The rain delayed the start of ringing this morning but it turned out to be well worth the wait for Isis, Hanalie and Magnus. They caught many many more birds than the last few days! Their highlight was the first Pied Flycatcher (Broget Fluesnapper) ringed this season, a beautiful adult male.

There were also many more Willow Warblers (Løvsanger) caught and ringed.

These beautiful birds can now be heard singing all around Grenen.

A Waxwing (Silkehale) was also spotted migrating over Kabeltromlen and a Redstart (Rødstjert) was seen flying nearby. It seems there are finally some new spring arrivals. Hopefully they will soon be in our nets too!

The sea was very quiet so it was another slow migration count for Simon Jr and I at World’s End 1. However, we saw two Shags (Topskarv) one of which roosted for a short while on the bunker and we were able to get some very nice views of it. We also saw a Slavonian Grebe (Nordisk Lappedykker) flying into Kattegat and two Wheatears (Stenpikker) over the beach.

After a brief stop at the ringing, Simon Jr and I returned to the station and ticked off a few jobs including data entry, kitchen cleaning and swapping the poles in the old lighthouse garden so they can be used at Skarvsøen instead. We then had a very nice cup of coffee with Mette in the lighthouse shop whilst having an interesting discussion about the ageing of raptors. Then, hearing over Zello that a Steppe Eagle (Steppeørn) had been spotted, Simon and I ran up the lighthouse to try and see it from the top. Not only did we see the Steppe Eagle (Steppeørn), we also saw a White-tailed Eagle (Havørn), Common Buzzards (Musvåge) and Red Kites (Rød Glente). It really is a great place for raptor watching!

We got back down again just as Hanalie, Isis and Magnus arrived back from the ringing and we all had a very nice lunch together. There was no time to rest afterwards however. Just as we finished eating a Pallid Harrier (Steppehøg) was reported over Zello so we ran all the way back up the lighthouse again. That time really hurt the legs! Unfortunately we didn’t manage to see the Pallid Harrier (Steppehøg). We hope to see one soon, it is a species that keeps eluding us!

From the top of the lighthouse we saw Simon Sr arriving so back down again we went to load up his car with the equipment needed to finish setting up the CES nets at Skarvsøen. It was very hot work for Hanalie, Isis and I putting up the last three nets; it really felt like spring had finally arrived. Unfortunately we realised the last net was broken so Magnus kindly cycled over with a new one.

Meanwhile, the two Simons were out and about putting out some recorders in the area. These will be out for three weeks and hopefully will record the calls of some interesting bird species.

We all finally arrived back at the lighthouse to a nice evening surprise; Jørgen and Jan joined us at the apartment and brought with them some delicious traditional bread to celebrate Store bededag tomorrow, all washed down with a glass of glühwein. Tak for such a nice treat. What a great way to end such a busy day!

Ringing (Kabeltromlekrattet):

Total: 48

People: Hayley Land, Isis Khalil, Hanelie Sidhu, Magnus Houen Lauritsen, Simon Kiesé, Simon S. Christiansen, Jørgen Hulbæk, Jan Eske, our guests Helle Rasmussen and Johan Deichmann.

One of my bucket list wishes was to catch and ring an Owl. When we started trying it in the old lighthouse garden I‘ve got closer to my dream but with every try without success I realized that Skagen might not be the best place for ringing Owls. This should change yesterday evening when the wind dropped down and a lovely pink coloured the sky. After Magnus spotted three Short-eared Owls (Mosehornugle) hunting in the dawn we opened our Owl net Hanelie and I set up some weeks ago. The first net checks brought me back to reality how hard it can be to succeed, but the nice phone call in between the checks made it worth staying awake. When I finally decided to close I saw a bird flapping in the net and there it was!

Pictures say more than 1000 words, so enjoy my pictures of Skagen Bird Observatory‘s 2nd every Shorty!

You can recognize that it was born last year, since the wing feathers are from one not moulted generation and still from the juvenile plumage. If you see Shortys close (f.e. in the hand) it is quite easy to sex them. Two main features help: First of all the underwing of males is bright white (and can even shine pinkish), while females have some less bright white or beige colouration. Just have a look at the picture of our female:

One more very helpful feature is the outermost tail feather. While males have no or just a weak banding, the outermost tail feather of females is quite heavy banded. 

