Although not required to, Kalina and I woke up before 4am to do a morning migratory count for seabirds at Grenen. It was windy, so luckily there was a distinct lack of mosquitoes. There was also a distinct lack of warmth, despite the presence of the sun and no clouds. The count started out as usual, a couple hundred Sortand (Common Scoter) flying by in either direction and some gulls and terns roosting near the dunes. Once again, Almindelig Kjove (Arctic Skua) made their presence known to the terns on the beach by harassing them. As the hours drew by, migration rapidly slowed. Despite the wind, the numbers of passing birds was quite slow, so we decided to count the roosting birds and leave after just three hours. On my return to the lighthouse, I spotted two Spætmejse (Eurasian Nuthatch) in flight and calling above me.

Kalina and I went back home to nap, and I didn't get up again until nearly 1pm. I took the free time I had to clear out the attic of the laboratory and take the waste cans and bottles to the town. Later on I cleaned up and cooked dinner. 

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

Skagen People: Seán Walsh, Kalina Siwek, Simon S. Christiansen, Jesper & Margrit

Today, we woke up for 8 am for breakfast with all the lighthouse staff. The restaurant staff prepared a delicious breakfast for everyone working and living in the lighthouse, so that we could all meet each other. Shortly after, me, Sean and Simon headed out to the Cormorant Lake with the intention of counting cormorants. It started raining, so we ran some errands and came back when the weather cleared up. On the way, we saw a mother squirrel with her baby!

At around 10 am we were counting the adult, 2nd year and juvenile cormorants on the site, as well as the active nests there. There was around 195 cormorants in total. We also saw two red-necked grebes, a breeding pair, as well as some coots and mallards. We also observed a red kite and a hobby! After the cormorant count, we came back to the lighthouse. Me, Sean and Simon all did some admin work, like inputting and organzing data. Towards the evening, I headed out to explore Skagen, and see the port, the old town and the beach. I also saw two young kestrels hunting. Around 6 pm, we had dinner with Jens and Margrit.

Skagen People: Seán Walsh, Kalina Siwek, Simon S. Christiansen, Jesper & Margrit

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

What has been your best experiences, both special events, but also across the whole season?

My best day of the spring was undoubtedly June 14^th - the day we caught both the Blyth’s Reed Warbler and the Paddyfield Warbler. In a weird twist of fate, I had delivered a presentation on Acrocephalus warbler identification and ageing just the day before and then to catch both these species and put all those skills into practice was brilliant. I was particularly proud of how, as the C permit ringer in charge that day, I handled the situation with identifying both the species, taking all the measurements and wing formula and putting the news out.

Did you make the right guess? Lauren holds a Firecrest (Rødtoppet Fuglekonge), which is not very frequent at Skagen.

Throughout the season, I have enjoyed the morning observations the most. It has been incredible seeing tons of Pallid Harriers, Rough-legged Buzzards and Honey Buzzards (species I would never see in this number back home in the UK) as well as thousands of Yellow Wagtails, Whooper Swans and migrating finches.

What has been your biggest surprise?

I think my biggest surprise has been the amount of responsibility I have taken on at the station. I was given my C ringing permit in early May and have, since then, led both the ringing at Kabeltromlen and CES multiple times a week. I sometimes found it challenging, especially when managing lots of visitors and volunteers who are completely new to ringing but I definitely learnt a lot during this process.

A Day at the Office at ”Kabeltrolmlen”. All birds caught are measured and weighed. Here, Lauren works together with Michael Colley from Gambia and Jeppe Madsen from Århus.

What is your most important take home meeting?

I think volunteering at Skagen Fuglestation has helped me massively improve as a birder. As I mentioned, I enjoyed the observations in late April and early May the most and I have grown so much more confident identifying a wide range of species on call as well as identifying distant raptors.

What will be your main birding focus in the next months/years?

I will be starting a PhD in September studying foraging and chick growth in Manx Shearwaters and so my main birding focus will be conducting fieldwork on a remote Welsh island and GPS tagging adult birds as well as monitoring nests, feeds and chick growth. In my spare time I will be joining a new ringing group who focus on canon-netting waders and I hope to progress to my British C permit.

What has particularly triggered your curiosity the most?

I have been particularly interested in the identification, ageing, numbers and movements of the raptors through Skagen. I have seen many new raptors species here, including Eagles, Harriers, Griffon Vulture and Red-footed Falcons, and I have thoroughly enjoyed learning to identify and age these species. I have also been interested in the change in the populations of the species which migrate through Skagen and speaking to local birders who say, for example, the numbers of Rough-legged Buzzards in Skagen is now just a fraction of those which used to pass through.

Where do you see the potential for the station for further development?

I would have liked to have more lectures and taught sessions. Remember Simon gave us an excellent session on Phylloscopus Warbler identification and ageing and I gave a presentation on Acrocephalus Warbler (where I definitely learnt a lot whilst making it). I found these sessions extremely helpful and I think it would be great to incorporate even more of that kind.

