Last day of summer (?)

Hej!

The anticipation for the last night of storm petrel catching was high, but it brought no rewards. Not a single bird was caught the entire night, leaving Rosa who was controlling the nets to occupy herself. After several coffees, she closed the nets just as Augustin and I were getting up at 5. We had better luck at Kabeltromlen, where we caught 12 birds. A reed bunting (Rørspurv) and a spotted flycatcher (Grå Fluesnapper) were the highlights in our nets today.

A young spotted flycatcher.

Between rounds, we were treated to a great view of a honey buzzard (Hvepsevåge) flying right over our heads, and in the distance, we spotted an osprey (Fiskeørn)—a first for me! Over at World’s End 3, migration was quiet, but Frederick and Ragnar spotted two ospreys, a hobby (Lærkefalk), a honey buzzard, and the first goldcrests (Fuglekonge) of autumn.

Nice sunrise at the observation point.

We didn’t have any tasks this afternoon, so everyone could enjoy the warm and sunny weather. After lunch and a quick nap, Ragnar and Frederick went birdwatching at Nordstrand, looking for warblers. Augustin spent three hours with his scope near Nordstrand, hoping to spot some raptors, and was lucky enough to see a hen harrier.

First year hen harrier (Blå Kærhøg)

Rosa also went for a walk, and I took a stroll into Skagen to explore the city like a real tourist—and treated myself to some ice cream.

A nice ice cream to reward me for my first whole week at the station.

In total we saw 9 different species of raptors today. The weather seems to be shifting, with a lot of rain expected tomorrow. We're looking forward to seeing what new observations and catches the change will bring!

Ringing (Kabeltromlen):

Solsort: 1

Rørsanger: 3

Grå Fluesnapper: 1

Munk: 3

Blåmejse: 2

Rørspurv: 1

Gransanger: 1

Total = 12

Link to todays observations in Skagen

People at the station: Ragnar Smith, Rosa Hicks, Simon Sigaard Christiansen, Augustin Sticksel, Frederik Johansen, Mara Glane