The nightly catching session caused a very short sleep until we went out in the morning.

It must have been the toughest for the ringers, who opened the nets at 04:45 am.  The weather felt already a bit more like spring but the explosion of arriving birds will happen the next days, not today. In anyway, the numbers at Kabeltromlen were way better than in the previous week. The stars of the days were several finches - mostly Chaffinches (Bogfinke) but also a Brambling (Kvækerfinke).

In the meanwhile, the count was still very slow. This does not mean, that we did not get nice birds. A adult Great Nothern Diver (Islom) in breeding plumage flew by and showed up so good, that we were able to study its proportions and head moving behavior. That was very helpful because it is hard to always just rely on the bill colour to say if it could not also be a White-billed Diver (Hvidnæbbet Lom). A Great Skua (Storkjove) was another highlight. The species used to be a frequent migrant here in spring but since avian flue killed a big part of the population the numbers went as low, that we are happy about every single one. It was fun to see Magnus from the lighthouse-shop-autumn-team again and he got a new nick name: BigMag. This helps us to keep the overview about all the Magnuses around. I - Simon Jr. - talk out of experience! Should we call Station’s Magnus now FyrMag? One Arctic Skua (Almindelig Kjove) a outflying Crand (Trane) and a close 2nd cy Rough-legged Buzzard (Fjeldvåge) were nice, too. 

During the entire morning Hanelie joined at the radar and experienced -like I did yesterday- how fun it is to see how high the birds fly out. Even if the numbers of migrating raptors were quite low („it’s at least better than ringing three birds like yesterday“) the highlights from WE1 could also been seen from here.

 Talking about the radar:

Yesterday our Black-winged Kite (Blå Glente) made a migration attempt in the morning at Grenen. At 12:06 it made a second attempt and flew for at least 5 minutes straight north over the sea, which is rare in this species since they don't like the open sea. It gained hight from 51 to 137 meters and flew straight out until we lost it around 2 km away. Today Norways first ever Black-winged Kite was found at Elingård, Frederikstad, which is straight north of Skagen. We can not say it for sure, but since the time, behaviour and age of the birds fit, it is probably our bird. It is very rarely documented, that this species flies such a long distance out - no wonder it is the first ever for Norway now. Isn't it exciting?!

On my way out this morning a Greenshank flew over and telled me with its characteristic „djü djü djü“ that winter is finally over. I thanked it for the nice news and continued my walk to World‘s End 1. If you ask yourself now „What? Why does Simon (Jr.) walk to the count and does not take his bike?“ I‘ve got the answer for you. After I broke my arm one and a half weeks ago I was told to not do dangerous things anymore until my bone is starting to grow together. This makes sense since I want to be fit as soon as possible to also carry all the heavy stuff again (and not just like now with my right arm). But how can you know if the arm heales? Right - you go to the hospital again. Therefore I went to Hjørring hospital again. Our guests were so nice to drive me to Skagen St., than I took the train. In the train I met my good friend Hans Christophersen and his wife, who were guests last autumn. Hans and I feel very connected since we found Denmarks first Eastern Yellow Wagtail (Østlig Gul Vipstjert/Alaskavipstjert) together, so it was nice to see him and his wife again. The trip took some time and it was annoying that exactly now the years first Citrine Wagtail (Citronenvipstjert) (I love pipits and wagtails!!) showed up in Skagen. Fortunately, the X-ray showed that everything is how it should be. Simon Jr. 2.0 is back on his peak of existence!

While I writhe the blog and migrate back north, the other volunteers migrate south of town to twitch the Citrine Wagtail (Citronenvipstjert). It is a second year male (thanks to Simon Sr.'s Batman-eyes). Luckily, Jan picked me up so we met up at the flooded field and enjoyed the great views of the ????.

