For the first time in many days, Simon Jr and Magnus finally had a reason to use their clickers at the migration count. After so many quiet days it was great to get some good numbers of a couple of species again. The highest count went to the Common Gull (Stormmåge) with almost 2000 individuals clicked. Also seen in impressive numbers were Velvet Scoters (Fløjsand). In fact, the total clicked today is equal to the second-best count of this species in spring in Skagen ever! Other highlights from the count included a White-billed Diver (Hvidnæbbet Lom) and two Rosefinches (Karmindompap).

Unfortunately, it was much slower in the ringing, the first round producing no birds at all! Luckily we did manage to catch a few birds over the five hours but not many. As it was so quiet, there was plenty of time for Kirsten to practice her ringing skills, particularly focusing on fat scores to determine the condition of each bird. Our highlight was the first Spotted Flycatcher (Grå Fluesnapper) in the ringing this spring. Such a beautiful bird!

Spotted Flycatcher (Grå Fluesnapper)

Whilst at Kabeltromlen, we also received a very generous bag of cookies and a donation from Brian which was a lovely surprise. These will definitely keep us well fuelled during the ringing and counting for many days! Thank you so much Brian!

In the afternoon we focused on inside tasks including data entry, updating the picture archive and raptor summaries. We then had a picture session with Simon Sr where we looked at some bird of the photos that we have taken in the field to determine their age. It was a very interesting session and will hopefully help prepare us for when we catch more difficult birds in the field!

This evening we have been treated to a delicious dinner cooked by the staff from Blink. We ate together with the people from the lighthouse, it was quite a party! We have been looking forward to it for ages and were not disappointed. The sunny weather was perfect, the food was amazing and the company great! Thank you everyone for a really nice evening.

We finished the evening by checking a House Sparrow (Gråspurv) nest above Blink to see if there were chicks inside old enough to ring.

Unfortunately, it was empty but with the adults close by we hope they will have eggs soon!

Finally, some of the children that visited us here at the station have been inspired by our blogs to write their own. You can read all about their birding adventures in Skagen here.

Ringing (Kabeltromlekrattet):

Chiffchaff	Gransanger	1
Garden Warbler	Havesanger	1
Blackcap	Munk	1
Chaffinch	Bogfinke	3
Lesser Whitethroat	Gærdesanger	3
Willow Warbler	Løvsanger	1
Spotted Flycatcher	Grå Fluesnapper	1

Total: 11

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

Sum of observations of raptors on DOFbasen from today.

People: Seán Walsh, Hayley Land, Isis Khalil, Magnus Houen Lauritsen, Simon Kiesé, Simon S. Christiansen, Kirsten Bregn, and our friends from Blink and the lighthouse.

 

We knew from the forecast yesterday that bird-wise, our day would be pretty boring in our usual day-to-day morning tasks. Magnus and I took care of the observations, from World's End 1 in the morning. Each successive day during the week has gotten progressively worse for migration; a sign it's beginning to slow down in most species, particularly at sea. Though sea and passerine migration was slow, there was an explosion of Mursejler (Common Swift) during the day, not that our morning count included these numbers. Some people reported over 2,000 individuals migrating over Skagen, headed for Sweden and Norway. During our count, Magnus noticed a Tornsanger that had been ringed, probably at Kabeltromlen. We were not able to read such a ring though.

The highlight of our count was a Grønspætte (Green Woodpecker) which are uncommon as far north as Grenen.

Kabeltromlen had a slow day too, unexpectedly. To continue the streak of Kernibider being caught, two were caught today, and I got to ring one for the first time! I had been feeling a little bit left out of the rarer birds being ringed while I manned the radar with Mads, so this was a nice consolation (but not at all a downgrade despite the biting.)

After our usual, us volunteers were tasked with putting up the rest of the Kabeltromlen nets, 50 more metres that were not able to be used due to high water levels so far. With the sun and complete lack of rain the last two weeks, water levels dropped low enough that we could put up the last of the regular nets. This task took us a little while, but once we got into our groove it went by quickly. These nets should up our chances of catching the rarer passerines as they become more likely coming into June, even if regular migration slows down.

