Hey everyone, 

This is my first blog as a new volunteer at the observatory, so a perfect opportunity to start to learn the Danish names for the local birds!

Monday proved a lot busier than yesterday….! The Bangles would be proud (for those interested, search for the song 'Manic Monday' for a bit of musical nostalgia)!

The morning’s observations at World’s End 3 were strong with 2,539 Mallemuk (Fulmar), 10 Storkjove (Great skua), 4 Almindelig Kjove (Arctic skua) and the first 1K Curlew Sandpiper ( Krumnæbbet Ryle) of the year. The excellent birding was topped off with a sighting of four hunting Spaekhogger (Orca).

Check out this video of the whales in action:

The beautiful, clear sunrise brought low winds and perfect conditions for ringing, so we made the most of the opportunity. I was delighted to see my first Kærsanger (Marsh warbler), which is a rare bird in England, where I do most of my ringing. It was fantastic to compare the bird with the Rørsanger (Reed Warbler) and to test some of the methods we use at home to try and identify the elusive Kærsanger! These include the length of the notch on the second primary feather, wing length, the distance between the tips of the inner and hind toes, and the shape of the nostrils!

Me, falling in love with my first Kærsanger 

Our guests, Grethe and Stig, joined us for some of the ringing session, and they were delighted to see Havesanger (Garden Warbler) and Skovpiber (Tree Pipit) up close and in the hand!

The totals (new birds) for our morning ringing session were as follows:

Kærsanger 3

Løvsanger 4

Gærdesanger 2

Gransanger 2

Skovpiber 1

Blåmeise 1

Havesanger 2

Tornsanger 2

Rørsanger 2

Solsort 1

TOTAL = 20 (all ringed at Kabeltromlen)

In the afternoon, we travelled as a group with Simon to Jerup to an animal rescue and rehabilitation centre. The task was to ring a young (1K) Tårnflak (Kestrel) that was due to be released back into the wild after a period of recouperation. It was great to see the bird in good health, as it flew strongly and had a decent amount of stored fat for a safe return to the skies! We were also joined by a local television crew to document the ringing process, so the Wildlife Oscars should take note of this blog!

Tårnfalk being ringed, measured and weighed

After a dinner of pizza and birthday cake to celebrate one of our volunteers, Joe, striding confidently into his second decade....... we have a busy night planned. The nets will go up to try and catch and ring Lille Stormsvale (Storm Petrel) and Almindelig Skråpe (Manx Shearwater). Stay tuned for an update tomorrow to see whether the night brings success!

Link for today's DOFBasen 

Cheers for now, Andrew

People: Andrew Commins, Lucas Corneliussen, Ragnar Smith, Rosa Hicks, Asia Kane, Simon Christiansen, Joe Zeno, Magnus Houen Lauritsen, Mette Møller Christiensen and our guests, Grethe and Stig

Hello cherished readers!

This morning proved too windy to open nets, so we all headed out to World’s End 3 to do observations instead. There were good numbers of Sule (Gannets) over the sea, and we were pleased to see a couple of distant Storkjøve (Great Skuas). 3 Solstrubet Lom (Black-throated Divers) showed well and remained close by all day, which was also nice to see.

Afterwards, Andrew and I headed to Netto to get some groceries. I wasn’t looking forward to cycling in the strong wind, so we decided to conserve our energy and walk instead. On the way back, we spotted a Spurvehøg (Sparrowhawk) circling above town.

In the afternoon I went for a walk along the beach, intending to head down Nordstrand to Skagen Vest Fyr. Unfortunately, I had underestimated the strength of the wind on the exposed beach and decided to cut my odyssey short, turning back before I reached Vest Fyr.  On the walk, I was delighted to see a pair of Gul Vipstjert (Yellow Wagtails) – these charming birds are one of my favourites!

A photo of the wind-blasted landscape from my walk.

Andrew also went on a walk, where he found a lonely juniper tree and 2 Tårnfalk (Common Kestrels).

Andrew's lonely juniper tree.

Ragnar cycled out to Nordstrand to do some more birding, and was lucky enough to see 2 Sodfarvet Skråpe (Sooty Shearwaters)! He shared this photo with us.

A Sodfarvet Skråpe/Sooty Shearwater.

Lucas cooked us a delicious dinner of fried rice and we are now getting organised for tomorrow. Since we will finally be getting some calm weather after all this rain and wind, the ringing is predicted to be good and we’re all very excited. Will tomorrow be the day we catch a Vandsanger (Aquatic Warbler)? (It definitely will!)

