Fox cubs in the flowers

Today began with an unusual and exciting morning...! Ringing started at 03:30 as usual, with Michele, Joakim, Rasmus and I heading out to open the nets. Our time out there was short lived however, as the sky decided to go wild!!! Big black clouds arrived bringing with them thunder and lightening all around us, and of course, ALOT of rain. Very very exciting!!!! But not exactly ideal for ringing. Though! We still managed to ring a few birds before the weather hit!! So a successful morning all the same.

Dante and Marie, who had left a little later for to go observing, also were defeated by the storm.. Staying out in the open at worlds end with metal tripods while lightening zips around is not so appealing!!!! We all headed back to the observatory.  This meant we got a litttle bit of extra sleep which is always welcome with such early mornings!!! Our lovely guests, quite sensibly, woke up to the sounds of the storm, and stayed in to sleep in the warm and dry tilll it passed!! The weather soon turned and became really lovely!!! Marie, took her chance and headed out to search again for Snipe/Vibe chicks. Sadly nothing this time..!! They are good at hiding! But an adult pair hanging around still, aswell as a Tarnfalk… probably also looking for Vibe chicks!

Heading out into the sun, the guests headed out to Grenen for a while and saw lots of birds! They then took a walk out to Nordstand and around the Skarv colony. Very strange to see it empty still!! This is a bit of a mystery to us for now…. They were very happy to see three seals though!!! A youngster on the beach, and adults watching from the sea.

Wednesday is cleaning day.. So once all back at the observatory, we got down to it!!!! We had two very large tour groups today, and so we also spent some time chatting with them. I spent some of the afternoon planning for a little Bird/field drawing course/demonstration which will happen this sunday at 16:00 in the birders club!!! After running around on the beach in the sun, and looking at all the jelly fish which have appeared all along the shore, We had a delicious dinner of Lasagna cooked by Rasmus!!  This ended abrubtly as Zello casually informed us of a Stor Rorsanger close to Buttervej!! So we all raced off in the cars. Sadly we had no luck… but… i was as happy as happieness can be to spot three little fox cubs rolling around in the long grass and flowers only forty meters or so from where we stood!!!! My heart may have melted beyong repair!!!!! Ahhhhhh!!! Anyway. That was pure bliss!!! The ticks we aquired while hiding in the grass watching them… not so much.

Back at the observatory, with some beers and a sea fog coming in, Simon spoke to us a little about the history of the constitution and then we played some rowdy rounds of viking!!!! A seriously great game!!! Off to bed then, at the end of another great day. The days here are always great!  Till next time, Ciao!

Todays quick doodles.. more of this on sunday!!!

VIKING! 

Ringing at Sardinkrattet:    

Rorsanger - 2,

Tornsanger - 1

Total 3

People:Folk: Hebe Denny, Dante Shepherd, Joakim Matthiesen, Marie Heuberger, Michéle Pes, Simon S Christiansen, Rasmus Matthiesen, Bruno & Lene