Today, Alvin, Dylan, Julian and I went ringing at Kabeltromlen, where we expected a nice, but not too busy day. Alix and János went to worlds end 1 for the standardized migration count.

The ringing started off slowly with very few birds, and it unfortunately continued this way, until Simon found a 3cy male Pallid Harrier (Steppehøg), that was his first one gave us some good views. It was my first time being through the whole ringing process, and even with few birds in the nets, I still had a great time!

Anne ringing her sixth bird ever, a cute Robin (Rødhals)

Meanwhile János and Alix had some good birds at worlds end 1. In the first two hours they had lots of divers and constantly a small number of passerines flew over them. They had 9 Ring Ouzels (Ringdrossel) and 5 Red Crossbills (Lille Korsnæb). Hour 3 and 4 where very slow with almost no migration at all. Alvin joined them and helped them count between two ringing rounds.

Tomfoolery at Kabeltromlen

When everyone got home, we checked the moth trap, where there were a lot of interesting moths.

The weak winds from NW and sunshine made it a great day for raptors, so János and I stood beside the lighthouse for a bit, where we saw a White-tailed Eagle (Havørn), an Osprey (Fiskeørn) and János saw a female Pallid harrier (Steppehøg).

Migrating female Osprey (Fiskeørn)

Julian went to Batteriskoven where he saw 2 Crested Tits (Topmejse) before falling taking a nap there. Alix and Alvin went to the beach, and sunbathed. Alvin also went for a swim in the sea.

Dylan went out to look at some raptors from a hill on the heath, but he took a nap and woke up two hours later when most of the raptor migration had stopped.

I positioned myself on a nearby hill, where I saw 5 Red Kites (Rød Glente), 3 Kestrels (Tårnfalk), 4 Ospreys (Fiskeørn), 20 Sparrowhawks (Spurvehøg), 1 Merlin (Dværgfalk), 1 White-tailed Eagle (Havørn) and around 180 Buzzards (Musvåge). I also took a small nap in the beautiful weather.

Simon found a Wryneck (Vendehals) at Farmerstien and a Camberwells Beauty (Sørgekåbe) at Ellekrattet.

Huge shopping trip

Highlights of the day:

Pallid Harrier (Steppehøg) - 2

Wryneck (Vendehals) - 1

Camberwells Beauty (Sørgekåbe) - 1

Ring Ouzel (Ringdrossel) - 9

Ringing (Kabeltromlen)

Gransanger - 5

Gærdesmutte - 2

Jernspurv - 1

Rødhals - 3

Munk - 1

Total: 12

It was me, Alvin and Saxe on migration count today, and with the easterly winds, expectations were high, and we were hoping for many Harriers. We arrived at Nordstrand 30 minutes before the start of the count, but it stayed very quiet until 7am, when the first passerines started moving. It was a very cold morning, and we had mostly Meadow Pipits (Engpiber) migrating, as well as some Linnets (Tornirisk) and Chaffinches (Bogfinke). We also saw a few Hen Harriers (Blå Kærhøg) and over all three Pallid Harriers (Steppehøg).

Pallid Harrier (Steppehøg) at Nordstrand

When a White-billed Diver (Hvidnæbbet Lom) was called out further west of us, we were hoping to see it, and when it did not come up, we decided it must have landed somewhere. After the end of the count, we went to search for it, and walked about three kilometers up the beach without success. The way back was through Nedermosen. We probably had taken the wrong path at some point since we ended up standing in the middle of a swamp, needing to find a way back to the right track. To make up for the struggles, we were rewarded with the first Montagu's Harrier (Hedehøg) of the season hunting in the area.

Adult female Montagu's Harrier (Hedehøg) at Nedermosen

In the meanwhile the ringers had a very quiet morning at Kabeltromlen, ringing only six birds. A highlight, though, was a Blackcap (Munk) with some pollen around the face, which looked quite cute. The best bird of the morning was a 2nd CY Pallid Harrier (Steppehøg).