Thank you for reading, and send us your best wishes for tomorrow when the storm ends!

People at the station: Ragnar Smith, Rosa Hicks, Lucas Corneliussen, Joe Zeno, Andrew Commins, Asia Kane

Link to today's observations on Dofbasen

The day started before it really ended with Rosa and Lucas going out in the night to try catching waders with a net and torch, they ended up with a Common Ringed Plover (Stor Præstekrave).

Social club at Worlds End 3

But for the rest of us, a repeat of yesterday, no nets were put up, so the name of the game was migration counting from Worlds End 3. I went out early, while the rest got some rest, and started the count just before sunrise, and quite early I could see that there were some movements going on. Though there were no huge numbers, it was steady throughout the morning and until 12. Later in the morning I was joined by the rest of the observatory, Eric and two other birdwatchers, so it turned into a small social club situated in the outermost dunes of Denmark. The highlights of the day were four Black Terns (Sortterne), seven Great Skuas (Storkjove), a very nice immature Arctic Skua (Almindelig Kjove) with the star being a distant but nice Manx Shearwater (Almindelig Skråpe) that blew through the waves. Otherwise, okay numbers of fulmars (Mallemuk) and terns (Terner). Most of the crew left around 10 o’clock but I stayed till 1226, before deciding that I should go back.

Black Tern 1k (Sortterne)

Arctic Skua 3k? (Almindelig Kjove)

The rest of day have been a quiet ordeal, some of the team went out for a swim, but I got a much-needed nap. Later, we got a new volunteer with Andrew Commins, he will be staying with us for a few weeks as a ringer. So warm welcomes to him! Now we are cooking dinner and will be enjoying some live music by Elias Rønnenfelt. Tomorrow the wind will grow stronger so Worlds End 3 is calling and once more unto the breach, we will go, once more.

60% of the observer-team represented here

Link to todays Observations around Skagen

People at SKAF: Ragnar Smith, Lucas Corneliussen, Rosa Hicks, Joseph Zeno, Asia Kane, Andrew Commins

Today was what can only be described as a small hurricane. We had been watching the weather forecast for the past several days anticipating this storm which has spread over most of Western Europe but we still woke up at 5 AM to check the weather. Unfortunately, it was just as bad as expected. The gail force winds howled against the lighthouse and the station, at times rocking the house a little. And so, with that, we decided to go back to bed and sleep in - For the first time in weeks. 

Black Tern 

When we finally arose from our slumber, we were all a bit decrepit and slow to say the least. It was one of those mornings where you feel more tired waking up than going to bed. Before departing for his brothers wedding(!!!), Simon dropped by the station and gave the crew a few things to do before he left. Our glorious leader then departed for Aalborg, leaving us to fend for ourselves in the raging weather. We gathered the troops (or whats left of us) and gave the station a good cleaning while we waited for the rain to pass. By the mid afternoon, the weather finally began to improve and several of us headed to Grenen to check the beach for waders and the sea for tubenoses blown in by the storm. After five hours, we had tallied a 2k Black Scoter (Amerikansk Sortand), over 600 Northern Fulmar (Mallemuk), a Mediterranean Gull (Sorthovedet Måge), two Caspian Gulls (Kaspisk Måge), two or three Black Terns (Sortterne) and a Sooty Shearwater (Sodfarvet Skråpe)! A very successful evening after a relatively slow day of cleaning and playing catch up on office work at the station. 

Common Gull (right), Mediterranean Gull (left)

Tonight, we plan on headed to Grenen to try and catch the resting waders! Wish us luck! And so, another day passes at SKAF. What will tomorrow bring? We will have to wait and see.

Vi Ses!

Link to todays Observations around Skagen

People at SKAF: Lucas Corneliussen, Ragnar Smith, Rosa Hicks, Joe Zeno, Asia Kane, Simon S. Christiansen

Hello everyone!

Today I headed out to World’s End 3 with Ragnar and Robbie to conduct our morning observation. The morning started off slow, but we were happy to observe three skuas flying against the horizon. Two of the skuas were Great Skuas, the other we were not able to identify, a possible Arctic Skua. Later in the morning Robbie and I walked down to the pond near the Sandworm track and encountered a Sparrowhawk on the ground. The bird was in perfect lighting, and we were able to observe it being harassed by nearby Hooded Crows that wanted to make the hawk feel unwelcome. The next couple days will bring in strong winds from the west which will hopefully bring in rare seabirds for us to see during observation. 

