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

…And somehow the weather got even worse. With wind gusts of up to 34 mph and an overcast sky, the morning looked uninviting in just about every way. Nonetheless, Johanna and Magnus made their journey over to Nordstrand for the migration count since it’s slightly more sheltered than World’s End 3. 

While they were there, Simon, Mira, and I went on a stunning walk to Jenne Sø hoping to meet Michael Ancher and his mist nets. 

Mira and Simon on the boardwalk.

When we saw that he was not there, we headed over to an old abandoned building nearby where Simon K. told us about a mythical photo of Simon C. playing the piano in sunglasses. We all had a laugh and then headed towards Michael Ancher’s house to see if he was ringing over there. We found Michael there and introduced ourselves. Unfortunately, although Michael had his nets open, there was not a single bird today. Not even one Common Redpoll [Gråsisken]! So we were destined to continue our walk down towards the town of Skagen, through some beautiful woods, and then finally along the main road back to the lighthouse. 

Mira and Simon on a dock.

At Nordstrand migration was slow. Johanna and Magnus were grateful for the shelter from the wind, but sadly saw almost no inland migration and very little happening at sea. During a quick pause from looking through the scope, Johanna and Magnus stumbled upon a little beetle that is actually quite important! This beetle is called an Early Blister Beetle [Klitplasterbille - Apalus bimaculatus] and has not been reported in Denmark in recent years!

Early Blister Beetle [Klitplasterbille - Apalus bimaculatus]. (Picture by: Johanna Veentjer).

After our adventures in the morning, we took some time to unwind together in the afternoon. Some of us read through the ringer’s manual, some of us entered data into DOFbasen, and some of us studied. It was very nice to take a little break together. Magnus went into town to see a game of basketball and managed to run into some snow! He was then met by the rest of the team to go look for some Bohemian Waxwings [Silkehale] in town. This trip was unsuccessful, but we did get a nice amount of groceries to last us for the next few days!

Snow in town. (Picture by: Magnus Houen Lauritsen).

Finally, in the evening, Mira prepared some amazing summer rolls for us and we discussed all the strange different culinary habits that exist in Scandinavia and around the world. We considered having a movie night, but in the end decided it was much too late and we had to be up early again tomorrow, so the movie will have to wait another day. 

All the fresh ingredients Mira prepared for our summer rolls.

That’s all for today! See you again soon…

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, Michael Ancher

The weather this morning was in great contrast to the weather the day before. We all got up by 05.35, got some breakfast and headed out for today's observation. It turned out to be freezingly cold, with temperatures around 1-2 degrees and winds at 10m/s.

The birds didn’t really like it either, despite the Awks, whose numbers turned out to be okay at 3000 specimens during the shortened observation, at three hours. The rare species was not to be seen, and with the same weather the upcoming days, we may experience the same conditions.

The rest of the day was spent in the lighthouse cleaning, washing clothes and other practical things. Saturday is always cleaning day here at the observatory. Simon (SK) and Magnus had their ringing license renewed. Johanna created an account on the national database for species, called “Arter”, and registered the plants and insects we have seen the last few days.

Otiorhynchus atroapterus. A weevil from the dunes between Det Grå Fyr and Skagen, which was registered on Arter.

Four of the volunteers went for a walk to Skagen City, while Isis made a delicious dinner for all of us. After dinner we went for a battle in table tennis, followed by a walk to the top of the lighthouse.

The last time before bed was spend in the living room, where we “hyggede” (Danish word for having a good time.) until we had to get some sleep.

Ringing (Jennes Sø):

Ringdue 1

Nordlig Gråsisken 44

Blåmejse 1

Solsort 1

Total: 47

Here is the link to the NocMig-count from last night on trektellen.

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 Houen Lauritsen, Simon Kiesé, Johanna Veentjer, Simon S. Christiansen.

The most wanted thing of us was to have nice weather after the period of coldness and wind. Yesterday was already relly nice, but today should top it! When we went out to head towards World’s End 3, we had this beautiful view:

You get the best view, if you are close to the end of the world.

Beside of the beautiful weather, the birds did not disappoint us, too. Some Songbirds were migrating and I could spot two high flying Wood Larks (Hedelærke). We could also hear the sharp calls of a Grey Wagtail (Bjergvipstjert). Many flocks of Whooper Swans (Sangsvane) – often found by their beautiful call – migrated east and summed up to a nice total of 580 birds! We could also pick out 11 Bewick’s Swans (Pibesvane). 10 Pink-footed Goose (Kortnæbbet Gås) flew south, which was a bit weird, since we would expect them to fly home now. Since the Sea was super flat, we saw way more roosting birds than usual. As a nice highlight, two Black-throated Divers (Sortstrubet Lom) were swimming close by.