Citrine Wagtail (Gyvelmarken)

Since I can't get enough of it - here is one last picture of the Owl! :-)

Ringing (Kabeltromlekrattet):

Total: 20

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: Hayley Land, Isis Khalil, Hanelie Sidhu, Magnus Houen Lauritsen, Simon Kiesé, Simon S. Christiansen, Helle Rasmussen and Johan Deichmann.

Da Simon i dag skulle ud for at hjælpe ved rovfugle-radaren ved sandormesvinget, tog Isis og jeg mig af morgenobsen, mens Hailey og Hanelie ringmærkede ved Kabeltromlen.

Det skulle vise sig at blive en meget stille morgen, kun med et enkelt highlight, nemlig en rigtig fin hvidnæbbet lom - relativt tæt på kysten. I ringmærkningen havde de også haft bedre dage. Det blev til i alt fire fugle, på tværs af fem timers ringmærkning.

Tilbage ved fyret blev middagsmaden nydt i fred og fordragelighed - lige indtil vi blev afbrudt midt i vores foretagende. En blå glente blev meldt ud fra flagbakken gående mod nordøst. Simon (SSC) og jeg fik hurtigt travlt med at genfinde den over Det Grå Fyr. Jeg forblev i vores lejlighed, for at få den på vores nyligt startede “set-fra-lejligheden-liste”, mens Simon løb ud i gården for at se den. Lige meget hjalp det dog. Vi lykkedes ikke med opgaven.

Kort tid efter blev også steppeørnen rapporteret. Denne var dog mere medgørlig, og endte med at blive set af en snes stykker fra Det Grå Fyr, hvor den kredsede over i cirka en halv times tid.

Efterfølgende besluttede jeg mig for at finde en sjælden spurvefugl i eller omkring Skagen. Derfor begav jeg mig ud på en længere tur på cykel i lokalområdet. Først forsøgte jeg mig på Grenen Camping i håbet om en gulirisk. Kun skuffelsen af en fugletom campingplads var at finde der. Til gengæld fandt jeg Skagens første nyklækket sommerfugl. - Altså en sommerfugl der ikke har overvintret som voksen, men derimod er klækket fra puppen her i foråret. Skovrandøje - som det var - skulle vise sig at være før grøn busksommerfugl i år. Mærkværdigt.

Derefter gik turen ad bøjlevej, Guldmajsstien og rundt i villakvarterende. Også Skagen fodboldgolf var jeg forbi, inden jeg kørte ad Nedre Mosevej, ind for at handle i centrum. På vej tilbage mødte jeg Jan Eskildsen ved Batteriskoven, der også var ude at kigge efter sommerfugle og vendehals. Desværre var der ingen sjældne spurvefugle at se på min tur.

Tilbage på Det Grå Fyr fik jeg mig en lur på et par timer, inden vi holdte aftenmøde med de nye gæster i lejligheden. Derefter spiste vi lækker lasagne, kokkereret af Simon Kiesé. Vi hyggede over maden, inden jeg besluttede mig for igen at begive mig ud i felten. Denne gang for at lytte efter plettet rørvagtel. Jeg var ikke nået særligt langt, inden jeg opdagede at flere fotografer og fuglekiggere kiggede på mosehornugle langs Fyrvej - over Nedre Mose. Jeg konkluderede hurtigt at der var mindst tre individer, og kaldte derfor de andre frivillige op over Zello, for at fortælle dem at der var potentiale for at sætte net og højttaler op, i håbet om i det mindste at fange en af dem. Simon (SK) var frisk, selvom han allerede var gået i seng.

Imens jeg var væk, ringede der pludselig et tysk nummer på min telefon. Og så vidste jeg godt hvad klokken var slået. Jeg skyndte mig tilbage til fyret, hvor jeg fik syn for sagen. En rigtig flot hun af mosehornugle var gået i nettet til alle de frivilliges store glæde. Også Simon Senior (SSC) og Jørgen Hulbæk (JHC) kiggede forbi for at se den flotte ugle.

Nu er klokken lidt over midnat, og jeg skal op om fire timer, for at tælle på Verdens Ende 1.

Vi ses og god obs!

/Magnus.