Ringing (Kabeltromlekrattet):

Wren	Gærdesmutte	1
Common Whitethroat	Tornsanger	2
Garden Warbler	Havesanger	1
Blackcap	Munk	1
Chaffinch	Bogfinke	1
Robin	Rødhals	2
Willow Warbler	Løvsanger	1
Lesser Whitethroat	Gærdesanger	1
Bullfinch (ssp. europa)	Lille Dompap	1
Hawfinch	Kernebider	2

Total: 13

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

Sum of observations of raptors on DOFbasen from today.

People: Seán Walsh, Hayley Land, Isis Khalil, Magnus Houen Lauritsen, Simon Kiesé, Simon S. Christiansen, Kirsten Bregn.

So… *Switching into danish*

I dag var fordelingen således: SK og MHL lavede morgenobs, og IK og HL ringmærkede. SW hjalp ved radaren.

Dagens morgenobs måtte have været en dygtig elev i skole. For den fulgte berettermodellen ganske nøje. Som sædvanligt var der den første spændende halve time, hvor nyankomne spurvefugle måske vil synge, og dermed blive hørt fra morgenstunden. Derefter byggede det langsomt op til point of no return med mosehornugler, en islom, og pirol, inden det hele ramlede inden for kort tid, med både skovhornugle i ringmærkningen, lille kjove tæt på Kattegat-kysten og en gulirisk. Derefter døde det fuldstændig ud igen.

I ringmærkningen fik Isis sig lidt af en overraskelse, da der pludselig sad en større fugl i nettet. Den var umiddelbart blot brunlig, og gav derfor indtryk af noget, der kunne ligne en rovfugl. Isis satte i løb, og nåede at få fuglen under kontrol, inden den viklede sig selv ud ad nettet. Her så hun, at der var tale om en ugle. Uglen skulle vise sig at være en skovhornugle, hvilket var blot den fjerde i stationens historie. Skovhornugler er generelt mere sjældne end mosehornugler på denne tid af året i Skagen. Uglen - med de dybt orange øjne - blev fremvist til en større skare af fugleinteresserede, alt imens en lille kjove gled forbi langs Kattegatkysten. Uglen blev efterfølgende sluppet på behørig afstand af publikum. Alle synes at være godt tilfredse med oplevelsen.

Foto: Simon Kiesé

Foto: Isis Khalil

Tilbage på Det Grå Fyr, fik alle velfortjent tidlig middagsmad, inden de fleste af os tog sig en tiltrængt middagslur.

Efter endt middagslur fik jeg besøg af min familie i et par timer, som medbragte mit nye magasin “Naturen”, hvori jeg er redaktør. Bladet endte med at blive rigtigt flot, hvis jeg selv skulle sige det, med mange interessante artikler. Vi fik middagsmad i fyrhaven, hvor jeg blandt andet også observerede en gråbåndet bredpande, hun, i færd med at fouragere på engelskgræs.

Foto: Magnus Houen Lauritsen

Senere på eftermiddagen havde vi et længere “evening-meeting”, hvor vi planlagde den kommende uges gøremål, inden Sean var klar med lækker aftensmad til alle på stationen, inklusiv vores nye gæst, Kirsten, der bor i nabolejligheden i den kommende uge.

/Magpie/Krøllebille/Magnus/MHL.

Ringing (Kabeltromlen):

Wren	Gærdesmutte	1
Common Whitethroat	Tornsanger	1
Garden Warbler	Havesanger	3
Blackcap	Munk	2
Chaffinch	Bogfinke	4
Robin	Rødhals	2
Willow Warbler	Løvsanger	5
Lesser Whitethroat	Gærdesanger	3
Redstart	Rødstjert	1
Song thrush	Sangdrossel	1
Long-eared Owl	Skovhornugle	1
Common Chiffcaff	Gransanger	2

Subtotal: 26

Ringing (Jennes Sø):

Robin	Rødhals	1
Common Chiffchaff	Gransanger	1
Eurasian Sisken	Grønsisken	2
Pied Flycatcher	Broget fluesnapper	1

Subtotal: 5

Ringing (Nordstjernevej):

Blackcap

Munk

1

Subtotal: 1

Total: 32

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

Sum of observations of raptors on DOFbasen from today.

