A Short-eared Owl and other surprises

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