Lauren Evans is 22 years and from Bristol, England. In 2022, Lauren completed her Bachelor in Biology, and since then she has worked with bird monitoring and ringing at the Shetland, Orkney and Faroe Islands. She has a particular interest in Seabirds and Raptors.

A happy bird ringer with a Buzzard (light phase), before a GPS sender is mounted.

Note: All volunteers at Skagen Fuglestation are involved in the bird ringing activities. Bird ringing licenses are issued by the national Danish Authority on this topic, the Natural History Museum at University of Copenhagen. Some of the volunteers are very new in this, others have substantial experience, e.g. 32-year old Michael Colley from Gambia has for several years been involved in the bird ringing at Kartong Bird Observatory. He came to Skagen as part of the international network, which Skagen Fuglestation is part of. After ending his stay at Skagen, he is now back in Gambia, where he will take part in a project about Vulture Conservation.

Note: alle frivillige ved Skagen Fuglestation involveres i ringmærkningen. Det er Statens Naturhistoriske Museum, der udsteder ringmærkningstilladelserne. Nogle frivillige er nye udi i ringmærkningens verden, mens andre allerede har en lang erfaring med sig i bagagen, f.eks. har 32 årige Michael Colley fra Gambia i over ti år hjulpet til ved ringmærkningen på Kartong Fuglestation. Han kom til Skagen som en del af det internationale samarbejde Fuglestationen har med andre lignende fuglestationer. Han er nu tilbage i Gambia, hvor næste trin for ham bliver at lave projekt med gribbe.

I woke up late today. After days of minimal sleep and 3am starts, my body needed an extra few hours to correct itself. No birding was done in the morning, and instead Kalina and I focused on the admin work that needed doing. Simon then invited us to go twitching with him to see the Steppe Stor Tornskade.

Our journey to Hirtshals started at the same time as yesterday; 3pm. Simon drove Kalina and I from the station to once again try for the Steppe Stor Tornskade (Steppe Great Grey Shrike). Without detouring to see a Havørn (White-tailed Eagle) nest this time, we arrived about ten minutes ahead of our time yesterday. Those ten minutes appeared to be crucial to being able to see the bird, because not long after that the bird disappeared again behind some bushes and wasn't seen for a while. In those ten minutes, many observers got very nice views of the bird. Simon determined that it was in moult and was potentially likely to stay for an extended period.

We didn't spend as long in Hirtshals this time, considering we got to see the bird. When we got back to the station, Simon and I just focused on cheaking the ringing logs from the previous months and Kalina took a walk, and cooked dinner.

Skagen People: Seán Walsh, Kalina Siwek, Simon S. Christiansen, Jesper & Margrit

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

Today,  we began the day at 3.30 am. By 4:15, Sean and I met with Knud Pedersen at Grenen to begin the morning count. We spent about 3 hours counting migrant and resident birds. We saw arctic skuas, arctic and common terns, scoters, cormorants, gannets, a kestrel on land and two rare caspian terns. By 7.00 am a fog came in and we headed down the beach to look at roosting terns and gulls and read and record their color rings to report later. We went back to the lighthouse at 10:00 am. Sean and Simon worked on recording data from the previous weeks’ ringing.

At around 15:00 Simon, Sean and I were taken by Oluf Lou to Hirtshals to look for a stepped great shrike. It is a rare sighting and it was recorded in Hirtshals that morning. We only got a glimpse of it before it flew away. Much to Simon's dismay, the bird had disappeared while he was still taking out his optics. We spent more than two hours there, looking for the shrike on behalf of Simon, but it started raining and the search was unsuccessful. We were back at the lighthouse for 18:30. The volunteers had a meeting with Simon to debrief and make a plan for the following day.

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

Skagen People: Sean Walsh, Kalina Siwek, Simon S. Christiansen, Jesper & Margrit 

I left the station this morning early to do a morning count at Grenen. Leaving at 03:45, 45 minutes before sunrise, I thought that I might be spared of the mosqitoes. Even normally they're not usually present right outside the door all the way to the beach. My brief, 20 minute walk led to many bites and much discomfort during a usually comfortable walk/cycle.

I spent the next 4 and a bit hours standing almost in the one spot at World's End 3, Grenen. There was little wind and the sunrise made for a beautiful morning. Of course, it also made for some difficult birding. The main roost at that time was mostly sat directly in front of the sunrise. While I could mostly discern species from species by size and some colour, the silhouettes of birds made identification of one particular problem gull an issue. In the end I decided to leave it, assuming it to be the more common option, Ride (Black-legged Kittiwake). Aside from my difficulties with this bird, there was some nice migratory passage of other birds; 1 Hjejle (Golden Plover), 1 Gravand (Shelduck) and 1 Tinksmed (Wood Sandpiper). These three birds were new for me in Denmark. As I left, I also came across a 'flock' of sorts of young Kestrels who didn't seem very wary of me.