People: Hayley Land, Isis Khalil, Hanelie Sidhu, Magnus Houen Lauritsen, Simon Kiesé, Simon S. Christiansen, Henrik Møller Thomsen, our guests : Helle Rasmussen and Johan Deichmann from Hundested 

Ringing Kabeltromlen:

Wren - Gærdesmutte 1
Chiff Chaff - Gransanger 2

This morning was rather quiet when Hayley and Isis went to Kabeltromle to open the nets. I joined for the first round and after, also Henrik, who had come from Aalbourg came to the Kabledrum. We ringed seven birds in total. The rest of the time, we used to admire an Osprey (Fiskeørn), which landed on a close branch and rested for quite some minutes. We also set up a net and brought the new table for inside the tent to Kabeltromle.

At the migration count, there was also not so much happening. Simons and Magnus' highlights were five Hen Harriers “Blå Kærhøg” and one Arctic Skua (Almindelig Kjove). When they returned to the station, they had a nice observation of a Black Kite (Sort Glente).

When we all met at the station, zello calls cept us off entering data: The Steppe Eagle (Steppeørn) and a Golden Eagle (Kongeørn) were approaching the lighthouse! We ran out and saw them perfectly! Also, we had a nice observation of a Peregrine Falcon (Vandrefalk).

Steppe Eagle (Steppeørn), picture bz Simon Kiesé

In the afternoon, I decided to do a little bike and bird tour and went south of town a bit further of Tilsandede Kirke. The highlights of my trip were three Northern Wheatears (Stenpikker) that I saw on some rocks south of the harbour.  

Back at the station, we ate the rests of the fish soup of Jørgen Hulbæks birthday party. Once again tak for mel!

See you in the field,

Hanelie

People: Hayley Land, Isis Khalil, Hanelie Sidhu, Magnus Houen Lauritsen, Simon Kiesé, Simon S. Christiansen, Henrik Møller Thomsen, our guests : Helle Rasmussen and Johan Deichmann from Hundested 

Hanalie and Isis were up long before sunrise to open the nets at Kabeltromlen this morning. It was yet another very quiet morning, but they were pleased to catch three more cute little Coal Tits (Sortmejse) and the second Lesser Whitethroat (Gærdesanger) of the season.

Lesser Whitethroat (Gærdesanger)

Hanalie was ‘in charge’ of the session and will hopefully now be able to upgrade her ringing license to a C-Permit. Simon Sr also joined and was accompanied by Helga who was interested in seeing the ringing. In between rounds there was plenty of time to fix the tent which was damaged in last week’s strong winds. It is now upright at least even if it is a little wonky!

Simon Sr and Helga also walked down the Sandormen track and managed to find the Bluethroat (Blåhals) which has been seen in the area for a couple of days. Isis and Hanalie also ran down to see it in between rounds; definitely not a bird to miss!

Bluethroat ssp. cyanecula Photo: Margit Madsen

Up at World’s End 1, Simon Jr and I spotted Simon Sr on the Sandormen track through our scopes. And then, just in front of him, we saw something colourful move in the bushes. It was the Bluethroat (Blåhals)! Otherwise it was also a very quiet morning for us at the migration count with low numbers of all the species counted. We did however see six Shags (Topskarv) and four Arctic Skuas (Almindelig Kjove) which was very nice. There was hardly any wind at all, a really nice morning, and we both agreed that it was the warmest two degrees that we’d ever sat out in!

The afternoon was spent cleaning, entering data and catching up on some much-needed sleep ready for this evening’s celebrations. Yesterday we all enjoyed celebrating Simon Jr’s birthday and today the festivities continue as this evening we will be celebrating Jørgen Hulbæk’s 70^th birthday. We have heard that there will be music and lots of food and we are very much looking forward to celebrating with the other guests. Happy birthday Jørgen!

...

