Picture 1 – 2k Female Hen Harrier (Blå Kærhøg). Pic by Thomas

What a day to wake up to! Yes, it was -3’c and feeling like -7’c but it was sunny, clear and feeling very fresh. After a nice breakfast, we decided to go for a walk to Nordstrand via Grenen. We put on our snow suits and headed for our adventure. The first species seen in the breeze included passing Eider (Ederfugl) and Gannets (Sule), with the bushes hosting Blue Tits (Blåmejse) and Blackbirds (Solsort). Eleanor had never been to the secret bunker, so we stopped here first and accidently disturbed a Woodcock (Skovsneppe) on the way, creepy as always but looking nice in the snow! We then continued onwards along the Sandormen track looking for any species in the bushes. They were very quiet, but Eleanor did see a bird of prey briefly, and after a few minutes a Hen Harrier (Blå Kærhøg) drifted along the track. Thank you to Simon, it was identified as a 2^nd calendar year female who has been hanging around the area for a while.

Picture 2 – Eleanor scanning the beach. Pic by Thomas 

Due to the wind direction, we decided to walk behind the dunes in search of any species. In the bushes a large flock of Fieldfare erupted out of the Sea Buckthorn due to a passing Common Buzzard (Musvåge) before settling again soon after. Our frequent stops to look out at the sea resulted in a good passage of birds heading East along the shore. This included over 1500+ Razorbill/Guillemots (Alk/Lomvie), a few Common Scoter (Sortand), and more Gannets (Sule) too. It was nice to have such a sunny day, a lovely long walk, and good species around us too.  

Picture 3 – Sanderling (Sandløber). Pic by Thomas 

It was not until we reached Nordstrand that we found a flock of Sanderling (Sandløber) and 3 Turnstones (Stenvenger) too. However, time was passing, and we were getting slightly cold on our faces from the exposure to the wind. Therefore, we headed inland and walked along the roads and paths to Jennes Sø. There were few species to be seen, though another Woodcock (Skovsneppe) and the calls of Bearded Tit (Skægmejse) were much appreciated.

Picture 4 – Shifting Snow. Pic by Eleanor.

Back in time for lunch and some warmth, we had been set a couple of tasks by Simon to clear the net ride in the Lighthouse Garden and to feed the birds. Some proof of the clearing snow can be seen in the pic, and Eleanor ensured the birds had a great seed mix consisting of out-of-date bird friendly food she found the cupboards the night before. We received a phone call from Simon to say himself and Lisa were coming round so we got a couple of photos of the sunset and retreated back to the observatory.    

Picture 5 – The lighthouse at sunset. Pic by Eleanor

A lovely end to the birding day, and more tasks set by Simon and Lisa to keep us busy during out stay! More on this to come soon…

Highlights:

• Woodcock (Skavsneppe) at Nordstrand and Grenen
• Hen Harrier (Blå Kærhøg) 2k female at Grenen

Link to Dofbasen: https://dofbasen.dk/search/result.php?design=table&soeg=soeg&periode=dato&dato=10-01-2026&omraade=stor&stor=588&obstype=observationer&species=alle&sortering=dato

Observers: Thomas Weston, Eleanor Harris, Simon S. Christiansen, Lisa Vergin

Picture 1 – Lighthouse. Photo by Eleanor.

After a long day of travel from the UK yesterday, with a special thank you to Simon SC and help from local birder Jørgen, plus a good night’s sleep, we woke up to a very snowy day. As we arrived in the dark yesterday, we had no idea the extent of the snow, but we were surprised and shocked by the amounts in the area. Coming from the UK, snow is a rarity, so it was super exciting and special to wake up to a magical Winter Wonderland.

Picture 2 – Enjoying the Snow. Photos by Thomas.

After some nice breakfast and tea, we decided to put on layers consisting of snow suits and to go and explore. With some layers and cosy clothes, we stepped into the snow, crunching along the ice and sand. It is a rarity in the UK to see snow on a beach and it was the first time that I had encountered it. What fun it was to feel the wind in my face and hear the sea crashing and rolling into an almost deserted beech with only a few people out.

Picture 3 – Reed Bunting (Rørspurv). Photo by Thomas.

