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From Windy seas to Woodcock fields

mandag 24. november 2025
af Amira Nuseibeh

Another windy morning meant that Lise, Florian, János and I headed to Nordstrand for this morning’s migration count. The migration was probably the slowest it’s been since I arrived in Skagen but still it was a very entertaining and pleasant morning in our sheltered seawatching spot. In terms of rarities, the highlight was definitely a nice Great Northern Diver (Islom) which flew in front of us before landing on the sea. We also had a couple of Taiga Bean Geese (Tajgasædgås) flying by and several flocks of Whooper Swans (Sangsvane), which always make us look up and smile. Interestingly, we’ve been noticing the flocks transitioning from being made up of mostly adults to mostly juveniles now.

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The observation team at Nordstrand

A Great Grey Shrike (Stor Tornskade) was nice to see and a great surprise was a Chiffchaff (Gransanger) which flew up from the bushes behind us and into the grass tufts just in front of our observation spot, and later a Sparrowhawk flew up from close in front of us too! The slow pace of migration meant there was time for practicing identifying Auks (Lomvie/Alk) from a distance which I found challenging with all the “flimmer” (which I’ve learnt means haze in Danish/German) but was still fun nonetheless. 11 dark chocolate rice cakes later, we’d finished the migration count and cycled back home to drop off our warm boiler suits before our afternoon outings.

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Happy Observers :)) (Lise, János and Florian). Photo by Amira.

Florian made a trip to Grenen where he saw his usual two Stonechats (Sortstrubet Bynkefugl), and many Snow Bunting (Snespurv) and Gulls (Måge sp.). He then cycled to the harbour where he joined János for some “gulling”. They tried to entice in the gulls with some sliced bread but unfortunately didn’t spot any rare species this time, but they were lucky enough to see three Turnstone (Stenvender) pottering about which was quite cute.

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Herring Gull (Sølvmåge) at the harbour at sunset. Photo by Florian.

Miles had a quiet morning doing some office tasks, going for a run and battling with sparkly ribbon in an attempt to make some star-shaped decorations for our Christmas tree. In contrast with my disastrous attempts last night, Miles managed to produce two beautiful little shiny green stars which now hang on our tree, alongside a lovely Goose-shaped decoration which was a gift from Mathilde. Then, in the afternoon, he cycled into town (and saw a Woodcock (Skovsneppe) on the way in Batteriskoven) and met Lise for some shopping, including a visit to the charity shop, where Lise found some excellent bargains.

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Lise's excellent bargains from the charity shop in Skagen

After our evening meeting, János and I wrapped up warm and cycled out to Bankes Marker to try and catch some Woodcock (Skovsneppe). Although we failed once again, it was super cool to see nine Woodcock in only the couple of fields that we checked! They are such funny looking birds and nightcatching is one of the only times we’re able to see them so well, even if we didn’t manage to catch any in the net this time. Now, we’ve just enjoyed a winter-y dinner of spinach, potato and tofu stew cooked by Lise; it was so delicious!

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János ready for some nightcatching

Standard ringing finished

Highlights from Observations
Great Northern Diver (Islom) 1
Great Grey Shrike (Stor Tornskade) 1

Link to today’s observations from the area.

People: Miles Scheuering, János Schadl, Florian Hatt, Amira Nuseibeh, and Lise Mastrup.