We all went back to the lighthouse to have lunch and some leftover cake from yesterday. Dylan also went to twitch the Montagu's Harrier (Hedehøg), and he also saw two more Pallid Harriers (Steppehøg) and the first Grasshopper Warbler (Græshoppesanger). Another good find was a Camberwell Beauty (Sørgekåbe) which is a rare butterfly in Denmark.

Camberwell Beauty (Sørgekåbe)

After that, Saxe and Dylan went to Batteriskoven, where they also met Simon. They saw a Pied Flycatcher (Broget Fluesnapper) and a Comma and Peacock Butterfly (Det Hvide C, Dagpåfugleøje).

People: Alvin Johansson, János Schadl, Alix Bortolussi, Julian Helbig, Dylan Daunt, Simon S. Christiansen, Gustav Juel, Lisa Vergin, Anne & Bjarne

Upon waking up in early morning, we heard a lot of birds calling and singing outside through the open window: All sorts of thrushes, a snipe and even a Green Sandpiper (Svaleklire). Thus, we expected it to be a very good day for migration; also on their way to Kabeltromlen Alvin, Alix and Gustav noticed many birds around them. But when János, Dylan and I arrived at Word’s End 1 only about thirty minutes later, it suddenly went really quiet and we had almost no migrating passerines. It made us wonder: Where have all the birds gone? In addition, our view was limited due to fog, and we realized that maybe it wasn’t the best choice for this location today.

Morning view from World's End 1

Since there was so little going on, János decided to leave after only ten minutes and do some indoor work at the station instead. So it was only Dylan and me remaining out there on the dune counting primarily sea birds. Over time, conditions cleared up a bit, and more birds started moving at least on the sea, making the overall observations better than feared: We counted several larger flocks of Teals (Krikand), two Garganeys (Atlingand), one Arctic Skua (Almindelig Kjove), some Ring Ouzels (Ringdrossel), a Slavonian Grebe (Nordisk Lappedykker) and the Shore Larks which Dylan went to see after they had been called out on Zello. We also enjoyed nice views on a resting Wheatear (Stenpikker) and Pied Flycatcher (Broget Fluesnapper) in the nearby bushes, as well as a Short-eared Owl (Mosehornugle) that landed on the beach.

Resting Wheatear (Stenpikker)

In fact the unfavourable weather conditions for migration count were very good for ringing, because the fog and slight rain caused the birds to go low, while there was only very weak wind. Their highlights at Kabeltromlen were one more male Pied Flycatcher (Broget Fluesnapper, han) and a Sparrowhawk (Spurvehøg). When ringing was over, Alix, Alvin and Gustav stayed outside to see the Citrine Wagtail (Citronvipstjert) and the Shore Larks (Bjerglærke) at Grenen, both of which they managed to get exceptional views of. Dylan, János and I joined them after a quick lunch.

The Citrine Wagtail (Citronvipstjert) – A Lemon on the beach.

Shore Larks (Bjerglærke)

The larks flew off after a while and the others went back to the station, while I stayed outside, re-found the birds successfully a few hundred meters down the beach, and later photographed feeding Common Ringed Plovers (Stor Præstekrave) at the little pools of water on the beach, making me crawl through sand and mu for over thirty minutes straight. But the photos are worth it at last, I hope.

Common Ringed Plover (Stor Præstekrave)

Soon after I came back to the station and freed myself from all the sand, Saxe arrived, who will stay with us for a week. We all gathered around the kitchen table to enjoy the fabulous chocolate-strawberry cake with cream János had prepared yesterday, as well as some more fantastic cake we were given very kindly by the lighthouse restaurant (Thank you so much, we greatly appreciate it!). What a generously sweet teatime!

Cake maker and enjoyer!

Then we had to say goodbye to Gustav, whom luckily we’ll see again at the bird festival in May, which we are all looking forward to. Later on, Anne and Bjarne, our new guests in the apartment arrived and also joined us for our evening meeting. It’s their first time here and they are very much looking forward to the upcoming days, we hope we’ll be able to offer them some great experiences!

