Good evening friends! Today has been an interesting day to say the least. Simon and I were up by 04:20 this morning to have all the nets opened and ready before sunrise. There was not so much songbird activity, but enough that we already had our first three birds during the net set up (before the first round)! One of those three first birds was a Redwing [Vindrossel] which I’d been whining all March about, so naturally I was overjoyed when Simon showed me it. I was even allowed to ring it! My first Redwing [Vindrossel]. Needless to say, my day was already perfect before it even started. Aside from that, we had significantly better bird numbers and species today, with three foreign recaptures. Many Eurasian Blue Tits [Blåmejse], one Common Chiffchaff [Gransanger], a few Eurasian Blackbirds [Solsort], some European Robins [Rødhals], two Dunnocks [Jernspurv], and a few more species. We also had a lovely visit from Jørgen and his charming dog Igor while at Kabeltromlen, which was a very welcome surprise. 

Simon and I ringing at Kabeltromlen. (Picture by: Simon S. Christiansen)

Dunnock [Jernspurv].

While Simon, Simon, and I were ringing at Kabeltromlen, Magnus and our newest member Hannes were hard at work at World’s End 1. Migration today was decent, the fog was not as bad as yesterday, although it was still quite cold and cloudy. The cloudy weather cleared up in the late morning, and we got some beautiful blue skies and sunshine. Hannes was excited to see the local Glaucous Gull [Gråmåge] this morning. They also saw two Great Egrets [Sølvhejre] today, maybe we’ll get a chance to catch one…

View of the sun from Kabeltromlen in the late morning.

After our busy morning, we all came together and had a lovely lunch at the apartment. 

Then…

Who pooed? You pooed? No, no, no.. Hoopoe [Hærfugl]! Thanks to a local birder by the name of Peder Dannow we were informed that there was a Hoopoe [Hærfugl] in the area. Not only was it in the area, but it was in the very parking lot at Grenen, just a couple meters away from the lighthouse! What luck! This might be only around the 40th record in Skagen. In a frenzy of flying coats, binoculars, and scopes, we were out in the field looking for it. We ran into Jørgen and Igor again, as well as several other local birders, and had the pleasure of observing the bird for an extended period of time. 

Hoopoe [Hærfugl]. (Picture by: Simon Kiesé)

After seeing the Hoopoe [Hærfugl] we had to rush back to the apartment so that Knud Pedersen could present to us the identification, ageing, and sexing of Harriers. We were joined then by our newest arrival, Haley! Slowly our team is growing again. Like his presentation yesterday, Knud was very captivating and shared many pieces of valuable information to help us distinguish different species, ages, and sexes of migrating raptors. All of this information will prove incredibly helpful in the field during the next few months. 

Presentation by Knud Pedersen on Harriers. (Picture by: Simon S. Christiansen)

Finally, we entered data into DOFbasen and onto the Danish Ringmærkningsadministrationen website, planned out the day tomorrow, and updated the daily task board with Big Simon. Magnus prepared a delicious dinner, and we got to have ice cream as dessert thanks to Mette from the Welcome Center downstairs!

Thank you Mette!

Ringing (Kabeltromlekrattet)

Wren (Gærdesmutte) 5

Dunnock (Jernspurv) 2

European Robin (Rødhals) 2

Eurasian Blackbird (Solsort) 8

Redwing (Vindrossel) 1

Eurasian Blackcap (Munk) 1

Common Chiffchaff (Gransanger) 1

Goldcrest (Fuglekonge) 5

Eurasian Blue Tit (Blåmejse) 26

Great Tit (Musvit) 2

Total: 53

Today’s observations in Dofbasen from observers in the area.

Sum of the raptors in the area based on observations typed into Dofbasen the same day.

People: Simon S. Christiansen, Hannes Schäfer, Hayley Land, Isis Khalil, Magnus Houen Lauritsen, Simon Kiesé, Knud Pederson, Jørgen and Igor

The day started an hour earlier than usual. Until now, the observations had been the only data we collected. But today we started another season. It was time for ringing!

