A breezy day

Tuesday dawned windy and bright as expected. The wind was so strong that there was definitely no chance of ringing so James and I set out on a long observation walk - through Skagen reserve, out to Vest Fyr (West Lighthouse) and along Nordstrand (North Beach). Not a lot of passerines were brave enough to show their faces in this weather but we did see a Woodcock (Skovsneppe) the first of the season, along the path in the reserve. There were plenty of Fieldfare (Sjagger) and Redwing (Vindrossel) about too.

Sea birds on the other hand are certainly not afraid of the wind, and there were lots of things on the move out on a wild, rolling ocean. An hour's sea watching saw us count 340 migrating Common Scoter (Sortand), 125 migrating Razorbills (Alk) Velvet Scoter (Flojlsand), Fulmar (Mallemuk), Black Guillemot (Tejst), Great Skua (Storkjove) Kittiwake (Ride) and of course plenty of Gannets (Sule). A Leach's Storm Petrel (Stor Stormsvale) and Great Northern Diver (Islom) were also reported by other birdwatchers today.

James being blown around on the beach at Nordstrand

Helga and Kristian took a walk around Elle Krattet, Nordstrand and along the Tractor Track to the tip. They saw a variety of passerines in the more sheltered areas, including Bearded Tit (Skaegmejse). After making us a delicious dinner of chicken meatballs and bulgur wheat salad, they joined us for a spot of night catching. Our sighting of woodcock earlier in the day had made Simon hungry to find one tonight. They typically like to feed on open grassy spaces, so we found ourselves running around local horse fields and football pitches in search of this enigmatic bird. A false alarm (tufts of brown grass) got the adrenaline pumping but ultimately, we came home empty handed. Hopefully Simon will have more luck later in the season when there are more to be found.

People: Sarah Bedford, James Butcher, Helga & Kristian Rudolf and Simon S. Christiansen.