People: Alvin Johansson, János Schadl, Alix Bortolussi, Julian Helbig, Dylan Daunt, Simon S. Christiansen, Gustav Juel, Lisa Vergin, Anne & Bjarne

This morning János, Julian and I went to the ringing. The wind was very calm, and it was slightly cloudy.

János at the ringing site 

The number of birds this morning was slightly lower the normal, but the quality of the species was still very good. We caught two male Pied Flycatchers (Broget Fluesnapper), three Willow Warblers (Løvsanger), two Blackcaps (Munk) and a Coal Tit (Sortmejse).

Coal tit (Sortmejse)

It was the first time that I have ever seen a spring male Pied Flycatcher (Broget Fluesnapper) in the hand and the first Flycatcher in the hand for Julian ever.

During the ringing a Citrine Wagtail was found by some other observers nearby. This was a lifer for Julian and I so we took turns to take the short walk to it. This Citrine Wagtail was a male and is the first of hopefully a few birds that we will see this spring.

Citrine Wagtale (Citronvipstjert) male at Grenen

Throughout the morning, we also saw a few other nice species like a male Pallid Harrier (Steppehøg) migrating and a Serin (Gulirisk) that was resting in the area. 

Alvin, Alix and Gustav where doing the migration count this morning.

Gustav and Alix at the migration counting spot in Nordstrand

It was pretty quiet, but they also had a few nice birds to see including Arctic Skuas (Almindelig Kjove), Yellow Wagtail (Gul Vipstjert) and Golden Eagle (Kongeørn). This was the last day of East winds for the next week as the wind changes direction to the West. But here at Skagen a change in wind direction can often produce some really nice birds so we all have our fingers crossed. 

Last night we also put the moth trap out again. We caught 14 moths including 2 Northern Drab which was a new species for us this spring.

Two Northern Drab moths caught today in the lighthouse garden

János was also making a chocolate cake, which is currently cooling in the fridge, so we can’t wait to eat tomorrow.

Today was also the last full day that Gustav will be with us. He has been a great addition to the team, and we look forward to seeing him again later in the spring. Our next intern also arrives tomorrow for his second week this spring, so we look forward having him again. 

Link to today’s observations in DOFbasen from observers in the area

 Summary of today's raptor migration in DOFbasen

People at the station: Alvin Johansson, János Schadl, Alix Bortolussi, Julian Helbig, Dylan Daunt, Simon S. Christiansen, Gustav Juel, Knud Pedersen, Jørgen Hulbæk.

Today started as a regular calm sunny morning for both the migration and ringing teams. 

The migration was rather slow, especially over the sea, but some nice species were spotted nonetheless, like Common Sandpiper (Mudderklire), a resting Golden Eagle (Kongeørn), and 4 Black-Throated Divers (Sortstrubet Lom).

Golden Eagle

Later in the morning a White Stork (Hvid Stork) was also spotted over town and seen from Nordstrand where the observers were sitting, as well as a group of Orcas (Spækhugger) and even a Mediterranean Gull (Sorthovedet Måge) by Dylan.

Orcas at Nordstrand

Meanwhile, at the ringing, we had our usual Robins (Rødhals), Chiffchaffs (Gransanger) and Wrens (Gærdesmutte) when for two rounds in a row we caught two special birds! 

The first one was a Robin (Rødhals) in mostly juvenile plumage, which is extremely early and unusual for this time of year! These birds usually show up in their juvenile plumages after leaving their nests in summer, making this individual very particular. We are unsure if this bird simply didn’t complete its post-juvenile moult, keeping its « baby » feathers, or if it is an actual early fledgling. The case of a non-completion of the post-juvenile moult would be a first for all of us, and surprised us very much.

Robin (Rødhals) in mostly juvenile plumage apart from a few orange chest feathers, in mid-April!

The second bird, while less perplexing, was just as nice: a beautiful male Pied Flycatcher (Broget Fluesnapper), the first of the season. Not a very common sight in the nets, even if they do get caught from time to time.