White winged and White billed birds

søndag 23. november 2025
af Florian Hatt

When we woke up this morning, we first checked the weather forecast, as yesterday it was said that it might rain. But since it looked quite acceptable, there was no sleeping in, but instead everyone went out for the migration count. As the wind was quite strong, we decided to go to Nordstrand, where we could sit in a more sheltered spot than at World's End III. The start was rather uneventful, and there were fewer Kittiwakes (Ride) and Auks (Alkefugle) on the move than in recent days. A few Long-tailed Ducks (Havlit), a Goosander (Stor Skallesluger) and a pair of Red-breasted Mergansers (Toppet Skallesluger) were still great, though. As we had been talking about possible rare gulls over the last few days that might appear here, I kept looking at the gulls that were flying around of course. Suddenly, my attention was caught by a bird circling high above, which showed extremely light-coloured primaries. I zoomed in and when the bird showed its upper wing, I saw what I had been hoping to see. I immediately called out that there was a Glaucous or Iceland Gull (Gråmåge eller Hvidvinget Måge) flying. The somewhat different brown tone in the plumage of this young gull was interesting, as well as the primaries, which faded completely into white without any dark coloration. The bird circled further and further away and was blown north by the wind, making it difficult to find. However, the others were also able to catch a look at it before it disappeared into the distance. Although its shape suggested it was rather an Iceland Gull (Hvidvinget Måge), the observation conditions were too poor for us to be sure about the identification. An aberrant Herring Gull (Sølvemåge) seems very unlikely, but of course cannot be ruled out 100% either. So many of us will have to wait a little longer for this Lifer.

However, excitement was high, and when two Little Auks (Søkonge) flew west shortly afterwards, it was evident that it was once again a good seawatching day. Still in the same hour, I was happy when I saw a diver that was bigger than the Red-throated Divers (Rødstrubet Lom) just before. It was flying directly towards us, so it was looking a bit weird, but I announced it as a Black-throated Diver (Sortstrubet Lom) first. However, when the bird turned to a better angle, I realised: “No, it's a White-billed!” Luckily, the Hvidnæbbet Lom was close enough to get a (poor) record shot. Everyone could see it, so we got in an even better mood. A few funny jokes, sayings and group laughs later, a Great Northern Diver (Islom) showed up, making the day even better!

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White-billed Diver (Hvidnæbbet Lom). Some yellow pixels in the bill are even visible on this picture

After the count, I stopped several times on the way back and was lucky to see a young Goshawk (Duehøg) at Batteriskoven. When Miles returned from a brief and chilly visit at the industrial area and Amira and Lise came back from their run, it was time for Amira and Miles to go for a swim in the sea once again. The waves were a bit high, so they came back relatively quickly and awaited a warm shower. Janos and I set off to look for gulls at Grenen and in the harbour, hoping to find the bird from this morning again. Sadly, we didn't have much success with the gulls, but we did spot a flock of at least 55 Snow Buntings (Snespurv) on the beach.

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"Gulling" at Grenen

And on the way to the harbour, Janos spotted a very dark White Wagtail (Hvid Vipstjert), which could be a good candidate for the British subspecies yarrellii. Amira and Miles also came towards the harbour later, but by then it was already quite dark. On her way back, Amira spotted two Woodcocks (Skovsneppe) on a horse field just as there was still enough daylight to see them. We rounded off this successful day with a tasty dinner made by Janos.

Standard ringing finished

Highlights from observations
White-billed Diver aka Yellow-billed Loon (Hvidnæbbet Lom) 1
Greath Northern Diver aka Common Loon (Islom) 1
Little Auk aka Dovekie (Søkonge) 2
Iceland or Glaucous Gull (Hvidvinget Måge eller Gråmåge) 1

Link to today’s observations from the area.

People: Miles Scheuering, János Schadl, Florian Hatt, Amira Nuseibeh, Lise Mastrup

Perfect pace of kittiwakes

lørdag 22. november 2025
af Miles Scheuering

It was another chilly morning when Amira, János, and Florian headed out for observing, but activity was once again quite good. Yesterday there were many Black-legged Kittiwakes (Ride) and today there were even more! There were many in the first two hours, and even though it could be slightly overwhelming, with over 600 in one hour, Florian still described it as “the perfect pace of kittiwakes.” That pace slowed in the last two hours, but the observers were excited to reach the 2000 mark, so they stayed an extra 30 minutes, even counting down until they all saw the 2000th bird! Auks (Alkefugl) were also numerous. Yet again there were over 2000 Razorbills (Alk) with another 1700 Razorbills/Guillemots (Alk/Lomvie). The observers also spotted a Sooty Shearwater (Sodfarvet Skråpe), and although we have seen many this fall, it is always a pleasure to see one quite close.