People: Seán Walsh, Hayley Land, Isis Khalil, Magnus Houen Lauritsen, Simon Kiesé, Simon S. Christiansen, Kirsten Bregn, Michael Anker.

I'm impressed! I've expected mid May to be tough, since there are many nice birds and the sun rises early, so there is not so much time for sleep. Indeed my average per night is with a bit over 5 hours still okay, but way less than I would need back home. But in anyway I feel very good. Maybe it's the good weather and the fresh air, maybe the good company. In anyway, I'm impressed even in the lack of sleep we were able to set our alarm for midnight to go nightcatching. Even if we did not suceed, it was nice. We heard a Thrush Nightingale (Nattergal). I tried to get closer, but the way to the bird seemed endless. Finally it was 1,3 km away from the point, we heard it first. That´s crazy, isn't it? Since this blog is dedicated to the voice of birds, you can listen to my recording of the bird now:

With the same weather like the previous days, the strong migration of Yellow Wagtails (Gul Vipstjert) finally stopped. Therefore new songbirds arrived, which we could experience mostly in the ringing. Some Garden Warblers (Havesanger), Icterine Warblers (Gulbug) and Reed Warblers (Rørsanger) could be ringed. A highlight was a Sedge Warbler (Sivsanger), which also got equipped with a new ring. Two Marsh Warbler (Kærsanger) sang in the area and completed the picture of summer. 

At World's End 1 another nice Songbird showed up. For me the first of the year - a male Rosefinch flew over and surprised us with its song in flight.

 A young Great Nothern Diver (Islom) and a Little Ringed Plover (Lille Præstekrave) passed by. Otherwise you could have called the count slow - at least in comparision to the great previous days. Over 5000 roosting Scoters (Sortand) were still great!

When a Crossbill (Korsnæb) passed by, the first impression was, that the calls sound less clicking that Common Crossbills (Lille Korsnæb) usually do. Even experienced birders struggle with the identification of the call by ear - at least if you are not really used to it. In flight it did not look so heavy billed, so we were looking forward to check the sound recording I made to make sure, we identify it right. Sound recordings are really great! We could proof, it is a Common Crossbill (Lille Korsnæb), call type N8.

 This call type "N8" is one of the most common ones of Common Crossbill in nothern Europe. Here it is usually disturbed:

Thanks for this great knowledge to Ralph Martin, who researched on this topic, made this map and shared the results public on his Blog AVESRARES - reed here about Common Crossbill (N8).

I hope you liked this trip into the world of bird sound recording and analysis. It is a very fun topic and recently we were able to document two interesting birds with my recorder during the count: a Little Bunting (Dværgverling), a Red-thorated Pipit (Rødstrubet Piber) and a Citrine Wagtail (Citronvipstjert) yesterday.

At 1 am, Hayley and I had a guided tour for a family from the netherlands. We showed them some nice birds at Nordstrand on the way to Skarvsøn. The highlights were Cormorant (Skarv) chicks and that all 9 Mute Swan (Knopsvane) chicks were still alive. Also both Red-necked Grebes showed up nice. Since the mid days sun hid some birds, we listened to some of the typical songbirds, which breed in the area.

On the way back, some more raptors showed up and we could see a young Pallid Harrier (Steppehøg) and a Montague's Harrier (Hedehøg) in the distance. Fortunately, a Osprey (Fiskeørn) was closer. Like every Saturday, we cleaned the apartment and the lab. Otherwise data had to be entered, I had a nice phone call and played a bit guitar. It's important to keep your bird-life-bird-sleep-bird-work-balance!

Ringing (Kabeltromlekrattet):

Chiffchaff

Gransanger

1

RI

Common Whitethroat

Tornsanger

1

RI

Garden Warbler

Havesanger

5

RI

Blackcap

Munk

3

RI

Pied Flycatcher

Broget Fluesnapper

1

RI

Sedge Warbler

Sivsanger

1

RI

Reed Warbler

Rørsanger

3

RI

Willow Warbler

Løvsanger

6

RI

Lesser Whitethroat

Gærdesanger

2

RI

Icterine Warbler

Gulbug

1

RI

Hawfinch

Kernebider

1

RI

Total: 25

Also Michael ringed at

Jennes Sø:

Chaffinch

Bogfinke

1

RI

Willow Warbler

Løvsanger

2

RI

Garden Warbler

Havesanger

3

RI

Total: 6

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: Seán Walsh, Hayley Land, Isis Khalil, Magnus Houen Lauritsen, Simon Kiesé, Simon S. Christiansen, Karen Marie Holk, Michael Anker.