On our snowy travels some of the birding highlights from our morning walk were 23 Sanderling (Sandløber), two Bearded Tit (Skægmejse)– my first ones ever-, a flock of 6 Woodcock (!) (Skavsneppe), Snow Bunting (Snespurv), ‘Northern’ Long Tailed Tits (Halemejse), a very cold Reed Bunting (Rørspurv) and a Hen Harrier (Blå Kærhøg).

Picture 4 – Snowy Skagen. Photo by Eleanor.

Thomas was getting hungry, so we came back for some cosy comfort food, lunch, and even more tea, which was much needed after a rather windy and wild walk. After some food our next mission of the day was to go into Skagen and get some food to stock up for the cold weather predicted. We wrapped up warm and walked into Skagen, getting slightly distracted by the Christmas trees and lights still around. In the UK we have a tradition of taking down decorations on the 6th January so we both found it rather lovely that Christmas had been extended. On our walk we saw a Rough Legged Buzzard (Fjeldvåge), the first that I had ever seen, so it was very exciting and a surprise to see it come out of the snowy scenes. On the way back we saw the same bird near the lighthouse so we will see if it hangs around the area in the coming days.

Once back we made two pots of tea to warm up and are just taking it steady for the evening as a long few days we have had. We look forward to sharing our next month with you and what we find and get up too.

Highlights:

• Woodcock (Skavsneppe)
• Rough Legged Buzzard (Fjeldvåge)
• Hen Harrier (Blå Kærhøg)

Link to Dofbasen:https://dofbasen.dk/search/result.php?design=table&soeg=soeg&periode=dato&dato=09-01-2026&omraade=stor&stor=588&obstype=observationer&species=alle&sortering=dato

Observers: Eleanor Harris and Thomas Weston

Godaften kære bloglæsere, her følger en beretning for dagen.

Jeg havde pakket tasken og madpakken i god tid og startede dagen ud med æg og kaffe. Det er jo altid skønt. Derefter tog jeg med pænt høje forventninger på Grenen. Jeg forsøgte mig først med at sidde allerøstligt på Verdens ende 1 da jeg troede der måske ville komme udtræk fra kattegat op langs sydkysten. Det gjorde der ikke og jeg relokerede derefter til Verdens ende 3 hvor Knud sad.

Knud havde godt gang i kliktællingerne og mens vi talte fik vi vendt det meste mellem himmel og jord, særligt "de gamle dage", da jeg var på stationen i 2021 hvor Knud og jeg brugte mange timer med træktællinger blev vendt. 

Vi fik også fornemt besøg af Jørgen og Igor, og med det gode vejr var der ikke nogle mangler på denne morgenobs.

Fugle var der da også nogle af og morgenen endte godt ud med både Islom, bjergpiber, sildemåge, kaspisk måge, sortstrubet bynkefugl og en hvid vipstjert.
Se dagens obs her

Hjemme på stationen efter obs fik jeg pakket det sidste, støvsuget og Simon og jeg fik ryttet ud i køleskabet. 

Det var som altid en fornøjelse at være på besøg i det høje nord. Nu vil jeg sige tak for denne gang også kan vi jo alle, i disse mørke dage, glæde os ved at foråret nok skal komme engang.

Folk på stationen: Knud Pedersen, Jørgen Kabel, Igor, Simon S. Christiansen, Jonas Pedersen

Hej allesammen, som sagt ankom jeg et par dage siden for at forsøge at få birdet lidt her i min læseferie.

Desværre har vejret ikke været med mig og idag var ikke en undtagelse.

Tidligt om morgenen forlod Florian og Miles station og senere omkring middagstid tog János og Amira også afsted.

Jeg forsøgte mig med lidt obs fra den åbne bunker tæt ved grenen camping og det gav ikke det store, det blæste og regnede virkeligt meget og jeg var kun derude i en halvanden time. I løbet af dagen blev der målt op til 17 m/s middelvind og det er da en pæn sjat.
Se dagens obs her

Tilgengæld havde jeg ingen undskyldning for at få kigget lidt på mine studier og det gik der da også noget tid med. Sammentidig fik jeg klaret alt det overskydende vasketøj fra sæsonen samt ryttet op hist og her.

Imorgen bliver vejret bedre og jeg håber på at en "efter stormen" effekt kan give en spandfuld fugle.