Male Pied Flycatcher (Broget Fluesnapper)

Another honorary mention would be the recapture of two Long-Tailed Tits (Halemejse), one of them being of the northern subspecies and the other of the southern subspecies. It was nice to see them next to each other! Note the presence of black on the head of the southern subspecies bird on the left of the picture.

Two Long-Tailed Tits (Halemejse), Southern subspecies on the left with some black on the head, Northern subspecies on the right with a white head

In between rounds, we always keep an eye for passing birds and an ear for singing or calling birds, and we were rewarded today with a very close flyover of a Serin (Gulirisk) which we both saw and heard very well! We were really happy to see it so close and it felt like such a treat.

When our morning activities came to an end, we all made our way back home to the lighthouse when all of a sudden, the Eastern Imperial Eagle (Kejserørn) was called out and spotted south of town! Luckily Simon was here with us and we could all catch a lift to Nedermose from him and Hans, and managed to see the bird before it flew away!  This was very exciting for everyone, but Simon and Lisa were particularly enthusiastic about this sighting. The bird was the same as Gustav spotted sunday on his way up here, so great that it wans'nt gone and it finally decided to pay us a visit.

Adult Eastern Imperial Eagle (Kejserørn)

People of the station watching the Eastern Imperial Eagle (Kejserørn)

This bird was a lifer for most of us and it took us a while to calm down from this exciting adventure. It's the 11th record of Imperial Eagle for the munincipalty but only the sencond time an adult bird appear.

Video of Imperial Eagle

Later in the afternoon, Alvin went on a tour with a couple of people who were interested in seeing some raptors, and they had plenty to see on their walk together down by the military station close to Nordstrand and back.

Upon his return, we decided to check for moths our night trap may have caught, and we were greeted by 7 individuals, as follows:

Hebrew Character, Orthosia gothica

After some rest and data tasks, some of us tried to go see a Bee-Eater (Biæder) which was spotted in town, but in vain. Simon and Lisa was lucky though to see the earliest Bee-eater in Skagen ever.

But after a nice dinner prepared by Alvin, we had a surprise visit from Simon and Lisa with Champagne to celebrate our sighting of the Imperial Eagle (Kejserørn)!

Celebration of the Imperial visit!

What started as a rather calm day ended up being very eventful and surprising and made us all very happy. We’re all looking forward to more days like these as the spring continues on :)

Link to today’s observations in DOFbasen from observers in the area

 Summary of today's raptor migration in DOFbasen

People at the station: Alvin Johansson, János Schadl, Alix Bortolussi, Julian Helbig, Dylan Daunt, Simon S. Christiansen, Lisa Vergin, Gustav Juel, Knud Pedersen, Hans Christophersen, Birthe Christopersen, Jørgen Hulbæk.

In hope of some early Harriers, we had decided to start the count a bit earlier than standard time today again. It was me, Alix, and Gustav counting today, and we were joined by Knud, Hans and Jørgen, as well as many birders. Especially the first two hours were fantastic for the passerines, with many finches and good numbers of the Skagen specialty Ring Ouzel (Ringdrossel). We were also rewarded with two males and an adult female Pallid Harrier (Steppehøg) and good views of Hen Harriers (Blå Kærhøg). Another highlight was a resting Slavonian Grebe (Nordisk Lappedykker) and Black-throated Diver (Sortstrubet Lom).

Male Pallid Harrier (Steppehøg)

In the meanwhile, the ringers had a good morning with an enjoyable amount of birds allowing for thoughout looks. They also caught Blackcaps (Munk) again and the first Willow Warblers (Løvsanger) of the season. So spring is here! Fun was also a Coal Tit (Sortmejse) which was the first one of the continental subspecies for Dylan in hand.

Highlights of the ringing

After the end of the count, we walked to the Cormorant Lake, where we counted the nests. We got 69 nests, which is a good increase compared to the last weeks and interesting to see.

