God morgen friends, today I joined Magnus at the count for a change! The extra sleep felt incredible, and the whole walk to World’s End 1 was very scenic. It felt as though my energy had doubled… or maybe even tripled! Unfortunately, I did not have much of an outlet for all my newfound energy, as there was very, VERY, little to count this morning. As Magnus said, “the spring migration is officially over.” But not only that, a couple birds (including a Sparrowhawk - Spurvehøg) were even seen migrating South. Does this mean Autumn migration is already beginning? 

Look how beautiful and green Grenen is now!

A couple of highlights from the count this morning were a Golden Oriole (Pirol) and a Little Stint (Dværgryle - sadly we did not see this one though). I was happy to click away some of the regular Chaffinches (Bogfinke) and Magnus was excited to see quite a few Northern Fulmars (Mallemuk). Magnus also spent some time trying to teach me the Danish æ, ø, and å, and I tried my best to pronounce all the bird names correctly. I also got to hold some fun beetles including two weevils and a Black Snail Beetle (Phosphuga atrata - or Snegleådselbillen in Danish). 

Black Snail Beetle (Phosphuga atrata - Snegleådselbillen).

Magnus counting ALL the birds.

The ringers had a more productive day, with quite a few birds in the early rounds. The highlight of their day being a male Hawfinch (Kernebider - we have only caught females thus far!) along with a female, what a cute pair of lovebirds. 

Female (left) and male (right) Hawfinch (Kernebider). Photo by Simon Kiesé. 

I joined Seán, Hayley, and Simon at Kabeltromlen after Magnus and I finished the count, and got to see a nice adult male Chaffinch (Bogfinke) before helping close the nets. Jørgen Hulbæk, who was birdwatching at Kabeltromlen, also told us there were 6 Black Kites (Sort Glente) passing by and 1 Red Kite (Rød Glente), that was cool to see! A lot of raptors (Rovfugle) were flying rather low around the area. 

Simon (Sr) had a busy day too, joining us at Kabeltromlen and World’s End 1 in the morning, and then meeting up with an old school friend of his (who is also the son of our current guests). They went around and saw some birds - among them a Mantagu's Harrier and a very odd and big falcon without a tail. One that surely has escaped from captivity. It's a bit of a problem that falconeers can't manage to hold their hybrid birds away from escaping into the wild. It's something that happens too often. Anyway, they had a great day walking around on northern part of the peninsula.

Simon (Sr), his friend Rasmus, and our guest Jørn.

We also received news from Simon (Sr) about a great generosity which has been bestowed upon the station (in the form of a donation) from Melsen Fonden. With this donation, we can finally buy new bikes and a brand new scope for the station! We are all incredibly grateful (and excited), mange tak!

In the afternoon, Seán prepared a lovely vegetarian Paella for us, and Simon (Jr) went out on a small adventure. He came across many birds, including the Little Stint (Dværgryle) which we missed earlier today.

This time, unlike the last time I wrote the blog, I really think we will have an early night. We expect (and hope) tomorrow will be a busy day.

Ringing (Kabeltromlekrattet)

Reed Warbler (Rørsanger) - 2

Eurasian Blackcap (Munk) - 8

Lesser Whitethroat (Gærdesanger) - 2

Common Chaffinch (Bogfinke) - 2

Wren (Gærdesmutte) - 2

Robin (Rødhals) - 1

Marsh Warbler (Kærsanger) - 2

Icterine Warbler (Gulbug) - 1

Common Whitethroat (Tornsanger) - 3

Hawfinch (Kernebider) - 2

Total: 25

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, Jørgen Hulbæk, Jørn and Marianne

And with this blog title it should be obvious, what the daily blog should be related to: cake!

If there is one thing, we volunteers love even more than birds, it is cake!

Strawberry cake, chocolate cake, we are very tolerant for all the variety of cake, but if you want to do us a favor, you know how to do it now. 

Finally, it should be a good day for cake migration. At the cake count at pie end 1 there were not many birds at all, but a Great Nothern Cake - ehm Diver - (Islom) in breeding plumage (with whip creme) passed by and gave nice views. Still hungry we continued the count at Kabeltromlen, because a rare cake was caught in the nets. Jørgen Hulbæk visited us and brought a good cake, this made the low numbers in the count very acceptable. In the meanwhile, the ringers - ehm bakers - were following the recipie and doing net checks. There were more birds than yesterday including one Spotted Flycatcher (Grå Fluesnapper) and a very pretty Marsh Warbler (Kærsanger). 

The cherry on the cake should follow soon: a Red-breasted Flycatcher (Lille Fluesnapper). Look at this cuty:

It is already the second one, we could ring this year. The white pattern and the small size are very characteristis in this species. A fun thing was that is had a pronounced brood patch. Not because it's breeding but brood patch is among some species developed homonally when the breeding period comes.