Vi ses til flere løjer imorgen

Jonas out

People: Miles Scheuering, János Schadl, Florian Hatt, Amira Nuseibeh, Simon S. Christiansen, Jonas Pedersen

Today is the last day at the station for the fall crew (though Jonas will be here for a few days), so the feeling is bittersweet. We have had such a wonderful time here, so it is hard to leave. This morning was especially sad, because Lise left, a day ahead of the rest of us. Fortunately, she did not leave first thing, and we enjoyed a nice breakfast with her and Frey before their parents (Birgit and Morten Mastrup) arrived. Simon also came to the station, and we had our last talks, while Lise, Frey, Birgit, and Mastrup went up the lighthouse. Upon their return it was time for goodbyes. It has been so lovely with Lise here, so it was rather tearful to say goodbye.

A final photo of the crew. Photo by Jonas

We consoled ourselves by going out for a last walk in the area in the afternoon. Despite the rain, Jonas had gone out in the morning for some observing. The conditions were not so good, but Black-throated Diver (Sortstrubet Lom) and Long-tailed Duck (Havlit) were nice highlights. He joined us for our walk, and we went out along the beach to the tip, then turned east and walked to Nordstrand, before returning on the path past Jennes Sø. It was great to see Kittiwakes (Ride), Red-throated Divers (Rødstrubet Lom), including some passing directly overhead, and Red-breasted Mergansers (Toppet Skallesluger). It drizzled on and off throughout, but it was so nice to get out for a few hours. On the way back from Jennes Sø, we spotted a Eurasian Goshawk (Duehøg), which was probably the highlight of the outing. It was the first time Amira has seen one in Denmark, and only the second time I’ve seen one here!

Walking out to the tip of Grenen. Photo by Miles

After returning, we had a quick evening meeting with Simon to wrap things up, before playing some ping pong! It is only the second time I have played while being here, the first being with Janna Ouedraogo back in September. Our games were quite spirited but not too competitive, and it was quite fun. Afterward, we ordered pizza for dinner and have been putting the finishing touches on packing and cleaning.

A farewell from the Christmas fulmar (Mallemuk), Lise, and Amira. Photo by Miles

Standard ringing finished

Link to today’s observations from the area.

People: Miles Scheuering, János Schadl, Florian Hatt, Amira Nuseibeh, Simon S. Christiansen, Jonas Pedersen

This morning was VERY grey but most importantly, rainless and so János, Florian and I were keen to venture out along the beach and towards World’s End 3. We did some very relaxed seawatching for a couple of hours and, although it was generally not a busy day for migration, we had some lovely highlights, including a beautiful Black Guillemot (Tejst), a Black-throated Diver (Sortstrubet Lom) and some porpoises (Marsvin) popping up between the waves from time to time.

Florian checked the bushes behind the first line of dunes for rare buntings and saw a nice Hen Harrier (Blå Kærhøg) and then we then headed out to the tip and along the beach, where there were plenty of Sanderling (Sandløber) and the tide was much lower than yesterday, leaving lots of seaweed, rubbish and animal bones on the beach.

On our way back to the bird observatory, we met Miles, Lise and Frey and walked back together to have lunch. Miles had been for a nice morning run past Jennes Sø and the Nature Centre and then the three of them had walked to Kabeltromlen and spotted lots of Bullfinch (Dompap), Starlings (Stær), a Sparrowhawk (Spurvehøg) and heard some Bearded Reedlings (Skægmejse). Then the afternoon was dedicated to deep cleaning our lighthouse apartment ready for the end of the season. We scrubbed and vacuumed every corner, wiped every window and surface, and even took the carpets outside for a shake.

Just as János and I were whacking the carpets to shake out all the sand, we heard an interesting bird call in the courtyard of the lighthouse. János recognised the call as a Black Redstart (Husrødstjert), so we immediately dropped our carpet and stick and searched the skies around us. It flew across from the roof of the bike shed to the roof of the lighthouse and then dropped down out of sight and we never found it again. Without our binoculars with us we could only say that it looked like a female-type Black Redstart, which is slightly frustrating because at this time of year it could quite possibly be the much rarer central Asian subspecies (phoenicuroides).

Once we’d finished all our cleaning duties, Miles and I went for our final sea swim of our stay in Skagen. It was definitely the most challenging and coldest dip of our time here but strangely still really fun, and we even saw a huge orange jellyfish floating in the waves close to us which was very cool! We also welcomed Jonas this afternoon who was a previous volunteer here in Skagen back in 2021. For dinner, Lise and Frey are cooking us all a traditional Danish Christmas meal called Risengrød which already smells delicious.