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János and Florian bundled up in their boiler suits during the mornings migration count at Worlds End 3. Photo by Amira

Lise and I took an “office day” and spent the morning reviewing guidelines, catching up on cataloguing photos in the picture archive, and working on some graphs comparing this autumn’s ringing to last years. Around midmorning we headed out to Kabeltromlen to finish retrieving the rest of the ringing equipment. We brought out an old cart that was sitting in the lab, with the hope it would make carrying things more efficient. I’m not sure it did make things more efficient, but we managed to get everything moved.

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Lise happily transporting the empty cart to Kabeltromlen. The return trip was not documented but I can say that it was significantly slower and less happy. Photo by Amira

In the afternoon we dispersed on various outings. Amira went to the woods at Stald Grenen in search of a Christmas tree for the apartment. It was hard to choose the right one, but I think the one she found is perfect for the apartment! We plan to decorate it tomorrow night, so hopefully we will have a photo for the blog then. Florian went out to Flagbakken for the first time and was impressed by how pretty the landscape was. He did not see so many birds, but Coal Tits (Sortmejse) and Crested Tits (Topmejse) were both nice!

It is a quiet weekend, as Simon is visiting Blavånd Fuglestation. We completed our weekly cleaning this evening, while Lise cooked a delicious zucchini (courgette) soup, with gluten-free rolls and a kale, cabbage, and apple salad. Amira is generally not a fan of apple in salad, but recently she has discovered it can be quite good!

Standard ringing finished

Highlights from observations
Sooty Shearwater (Sodfarvet Skråpe) 1

Link to today’s observations from the area.

People: Miles Scheuering, János Schadl, Florian Hatt, Amira Nuseibeh, Lise Mastrup

Ringmærkning lukker og slukker for i år

fredag 21. november 2025
af Lise Mastrup

På Verdens Ende 3 var der i dag rigeligt med fugle for Florian, Miles, János og Knud at tælle. Over 1200 rider (kittiwakes), mere end 2300 alke (razorbills) og dertil to musvåger (common buzzards) og en enkelt søkonge (little auk). Dagens helt store højdepunkt viste sig dog ikke i form af en fugl, men derimod fire spækhuggere (orcas), der lagde vejen forbi Grenen! Umiddelbart var det en flok bestående af to hanner og to mindre individer, enten hunner eller unger. Knud spottede dem ude på havet og herefter kunne de ses et godt stykke tid svømme gennem Skagerrak og genkendes, når man var heldig at se en rygfinne stikke op over havoverfladen eller luft blive pustet ud af deres åndehul. Også fra Kabeltromlen kunne vi følge med i spækhuggerne mellem netrunder.

I går var sidste dag for standard ringmærkning i efterårssæsonen. Som I måske har læst, kunne vi dog ikke ringmærke i går og derfor klarede vi i stedet sæsonens sidste ringmærkning i dag. Amira, Mathilde og jeg cyklede tidligt ud til Kabeltromlen, åbnede net og nød solopgangen. Vi fik sat ringe på blandt andet den fineste lille vindrossel (redwing), nogle vinterklare dompapper (bullfinches) og en enkelt skægmejse (bearded reedling).

Simon kom forbi med lækre snacks og drikkevarer (tak for det!) for at markere slutningen på årets ringmærkning, som observatørerne også kom forbi for at tage del i. Mathilde nåede netop at være med til takke af for nu, inden hun måtte nå toget hjem til København. En rødhals (robin) fik æren af årets allersidste ring, som János gav den på. Måske han også kommer til at mærke næste års allerførste fugl, da han jo heldigvis vender tilbage til Skagen til foråret.

rødhals 21.11.25En netop ringmærket rødhals (robin). Måske på gensyn til næste år. I baggrunden ses en flittigt brugt Kabeltromle. Foto af Lise.

Efter den sidste mærkning var vi dog langt fra færdige med dagens arbejde. I dejlig eftermiddagssol gik vi i gang med at tage net ned og pakke dem sammen. Heldigt at vi var fem om dette, da det er et større arbejde med at tjekke nettenes tilstand for huller og andet slid, pakke dem ordentligt sammen til forårets frivillige, samt tage alle stænger, snore og pløkker ud af mudderet og bære dem tilbage til stationen. Vi havde derfor fornøjelsen af at få alle dagens solskinstimer med og også nyde solnedgangen fra den gode udsigt ved Kabeltromlen.