Brood Patch on the Red-breasted Flycatcher 

After taking a nap, the afternoon started the same for everyone of us: doing data entry and getting up to date with all the administrative tasks, so we do not have to do them on the hopefully more busy next days. I worked on the quality check of our entered data. This is a very important task and it gives you a nice overview about the data we collect in the counts.

Then it was time to celebrate - the Lesser Kestrel (Lille Tårnfalk), Isis birthday and maybe even Jørgen Hulbæks birthday again?

For this Simon Sr. brought Champagne and the typical danish Strawberry Cake (it is amazing!!). It was very nice and the mood is like always - in contrast to our amount of sleep - on a high level. 

From Sweden we recived a picture from the Chairman of the Board of our Bird Observatory; Niels Eriksen. He is right now on Öland visiting our friends at Ottenby Bird Observatory. We hope you have a nice trip there!

Niels Eriksen at Ottenby Bird Observatory on the southern point of Öland, Sweden.

Ringing (Kabeltromlekrattet):

Total: 19

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, Jørgen Hulbæk, Jørn and Marianne.

Divide and conquer was the plan today with the station team splitting into three groups for the morning field tasks. And conquer we did!

Magnus was at World’s End 1 for the count and saw the first immature Arctic Skua (Almindelig Kjove) of the season. There was also a Corn Bunting (Kornværling) and several Rosefinches (Karmindompap).

Simon Jr, Seán and Oluf were nearby at Kabeltromlen and had a fairly quiet morning. Their ringing highlights were a Tree Pipit (Skovpiber), Bullfinch (Dompap) and Spotted Flycatcher (Grå Fluesnapper).

Isis and I went to Skarvsøen for the third CES session of the season. Simon Sr also joined us with Emma Ellis, a visiting bird ringer from France and we were very happy to see the pair of Ferruginous Ducks (Hvidøjet And) flying over Skarsøen. Between rounds Simon heard a Blyth’s Reed Warbler (Buskrørsanger) singing in the bushes near our nets so got out his recorder. Then the bird stopped singing. We were a little confused about why but then checked the nearby net and realised it had stopped singing because we had caught it!

Blyth’s Reed Warbler (Buskrørsanger)

Simon Sr took lots of measurements to confirm the species whilst Simon Jr ran at lightning speed from Kabeltromlen to see the bird, as did Jørgen from Nordstrand. It is only the third of this species to be caught by the station since 2017!

It was particularly interesting to compare the Blyth’s Reed Warbler (Buskrørsanger) with a Reed Warbler (Rørsanger) which we had also caught. On the right you can see that the Blyth’s Reed Warbler (Buskrørsanger) which has a greyer plumage and a strong supercilium. It also has short wings (a short primary projection) and a long beak.

Reed Warbler (Rørsanger) – Blyth’s Reed Warbler (Buskrørsanger)

Otherwise it was also quiet for us at the CES site. As Isis and I were closing the nets, the clouds were starting to roll in and rumbles of distant thunder could be heard; as we cycled back the rain started and we got absolutely soaked!

After drying off and refuelling, data was entered and with the rain now stopped Magnus headed off on an entomology trip with a friend to look for a rare spider which they were very pleased to eventually find. A bit later in the afternoon a Short-toed Eagle (Slangeørn) was reported south of Skagen so of course Seán, the two Simons, Mette and I all sprinted to Simon Sr’s car to try and see it. We stopped at several places on our way south and searched the sky but unfortunately didn’t see the bird.

Short-toed Eagle (Slangeørn) by Jeppe Therkildsen Madsen.

We didn’t have much time to keep searching as we had to return to the station to ring a Tawny Owl (Natugle) chick from the Jerup Rescue Centre. It was a very fluffy stinky little thing!

Tawny Owl (Natugle)

And then an unexpected visitor was found walking in the lighthouse shop, a Feral Pigeon which Knud has now taken to look after.

We hope it likes its new home!

Ringing (Kabeltromlekrattet):

Total: 19

CES Ringing (Skarvsøen):

Total: 14

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, Oluf Lou, Emma Ellis, Jørgen Hulbæk, Jørn and Marianne.

Simon and I went up an hour later than the ones that put up the nets for ringing, because we went for the count. We had breakfast together with Freya, before heading out for counting birds. Simon by bike and I by foot, because we are low on bikes. There was fog in the air. Quite a lot actually. We could barely see the sea, and that’s why we decided to move down to Kabeltromlen, where we could hear and see the passerines even better.