Arghh, on slow mornings like these there is little that keeps us entertained at Kabeltromlen aside from our tales of vikings, bog witches, weevil kings, and today, pirates! The theme was inspired by the cookies that keep us motivated each and every day:

 

Chocolate sandwich cookies pirate edition! (Also known as DUOKEKS).

 

The boredom was broken rather suddenly, however, when I finished walking my round and came across Hayley smiling very wide. The reason for her smile? She had just extracted a Hawfinch (Kernebider) from the nets! This stunning bird kept us, and many additional visitors, wholly captivated. The size of it was absolutely insane! …And the strength of its beak is no joke either (a strength we all got to experience through her painful bites). 

 

Hawfinch (Kernebider). Look at the colours and markings, absolutely beautiful. Photo by: Isis Khalil.

 

Although the Hawfinch (Kernebider) certainly stole the show, there was another surprise sitting in one of the bags, one that was almost overlooked through all the excitement… a Red-Breasted Flycatcher (Lille Fluesnapper)! The first for the station since 2021, what a crazy round!

 

 

Red-Breasted Flycatcher (Lille Fluesnapper). Photo by: Isis Khalil.

 

After this round, the usual slow pace of ringing continued, but all our spirits were certainly lifted. We still had some nice surprises, though, with two Great Northern Divers (Islom) and a Red-Footed Falcon (Aftenfalk) flying right above us! 

 

Red-Footed Falcon (Aftenfalk). Photo by: Simon Kiesé.

 

After the morning, we entered data as usual, then continued on to our personal tasks. I spent much of the afternoon taking advantage of our freshly fixed bikes and the warm summer sun. First, I cycled into town, where many people flocked around ice cream shops and bathed in the sun (me among them). 

 

The town of Skagen.

 

Then I cycled back up through Jenne Sø, it was absolutely breathtaking. I passed a couple Eurasian Kestrels (Tårnfalk), one even caught a mouse in front of me! Many butterflies, dragonflies, beetles, and lizards can now be found crawling around. The flowers are blooming, and the air smells lovely as a result. Spring truly has arrived. There was a lot to enjoy today, and of course I took many many pictures, but there is no point flooding the blog with those, you should just take a look outside!

 

Biking through Jenne Sø.

 

Jenne Sø.

 

Anyway! The count was quite slow, so I do not have much more to add in terms of birds for the day… 

 

It’s already quite late, and tomorrow we have to be up very early again, so goodnight! 

 

“Don’t let the bed birds burn” - Simon Kiesé.

 

Skifte!

 

Ringing (Kabeltromlekrattet)

Eurasian Wren (Gærdesmutte) 1

Reed Warbler (Rørsanger) 2

Eurasian Blackcap (Munk) 1

Lesser Whitethroat (Gærdesanger) 3

Willow Warbler (Løvsanger) 9

Common Chiffchaff (Gransanger) 1

Garden Warbler (Havesanger) 1

Red-Breasted Flycatcher (Lille Fluesnapper) 1

Common Chaffinch (Bogfinke) 2

Hawfinch (Kernebider) 1

Total: 22

 

Ringing (Jenne Sø)

Sedge Warbler (Sivsanger) 1

Eurasian Blackcap (Munk) 1

Lesser Whitethroat (Gærdesanger) 1

Willow Warbler (Løvsanger) 3

Eurasian Jay (Skovskade) 1

Garden Warbler (Havesanger) 1

Total: 8

 

Ringing (Nordstjernevej)

Lesser Whitethroat (Gærdesanger) 1

Total: 1

 

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: Seán Walsh, Hayley Land, Isis Khalil, Magnus Houen Lauritsen, Simon Kiesé, Simon S. Christiansen, Karen Marie Holk

The team at the station this morning was spread thin, with ringing taking place at both of our regular sites, Kabeltromlen and Skarvsøen for CES (constant effort scheme). Even though we were physically spread thin, it didn't feel like it as there were not many birds to ring. 