21.11.25I fuld færd med at pakke en af rundens sidste net sammen. Foto af Amira.

Trætte og tilfredse med dagens arbejde vendte vi hjem til stationen for at taste data ind en sidste gang for dagens aflæsninger og mærkninger. Nu glæder vi os til den aftensmad Florian netop er ved at forberede til os og jeg er ikke i tvivl om vi alle kommer til at sove tungt og godt inden morgendagens opgaver venter os. God aften fra os til alle jer derude!

Ringmærkning (Kabeltromlen):
Vindrossel (Redwing) 1
Solsort (Blackbird) 2
Grønirisk (Greenfinch) 1
Gærdesmutte (Wren) 2
Skægmejse (Bearded Reedling) 1
Grønsisken (Siskin) 1
Rødhals (Robin) 1
Stor Dompap (Bullfinch) 2
Lille Dompap (Bullfinch) 2
Bogfinke (Chaffinch) 1
Blåmejse (Blue Tit) 6
Munk (Blackcap) 1
I alt: 21
 
Ringing (Jennes Sø):
Rødhals (Robin) 1
Blåmejse (Blue Tit) 2
Lille Gråsisken (Lesser Redpoll) 1
Nordlig Gråsisken (Mealy Redpoll) 1
Lille Dompap (Bullfinch) 1
I alt: 6
 
Ringing (Nordstjernevej):
Gærdesmutte (Wren) 1
Blåmejse (Blue Tit) 2
Musvit (Great Tit) 1
Stilits (Goldfinch) 1
Grønsisken (Siskin) 2
Lille Gråsisken (Lesser Redpoll) 1
I alt: 8
 
Højdepunkter fra observationerne:
Rider (Kittiwakes) 1000
Alk (Razorbill) 2000
Søkonge (Little Auk) 1
Spækhugger (Orcas) 4
 

Folk på stationen: Miles Scheuering, János Schadl, Florian Hatt, Amira Nuseibeh, Lise Mastrup & Mathilde Lundt Larsen

Our Cold but Cozy Nook

torsdag 20. november 2025
af Amira Nuseibeh

Today was a real test for us, battling against the coldest and windiest weather we’ve experienced so far this Autumn. I was excited to be wearing the big cozy boiler suit for the first time for this morning’s migration count and I’m super, super glad I had it! It was too windy for any ringing so all 6 of us, and Knud and his friend, all bundled into the cozy nook at Nordstrand. The counting started off pretty busy with a nice rush of Kittiwakes (Ride), including some first year birds which are rarer to see and quite beautiful, and three Little Auks (Søkonge) too!

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Observers layered up in boiler suits and every piece of clothing they own.

However, the volume of migrating birds died down very quickly after the first hour and so we enjoyed celebrating some of the more common species to stay motivated and warm, including some lovely Goosander (Stor Skallesluger), Red-Breasted Merganser (Toppet Skallesluger), and Velvet Scoter (Fløjlsand). I really enjoyed the combination of the slow pace of migration and being sat between Florian and János because there was time for them to teach me about identifying and ageing Common Gulls (Stormmåge) as they flew by, which I appreciated a lot.

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Shadow of the observers when the sun finally came out

Despite all our layers, our heated socks and lots of running around and gymnastic exercises to keep warm, we were all very excited to be warmed up by the cycle home and enjoyed a lunch all together at the kitchen table. This is an extremely rare occasion, but today we have ended up eating dinner, lunch AND breakfast together which has been very nice.

After lunch, Miles and I headed to Flagbakken, a nice woodland sand dune area on the far side of Skagen town, where the Sunken Church (Tilsandede Kirke) is. It seems the snow yesterday was much heavier there and it’s more sheltered, so the sand and fallen trees were lined with a thin layer of crisp snow; it felt like a winter wonderland! The trees were alive with Goldcrests (Fuglekonge) and Coal Tits (Sortmejse), and Miles even saw an Otter (Odder) running across the path which is very cool.