Asia, Rosa, and Lucas hard at work at Skarvsøen 

The ringers: Rosa, Asia, Simon, and Lucas, were out at Skarvsøen today conducting their Constant Effort Site (CES) ringing protocol. This day brought in more individual birds than any other day in the past couple weeks, totaling 28 new birds and 2 recapture bids. By far the most abundant bird caught was Rørsanger, with 19 birds rung today. A Slavonean Grebe was also spotted in the cormorant lake in Skarvsøen, a good bird for the Skagen area.

Ringing (Skarvsøen)

Marsh Warbler (Kærsanger) - 1

Reed Warbler (Rørsanger) - 19

Lesser Whitethroat (Gærdesanger) - 1

Blackcap (Munk) - 3

Willow Warbler (Løvsanger) - 2

Lesser Redpoll (Lille Gråsisken) - 1

Reed Bunting (Rørspurv) - 3

People at the station: Simon S. Christiansen, Lucas Corneliussen, Rosa Hicks, Ragnar Smith, Robbie Lawler, Joe Zeno, Asia Kane

Link to today’s observations from observers in the area

Hi all!

We were busy last night with another storm petrel (Lille Stormsvale) and nightjar (Natravn) catching attempt. While we put the nets up, Ragnar led a night tour, showing some guests species of Grenen by night. The tour used a thermal monocular to spot harbour seal pups, roe deer, natterjack toads, and even a purple sandpiper (Sortgrå Ryle) - which we were able to hand net and show to the guests up close, once the bird had been rung and its biometrics recorded. As the sun was rising, Sean and I went to close the nets, where an unringed juvenile nightjar (Natravn) was waiting for us, making a nice end to a long night.

Purple Sandpiper (Sortgrå Ryle)

Today’s ringing team were out at Kabeltromlen for sunrise, and caught 12 birds, with 8 new birds – a little better than the past few days.  Hopefully the coming winds over the weekend will encourage some more movement and leave empty net rounds in the past!

Meanwhile, the observation team was out at Worlds End 3. They had a quiet morning, with a little wader migration including greenshank (Hvidklire) and bar-tailed godwit (Lille Kobbersneppe), as well as a few fulmar, (Mallemuk) and a single great skua (Storkjove).

After returning home for lunch and a few admin tasks, some of us went on afternoon walks, seeing grey plover (Strandhjejle), tree pipit (Skovpiber), spotted flycatcher (Grå Fluesnapper) and a redwing (Vindrossel).

Lucas and Joe cooked us some pasta, as the rain begun for the evening – luckily it should blow over before morning observations and CES ringing tomorrow.

Ringing (Beach at Det Grå Fyr)

Sortgrå Ryle (Purple Sandpiper): 1

Ringing (Fyrhaverne)

Natravn (Nightjar): 1

Ringing (Kabeltromlen)

Solsort (Blackbird): 1

Rørsanger (Reedwarbler): 3

Gærdesanger (Lesser Whitethroat): 1

Tornsanger (Greater Whitethroat): 3

Gransanger (Chiffchaff): 1

Total: 12

People at the station: Simon S. Christiansen, Lucas Corneliussen, Rosa Hicks, Ragnar Smith, Robbie Lawler, Joe Zeno, Asia Kane, Nils and Jette

Link to today’s observations from observers in the area

Today’s blog starts last night. We set the nets for Storm petrels once more this season, we were optimistic despite the lack of success thus far this season. At c.01:30 this morning we struck gold with a European Storm-petrel (Lille Stormsvale) flying into a net. For several at the station it was a lifer and for others it was the first time they had seen one in the hand up close and personal. With the news going out on Zello we had some local birders coming to the station whilst some - including Thomas Buus Nielsen and Jan Lindgaard Rasmussen - were traveling from far away waiting from the beginning of the night hoping to glimpse this mysterious and diminutive Seabird. With measurements taken and a small crowd gathered round it was time for pictures. This was a rare chance to get close to this species with Skagen being the only place in Denmark that undertakes Storm petrel ringing outside of breeding areas. The bird early this morning was the 9th petrel for the station with 3 European Storm-petrels (Lille Stormsvale) in 2021 (one being a recapture from Norway), 2 in 2022, two in 2023 and one thus far in 2024: there was also a Leach’s Storm-petrel (Stor Stormsvale) caught in 2022. Hopefully the success will continue.

European Storm-Petrel (Stormsvale)

With the nets closed Simon, Joe, Asia, Rosa and Lucas all headed out to Kabeltromlen for ringing, whilst me (Robbie) and Ragnar undertook the observations. Migration was slow today with only 4 birds in the ringing and few birds over the sea. There was a small movement of some wader species over World’s End Three, including some Golden Plover (Hjejile). The only notable movement out to sea were modest numbers of Fulmars (Mallemuk) and Terns (Terner) migrating out of Kattegat.