When we came back, we had lunch, and most of us went for a nap before we entered the data from this morning. Dylan and Gustav went to Nordstrand again after they heard that Raptor migration was still good, and they saw a White Stork (Hvid Stork) as well as a Golden Eagle (Kongeørn) just overhead. Dylan went back, and Gustav stayed out for a bit longer to do some birding with a friend.

It was Hans and Birthe cooking today, and we had lasagna and an avocado salad. What a feast! Hans also helped with a much needed shopping trip, which is very much appreciated considering that we need to transport everything by bike otherwise.

After dinner Dylan and Gustav went to twitch a Wryneck (Wendehals) which was found in town this afternoon.

Wryneck in Skagen (Picture by Gustav)

People: Alvin Johansson, János Schadl, Alix Bortolussi, Julian Helbig, Dylan Daunt, Simon S. Christiansen, Gustav Juel, Knud Pedersen, Hans Christophersen, Birthe Christopersen, Jørgen Hulbæk, Michael Ancher

We woke up to a nice and calm morning, with only a very slight breeze from NW. Janos and Julian took care of the migration count, while Alvin, Alix, Dylan and I went ringing. It was a very good ringing day with almost 100 birds in the nets, highlights being Tree Pipit (Skovpiber), Blackcap (Munk) and a recaptured Chiffchaff from Norway. While ringing, a European Serin (Gulirisk) was heard. Nice bird, and the first one for the spring here. 

The recaptured Chiffchaff (Gransanger) from Norway

Julian and Janos also had a good count with lots of Arctic Skuas (Almindelig Kjove), a Short-eared Owl (Mosehornugle) and a Pallid Harrier (Steppehøg).

Because of the good numbers at the ringing site, Alvin, Alix and Dylan decided to take some more rounds, while I went home to get some lunch. There were huge flocks of raptors migrating today, so Janos, Dylan and I went to Flagbakken. It was slower than we expected, but still nice with good amounts of Osprey (Fiskeørn) and Peregrine Falcon (Vandrefalk). Julian also went on a walk seeing a few raptors. Alix and Alvin went to Nordstrand and found a cute Harbor Seal (Spættet Sæl) on the beach.

Harbor Seal (Spættet Sæl) from Nordstrand

On our way home from Flagbakken, Dylan and Janos went shopping, and I tried my luck hoping to find a Hoopoe in the horse fields in the industrial area. I didnt find one, but I met Simon, also checking some fields and we saw both species of Redstart, Common and Black (Rødstjert, Husrødstjert). Later I met up with a good friend, and we found a good field with 7 Ring Ouzel (Ringdrossel), and 8 Northern Wheatear

Good views of 1 out of 7 Ring Ouzel (Ringdrossel) in Nordby!

Dylan made a delicious Indian dish with tofu and rice, and Hans and his wife joined us for dinner and our evening meeting. In conclusion, a nice and eventful day!

People: Alvin Johansson, János Schadl, Alix Bortolussi, Julian Helbig, Dylan Daunt, Simon S. Christiansen, Gustav Juel, Knud Pedersen, Hans Christophersen, Jørgen Hulbæk, Michael Ancher

Link to todays observations in Dofbasen from the Skagen area

 Summary of today's raptor migration in DOFbasen

Today was wet and windy so it meant no ringing could take place in the morning. But János, Julian and Gustav still went out on the migration count. They had less company than normal due to the weather but that didn’t stop some of the birds migrating. They saw 5 Pallid Harriers (Steppehøg), 9 Ring Ouzel (Ringdrossel) and 6 Hen Harrier (Blå Kærhøg).

Whilst the others were out Alvin and Alix did some local birding for a couple hours by the lighthouse. They had really nice views of several birds like Gannets (Sule), Black Guillemots (Tejst), Razorbills (Alk) and two Red-necked Grebes (Gråstrubet Lappedykker). Whilst they were out, I completed some of the indoor tasks that I needed to finish. Rainy days like this can really help with a lot of the admin tasks that need to be done by the volunteers.