Because it was Johannas and Miras last day at the station, they went ringing with Simon Kiesé and SSC, while I counted the migration from Worlds End 1. There wasn’t really that much going on at the nets, and only three different species and 11 birds ended up being caught in total. But much of the time was also spent on correcting the nets and cutting bushes.

Out at Worlds End 1, there wasn’t much going on either. Throughout the whole period, I struggled with fog, which only allowed me to see the horizon once in a while. Despite the fog, i managed to get okay counts of ducks, especially pibeand (Eurasian Wigeon); 625, and krikand (European Teal); 159. Also the glaucous gull turned up to save the day from a total fog-nightmare.

We returned to the lighthouse at about 11.30 to have some lunch, before Mira and Johanna had to pack up their things before returning to Kiel at 15.20. SCC came to pick up the girls, but also Simon Kiesé and I joined the trip to the city, to buy some groceries and snacks, which we definitely needed. We had a bit of an struggle with the pollen during the goodbye, but with the promise of their return in our mind, it all worked out, and we went shopping while SCC was so kind to wait for us in the car. Now we were three volunteers.

After returning to the lighthouse, Knud held a session about identifying, ageing and sexing raptors. Half way through the session Simon Kiesés' friend, Hannes Schäfer, arrived at the lighthouse, and then there were four volunteers. The session was followed up by an evening-meeting, before Simon Kiesé and Hannes Schäfer had the dinner ready, and the day came to an end.

Ringing (Kabeltromlekrattet)

Gærdesmutte: 2
Rødhals: 3
Solsort: 6

Total: 11

Today’s observations in Dofbasen from observers in the area.

Sum of the raptors in the area based on observations typed into Dofbasen the same day.

People: Simon S. Christiansen, Hannes Schäfer, Isis Khalil, Magnus Houen Lauritsen, Simon Kiesé, Knud Pederson, Mira Kieckbusch, Johanna Veentjer.

Hej allesammen,

today is unfortunately the last full day for us (Mira & Johanna) at the station. So we are trying hard to enjoy every single moment up here before we have to migrate back to Germany to continue at our university.

As most of the mornings, all five of us went out for morning observation, today again from Worlds End 1. On the way there Johanna found another individuum of Klitplasterbille (Apalus bimaculatus) in the dunes at Grenen. Birdwise, there was quite a nice variety of species, with a Merlin (Dværgfalk), Mira spotted, the Glaucous Gull (Gråmåge), probably the individuum we also saw during the last days, one Parrot Crossbill  (Stor Korsnæb) and a good number of Teals (Krikand). This is a perfekt example how much variety in birds you get while observing in Skagen. Simon C. also came by to join the morning observation for a while.

After we arrived back at the lighthouse, we had lunch together and entered the data from the morning. Every now and then we make as a team challenges, bets or tastings. Today, it was time for an icecream-tasting, claimed by Simon K. as his 5^th breakfast… that was fun!

Us on the way to set up the radar. 

In the afternoon, a part of us went out to participate in the setup of the Radar for raptor migration observations from Aarhus university. It’s the third year that the radar is set up at Grenen. We managed to help them a bit out while setting the radar up the dune and got the chance to test the special laser binocular.

Trying the laser-binoculars. 

We also archived interesting news from a Blackcap (Munk) we recaptured last year in october, that was ringed on the 3rd of September in Oost-Vlaanderen, Belgium. It was a first calender-year bird and based on this information we can tell now, how the bird migrated.

Now we will enjoy the last evening for us two at the station and will probably go to bed early, as the ringing season will start now. We really can not wait to go out to open the nets for the first time of the year tomorrow!

At this point we want to say thank you for the last brilliant three weeks we had at the station. Starting our stay with James, also known as “athletic James”, who did not only taught us helpful Papua Neuguinean phrases but also inspired us with his story and humour. Continuing with Isis, Magnus and Simon K. with who we spend almost 24/7 time together, laughing, birding and having great conversations. How amazing is it to meet with like-minded people in Skagen, for us one of the most beautiful places in the world. And of course, a big thanks to Simon C. for having us and making this experience possible! We will definitely migrate up here again someday.  

People: Isis Khalil, Magnus Houen Lauritsen, Simon Kiesé, Mira Kieckbusch, Johanna Veentjer, Simon S. Christiansen.