After four hours of counting, it was clear to us that it was one of the slowest days of the year so far, and that not even the passerines were migrating in high numbers. But we were able to participate in the ringing and mostly just see what they caught. Unfortunately, it was quite slow as well, but with a nice variety of species. Among the species were the Redbacked Shrike, which mostly are seen from distance. Also a sparrowhawk showed up, which always is a nice species in hand.

Sparrowhawk 2. calender year, male. Poto by Simon Kiesé.

Redbacked Shrike. Photo by Simon Kiesé.

In the afternoon, the weather turned better and the migration increased. My family and friends came by to invite me for lunch at a restaurant in town. I gave them a room tour at the lighthouse, before we had coffee and cake in the garden. Unfortunately, the weather turned bad after a few hours, and turned into a thunderstorm at the end.

The late afternoon and evening was spent with data entering and having a nice dinner, with SK as the chef.

We said hi to the new guests in the apartment, Jørn and Marianne, and bye to Kirsten and Freya.

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, Kirsten, Jørn and Marianne.

Ringmærkning (Kabeltromlen)

Spurvehøg (Sparrowhawk) 1

Rødrygget Tornskade (Redbacked Shrike) 1

Solsort  (Blackbird) 1

Gulbug (Icterine Warbler)1

Tornsanger (Common Whitethroat) 3

Bogfinke (Chaffinch) 6

Munk  (Blackbird) 3

Sum: 16

This morning the other volunteers and I bravely woke up to begin our morning duties as professional mosquito breakfasts. To add to our pain, midgets/knats had also mass spawned the day after some mild wet weather, completely eating alive any part of our uncovered (and sometimes even our covered) bodies. It was completely not worth it on the migration counting side of things. The most exciting time of the morning was when four Sortstrubet Lom (Black-throated Divers) flew right over our heads. Later, a little after 7am, Simon found an Orca which later turned out to be one of three in Skagerak, which were the first to be seen from Grenen this year. Simon also managed to guide a research ship in the area close to the Orcas, though unfortanately they couldn't get a biological sample. They did manage to get some pictures which were enough to identify each individual uniquely.

Foto af Olga Filatova, Syddansk Universitet

The ringers could only have been subject to more torture than us counters at World's End, with zero birds in some of the net check rounds. There were some cool birds though; notably a Landsvale (Barn Swallow) and a Blåhals, ssp. cyanecula (White-spotted Bluethroat) - the first colorful male ringed in Skagen of this subspecies.

Later in the day, Simon SC and I went to the Naturmødet in Hirtshals to see the various stalls and talks. We participated in a Danish gull quiz, and because of my lack of proficiency in Danish, proceeded to get 9th place, which isn't horrible. We also met with Simon's family while we were there, at which point the conference became a little less nature oriented and more food and beer oriented which was very fun.

Proof of me third-wheeling Simon's family while looking like the main character.

Ringing (Kabeltromlekrattet)

Reed Warbler (Rørsanger) 1

Marsh Warbler (Kærsanger) 2

Icterine Warbler (Gulbug) 3

Garden Warbler (Havesanger) 3

Bluethroat (Blåhals) 1

Spotted Flycatcher (Grå Fluesnapper) 1

Common Redstart (Rødstjert) 1

Lesser Whitethroat (Gærdesanger) 3

Common Whitethroat (Tornsanger) 1

Willow Warbler (Løvsanger) 1

Common Chaffinch (Bogfinke) 2

Barn Swallow (Landsvale) 1

Total: 20

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

Sum of observations of raptors on DOFbasen from today

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

It did not seem like promising weather today with both rain and mist in the early morning but we were all up with our usual early alarms hoping for the best. Although Simon Jr and Magnus did not stay at World’s End 1 for long, they counted an impressive 65 Dunlin (Almindelig Ryle) and also saw three Black-throated Divers (Sortstrubet Lom) roosting in the Kattegat. Due to the low numbers of birds migrating and the increasing fog over the sea, they then joined us at Kabeltromlen instead. It was very fun to have all five of us in one place for once! We started Isis’ birthday celebrations early with plenty of cookies!

Simon and Magnus continued the count from Kabeltromlen and counted two Rosefinches (Karmindompap) and five Golden Orioles (Pirol). The highlight however was a Turtle Dove (Turteldue) attempting to migrate. A great spot by Simon Jr! Sadly this species is declining across northern Europe; this was the first individual seen in Skagen since 2022.

Thanks to the change in weather conditions we finally had more birds in the ringing. Highlights were two Icterine Warblers (Gulbug), four Spotted Flycatchers (Grå Fluesnapper) and seven Pied Flycatchers (Bruget Fluesnapper). We also caught our first two Marsh Warblers (Kærsanger) in the ringing this spring.