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The Sunken Church (Tilsandede Kirke) at Flagbakken

Meanwhile, Lise and Mathilde visited the centre of Skagen which is very pretty this time of year with all the Christmas trees and decorations everywhere, and they also made a visit to the bakery too. Florian was at the beach at Grenen this afternoon and spotted two  of our regular Stonechats (Sortstrubet Bynkefugl) as well as the usual flock of Snow Bunting (Snespurv), which he also put out seed for in the hope that we can maybe catch and ring them in the coming week if we’re lucky!

Ringing (Nordstjernevej):
Blåmejse 2
Skovspurv 1
Bogfinke 1
Grønirisk 2

There was no ringing at Kabeltromlen but today was officially the last day of our standardised ringing season so stay tuned for a full summary of the Autumn season!

Highlights from today’s observations:
Little Auk (Søkonge) 3
Large Diver species (Lom species) 1

Link to today’s observations from the area

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

First snowfall

onsdag 19. november 2025
af János Schadl

The day started rainy, and at some point even the first snow fell, so we could sleep an hour longer than usual and went to observing and ringing after it stopped. I and Florian went to Northstrand for the migration count because there is a place where you are a bit more sheltered. We had a good start with many Auks, the highlight being 3 Little Auks (Søkonge) and 3 Smews (Lille Skallesluger), which are a rather uncommon sight here in Skagen. At the end, we managed to count for more than three hours despite the late start.

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A group of Smews (Lille Skallesluger) and auks flying east. Photo by Florian
 
Florian observing 19 11 2025
Florian counting. Photo by János
 
The ringers were not very busy, and managed to do some seawatching next to the bird ringing, with the best bird being a Fulmar (Mallemuk), and enjoyed some tasty banana chips.
A nice catch, however, was a Bearded Reedling (Skægemejse), which was the first for Mathilde in the hand.
 
 Ringers 19 11 2025
Ringers while seawatching. Photo by Lise
 
After the end of the count, I went back to have dinner and later went to the harbor to look for gulls. Florian stayed at Northstrand for a bit and searched for passerines in the area, and Amira managed to find a Great Grey Shrike (Stor Tornskade) close to the lighthouse, showing very well! Later she biked to Skagen and bought new headphones and did some grocery shopping. 
 
In the evening Miles cooked a delicious dinner and topped it with an apple galette.
 
Apple galette 19 11 2025
Apple galette from Miles. Photo by János
 
Ringing (Kabeltromlen):
Skægmejse 1
Dompap 1
Total new birds: 2
 
Highlights from today’s observations
Little Auk (Søkonge) 3
Smew (Lille Skallesluger) 3
Black Guillemot (Tejst) 3

Link to today’s observations from the area.

People: Miles Scheuering, János Schadl, Florian Hatt, Amira Nuseibeh, Lise Mastrup and Mathilde Lundt Larsen

Birding and a Birthday

tirsdag 18. november 2025
af Florian Hatt

I had decided to go ringing today, as the ringing season is slowly coming to an end. So I wanted to take advantage of one of these last chances. It was very nice of János and Amira to go out early to open the nets. That meant I could sleep a little longer. As a result, I was still at home when Lise came in for breakfast and discovered the card we had written for her. Because today was her birthday! Happy birthday, Lise!!! As an activity for the morning, she had chosen the migration count, where she went with Mathilde, Miles and Knud. In general, it wasn't super busy, but there were still some nice birthday species. A Black-throated Diver (Sortstrubet Lom) and a Long-tailed Duck (Havlit) were nice to see, as well as three Little Auks (Søkonge)! Also worth mentioning, of course, are a good number of Light-bellied Brent Geese (Lysbuget Knortegås) and a Red-necked Grebe (Gråstrubet Lappedykker)! It was still cold, but as the wind wasn't so strong, it was still comfortable without a boiler suit. However, those who had one with them enjoyed a particularly cozy migration count today.

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Professional bird counters

At the same time, a relaxed morning of bird ringing took place but still with a good number of birds. Interestingly, over half of all caught birds were recaptures. It was great for me to see a Redwing (Vindrossel) up close and extract a Dunnock (Jernspurv) from the net, which are getting scarce in ringing here.