Aside from birding, Simon and I welcomed the new guests next door into our routine with the daily meeting and shared some of the delicious cake they brought. Later in the evening a new volunteer Kalina, also from Galway, joined me so I'm not alone working at the station anymore for the time being. 

Link to todays observations from observers in the area

People: Seán Walsh, Kalina Siwek, Simon S. Christiansen and our guests Jesper & Margit. 

Today we said goodbye to the guests of the past week, Lars and Janne. It was nice to have them around and I enjoyed going birdwatching and ringing with them both.

Around the afternoon at peak heat, I decided to brave the unrelenting sun to go birdwatching at Grenen. Not to anyone's surprise, there were no birds to speak of to be seen on the beach or sea at that time of day. That's not to say there weren't interesting birds seen earlier in the day, though. There was some nice wader passage and some raptors seen.

I didn't do much all day except some weekly cleaning, greeting the new guests and cooking myself dinner.

You can find a list of today's observations here.

Skagen Fuglestation: Seán Walsh.

The day started with Lars and I getting up at 4am to go roostcounting at Grenen, and the sighting of a Storkjove (Great Skua) flying along the waves. Today there was also lots of Almindelig Kjove (Arctic Skuas) both migrating west and being a menace to the local gulls and terns. Continuing our exploration, we came across a group of Rødrygget Tornskade (Red-backed Shrike) foraging and calling amidst the shrubs. One of these birds was ringed, although we couldn't make the number out the bird appeared to be ringed by Skagen Fuglestation. 

We returned home after a few hours to rest and eat (many thanks to Lars and Janne for lunch), and later went to Flagbakken to count raptors. We were blessed with a (distant) sighting of a Havørn (White-tailed Eagle) and many Hvepsevåge and Musvåge. Lars and I were also delighted to have spotted and heard some Kernebider (Hawfinch) in the forest, near some Dompap (Bullfinch) and Topmejser (Crested Tit). Although there wasn't much diversity in our raptor count, we considered our little trip south to Flagbakken a success for the little birds.

A list of today's sightings can be viewed here.

Skagen Fuglestation: Seán Walsh, Lars & Janne.

In a nice twist, the weather was very nice today. The sun showed itself for most of the day without many clouds, and the wind wasn't as strong as the last few days. It topped off at 17 degrees Celsius which made raptor watching a good choice for me as the morning warmed up. I went to Saftevandsbakken around 10am, just as the raptors seemed to be appearing. I was very lucky to spot a small gathering of Musvåge and Hvepsevåge (Common and Honey Buzzard). Among them, in the distance, was a larger bird, that I later identified as the Steppeørn (Steppe Eagle)! It was a new bird for me to see, though the other volunteers and birdwatchers in the area told me it was to be expected as it had returned consecutively with the warm weather since May. Unfortunately though, I wasn't totally blessed with the weather. After just an hour of raptor watching, the winds changed and became a bit unfavourable and most of the birds of prey I did see were actually returning south.

After finishing up watching the raptors go by, I made my way to Grenen for the first time in a couple days. I sat at one of the World's End seawatching sites on the dunes at first, where I saw a Rød Glente (Red Kite), Tårnfalk (Common Kestrel) and a Hvepsevåge. Afterwards I headed to the beach, where I came across a large, mixed roosting flock of terns and gulls. I counted over 400 total terns and gulls. Among them were some waders, such as an Almindelig Ryle (Dunlin) and a Mudderklire (Common Sandpiper). I also saw two Almindelig Kjove (Arctic Skua) from the beach.

 You can find a list of today's observations here.

Skagen Fuglestation: Seán Walsh, Lars & Janne.

It's strange to think that I have made some new great friends in just a week here at Skagen Bird Station. After having spent just one week with Lauren, Dante and Søren at the observatory, I feel like I have gained some new great friends. Today I said goodbye to all three of my new friends as they went home, leaving me alone at the bird station until Simon comes back and the new volunteer arrives on the 10th. Although my stay with them has been short, I am very grateful to Lauren for showing me all of the intricacies of ringing birds and to Dante for his knowledge of the general birding of Skagen. To Søren, I am grateful for his friendship and for him showing me all of the local birding sites nearby. In the end they have all taught me something.

The morning was slow for birding due to the poor weather and my fellow volunteers leaving the bird observatory. I went to Grenen in the afternoon to go search for some Kjove, with no luck. I was later informed by Lars that he saw an Arctic Skua from the lighthouse, but the Lille Kjove (Long-tailed Skua) seems to have left us for good. I was also blessed with a Red-throated Diver flying close to the shore. As I left Grenen, I spotted something sticking out of the dunes close to the beach. It turned out to be the skull of a dolphin, with the first vertebrae attached and missing the lower jaw. I brought it back on my bicycle to be cleaned at the laboratory at the station.

Later in the evening, Lars and Janne were very kind to invite me to join them for dinner in Skagen town and we had a great time trying local Danish food, beer and Snaps.

A list of today's observations can be viewed here.