Today’s observations in Dofbasen from observers in the area.

Sum of the Raptors in the area based on observations typed into Dofbasen the same day.

Next day – next morning obs at Grenen. After a nice sunrise, it seemed like today will be a strong day with many birds.

Unfortunately, after some minutes the sun hid behind a layer of clouds and the number of migrating birds normalized. Over the morning there were more than 500 Redpolls (Gråsisken) attempting to migrate. It is really nice to see those again, trying to get back to their breeding range after seeing the big influx in autumn. Since they flew in front of the light sky, it is very hard to see their coloration, but the ones I saw well enough were all Common Redpolls (Stor/Nordlig Gråsisken) - the main species from the influx. It would be interesting to see if there are some Arctic Redpolls in between (Hvidsiken), maybe the results in the ringing will show soon.

A young White-tailed Eagle (Havørn) did not hesistate to leave Denmark and head towards Sweden. One fox walked along the path, but only Isis was lucky enough to get a view on the nice mammal. The highlight of the first hour was a Shag (Topskarv) heading northwest. With their smaller size, the thin neck and the rounded wings they look very different from Cormorant (Skarv) if you get a good view on them. A nice halo surrounded the sun.

After three hours in the coldness, Mira, Isis and I were relieved by Johanna and Magnus. They brought some cake, which was a super nice breakfast and reward for counting so concentrated. In the next hour, migration went a bit better again and the local young Glaucous Gull (Gråmåge) showed up very close again.

In the meanwhile, us three count-starters had a breakfast and a nice nap. The afternoon was – like always – super productive and we did a lot of stuff like checking the new nets at KAB, setting up the tent for ringing or entering the data. Simon Sr. is back and there were thousand points to talk about. In conclusion, we look very forward to start the ringing season the day after tomorrow!

People: Isis Khalil, Magnus Houen Lauritsen, Simon Kiesé, Mira Kieckbusch, Johanna Veentjer, Simon S. Christiansen.

Today’s observations in Dofbasen from observers in the area.

Sum of the Raptors in the area based on observations typed into Dofbasen the same day.

Today started bright, you can really feel that the days are getting longer now. So we went out to do the morning observations. There could have been some more migration, but still it was very nice to enjoy the morninghours from Worlds End 1. The highlight of the morning was a flog of three Shags (Topskarv), flying together with one Cormorant (Skarv). This flog was also very nice to observe! In total we saw six Shags (Topskarv) this morning. 

And there was another highlight this morning - Magnus found an Klitplasterbille in the Dunes near Worlds End 1 again! Some of us birders went to see it afterwards, where we even found two more indiviuals. The Klitplasterbille has been seen for the last time in 2020 in Danmark, until Magnus and I saw it in the dunes near Nordstrand some days ago. 

Klitplasterbille (Apalus bimaculatus), found in the dunes near Worlds End 1 today 

In the meantime Simon and Isis headed to Skarvsøen, to finish the Novana-Count there. On their way they spotted an adder (Hugorm), you can see in the picture below. 

In the afternoon we were happy to have Magnus grandma with a friend as guests at the station. We all had a lovely "kaffe og kage" together. 

Afterwards we went out to enjoy the sunny wheater. Some of us went around Grenen and some of us took the bikes towards town. There we were actually able to spot (at least for us) the first Skovfirben of the year, soaking in the last sun rays of the day at a wall. 

When all of us met at the station in the evening, we had a nice dinner together. What a beautiful day! 

People: Isis Khalil, Magnus Houen Lauritsen, Simon Kiesé, Mira Kieckbusch, Johanna Veentjer

Today’s observations in Dofbasen from observers in the area

Sum of the Raptors in the area based on observations typed into Dofbasen the same day

After the “warmer” temperatures with spring feelings in the last days, the winter reminded us today that he hasn’t left yet. Cold wind from north-west with rain and some snowflakes led to the fact, that we spent the most of the day in the warm and cozy apartment.