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Dunnock (Jernspurv)

When Amira announced that she had a Reed Bunting (Rørspurv) in a bag, János and I joked that it must be a Black-faced Bunting (Gråhovedet Værling). So the suspense increased until Amira actually took a Reed Bunting (Rørspurv) out of the bag. This was of course also a highlight of the day and it had been quite a long time since the last one had appeared in the nets here. Once again, a Firecrest (Rødtoppet Fuglekonge) appeared, yet another recapture. But it wasn't just the birds we caught that were the highlights today, but also a flock of Water Pitpits (Bjergpiber) flying overhead and Woodlark (Hedelærke)! The company was also quite good as Lise and Mathilde came by to help for one round after the obs and even Simon showed up for a while, despite having to cycle to Kabeltromlen as his car was in for repairs. Unfortunately, we forgot the banana chips we had promised him here.

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Fresh hairstyle of a Firecrest (Rødtoppet Fuglekonge)

When the ringing was finished, I stayed outside to make the most of the last two hours of daylight. I was hoping to photograph Sanderlings (Sandløber) in the evening sun, but the sun disappeared behind some clouds before the light got really good. The atmosphere was still great and on the way back I even saw a Goshawk (Duehøg), so this was a nice evening trip.

In the meantime, Mathilde and Lise had baked for all of us a banana cake! It was so good! After a delicious dinner (with lots of olives) prepared by Amira, everyone could even have a second piece of the cake :)

Ringing (Kabeltromlen):
Vindrossel 3
Solsort 4
Grønirisk 3
Gærdesmutte 2
Rødhals 1
Dompap, Stor (pyrrhula) 2
Rørspurv 1
Blåmejse 3
Bogfinke 1
Munk 1
Fuglekonge 1
Total new birds: 20
(+ 21 recaptures)
 
Highlights from today’s observations
Little Auk (Søkonge) 3

Link to today’s observations from the area.

People: Miles Scheuering, János Schadl, Florian Hatt, Amira Nuseibeh, Lise Mastrup, Simon S. Christiansen, Michael Ancher, and Mathilde Lundt Larsen

Cold, northern winds

mandag 17. november 2025
af Miles Scheuering

This morning it still seemed a bit too windy to ring, but Amira went out to Kabeltromlen anyway to check. She was only able to open a handful of nets, and after a little waiting to see if the wind would relent, closed them again and joined the rest of us at Worlds End 3. The wind created several obstacles for us observers, the first being it was out of the north and quite cold and we only had two boiler suits, and the second was it created a lot of blowing sand. This meant that we could not look directly into the wind, at the risk of scratching the scope lenses. Despite this, there were several good birds, including a Great Northern Diver aka Common Loon (Islom), a Little Auk aka Dovekie (Søkonge), and a (relatively) close Northern Fulmar (Mallemuk). There were also good numbers of Black-legged Kittiwakes (Ride), with some flying over the beach and very close to us!

I was managing the cold alright, but when Amira mentioned that some of us could leave to do the fulmar walk to Gammel Skagen, I was quite excited. We left Florian, János, and Lise to finish the count while we went back to the lighthouse to collect bags, before beginning the walk. We walked back to Grenen along the beach and all the way out to the tip (I think it’s actually the first time I have been all the way to the end, despite the countless hours I have stared at it) before following the shore to the west. We did not see so many birds, alive or dead, and none of the dead birds were in good enough condition to collect, but it was still a beautiful, sunny day to be out on a walk.

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Amira at the tip of Grenen during the fulmar walk. Photo by Miles

Simon picked us up from Gammel Skagen and brought us back to the lighthouse. Along the way, we stopped at Knud’s house to pick up some apples, which we plan to use in the coming days to attract Bohemian Waxwings (Silkehale) to the net we have in the garden. When we were there, Knud and his wife kindly invited us in for coffee with them and their friends, who Simon also knew.

After finishing the migration count, the observers ate lunch and then dispersed for their various “duties.” Florian went birding by the sewage plant and elsewhere in the industrial area, before joining János for some gull watching in the harbor (truly a tour of the best scenery Skagen has to offer). They did not see as many gulls as yesterday but did see several Caspian Gulls (Kaspisk Måge). They also stocked up on toast bread, in preparation for gulling in the coming days now that the temperature has dropped. Lise took care of some errands before picking up her girlfriend Mathilde, who we are excited to have visiting the station this week.