One of very few birds ringed at Kabeltromlen, a Gærdesanger (Lesser Whitethroat)

On the closing round, Isis found this lovely Horse Leech on some reeds north of the dune trail. She ntoed that it had a pale belly and that it was very squishy.

Horse Leech at Kabeltromlen

At Skarvsøen, there was slightly more birds caught during the 6 hour CES session but nothing too exciting. Brood patches on birds at this site are becoming more common, which is a good sign for the breeding season gearing up.

Magnus and I went observing at World End 1, the site we chose for best chance to see passerines as well as get a decent overview of some raptors. There were counts of over 200 Hvepsevåge throughout the morning, all migrating to sea, and some nice passirines included Karmindompap (Common Rosefinch) and Stor Korsnæb (Parrot Crossbill.

Tonight, Simon and I will attempt to catch some waders by the lighthouse beach and also Natravn (Nightjar) in the old lighthouse garden.

Ringing (Kabeltromlekrattet):

Willow Warbler	Løvsanger	4
Reed Warbler	Rørsanger	1
Bullfinch	Bogfinke	1
Lesser Whitethroat	Gærdesanger	1
Blackcap	Munk	1
Wren	Gærdesmutte	1

 

Total:9

 

Ringing (Skarvsøen):

Reed Warbler	Rørsanger	5
Goldcrest	Fuglekonge	1
Lesser Whitethroat	Gærdesanger	1
Chiffchaff	Gransanger	1
Bullfinch	Bogfinke	2
Reed Bunting	Rørspurv	1
Common Whitethroat	Tornsanger	1

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

Sum of observations of raptors on DOFbasen from today

People: Seán Walsh, Hayley Land, Isis Khalil, Magnus Houen Lauritsen, Simon Kiesé, Simon S. Christiansen, Karen Marie Holk

There was lots going on this morning for Simon Jr and Magnus at the count, and Sean at the radar, with many Honey Buzzards (Hepsevåge), two Shags (Topskarv), four Red-footed Falcons (Aftenfalk), Golden Oriole (Pirol), Bee-eaters (Biæder) and over 800 Yellow Wagtails (Gul Vipstjært).

Yellow Wagtails (Gul Vipstjært)

The excitement increased further when two Ferruginous Ducks (Hvidøjet And) were seen flying and then landing with a Tufted Duck (Troldand). This is only the third record of this species for Skagen so very nice to see!

Another interesting record today was that of Pallid Harrier (Steppehøg). There was so many counted that the previous day record for Skagen (96 birds) was broken and a new record set!

And the raptor excitement didn’t end there. In the afternoon, a possible Lesser Kestrel (Lille Tårnfalk) was reported so of course the search began to try and find it. Unfortunately, we had no luck with that species this time. A Lesser Spotted Eagle (Lille Skrigeørn) was also reported to land south of town so we’re very hopeful about seeing that one tomorrow. Fingers crossed!!

It was a quieter morning for Isis and I at Kabeltromlen with few birds in the nets. However, we caught our second Icterine Warbler (Gulbug) of this ringing season and also a pair of Siskin (Grønsisken) who were caught in one net and released together. It was very nice to see them side by side and admire the particularly bright plumage of the male.

Female and male Siskin (Grønsisken)

More exciting bird news also came in later today. The Swift Sp. seen and photographed a couple of days ago by Simon Gillings, our visitor from the BTO, has now been confirmed as a Pallid Swift (Gråsejler). You can see in the photo below that it has slightly paler plumage than Common Swift (Mursejler).

Pallid Swift (Gråsejler). Photo by Simon Gillings.

It wasn’t all about birds today either. Another day highlight was a Minke Whale (Vågehval) spotted by Knud at Nordstrand. And then later I had an unexpected encounter with an Adder (Hugorm) which I found stuck to some sticky packaging tape just outside the lab. Mette and Jens from the lighthouse came to help me unstick it; we eventually managed to get it free and released it behind the lighthouse. Thankfully it seemed to be ok despite its sticky experience and slithered off without any problems. Simon and Magnus, and later Karen-Marie, saw a different Adder (Hugorm) hanging out around the door of the lab.

Adder (Hugorm)

Our busy busy day is now concluding with data entry, raptor summaries, preparations for CES tomorrow and grocery shopping. We are very happy to have got our bikes back from the mechanic today and look forward to trying them out bright and early tomorrow!