Gannets (Sule) flying close to the shore

A very nice Wheatear (Stenpikker)

In the afternoon we had a really nice session given to us by Knud about Harrier identification, ageing, and sexing. It was really nice to have someone so experienced telling us all the ways to identify these amazing birds in the field. On the 9^{th of} April Alvin and I saw an third calendar female Pallid Harrier (or hybrid) and Knud put a lot of effort to figure out what was going on with this bird. He concluded that this bird was indeed a Pallid Harrier, but a very strange one indeed! Nearly all Pallid Harriers replace all their flight feathers in the autumn. But this one did not complete its moult (replacement of old flight feathers). In this case this makes this Harrier look extra strange when spring comes along as its older feathers are shorter than the ones it replaced. Making its wing look very strange. Thank you Knud for finding this out, we have all learnt a lot as this is the first bird like this to be seen at Skagen!

Knud giving us a very nice Harrier session!

János also made some more very nice banana bread which we all really enjoyed. This evening Julian was cooking dinner. He made some spaghetti with sweet potato, tofu and salad. It was very delicious. The weather looks a bit calmer tomorrow so hopefully we can do the ringing and have a good migration count.

In the morning János, Alix, Simon and I were ringing at Kabeltromlen, while Dylan, Alvin and Gustav went out to Nordstrand for the standardized migration count. They tried to be there as early as possible and were indeed rewarded with a few early harriers, including two Pallid Harriers (Steppehøg).

Adult male Pallid Harrier (Steppehøg)

Hans joined them shortly after, and later more and more birdwatchers arrived making the small dune almost a little bit crowded. Perhaps some of them came there hoping for the Eastern Imperial Eagle (Kejserørn) Gustav found at Uggerby the day before would turn up here at Skagen. Unfortunately, that wish didn’t come true, but there still were a lot of other enjoyable raptors such as Pallid Harriers (Steppehøg), Black Kites (Sort Glente), Ospreys (Fiskeørn) and a Golden Eagle (Kongeørn). Apart from that, they had good numbers of Arctic Skuas (Almindelig Kjove) and an extraordinary large amount of migrating Red-throated Divers (Rødstrubet Lom): Within only ten minutes they counted over 600! This is something even an experienced birder like Hans had never seen before. What a spectacular sight!
At Kabeltromlen, we started our day with a great highlight: On the first round of checking the nets at 06:15, we had a Ring Ouzel (Ringdrossel) in one of them, a species which is not caught here often. For János, Alix and me it was the first time seeing one of them in hand, and we enjoyed looking at this beautiful and impressive bird up close a lot.

2K male Ring Ouzel (Ringdrossel) – aka "Rouzel" :)

Ring Ouzel (Ringdrossel) wing detail

After that, the ringing continued slowly with not so many birds in total. Nevertheless Alix got some more practise in ageing Chiffchaffs (Gransanger); she nailed most of them. Simultaneously, we also kept track of the migrating birds around us: Several Tree Pipits (Skovpiber), Short-eared Owls (Mosehornugle), Hen Harriers (Blå Kærhøg), an additional 2K Pallid Harrier (Steppehøg) and some Arctic Skuas (Almindelig Kjove), one of them being of the light morph.

Signs of spring.

After four hours of counting, Alvin, Dylan and Gustav decided to cycle to Pælebakke Klit. Although the only nice bird they saw there was a Short-eared Owl (Mosehornugle) they flushed close by, they’ve had a lot of fun in the dunes. When biking back they almost got boiled in there boiler suits and enjoyed some refreshing and cooling ice lollies on the way.

Dylan relaxing in the sand. 