Nevertheless, a part of the team went out for the observing from World’s End 1 in the morning. It was a very slow morning, but they saw the second calender-year Glaucous Gull (Gråmåge), that is stationary at Grenen in the last days. Even though the songbird migration was slower due to the weather, the Guillemots (Lomvie) and Razorbill (Alk) seem to like this weather more, than the mist in the last days and migrated in higher numbers.

This weekend there is also the NOVANA-Seabird count for which we count the sea around Grenen and the Skarvsøn. This count concentrates on the resting birds, which were mostly Scoters (Sortand) and Eiders (Ederfugl). We are also hoping for a King Eider (Kongeederfugl) these days, but we could’t find one yet. Probably in the next weeks, we will definitely continue on checking all flocks of Eiders (Ederfugl) we see.

In the afternoon the wind got stronger and colder. After we entered the data from the day and checked some old ringing data, we spent the rest of the day in the warm living room, making some music and eating all the snacks we could find in the kitchen.

People: Johanna Veentjer, Isis Khalil, Magnus Houen Lauritsen, Simon Kiesé, Mira Kieckbusch

Today’s observations in Dofbasen from observers in the area

Sum of the Raptors in the area based on observations typed into Dofbasen the same day

Today the fog persisted, but we decided to brave the end of the world regardless. It was significantly warmer than previous days, and with winds coming up from the south we saw an incredible increase in migration at World’s End 1 this morning. Upon departing the lighthouse we were met by hundreds of Blackbirds [Solsort]. In every bush, shrub, tree, and on every path there was a blackbird, it was a stark contrast to the barren mornings which came before. Aside from Blackbirds [Solsort] there were flocks of thousands of Jackdaws [Allike], Common Wood-Pigeons [Ringdue], Common Scoters [Sortand], Whooper Swans [Sangsvane], and so on. We also had the pleasure of seeing hundreds of Common Buzzards [Musvåge] fill the skies (including one beautiful bright white pale morph) along with a few White-Tailed Eagles [Havørn]. There was also a rumoured Golden Eagle [Kongeørn] in the area this afternoon! 

Simon and Mira at World’s End 1.

We faced a bit of wind, and some rain, but it was futile in bringing down our moods after such a successful morning. In the end, we reached nearly 90 species during this morning’s count! After Simon, Mira, and I had completed the standardized 4 hours after sunrise, Magnus and Johanna came and continued a couple more hours of counting. During their count they saw a Short-Eared Owl [Mosehornugle], this could be one of the earliest to come to Skagen! Could it be following the Blackbirds [Solsort]...?

Simon and Mira in the rain at World’s End 1.

After our exciting morning, we all had a big lunch. Simon and I entered the morning counts into DOFbasen and then we headed out to Kabeltromlen to set up some more nets. We were excited to debut our beautiful waders on the runways of Skagen…

Simon, Mira, and I looking positively dashing in our wading uniform.

All jokes aside, we were all grateful to have stayed dry in our wading suits amidst the (sometimes quite deep) puddles. I do expect these puddles to get the best of me at some point before my time here is done... As for now, I triumphed over the slippery bumpy grounds beneath that murky water (not always elegantly, I admit, but my face has yet to hit the ground). Kabeltromlen Puddles: 0, Isis: 1. It was not so cold, and by the afternoon all wind and rain had subsided, leaving us with the perfect conditions to work in. 

Wading through the deep waters of Kabeltromlen.

We worked productively, and right at the golden hour we noticed hundreds of Blackbirds [Solsort] flying over us. Johanna and Magnus had just arrived to bring us more supplies for the nets, and began counting immediately. From that point until the sky was nearly fully dark, they counted while we set up the remaining nets. Almost 2000 Blackbirds [Solsort] passed us by during that short period of time! This event was truly a spectacle. 

I have never seen skies so full, today was a gift that kept on giving. 

After our busy day, Johanna prepared some incredible Asian-style noodles for us. We ate dinner and headed to bed filled with hope and excitement for more wonderful days such as this one. 

Today’s observations in Dofbasen from observers in the area.

Sum of the raptors in the area based on observations typed into Dofbasen the same day.