Ringing (Kabeltromlekrattet):

Tree Pipit	Skovpiber	1
Wren	Gærdesmutte	1
Icterine Warbler	Gulbug	1
Lesser Whitethroat	Gærdesanger	2
Garden Warbler	Havesanger	1
Blackcap	Munk	1
Chiffchaff	Gransanger	1
Willow Warbler	Løvsanger	8
Siskin	Grønsisken	2

Total: 18

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: Séan Walsh, Hayley Land, Isis Khalil, Magnus Houen Lauritsen, Simon Kiesé, Simon S. Christiansen, Karen Marie Holk

Dagens startede stille i godt selskab med Simon Kiesé og Mira. Det er hendes sidste dag som gæstehjælper på stationen, og skulle hjælpe til med morgenobsen.

Dagen blev ikke med de store tal, men dog med et par subhits i form af islom, aftenfalk,, steppehøg, biæder og ikke mindst silkehejre. Jeg blev ude ved Verdens Ende 1, indtil kl. 13.30, hvor det gik fuldstændigt i stå rent trækmæssigt.

Også de mere almindelige arter gjorde indtryk. I dag, var det især gul vipstjert, der optrådte i stort antal. Omtrent 900 i alt.

I ringmærkningen gik det en smule stille for sig. I alt 31 fugle blev ringmærket, heraf også en bjergvipstjert - til stor glæde for de fremmødte. Men også gulbug, rørsanger og gærdesanger er værd at nævne.

Efter endt observation, vendte jeg tilbage til stationen for at få mig noget at spise og sove et par timer, inden jeg tog ud i felten igen.

/Magpie.

Ringing: Kabeltromlen
Tre pipit - Skovpiber 1
Grey wacktail - Bjergvipstjert 1
Redstart - Rødstjert 3
Common Reed Warbler - Rørsanger 1
Icterine Warbler - Gulbug 1
Lesser whitethroat - Gærdesanger 1
Common Whitethroat - Tornsanger 1
Garden Warbler - Havesanger 3
Chiffchaff - Gransanger 1
Willow Warbler - Løvsanger 16
Pied Flycatcher - Broget fluesnapper 2

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: Séan Walsh, Hayley Land, Isis Khalil, Magnus Houen Lauritsen, Simon Kiesé, Simon S. Christiansen, Karen Marie Holk

Many birds have red in their plumage. Some of them on their head, some on their wings. Other ones have a red body and even other birds have a red tail. For some of those birds the red body part is used to give it a simple and hopefully never misleading name. Two of those lucky birds made our day today.

It was a sunny morning buøgt the increasing southeasterly wind (which was very welcomed by us bird lovers) made it feel comfortable today. It took some time until the air heated up and gave us the feeling of summer again. Even if there was more migration than the last days, it was still slow. Luckily, there was a nice variety of species. Two Great Nothern Divers (Islom) flew over and a young Pallid Harrier (Steppehøg).

Then I heard some familiar calls and directly shouted "Red-thorated Pipit" (Rødstrubet Piber)!! It called a few more times and Magnus seemed to be alredy really happy, since it was a new species for him. Finally, we found the flying bird in the air and saw it landing behind some grass. Afterwards it was foraging with Yellow Wagtails (Gul Vipstjert). What a nice bird, the first one I could take pictures of:

In the meanwhile, ringing was better than the previous days but the highlights were missing. Finally, the ringers got reawarded with a nice Wood Warbler (Skovsanger). This yellow bird really contrasted to the less yellow Willow Warblers - especially to one completely grey one - probably ssp. acredula.

Simon Sr. had a tour for a school class, so we set up a new net to catch more birds in the old lighthouse garden. Unfortunately, there were no birds to ring in the bright sunshine. Thanks to Simon Srs engagement, this kids still had fun.

In the afternoon, Mira and I went to the Black Summerhouse to look for raptors. It was really fun and we had the second bird, which is named after its red on its body. Red-footed Falcon (Aftenfalk)! Three different birds (M ad, M 2k, F 2k) came by super close and gave us nice views. 