On a personal note, it has been great to be back after a two-year absence since August 2022 and I have enjoyed my short visit. Hopefully my being here is a good omen as I have had Storm petrels on my last two visits. The birding here is a nice relief from overcrowded and underperforming London nature reserves, and hopefully the next few days will continue to supply some exceptional species.

Ringing (Kabeltromlen):

Munk (Blackcap): 1
Kærsanger (Marsh warbler): 1
Gransanger (Chiffchaff): 1

Total: 3

Ringing (Beach at Det Grå Fyr)

Lille Stormsvale (European Storm-petrel): 1

Total: 1

People at the station: Simon S. Christiansen, Lucas Corneliussen, Rosa Hicks, Ragnar Smith, Robbie Lawler, Joe Zeno, Asia Kane, Nils and Jette

Link to today’s observations from observers in the area

Hello everybody!

As Joe and I were cycling to the Kabeltromlen ringing site before sunrise, a Mosehornugle (Short-eared Owl) flew quickly over our heads and disappeared into some nearby bushes. This got the morning off to a good start, as neither of us had seen this bird in Skagen before and an owl is always a welcome sight.

 We opened the nets and Lucas joined us shortly afterwards for the first round. Ringing today was slow, with a total of 9 birds caught, but we did get 2 beautiful juvenile Løvsanger (Willow Warblers), as well as a very fresh-looking juvenile Rørsanger (Reed Warbler). We were also visited by our lovely guests before the final round.

The beautiful juvenile Reed Warbler we caught today, showing a fresh wing.

Meanwhile Ragnar, Robbie, and Rosa were doing morning observations. They saw some unusual birds, such as Lærkefalk (Hobby) and Havørn (White-tailed Eagle). Today was a good day for gulls, with the observers spotting a Sorthovedet Måge (Mediterranean Gull) and 5 Dværgmåge (Little Gulls)! Other highlights included Dværgryle (Little Stint) and 2 very close Storstrubet Lom (Black-throated Divers).

After returning to the station, we rested a bit and entered the data. Simon arrived around 2pm, having been away for a few days for his brother’s bachelor party, and together we went through some pictures we had taken of birds while he had been gone. We discussed the ageing and sexing of a Rødstjert (Common Redstart) and a Blåhals (Bluethroat) and refreshed our understanding of how these birds moult.

Lucas cooked us a delicious dinner and Ragnar has now begun baking a cake. As the evening progresses, we will try once again to catch Stormsvale (Storm Petrels). Let’s all hope we’ll have good luck!

Ringing (Kabeltromlen):

Gærdesanger (Lesser Whitethroat): 1

Gransanger (Chiffchaff): 1

Kærsanger (Marsh Warbler): 3

Løvsanger (Willow Warbler): 2

Rørsanger (Reed Warbler): 2

Total: 9

People at the station: Simon S. Christiansen, Lucas Corneliussen, Rosa Hicks, Ragnar Smith, Robbie Lawler, Joe Zeno, Asia Kane, Nils and Jette

Link to today’s observations from observers in the area

Waking up at 03:30 AM, Asia and I headed out to Kabeltromelen for another day of ringing. We were able to get all the nets open on time and we were then joined by former guests Jeppe and Linda Rørbæk. Jeppe was eager to join us for rounds today, so we suited him up with a pair of waders and headed out on a round once Rosa arrived. The first round was still quite dark with the heavy cloud cover, and unfortunately Jeppe and I did not find any birds in our nets -- but Rosa and Asia arrived back to the ringing site with not ONE but TWO different Water Rails (Vandrikse). I had previously missed out on ringing the last few individuals caught at Kabeltromelen for one reason or another, so I was quite excited to catch them.

Vandrikse (Water Rail)

One was an adult and the other a hatch year (1k). The rest of the ringing morning was quite slow with a mere 6 new passerines and a single recapture. The highlight of which was a 1k Tree Pipit (Skovpiber). 

Skovpiber (Tree Pipit)

On the observation front, Joe was once again not feeling too well so he did not join for very long, but Robbie and Ragnar stood strong for the duration of the counting period at Worlds End 3. Despite a relatively slow morning, they were happy to see the (somewhat resident) Crested Lark (Toplærke), a beautiful alternate plumage Little Stint (Dværgryle) and a nice flock of 19 Common Snipe (Dobbeltbekkasin). 

