Migration count at Nordstrand and raptor spots tour with Jørgen

Good evening everyone,

After a couple of foggy mornings, we finally got the chance to see the light again as the sun was rising this morning. The wind is mainly to thank for that. As it was Southerly wind, we agreed with Knud to meet at Nordstrand this time as this is where most birds would end up passing by. Hanelie, Robbe and I biked there and took the path crossing the reeds. However, with the cold temperatures throughout the night, the ground was a bit frost and what had to happen happened: one of us slid and fell. The unlucky chosen one was Robbe whose bike tires did not appreciate the slippery wood planks and unfortunately ripped his trousers but quickly recovered with no injury. We still managed to make it to Nordstrand and we settled on the dunes, a bit lower down to have some protection from the wind.

There were more birds than we had seen in the past few observation counts which we really enjoyed. Also some species we had not seen yet since arriving, including a Pintail (Spidsand), a Eurasian Curlew (Storspove), two Woodcocks (Skovsneppe) and one Bar-tailed Godwit (Lille Kobbersneppe). Eurasian Teals (Krikand) were very numerous today and we also saw more raptors. A White-tailed Eagle (Havørn), which was probably the same one as yesterday passed by. We also saw a female Hen Harrier (Blå Kærhøg) from close up and some Red Kites (Rød glente) and Common Buzzards (Musvåge). Knud also took the time to teach us how to identify more easily some species or differentiate males and females. We also learnt from him that a sub-species of the Bar-tailed Godwit (Lille Kobbersneppe) migrates from Alaska to New Zealand without any stopovers. This is therefore the longest known non-stop avian flight.

Today’s observations in Dofbasen from observers in the area

After a quick lunch, Hanelie, Alice and Robbe met up with Jørgen who had proposed to drive us around to show the best birding spots around Skagen. I wish I could have gone but the tiredness took over me and instead I stayed at the station, started to enter the observations, and took a nap. In the meantime, Hanelie, Alice and Robbe discovered that it was Igor’s 7^th birthday! He seemed to treat one of Hanelie’s gloves as one of his birthday presents, carrying it proudly.

And thanks to Jørgen, they now know all the best spots to go to depending on the wind direction to observe birds and in particular raptors. He also explained that raptor migration here is a bit different than in most places as many raptors travel to the tip and end up turning around once they reach the sea. This can be quite nice as this way, if you missed it the first time, you might have the chance to spot it later.

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

Once everyone got back, Hanelie joined me for a nap session while Alice and Robbe drew with hot chocolates to warm them up. Afterwards, we met up with Elin and Jens who we could not see the past evening as our activities took longer than expected. They told us that yesterday they took the bike and went to Råbjerg Mile again. They saw the two resident Common Cranes (Trane) near Skagen on their way there. When they got back in the evening, they were tired from the long ride on the muddy path and decided to have an early night. And today, they spent the whole day in Skagen’s much appreciated Art Museum. They visited it years ago but couldn’t last year due to Corona and have been reading books about some of the authors exhibited there. They had lunch at Brøndums but had to eat outside in the cold.

After our evening meeting, we again had the chance to enjoy an amazing meal prepared by Elin and Jens. It included starters, charcuterie and cheese boards, risotto with tomato and zucchini, homemade bread, and some local pastries for dessert. The table was again nicely dressed up with flowers and candles and the atmosphere was very relaxed. It is safe to say all of our bellies were happy and full after that. As a result, Robbe showed us a “Digestion music” playlist that can do wonders apparently while we are finishing entering the data in DOFbasen. Tomorrow it will be our time to cook for our lovely guests and the standards are high so we hope to provide nice dishes everyone can enjoy.

I hope all of you also enjoyed your day and we recommend you take a walk to Nordstrand if you have the occasion tomorrow as you could hopefully see some cool birds.

Marion

People: Robbe Cool, Hanelie Sidhu, Alice Scalzo, Marion L'Huillier-Hunsinger, Jørgen Kabel & Igor, Elin and Jens Vrang.