Lesser Kestrel and a concert in Sweden

Last night Hayley and I went to Göteborg (Sweden) for a concert. If you want to read about our big adventure, keep reading, but I will start to summarize what happened this morning in Skagen. 

 The remaining keen volunteers went out early as always to start the morning activities. After two hours the Lesser Kestrel (Lille Tårnfalk) was found again - foraging over the Reservatet like yesterday. Later it came to Grenen and showed up very nice for the counters + ringers. A Golden Oriole (Pirol) was kind enough too to give great views. Otherwise it was very quiet, so we look very forward to a weather change with westerly winds tomorrow.

 

 

The entire day a Red-breasted Flycatcher (Lille Fluesnapper) was singing at Ellekrattet, so even I as a late arrival had the chance to hear it.

 

Now to the adventure, Hayley and I have been on. It all started in winter, when I played a gig back home (I‘m a drummer) and for my effort the other musicians giftet me two concert tickets for ‚Mammal Hands‘ in Göteborg. I knew that it takes some effort to get there but I was very happy, that it kind of ‚forces‘ me to take a day off and see something new. I‘m a big fan of trips like this, but I‘m also very keen on not skip days in Skagen. In anyway, it was quite slow in Skagen so I was very happy, when Hayley and I took the train yesterday in early noon to Frederikshavn.

 

 

There we had to waste some time before we could go on the 3,5 hour ferry to Göteborg. It’s my first time in Sweden (and Hayley‘s first one she can remember - she has been in Sweden once as a small child), so it was very exciting. The people seemed nice, the atmosphere friendly, the weather sunny and warm and our mood great. So we walked to ‚nefertiti‘ - the jazz club, where the concert should take place. Mammal Hand‘s genre is modern jazz with many traditional and spiritual influences.

 

 

The concert was really fun and it was the first gig for the new drummer (who previously played with GoGoPenguin). Since I‘ve seen Mammal Hands before and back home we covered some of their pieces I am pretty familiar with their music. It was really nice so hear, how the new drummer implemented his own style and adapted to the other band members. It was Hayley’s first contact with the music but she was surprised in a positive way. Afterwards, I bought a tour shirt and chatted a bit with the band. Then we did something, we also usually don’t do in Skagen - we went to a restaurant. It was nice to eat burgers, which reminded me a lot on family vacations back home. Funnily, Mammal Hands turned up and just sat at the table next to us. Now it was 11pm, we were tired (I mean - we did not even skip morning ringing/obs). So we looked for a calm place to sleep. Our first stop was close to the water.

 

 

Here we could rest out a bit and I slept some minutes. Unfortunately, it got a bit cold ao we had to move on. Somewhere in the city we found more comfortable sitting and sleeping possibilities. Here I slept for maybe one hour, Hayley closed her eyes too but if she also went into the land of dreams you can discuss. At 3 am we walked to Slottsskogen - a park Simon Sr. recommended to us. It was very nice and the first birds started singing. Several pairs of Fieldfares (Sjagger) were around - a species we usually don’t have as breeding birds. Later Treecreeper (Træløber), several Wood Warblers (Skovsanger), a Pied Flycatcher (Broget Fluesnapper) and Penguins joined the party. Penguins?! Yeah, you read it right. Unfortunately, the Humboldt Penguins in Göteborg are just in captivity in the park, but it was interesting in anyway. They are super quick under water, jump out of the water and give funny calls. I‘m not a big fan of birds (and other animals) in captivity, but at least the Penguins which sat on their nests looked happy. In the next enclosure we saw an Elk cow with two youngsters. Now the sun rised and got reflected by our tired faces. The next stop was at a playground. It was fun and we ate a bit of the breakfast we bought yesterday right in time before the concert. The trip back worked out well so that we arrived a bit after 14pm in Skagen. After 35 hours hours awake which were just interrupted by short less-than-one-hour-naps we look very forward to lay down in our own bed again to be fit for the next morning activities tomorrow. What an adventure - it was a great trip, a great concert in a nice city. Skagen is great, but after 3 months it is also okay to see something different. So here we went!

 

Btw - a part of the others believed, that Hayley got sent off the ferry because of an invalid ID. It was a very entertaining prank. Does'nt it look convincing?

 

 

Chaffinch

Bogfinke

1

RI

Blackcap

Munk

1

RI

Reed Warbler

Rørsanger

2

RI

Lesser Redpoll

Lille Gråsisken

1

RI

Willow Warbler

Løvsanger

7

RI

Lesser Whitethroat

Gærdesanger

2

RI

Total: 14

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, Oluf Lou & Kirsten Bregn.