The crew arrived back at the station at around 10:00 AM and had a quick morning meeting to plan the rest of the day. Robbie, Ragnar and I headed out to Elle Krattet soon thereafter and had relatively few birds with the storm brewing from the south while Rosa cycled south of Skagen to chase the Swallowtails (Svalehale) - successfully. During the rain, the crew entered in their data from the day and completed the remaining quality assurance checks from the recent week. Fortunately, the rain was short lived and the crew headed out to Grenen to check the beach for downed migrants. Not much was around, but two 1k Little Gull (Dværgmåge) and a dark morph Arctic Skua (Almindelig Kjove) stole the show. 

Dværgryle (Little Stint)

Dværgmåge (Little Gull)

In the evening, we did a quick check of the beach and went for a quick swim - swimming streak day 10! (it was significantly colder today haha). Robbie made a great chili dinner which was perfect for a cooler evening. And so another day passes at Skagen Fuglestation. What will tomorrow bring? We will have to wait and see!

Vi Ses!

Ringing (Kabeltromelen)

Water Rail (Vandrikse) - 2

Blackcap (Munk) - 1

Common Chiffchaff (Gransanger) - 2

Reed Warbler (Rørsanger) - 1

Marsh Warbler (Kærsanger) - 1

Tree Pipit (Skovpiber) - 1

Total: 8

Link to today's observations from observers in the area

People at SKAF: Lucas Corneliussen, Ragnar Smith, Rosa Hicks, Robbie Lawler, Asia Kane, Joe Zeno, Jeppe & Linda Rørbæk

Up again early in the morning after a night of ringing which resulted in a recapture of a juvenile Nightjar (Natravn), but no European Storm Petrel (Lille Stormsvale). Trying to catch European Storm Petrels in Skagen has begun to share a stark resemblance to the Greek myth of Sisyphus, who as a punishment from the gods of Olympus, was forced to roll a large boulder up to the top of a hill, only to have the boulder roll down to the bottom, repeating for eternity. But we will try again at some point, weather permitting.

Not hindered by lack of sleep the ringers went to the Kabeltromlen while me and Robbie went to Worlds End 3 to do the standardized counting. In my hubris I didn’t bring a coat thinking I wouldn’t need and was punished for it with a relatively cold morning and a not all too exciting morning obs, though with some good highlights such as Little Gull (Dværgmåge) 1k, Caspian Gull (Kaspisk Måge) 1k and the “local” Crested Lark (Toplærke) that has been visiting the tip for almost a month now, though we have yet to find where it spends it day when not doing its almost daily trip to Grenen.

Worlds End 3

Kabeltromlen had a day where quality over quantity was the slogan with a very nice 1st winter male Bluethroat (Blåhals), probably white-spotted (Sydlig), as the first red-spotted (Nordlig) are usually found around 5-10th september as they migrate from the mountains in Northern Scandinavia. A funny episode was a Common Kingfisher (Isfugl) that flew with full force into one of the nets, but due to the speed it was going at, it bounced out of the net and kept flying!

1st winter male Bluethroat (Blåhals)

1st winter Common Redstart (Rødstjert)

When we came back to station it was time to do the weekly cleaning session, but with six people at the station it was a short affair, got to keep it nice and tidy. After that everyone except me, went into the city to meet up with Lisa to get some ice cream and do some shopping. I went to Stokmilen just south of Skagen to see the two Swallowtails (Svalehale) that have been hanging out on top the dune for almost a week now and look for Silver-spotted Skipper (Kommabredpande), both two very rare butterfly species that I have wanted to see for a long time. And to put it shortly, the photos speak for themselves.

Swallowtail (Svalehale)

Silver-spotted Skipper (Kommabredpande)

After that we cooked some dinner and went for a short evening obs at Sandormsvinget and that was the end of the day as everyone were spent and another day was waiting.

Evening Obs from Alex's Dune

Ringing (Kabeltromlen)

Gærdesmutte (Eurasian Wren): 1

Bluethroat (Bluethroat): 1

Rødstjert (Common Redstart): 1

Rørsanger (Eurasian Reed Warbler): 5

Gærdesanger (Lesser Whitethroat): 2

Tornsanger (Common Whitethroat): 4

Munk (Blackcap): 1

Gransanger (Eurasian Chiffchaff): 1

Musvit (Great Tit): 1

Total: 17

People at the station: Ragnar Smith, Lucas Corneliussen, Asia Kane, Rosa Hicks, Robbie Lawler, Joe Zeno

Link to today's observations from observers in the area