Marsh Warbler (Kærsanger)

We also found a very interesting spider on the Kabeltromlen which, after some research, we found out was called ‘Pumpkin Spider’ in German and ‘Cucumber Spider’ (Agurkehjulspinder) in Danish and English. It’s colouration was stunning!

Cucumber Spider (Agurkehjulspinder)

On our way back to the station we bumped into Jørgen, Hans and Knud who had been out at World’s End 3 counting birds whilst also celebrating Bob Dylan’s birthday. We hear it was quite the party out there with music and plenty of cake! They very kindly gave us their leftover birthday cake, which was very very good, tak!

But it wasn’t just for Bob that we were celebrating today! As it is also Isis’s birthday (happy birthday Isisi!!) our party continued later in the afternoon with Simon Sr joining us with champagne, flags and singing the traditional Danish birthday song.

The rest of the afternoon was filled with raptor summaries, data entry, fixing bird bags and more birthday celebrations – the guitar came out and the party continued! We also received information about the colour-ringed Waxwings (Silkehale) which were read earlier in May in Skagen. The two birds were both originally ringed in Scotland in November 2023 and one was also re-sighted in Derbyshire, England in January this year. Fascinating stuff!

Ringing (Kabeltromlekrattet):

Total: 41

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, Kirsten Bregn.

Ahoy there friends, I don’t suppose you can guess what I have to say about the progression of our morning, given there has been no considerable change in the weather lately. That’s right, it was excruciatingly slow at best. That’s not to say we didn’t enjoy it, though. We started the day with two recaptured Blackbirds (Solsort), one male and one female. The female had a brood patch, and since they were next to each other in the net (and shared the same grumpy attitude) we assume they were a lovely young couple! We also got to watch a cruise ship float in from the distant ocean, into the Kattegat, and then dock at the Harbour. The town is full of life now!

The grumpy lovebirds.

After this, unfortunately, we had quite a few rounds with no birds. Our highest round (and the only ones we ringed so far) by 8 in the morning: 3 birds. We had started losing hope, so we decided to close half an hour earlier than usual… and what happened during the closing round fell right in line with the usual tomfoolery of the birds up here, 5 new birds! They really find a way to play with your toes, those feathered fiends. 

Though as compensation for the lack of birds, we did have two Wood Warblers (Skovsanger) today. Kirsten was very excited to be able to ring one of these vibrant little warblers. Considering how few birds we caught and ringed today, two Wood Warblers (Skovsanger) is quite good. 

And who doesn’t love looking at those little faces:

Wood Warbler (Skovsanger).

The count went as usual, with the main highlight being a singing Greenish Warbler (Lundsanger).

We also lost two of our team members today, Hayley and Simon (Jr), who have migrated to Gothenburg, Sweden in a most traitorous manner to enjoy a jazz concert, the station is very empty now. All jokes aside, we wish them a safe journey and lots of fun during their little field trip!

Hayley Land at Trafalgar Sqaurd. 

When we got back from the station, we immediately got to work entering data and checking sheets. Then we had a little bit of free time before Simon (Sr) came around to enter more data and check more sheets, but now all of that is done so we can focus on being out in the field the next few days as the birds (hopefully) pick up again!

I also spent some time updating the picture archive, so we don’t fall behind on that either.

Now the day is coming to a close, and Magnus is preparing dinner. It will be an early night for us at the station.

Catch us in the field!

UPDATE: We DID NOT in fact have an early night… As we neared the end of our dinner, Magnus received a Zello message from Erik Christophersen announcing a Lesser Kestrel (Lille Tårnfalk) by Storsig! This is only the 3rd record for Skagen, and a big wish list bird (and lifer) for me! Magnus was out in a flash, Seán and I were a bit slower, trying to see if we could catch it on foot first, before rushing back to get our bikes. 

In all the chaos, though, everybody was very glad to get a great look at this beautiful bird, along with a Red-Footed Falcon (Aftenfalk). Many pictures were taken, many new mosquito bites were received, and many happy birders paraded the streets. Now it nears 21:30, much beyond our bedtime. Let us dream of all sizes of Kestrels (Tårnfalk) as we prepare for the birdy days to come.

Lesser Kestrel (Lille Tårnfalk) and Red-Footed Falcon (Aftenfalk). Photo by: Magnus Houen Lauritsen.

Lesser Kestrel 2cy. Male with The Grey Lighthouse in the background. Video by Kent Olsen

Ringing (Kabeltromlekrattet)

Reed Warbler (Rørsanger) 1

Eurasian Blackcap (Munk) 1

Lesser Whitethroat (Gærdesanger) 1

Willow Warbler (Løvsanger) 1

Common Chaffinch (Bogfinke) 2

Wood Warbler (Skovsanger) 2

Total: 8

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, Kirsten Bregn

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):

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):

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.