Since writing the above our afternoon managed to get even better! Just as we were relaxing inside we heard over Zello that a Black-winged Kite (Blå Glente) had been spotted from Flagbakken. Immediately, we all dashed outside and were were very kindly given a lift by a friend of Magnus. We stopped on the way when we saw a group of local birders all with their cameras and scopes pointed at the sky. And then we saw it! A stunning Black-winged Kite (Blå Glente)  circling high above our heads alongside a Rough-legged Buzzard (Fjeldvåge). It was a new life species for Simon Jr, Isis and I so we were all very very happy!

Black-winged Kite (Blå Glente) photo by Eric Christophersen

We returned to the station now even more ready to celebrate and enjoyed an evening of great music, food and company to celebrate Jørgen's birthday.

Ringing (Kabeltromlekrattet):

 Total: 12

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: Hayley Land, Isis Khalil, Hanelie Sidhu, Magnus Houen Lauritsen, Simon Kiesé, Simon S. Christiansen, Eric Christophersen, our guests Oliver, Margit and Claus, Jørgen Hulbæk and birthday guests.

When I went into the kitchen this morning, you could see the dark but reddish sky shining over the dark blue sea. It lookes amazing and my motivation for this day was really high. This changed a bit, when we went our and felt the freezing cold wind for the first time of the day and we knew, this wind will be our company for the rest of the day. Luckily, Lars gave Magnus and me a lift to Nordstrand, where we started the count. The numbers of Gannets (Sule) and Sisken (Grønsisken) where nice over the day, but there was literally nothing else to count. At least the morning sun gave the landscape some nice colours.

In the third hour four Arctic Skuas (Almindelig Kjove) showed up at the same time so I thought that will be the only highlight of the count. This changed, when just a few minutes later a (the) 2nd cy Glaucous Gull (Gråmåge) popped up at the beach, headed in our direction and flew so close over our heads, that the lush views (with and without the binos) made me laugh. Three hours without good migration where enough for this day!

Glaucous Gull (Gråmåge) - picture by Oliver Madsen

The ringers experiences the same slowness, but made the very best out of it. Keeping the nets open, even if there were rounds without any birds got rewarded with two birds, that made Hanelie, Hayley and Isis smile. The first Lesser Whitethroat (Gærdesanger) of the ringing year got more attention, than this species (of this subspecies) will ever get again. Look at this cool passerine!

The biggest bird of the day was definitely this female Sparrowhawk (Spurvehøg).

After coming back from the count we had a very nice breakfast. Magnus fried some eggs and I made a good black tea. It was a very nice birthday breakfast for me and it  was nice to warm up again. At one point we went up the lighthouse with a scope. The overview is amazing and we saw one Merlin (Dværgfalk) passing by. In the twenty minutes 90 Curlews (Storspove) migrated east, which was a lot in comparision to the previous counts.

Even special days like this are used for data entry and we compared some numbers with those of the last years and talked about arrival dates of some possible scarcities, which could turn up soon. Until now the numbers of raptors are very low, mainly due to the weather of the past weeks. No, I don’t complain – the Steppe Eagle yesterday was amazing! But it is interesting to learn what this tells us about bird migration and which factors can affect it. Otherwise for example Guillemots (Lomvie) have a strong year so far – far over the average. Let’s see what the season will bring. Or what today will bring. It’s just 4:44 pm, so let’s hope, that there are plenty of reasons to edit the blog later. ;-)

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: Hayley Land, Isis Khalil, Hanelie Sidhu, Magnus Houen Lauritsen, Simon Kiesé, Simon S. Christiansen, Lars Askholm, our guests Oliver, Margit and Claus.

While on the way to open the nets, we saw a Stone Marten (Husmår) crossing the road! That was a fun surprise. For the rest, things were quite slow at Kabeltromlen. We had two lovely male Eurasian Blackcaps (Munk), and since all their measurements were very similar we decided to name them both “Keith”. 

The Keith Twins. (Male Eurasian Blackcaps - Munk Han).

In the late morning, Lars joined us again, he got to ring his first Common Chiffchaff (Gransanger), and he almost had a perfect wing measurement. Well done, Lars! 

After closing the nets we passed not one.. Not two… not THREE.. But FOUR! Adders (Hugorm) sunbathing. They were very cute, but they did not enjoy our company as much as we enjoyed theirs.