We spent most of the afternoon inside, doing a bunch of necessary computer work like entering data, checking sound recordings, preparing presentations, etc. Alix and Alvin both fell asleep whilst working on that, that’s just how tiring it was. Gustav also wrote his report about the Imperial Eagle (Kejserørn) – congratulations again on the find! In the meantime, Simon went out to Nordstrand and Hans to Flagbakken, both of them were able to add a few observations to today’s list.
In the evening, Alix, Alvin and Dylan set up a net near Ellekrattet at a place where we’ve observed a large flock of roosting White Wagtails (Hvid Vipstjert). After we all gathered for some great pizza János had prepared for dinner, we went out, placed a speaker playing Wagtail sound recordings near the net and waited, hoping for the birds to fly in. Unfortunately we weren’t successful as the Wagtails didn’t show up. Maybe we’ll try again in the next days.

Our set-up for the White Wagtails (Hvid Vipstjert) – promising but not successful yet. Hopefully that will change soon!

Ringing (Kabeltromlen)
Fuglekonge - 3
Gransanger - 18
Rødhals - 10
Jernspurv - 3
Gærdesmutte - 3
Blåmejse - 5
Vindrossel - 1
Ringdrossel - 1
Total: 44

Link to today’s observations in DOFbasen from observers in the area

Summary of today's raptor migration in DOFbasen

People: Alvin Johansson, János Schadl, Alix Bortolussi, Julian Helbig, Dylan Daunt, Simon S. Christiansen, Gustav Juel, Knud Pedersen, Hans Christophersen, Jørgen Hulbæk

The morning looked like it was going to bring a lot of rain, at least according to the weather forecast. So there was some hesitation about whether to head out at all. In the end, János and Dylan biked to Nordstrand. Turns out the rain only lasted for the first hour instead of the entire morning as anticipated. 

The migration was very good, with many birds and a good variety. There were for example, high numbers of Pallid Harriers (Steppehøg) and Black Kites (Sort Glente), a Little Ringed Plover (Lille Præstekrave), a House Martin (Bysvale) and a new spring day record for Kestrel (Tårnfalk). 

During the morning count, 177 Kestrels (Tårnfalk) were seen, followed by an additional 53 birds in the afternoon, bringing the total day count to 230 birds. This surpasses the previous spring record of 223 in 2016 by seven birds. The old record was set in May, when Kestrel (Tårnfalk) migration is typically much stronger, while the previous April day record was 150 birds. 

One of the 230 migrating Kestrels (Tårnfalk) (Photo by Erik Christophersen)

Adult male Pallid Harrier (Steppehøg) (Photo by Erik Christophersen)

In the afternoon, Gustav Juel arrived and will be staying with us for a week. On his way here he photographed an eagle near Uggerby that he initially looked like an adult Golden Eagle (Kongeørn), However, after a closer look at the pictures, the possibility of an Eastern Imperial Eagle (Kejserørn) was raised and finally identified! What a great find by our young intern! In was later also seen and photographed closer by Morten Jenrich Hansen in Måstrup Hede (see pics on DOFbasen). It's the first adult Eastern Imperial Eagle in Denmark since 1990.

Adult Eastern Imperial Eagle at Uggerby. Photo: Gustav Juel.

In the evening a Golden Eagle (Kongeørn) that has been hanging around in the area was seen hunting, and János got some amazing photos in the sunset.

Golden Eagle (Kongeørn) in the sunset

Golden Eagle (Kongeørn) hunting

Highlights of today:
Pallid Harrier (Steppehøg) - 8
Black Kite (Sort Glente) - 8
Kestrel (Tårnfalk) - 230
Garganey (Atlingand) - 2
Curlew (Storspove) - 216
Arctic Skuas (Almindelig Kjove) - 13
Golden Eagle (Kongeørn) - 1
Little Ringed Plover (Lille Præstekrave) - 1
House Martin (Bysvale) - 1

Link to today’s observations in DOFbasen from observers in the area

Summary of today's raptor migration in DOFbasen

People: Alvin Johansson, János Schadl, Alix Bortolussi, Julian Helbig, Dylan Daunt, Simon S. Christiansen, Gustav Juel, Knud Pedersen, Hans Christophersen, Jørgen Hulbæk, Christiansen, Erik Christophersen