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Florian gull watching at the harbor. Photo by János

This evening, János cooked us a delicious curry for dinner, before we finished up the last of the Listers documentary. We all quite enjoyed it, and it was especially fun for me, because I am familiar with many of the places, birds, and people featured in it. Tomorrow is Lise’s birthday, so hopefully the day will be filled with good birds and merriment!

No ringing at Kabeltromlen

Ringing (Nordstjernevej):
Blue Tit (Blåmejse) 1
Great Tit (Musvit) 1
European Greenfinch (Grønirisk) 6
European Sisken (Grønsisken ) 21
Total: 29
 
Highlights from observing
Great Northern Diver aka Common Loon (Islom) 1
Little Auk aka Dovekie (Søkonge) 1

Link to today’s observations from the area.

People: Miles Scheuering, János Schadl, Florian Hatt, Amira Nuseibeh, Lise Mastrup, Simon S. Christiansen, Michael Ancher, and Mathilde Lundt Larsen

Cool birds, Coffee, and Chilly Counting

søndag 16. november 2025
af Amira Nuseibeh

Today was another really lovely day of birdwatching in Skagen. The day started off quite windy, but Miles and I still cycled to Kabeltromlen to check if we could open any of the nets. We tried our best but eventually decided it wasn’t safe enough to ring and packed up soon after sunrise (which was really beautiful today!). I went straight to join the observers at World’s End 3 for the rest of the morning where there was quite a crowd of people today.

Overall, it was a slow migration day, but there were still some great highlights including two very late Sandwich Terns (Splitterne) and a Red Knot (Islandsk Ryle), which we haven’t seen in a while. A Little Auk (Søkonge) in the first hour is always a treat, and it was also very cool to see a Woodcock (Skovsneppe) appear out of nowhere in front of us! In the first hour, we also had a higher than usual number of Kittiwakes (Ride), over 150, and it's nice that flocks of Red Throated Divers (Rødstrubet Lom) are becoming a regular sight.

1611obscoffee
Lise and Amira enjoying coffee during morning migration count.

Even though the sun was shining brightly, I did find myself getting quite chilly as the morning went on, so I was quite jealous of the boiler suits that Florian and János were wearing today; they looked so cool and cosy. Maybe I’ll wear one next time because the forecast is predicting more cold weather on its way! However, the cold meant I was extremely grateful for the flask of coffee that Lise’s Dad brought along for us. Lise and I enjoyed a mug of coffee with our dark chocolate rice cakes whilst we stood on the sand dunes, which felt very luxurious indeed! It’s been great to spend time with Lise’s parents over the last few days and also thank you so much to them for gifting us 32 Flødebolle, which I’m sure will fill us with lots of energy and warmth for the next few days of observations and ringing!

In the afternoon, lots of birdwatching was done by everyone. Miles birded some of the patches around town and spotted a Woodcock (Skovsneppe) being flushed by a cat, a reminder of how deadly and dangerous outdoor cats can be to our native wildlife, especially birds! János visited the harbour for some “gulling” and, although he didn’t spot any rarities this time, he was rewarded with some epic views of a Red-throated Diver (Rødstrubet Lom), less than 10m away! Lise spotted a range of birds on her run and then enjoyed sunset up the lighthouse. Florian went birdwatching around the Nature Centre where he spotted two Chiffchaffs (Gransanger) and I bumped into him and we saw some nice Crested Tits (Topmejse) in the pine trees.

1611JanosRTD
Red-throated Diver (Rødstrubet Lom) in the harbour, Photo by János.

We both then headed to the beach for sunset but via different routes. I had a close encounter with a Polecat (ilder) by Cormorant Lake on my way which had a dead rodent in its mouth, and Florian saw a Goshawk as he cycled past Jennes Sø. For the third day in a row, the special Skagen light delivered an incredible sunset, full of pink, marshmallow-like clouds, glistening orange sea, and with plenty of Sanderling (Sandløber) scampering along the strandline, it was just perfection. Now, we're back at home and Lise is cooking us a delicious dinner which already smells delicious; I can't wait!