Adder (Hugorm). 

When we got back to the apartment, we only had a couple minutes to eat before Simon (Jr) phoned Simon (Sr) and asked if we could go to Flagbakken in hopes of seeing a Steppe Eagle (Steppeørn). Simon (Sr) agreed, but he did not have enough seats to bring everyone, so Lars came and saved the day! Thanks to Lars, the entire team, and my friend who is visiting from The Netherlands, got to spend a beautiful sunny evening birdwatching in Flagbakken. 

Skagen Fuglestation at Flagbakken. (Photo by: Hanelie Sidhu)

We all succeeded in seeing the Steppe Eagle (Steppeørn), for many of us a new lifer! But there was much more in store for us at Flagbakken. Several Hen Harriers (Blå kærhøg), a few Ospreys (Fiskeørn), and a Pallid Harrier (Steppehøg) were among some of the cool birds we saw. In addition, I got my very first Crested Tit (Topmejse), what a crazy evening!

At Flagbakken, we each took the opportunity to enjoy our time differently. Some of us took a nap, some of us continued bird-watching with the locals, and some of us entered data. Either way, we all spent the evening productively and enjoyed wrapping up the long day in the comfort of our apartment. 

Simon (Jr) and Magnus hard at work entering data and enjoying the birds at Flagbakken.

Hanelie baked a beautiful savoury pie for us, and after eating we were all more than ready to head to bed. 

Ringing (Kabeltromlekrattet)

Wren (Gærdesmutte) 4

Common Chiffchaff (Gransanger) 6

Dunnock (Jernspurv) 1

Eurasian Blackbird (Solsort) 1

Eurasian Blackcap (Munk) 2

Coal Tit (Sortmejse) 3

Total: 17

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: Hayley Land, Isis Khalil, Hanelie Sidhu, Magnus Houen Lauritsen, Simon Kiesé, Knud Pedersen, Simon S. Christiansen, Lars Askholm, Dammes De Jong, our guests Oliver, Margit and Claus

Dagen startede for mit vedkommende kl. 05.00, inden turen gik mod Nordstrand kl. 05.45. Ved ankomsten var Knud allerede nået frem et par minutter tidligere. Vi havde knap sat os til rette, inden Knud spottede hvidnæser (hval) på mellemdistancen. Det blev hurtigt konkluderet, at der var mindst 3-4 individer. Jeg var nu overbevist om at der var flere. Jeg sad med en god god vinkel, til at kigge ud over havet, og holde øje med hvidnæserne, mens jeg talte lomvie og sortand. De blev fulgt gennem 2,5 timer, inden de var svømmet for langt ud til at man kunne følge dem i teleskopet længere. Inden da, kunne jeg dog konkludere, at der var mindst ni individer.

Da hvidnæsen kom ud af syne, var de første tre timer af morgenobsen gået, og vi manglede derfor kun én time. Efter 3,5 timer, blev en sibirisk krikand meldt ud fra Arup Vejle. Jørgen Kabel, Jan Eskildsen, hunden Igor og jeg kiggede på hinanden i et stykke tid, inden vi blev enige om at smutte, da der alligevel ikke skete det store med trækfuglene i Skagen. Det passede med, at de fire timer af morgenobsen var gået, og jeg kunne liste med. Vi mødtes ved Jørgen for at samle os i hans bil. Inden vi var nået derfra, meldte Erik Christophersen sig også til turen. Pludselig var bilen godt pakket med håbefulde twitchere og god stemning. Hvad snakken faldt på, må I selv gætte jer til.;-)

Bilen kendte ruten, og snart efter afgang var vi fremme ved Arup Vejle. Sådan føltes det i hvert fald. Ved ankomst, var der cirka 15 twitchere, hvoraf ingen havde set den. Det viste sig nemlig, at den var fløjet over til den anden bred, og derfor var ude af stand til at blive bestemt sikkert, grundet afstanden og varme-flimmeret. Efter en time eller halvanden på lokaliteten, blev vi enige om at returnere til Skagen. På vejen ville Jørgen dog tage avance af, at han nu havde en smådyrs-ekspert som mig med i bilen.