The wind brought good birds to Skagen and we look back on good birds we have seen. Unfortunately, there is no way to see all the nice birds, since you can not be everywhere at the same time. But that's okay. Sometimes it is hard to accept, that there were good birds, you could not see. That's part of the game. Luckily, there are still enough nice birds for everyone of us and many more to come. Fingers crossed that the next days continue like this!

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: Séan Walsh, Hayley Land, Isis Khalil, Magnus Houen Lauritsen, Simon Kiesé, Simon S. Christiansen, Mira Kieckbusch, Karen Marie Holk

 

 

Hello everyone, I hope you all enjoyed the 2024 Skagen Fuglefestival (Bird Festival)! Maybe you were one of the lucky hundred who came to see the Eurasian Wryneck (Vendehals) getting ringed yesterday, that was super exciting! 

 

Last night we made an attempt to see the Northern Lights again, since they were supposed to be as vibrant as the day before. However, when our 12:30 alarm went off, we were very disappointed to see dark skies and no lights. So we crawled back in bed for the last couple hours of sleep we could get before preparing for the day…

 

Today started out much like yesterday, but with even less birds in the nets. And unfortunately, the slow trend stayed throughout the day without any exciting surprises during our closing round (we closed early since we had several rounds in a row with 0 birds).

 

The pace of ringing did not take away from our fun, however, since on slow days like today we get to really admire all the little details of the environment we spend all our mornings in. For one, the dew on the webs in the reeds looked particularly stunning in the sunrise today, we were very cautious not to leave any of the spiders homeless (they work hard catching and eating all the pesky mosquitoes!). 

 

Spiderwebs in the soft sunrise reeds.

 

Charlotte’s Web.

 

Aside from appreciating the intricate designs of the spiderwebs, we also befriended some sweet little weevils.

 

Weevil.

 

And did a little ringing as well…

 

Dunnock (Jernspurv).

 

Near the late morning, we started having several rounds with no birds at all. Instead, we kept busy chatting with the local birders and building sand castles:

Hayley creating a Weevil Kingdom.

 

Mayday! The weevils are being attacked by an evil tapeworm! But fret not, an unknown force (Séan) has turned the evil tapeworm into a flag that now waves as a warning to all offenders. 

 

In hindsight, maybe the long days and short nights are starting to play tricks on our minds… 

 

The count, which Mira and Simon (Jr) took care of, was as slow as ringing, but I’m sure they, too, managed to find fun things to do to pass the time. Simon (Jr) got a lovely picture of a Common Cuckoo (Gøg), it is so nice to hear their song around the dunes these days!

 

Common Cuckoo (Gøg). Picture by: Simon Kiesé.

 

Magnus and Johanna were MIA for most of the day, but they somehow saw all the rare birds around Skagen! This includes the Lesser Spotted Eagle (Lille Skrigeørn), the odd Wagtail (Vipstjert) –whose identification remains up for discussion, and the Black Stork (Sort Stork). Talk about lucky, Magnus did not even have his Zello on! These birds are a pretty good summary of today’s arrivals in Skagen, although the Lesser Spotted Eagle (Lille Skrigeørn) and the Black Stork (Sort Stork) turned around fairly early (by Flagbakken). Hopefully they will still turn up at the tip within the next few days.

 

In the afternoon, we got to work entering data and checking sheets with Simon (Sr). Then we welcomed our new guest and invited her to come see our fieldwork tomorrow, she had come to see the Eurasian Wryneck (Vendehals) yesterday, so she has had a little exposure to the work we do. 

 

We also got some much-needed rest, then ate leftovers from when Søren cooked for us, very delicious.

 

See you out in the field!

 

Skifte.

 

Ringing (Kabeltromlekrattet)

Dunnock (Jernspurv) 2

Song Thrush (Sangdrossel) 1

Eurasian Blackcap (Munk) 1

Lesser Whitethroat (Gærdesanger) 1

Willow Warbler (Løvsanger) 4

Common Chiffchaff (Gransanger) 1

Total: 10

 

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: Séan Walsh, Hayley Land, Isis Khalil, Magnus Houen Lauritsen, Simon Kiesé, Simon S. Christiansen, Jørgen Hulbæk, Knud Pedersen, Johanna Veentjer, Mira Kieckbusch, our new guest Karen Marie Holk