entered in Dofbasen.

Skagen Bird Observatory: Lisa Vergin, Michael Colley, Simon S Christiansen, Troels Eske Orlvad and Zach Pannifer

Spotted Flycatcher (Grå Fluesnapper) by Lisa Vergin

Green Sandpiper (Svaleklire) by Zach Pannifer

Ringing (Kabeltromlen):

Gulbug (Icterine Warbler) - 2

Løvsanger (Willow Warbler) - 3

Gærdsmutte (Wren) - 1

Rørsanger (Reed Warbler) - 1

Kærsanger (Marsh Warbler) - 1

Lille Gråsisken (Lesser Redpoll) - 3

Munk (Blackcap) - 5

Bogfinke (Chaffinch) - 2

Havesanger (Garden Warbler) - 1

Svaleklire (Green Sandpiper) - 1

Total: 20 birds

A little windy this morning which make us of not ringing this morning and the wind was from north- south which is not always the best for birding or ringing.

This morning with no ringing, we then went to the radar to help Troels Eske Ortvad but the morning was slow with only few birds migrating. Later in the afternoon we had 4 Honey Buzzards / Hvepsevåger  that migrated and it was a nice experience for Zack the new volunteer, who was at the rader for the first time. Around 14:00 we had a call from Simon that he had Blyth's Reed Warbler /  Buskrørsanger singing by the tractor track, which we went to hear. You can listen to Simon recordings on Dofbasen here and here 

After a long day at the rader Zack cooked a delouse dinner.

A  especial thanks to Jan Ejlsted, who was the former Director of Bird Life Denmark. He was our latest guest in the aparment and he has been cooking dinner for us for three nights in a row, and been writing the blog too the past days. Thanks a lot for your help!

List  from  the  observations

Honey Buzzard / Hvepsevåge   8

Hobby / Lærkefalk  3

Common Buzzard / Musvåge  3

Sparrowhawk  / Spurvehøg  3

People:  Simon S. Christiansen, Zack Pannifer, Troels Eske Ortvad & Michael Colley