People: Johanna Veentjer, Mira Kieckbusch, Isis Khalil, Magnus Houen Lauritsen, Simon Kiesé

When we woke up early in the morning, we could not even see the Kattegat due to heavy fog. Without the physicalic possibility to see birds, you can’t count them so we stayed and had a nice after-sleep-nap. Highly motivated as always we decided to set up the first nets at Kabeltromlen. We want to start ringing next week, so some preparation is necessary.

It was still foggy but there was no wind. This brought us some nice birds like two singing Bitterns (Rørdrum), Treecreeper (Træløber) or White Wagtails (Hvid Vipstjert). We did very well and soon we had 120m of nets up. Then some raptors started migrating, too.

In the meanwhile, Simon Sr. collected some samples in nothern Denmark for a cool project.

Looks like he did very well, right?!

In the afternoon, the weather became worse but after finishing „The big year“ and watching an documentary about Twitchers we went for one more walk to the beach. After a nice dinner (thanks to Johanna and Magnus) we finished the day with some data entry.

Today’s observations in Dofbasen from observers in the area.

Sum of the raptors in the area based on observations typed into Dofbasen the same day.

People: Mira Kieckbusch, Isis Khalil, Magnus H. Lauritsen, Simon Kiesé, Johanna Veentjer, Simon S. Christiansen.

Hej allesammen,

this day started as usual with morning observations, and all five of us were out again. We decided to count from Worlds End 1 today. The highlight of the morning was definitely a Shag (Topskarv), the one species we have been aiming for the last days. Even though the numbers weren’t that high, we still got quite a nice variety of species for such a slow day.

After having lunch together, we had a talk with Simon about wre the nets for the upcoming ringing season are going to be put up by us. All of us are looking forward for the first ringing day next week!

Niels Eriksen, one of the chairmen of Skagen Bird Observatory visited the station in the afternoon. He also brought some cake for us, which was very kind.  

At the moment we usually use the afternoon to enter data and other tasks that have to be done and then go out in the field for a second time.

Us on our afternoon walk threw the beautiful landscape

Today we went for a walk through the area around the station and we could not believe the absolut absence of wind. When we went back along the beach, we were almost not able to tell the sea apart from the sky, the light tones of blue were just fading into each other, so fascinating!

People at the station:  Isis Khalil, Niels Eriksen, Magnus Houen Lauritsen, Simon Kiesé, Mira Kieckbusch, Johanna Veentjer, 

Today’s observations in Dofbasen from observers in the area

Sum of the Raptors in the area based on observations typed into Dofbasen the same day

This morning Isis and Simon went out to do the morning observation. All observation from the three hours fitted on one page of the little notebooks, so you can tell, that the birds weren’t in the mood for migrating. But there were a young Glaucous Gull (Gråmåge) and a Red-necked Grebe (Gråstrubet Lappedykker), the first one we saw this season.

The rest of us had the chance to sleep a little bit longer, and spend the morning with a really great breakfast, not in a hurry to go to the observation as usual. After that, we started a Fulmar survey. With the sun in the face, the wind blew us the 10 km from Grenen to Gammel Skagen. We didn’t find any Fulmars (Mallemuk), but instead of them, we collected a lot of trash from the beach. It is shocking every time, how much plastic and old fishing gear you can find along the loneliest and wildest coastlines.

While one part of our group was still at the Fulmar survey, Isis and Simon went to a dead Mute Swan (Knopsvane), that was reported at the beach, between the lighthouse and the harbour and that had a ring. After a little research they found out, that this swan was ringed 11,5 years ago at Sjælland.

(Picture: Isis Khalil)

Simon and Simon picked the Fulmar survey-group up at Gammel Skagen and we drove to the harbour, where they had found another Glaucous Gull (Gråmåge) earlier that day. The gull was in presenting mood and flew around us a couple of times, so that we had a perfect view and were able to take some good pictures.

Glaucous Gull (Gråmåge). Picture: Simon Kiesé

People: Johanna Veentjer, Isis Khalil, Magnus Houen Lauritsen, Simon Kiesé, Mira Kieckbusch, Simon S. Christiansen

Today’s observations in Dofbasen from observers in the area

Sum of the Raptors in the area based on observations typed into Dofbasen the same day