Today is our penultimate day in Skagen and also sadly my final time writing the blog; I really hope you’ve all enjoyed hearing about our experiences and hopefully I’ll be back again in the future!

Standard ringing finished

Link to today’s observations from the Skagen area

People: Miles Scheuering, János Schadl, Florian Hatt, Amira Nuseibeh, Lise Mastrup and our guest Frey Mastrup

The weather was rather grey again, but since it was dry, Amira, János and I went for a walk to Grenen this morning. Shortly after arriving at World's End 3, we saw a large diver flying towards us. When it was close enough, we could all see that it was a Great Northern Diver (Islom)! It was most likely the individual that Knud had seen resting at Nordstrand a few minutes earlier (whose Zello message we only noticed after the bird had already flown past us). Shortly afterwards, Knud reported another Islom from Nordstrand, which arrived shortly afterwards at Grenen and landed on the water. We tried to get closer and went down to the beach. Unfortunately, we only saw it flying away, but we also spotted a Black-throated Diver (Sortstrubet Lom) migrating northwest. We also checked the gulls and at least spotted one Caspian Gull (Kaspisk Måge) and some unusual dark coloured Herring gulls (Sølvmåge).


Birding at Grenen

On the way back along the Sandormen Track, we observed two Hen Harriers (Blå Kærhøg) fighting with each other! At least one of them was the one with missing feathers in its wing, that had been in the area for a long time now. Meanwhile, Miles was birding in the Industrial Area. A late Blackcap (Munk) was quite a good highlight there!

At noon, we started with doing some cleaning. Today, we worked on the lab and the bicycles. Especially for the latter, it was really needed to do this. Fortunately, this didn't take forever, so Amira, János and I decided to look at gulls and ducks in the harbour.


Scanning the Eiders (Ederfugl) in the harbour

Afterwards, we went to the bakery, where Miles and Lise joined us. We had some hot drinks and something to eat. It was very hyggeligt there!

As it was very warm in the bakery, János, Amira and I had to cool off in the sea as soon as we were back at the station. This swim was really refreshing!

In the evening Lise's sister Frey arrived, Miles prepared a delicious dinner and Amira held her presentation about conservation of Bonelli's Eagles (Høgeørn)!

Standard ringing finished

Link to today’s observations from the area.

People: Miles Scheuering, János Schadl, Florian Hatt, Amira Nuseibeh, Lise Mastrup and our guest Frey Mastrup

I dag var en lidt anderledes dag her på stationen. Vi tilbragte nemlig det meste af den på udflugt til nogle af de bedste havne og strande Nordjylland har at byde på!

Vi havde Oluf med, som sidder i styregruppen for stationen og venligt havde lagt bil og selskab til dagens køretur. Klokken lidt over 9 gik det afsted til første stop; Aalbæk havn. Her fik vi en god start med både isfugl, en lomvie som svømmede omkring inde i havnen, flere sandløbere, skærpibere, en toppet lappedykker og (som håbet!) en masse dejlige måger. Sidstnævnte kunne vi øve os på at arts- og aldersbestemme ovenpå de to meget lærerige oplæg fra Florian og János i går aftes.

Herefter fortsatte vi videre mod Jerup strand. Denne bød på blandt andet gravænder, hvinænder, blå kærhøg og en masse flere strandskader (i alt talte vi 133). Højdepunktet her var dog uden tvivl, da vi langt ude både hørte og så en helt enorm flok gæs på træk. Disse kom fra land og fløj ud mod kysten, hvorefter de fortsatte henad kystlinjen, så der var mulighed for at følge dem et stykke. I alt blev der talt 402 grågæs, 61 bramgæs, 7 blisgæs og dertil 2 kortnæbbede gæs. Det var et fantastisk dejligt syn at se denne mængde følges ad alle sammen.

Spidsanden var også med i dag på kaffekoppen under frokostpausen.

Vi kørte så til Strandby, hvor der var en udsigtspost på havnen. Herfra kunne vi se flere måger, ederfugle og skarver. Lige nedenfor udsigtsposten på havnefronten gik 4 stenvendere. De var kun meget lidt sky, hvilket betød at vi kunne se dem helt tæt på. En lille gåtur ved havnens yderside kunne betale sige, da Miles her spottede to sortgrå ryler, som sad helt runde og skuttede sig for støvregnen.