Han gjorde holdt i Tingskoven - for han vidste, at netop hér levede den sjældne og meget flotte mariehøneedderkop (Eresus sandaliatus). Men præcist hvor, skulle jeg hjælpe med. Vi kørte til heden i den sydlige del af Tingskoven, hvor jeg vidste edderkoppen holdte til. Det var stadig en smule tidligt for arten, men ikke helt urealistisk. Først prøvede vi på et mindre lovende sted, hvor jeg efter kort tid fandt en enkelt han, der dog snart kravlede ind i lyngen og var væk. Dog fik alle den at se. Efter en intens eftersøgning i samme delområde uden held, prøvede vi at eftersøge den et andet sted på heden. Ung og frisk, gik jeg i forvejen for at tjekke området, og fandt hurtigt en stor han. De andre tilsluttede sig mit selskab, og vi endte med at finde velsagtens otte hanner. Aldrig før har toppen Skagens birding været så begejstret for en edderkop. Alle var godt tilfredse. Specielt Jørgen, der fik gode billeder af kræet. Vi opholdte os på heden i omtrent to timer, inden både hund og mand var trætte, og vi kaldte missionen fuldført. Vi var tilbage i Skagen kl. 18.00 efter en fantastisk tur med godt samvær og gode fortællinger og anekdoter fra før min tid som birder. Isis lavede god aftensmad, som vi nød, inden vi fuldførte praktiske gøremål, og alle gik til køjs.

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.

Ringing Kabeltromlen:

Wren (gærdesmutte): 6 RI

Robbin (rødhals) 2 RI

Blackbird (solsort) 1RI

Song Thrush (sangdrossel) 1 RI

ChifChaf (Gransanger) 8 RI

Coal Tit (Sortmejse) 1 RI

Total: 19

People: Hayley Land, Isis Khalil, Hanelie Sidhu, Magnus Houen Lauritsen, Simon Kiesé, Simon S. Christiansen, Lars Askholm, our guests Oliver, Margit and Claus.

This morning started slow at Kabeltrommle with just one Wren (Gærdesmutte) in the first round. Simon had a guided tour and they arrived at the second round at Kabletrommle which luckily brought some birds, the third Willow Warbler (Løvsanger) for the season and some Chiffchaffs (Gransanger). So it was a good opportunity to show the difference between the two species.

Hayley, Isis, Lars and I had some rounds with very few birds but a flock of twelve Coal Tits (Sortmejse) gave us some work for one round.

Ringmækening Kabletrommle

Gransanger: 7

Blåmejse: 1

Rødhals: 1

Løvsanger: 1

Gærdesmutte: 3

Sortmejse: 11

Total: 24

Also at Noth beach, at the morning observations, it was not very busy for Knud, Magnus, Simon and our goests Oliver, Margit and Claus, but raptors are arriving: there were thirteen Hen Harriers (Blå Kærhøg), a Black Kite (Sort Glente), eight Merlins (Dværgfalk) a close Osprey (Fiskeørn) and more Shags (Topskarv) on the sea. After the morning obs, Simon and Magnus had a Golden Eagle (Kongeørn) and two Black Kites (Sort Glente).

Goalden Eagle Kongeørn by Margit Madsen

Todays observations from observers in the area

Back at the station, after lunch, data entry and some short naps, Simon sr., Simon jr. and I went south of Skagen to a garden of a couple, as one of them got ornithosis in winter. So our goal was it to collect shit samples and catch some birds to get some fresh bird shit from them. The samples will be sent in to be examined for ornithosis. Furthermore, Simon talked with the couple to find out, how they could have gotten infected. Unfortunately, we didn´t catch any birds but we successfully collected some bird shit and saw 23 species in and around the garden, the highlight was the first singing Redstart (Rødstjert) we heard this spring.

When we came back to the bird observatory, it already smelled delicious of the lentil dal Magnus cooked and after the evening meeting and dinner, we were joined by a friend of Isis, who is on a visit to Skagen this week, we were all ready for bed.

See you again fresh and happy in the morning!

Hanelie

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

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