Then the first Marsh Harrier (Rørhøg) of the year popped up, what a nice surprise. Is it finally getting spring? No! The biggest surprise of the day reminds on the coldest times of the year. A 2nd year Glaucous Gull (Gråmåge) flew directly over us. What a crazy observation! Fortunately, I had my camera ready but I did not have enough time to zoom in, because it was already so close. So enjoy this great bird – the picture is taken with 200mm focal length.

More than 5000 Jackdaws (Allike), 30 Rooks (Råge) and 300 Carrion Crows (Gråkråge) also made their way over the Sea. What a nice count!

In the afternoon, a part of us decided to go to Råbjerg Mile on train. The highlight was an lichen species, which was extinct for a while in Denmark. The nice nature was really enjoyable, so the motivation was high enough to go all the way back on bike. Another part of us entered Ringdata with Simon Sr. and proofed if our MOTUS-antenna is still working (it is!). Yet another part of our team had a walk to look for raptors. Their highlight was a young Goshawk (Duehøg). So everybody used the afternoon to be productive or to enjoy the nice weather. In the evening we saw four Woodcocks (Skovsneppe) foraging under the amazing sky full of stars. What a wonderful day with a wonderful companion!

The seal is also enjoying the sun. (pic by Isis)

Ringing (Jennes Sø):

Total: 35

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

After the short night we had due to the nightctaching-success Simon and Magnus had the evening before, we were all out early today, as we were looking forward for a bright morning. It is very interesting to see how fast the weather can change in Skagen. As the counting conditions were quite tough yesterday, today turned out to be sunny and with almost no wind. We started counting at World Ends 3 already before sunrise. Due to the calm wind conditions migration was not very high in numbers, but we had quite a nice variety of species.

One of our highlights this morning were definitely the Bewick’s Swans (Pibesvane). It was a pleasure to see them! Besides the Bewick’s we also had Whooper Swans (Sangsvane), some flocks of geese, especially the 37 Taigabeangeese (Tajgasædgås) should be mentioned at this point, and right in front of us at Grenen some Snow Buntings (Snespurv) decided to see how we were doing.

Mira and Simon counting at World's End 3

The conditions we were facing today were also quite typical for Jackdaw (Allike) migration. They are coming form the Inland in smaller groups and then gather in big flocks just over the tip before they go out over the sea.

After we went back from migration, we had a dip in the sea just at the beach right next to the lighthouse. That was fun and quite cold at the same time!

In the afternoon we decided to go “roun roun” with the bikes again and ended up at den Tilsandene Kirke in the South of Skagen. Unfortunately, the door was closed so we couldn’t get up there, but anyways, it was amazing to explore the area around there.

Now we are back at the station, I am sitting in our hygge livingroom and I can hear the ships hooting out there at the sea because of the heavy fog that has now enveloped Skagen.

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

Probably everyone thought that the weather couldn´t get worse after yesterday, but Johanna and Magnus experienced today, that it was possible. In the last day there was really cold wind and a lot of flying sand. Well, what is missing to that, to make it even more uncomfortable? Right, rain and snow. Nevertheless, Johanna and Magnus went out today to make the morning observation at Worlds End 3 and they stayed out for two hours. Due to the weather, there was no much migration going on, but they saw a Great Northern Diver (Islom) and some Common Scoter (Sortand) migration near the coast. But the rest of us was also really into finding rare birds, as you can see in the photo below.

In the afternoon we went out with Simon C. and Lisa to find the Red-breasted Goose (Rødhalset Gås) that was reported near Råbjerg Kirke. We saw a flock of ornithologists, but the Red-breasted Goose didn´t show up, although we looked at a stubblefield with some different geese (White-fronted Goose (Blisgås), Greylag Goose (Grågås), Barnacle Goose (Bramgås), Shelduck (Gravand)) for quite a long time. Probably it sat in the stubble field and laughed at all the people around the field, with scopes, binoculars and cameras.

If you can’t look at a red-breasted goose, you have to find other things, so there was a bet about the number of Red Polls (Gråsisken) in a flock. You can see a picture of the flock below, so everyone can estimate, how many birds are there. The solution, you find in the end of this blog entry, Magnus and Simon counted every bird in the flock shown in that picture.

While I am writing this blog entry and Johanna is making dinner, Magnus and Simon are out, with the big goal to catch a Bittern (Rørdrum). They already caught a Woodcock (Skovsneppe), a really active one. Now there are out again, and we will see what the evening will bring. We will keep you updated if they catch a bittern or fall in the swamp. Or probably both…

P.S.: They fell in the water. Not for a Bittern (Rørdrum), but for a Greylag Goose (Grågås), we ringed with Simon C. and Lisa afterwards.

Solution: There are 1013 Redpolls in the flock.

People: Johanna Veentjer, Isis Khalil, Magnus Houen Lauritsen, Simon Kisé, Mira Kieckbusch, Lisa Vergin and Simon S. Christiansen

Link to todays observations from observers in the area

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