Fra toppen af udsigtsposten på Strandby havn.

Dagens sidste stop var Frederikshavn, hvor der i længere tid har opholdt sig en hvidbrystet præstekrave. Eftersom den var set tidligere på dagen, var vores forhåbninger om at genfinde den selvsagt ikke alt for lave. I første omgang så vi en masse andre skønne fugle; rødben, almindelige ryler, sandløbere og strandskader gik blandt hinanden på en vadeflade. En isfugl fløj flere gange forbi over vandet, hvor der lå gravænder, knortegæs og toppede skalleslugere. Sidstnævnte er altid en favorit og årsag til begejstring blandt holdet her. En spurvehøg og dobbeltbekkasiner lagde også vejen forbi. Ovenpå alle disse var der godt humør og høje forventninger til den hvidbrystede præstekrave. End ikke lidt regn og stadigt mindre dagslys kunne tage håbet fra os. Flokken af vadere blev gennemsøgt fra forskellige lokationer og da vi lidt våde og nu også en smule trætte stadig ikke havde fundet den, blev det besluttet at give det et sidste forsøg. Vi gik hen ad vadefladen for at komme lidt tættere på flokken derude og pludselig sagde János køligt, men begejstret at ”here it is!”. Og ganske rigtigt havde han netop da en hvidbrystet præstekrave i skopet. Vi fik den alle at se og for Miles markerede dette hans fugleart nummer 800, som han har set i år! Tillykke!

Hvidbrystet præstekrave.

Denne blev da også dagens sidste fugl, da solnedgang nærmede sig og vi derfor vendte tilbage til bilerne for at køre hjem til stationen. Alt i alt en skøn dag, med masser af oplevelser, fugle og som altid dejligt selskab:)

Folk på stationen: Miles Scheuering, János Schadl, Florian Hatt, Amira Nuseibeh, Lise Mastrup, Simon S. Christiansen, Oluf Lou

The weather was not so nice this morning, but Florian, János, and Amira still had hopes to get out for some observing before settling in with computer work and cleaning. It was quite windy when Amira cycled to and from the pool, but then rain started shortly after, so they decided not to go out. I woke up early to have a meeting with a friend back in Oregon, then I went back to sleep and had a proper lie in. Around 9 I got up and frosted the pumpkin cake I baked last night. We all enjoyed it as a midmorning snack, and it was quite cozy in the living room, wrapped up in our blankets. We also had a researcher from Aarhus University stay in the apartment overnight. This morning, Lise helped her collect the snails and frozen fulmars (mallemuk) to bring back to Aarhus for analysis.

Red Kite (Rød Glente) at Nedermose. Photo by Florian

The rain let up later in the morning, so Florian, Amira and I went out on some outings. Amira and I walked first to Kabeltromlen, then further on the path to Worlds End 1, through the dunes to Worlds End 3, and then back along the beach to the sandormen track. It was extremely windy, but we still saw a nice Hen Harrier (Blå Kærhøg) and a flock of Bohemian Waxwings (Silkehale). Meanwhile, Florian took a walk out to the nature center, where he spotted a very late Red Kite (Rød Glente). This is the first that has been reported in Skagen in December (according to DOFbasen)! We have had strong winds from the south recently, so it was likely blown up from further south in Denmark. Other highlights from the walk were Crested Tits (Topmejse) and a Common Chiffchaff (Gransanger).

Pumpkin cake that I baked. Photo by Miles

In the afternoon, Simon came to the station and we sorted and cleaned the living room and various drawers. It took some time but there were several items that the station did not need, which we were able to take. Amira found a lovely moth poster, a jumper, and some sunglasses!

Amira and I at Worlds End 1 during our morning walk. Photo by Miles

Amira cooked us a delicious dinner of jacket potatoes (a quintessential English dish) and afterward, Florian and János gave great sessions on gulls (Måge). Tomorrow we are taking an outing to several harbors in the area, so it was great preparation for this trip. Florian focused on small gulls, especially rarer species, while János focused primarily on aging of our most common large gulls. We are very excited to apply what we learned during our outing tomorrow.

Standard ringing finished

Link to today’s observations from the area.

People: Miles Scheuering, János Schadl, Florian Hatt, Amira Nuseibeh, Lise Mastrup, Simon S. Christiansen