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Sunset from the top of the lighthouse. Photo by Lise. 
 
Ringing (Jennes Sø):
Blåmejse 3
Fuglekonge 2
Gråsisken, Lille (ssp. cabaret) 1
Grønsisken 2
Total new birds: 8
 
Highlights from today’s observations:
Little Auk (Søkonge) 1
Red Knot (Islandsk Ryle) 1
Sandwich Tern (Splitterne) 2
Woodcock (Skovsneppe) 1

Link to today’s observations from the area.

People: Miles Scheuering, János Schadl, Florian Hatt, Amira Nuseibeh, Lise Mastrup, and our guests Birgit and Morten Mastrup.

Gode fugle og glade fuglekiggere trodsede kulden i dag

lørdag 15. november 2025
af Lise Mastrup

I nettene ved Kabeltromlen var vi i dag heldige at have flere arter, som vi ikke ringmærker hver dag. Heriblandt var en træløber (eurasian treecreeper), to unge gulspurve (yellowhammer) og genfangst af en stor flagspætte (great woodpecker). Sidstnævnte var en fugl fra i år, men allerede med helt sort hoved og nakke og dermed en hun.

Gulspurv 15.11.25

Gulspurv (Yellowhammer).

Træløber 15.11.25Dagens træløber (eurasian treecreeper).

Miles og jeg (Lise) fik os desuden både en overraskelse, men også skuffelse da vi drejede om hjørnet til nogle af nettene i den nordlige del af netområdet. Her forskrækkede vi vist en dobbeltbekkasin (common snipe) som fløj op og lige ind i et af  nettene. Vi satte begge straks i løb (så meget man nu kan i vand til knæene) for at nå hen til den. Lige så hurtigt den var fløjet ind, lige så hurtigt var den dog ude igen og væk over tagrørene.

En glædelig observation fra Kabeltromlen var til gengæld en flok på omkring 20 silkehaler (waxwings), som satte sig i nogle af træerne nær os, hvor vi tydeligt kunne se dem i både kikkert og skop! Amira hævdede endda at dette måske har været højdepunktet i hendes liv. Jeg krydser fingre for, at hun har mange mindst lige så fantastiske øjeblikke til gode, men det siger måske alligevel lidt om begejstringen, der var blandt os.

Vi mærkede klart, at i dag var koldere end tidligere. Både på vores tæer og vandet i rørskoven, som nogle steder var frosset over. Derfor gik vi runder og tjekkede net lidt oftere af hensyn til at fuglene ikke kommer til at hænge og fryse.

På Verdens Ende 3 var vores observatører, Florian og János, forberedte på det ekstra kolde vejr og trukket i flyverdragterne, som heldigvis holdte dem varme. Det blev til fire timers træktælling i smukt vejr og med en masse alke (razorbills) og rødstrubede lommer (red-throated divers). Ligesom i går så de også en masse sangsvaner (whooper swans). Sandsynligvis har det kolde vejr nu lokket dem til at trække sydpå fra Sverige og Norge af. Akkurat inden standardtiden sluttede dukkede en søkonge (little auk) op, som landede et par minutter og blev set godt.

Efter frokost tog János og Florian sammen på tur, først til krattet ved Stald Grenen for at tjekke om himalayasangeren (hume’s leaf warbler) måske stadig var at finde, men ak, det er nu anden dag i træk den ikke er genfundet. Måske den er taget videre. Herefter cyklede de videre til Nordstrand for at fotografere sandløberne (sanderlings), hvor også Amira slog sig til dem.

Ringmærkning (Kabeltromlen):
Solsort 2
Gulspurv 2
Grønsisken 3
Gærdesmutte 3
Rødhals 1
Blåmejse 3
Træløber 1
Fuglekonge 3
Total new birds: 18
 
Højdepunkter fra observationerne:
Søkonge (Little auk) 1
Mange sangsvaner (many whooper swans)
 

Folk på stationen: Miles Scheuering, János Schadl, Florian Hatt, Amira Nuseibeh, Lise Mastrup & vores gæster Birgit og Morten Mastrup


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