A relentlessly cold, windy day again at the observatory with the gusts up to 32mph and not dropping below 25mph making -2’c feel like -9’c. As a result, the waves along Kattegatkysten, closest to the lighthouse, were high and ferocious with a few Herring Gulls (Sølmåge) and a couple of Common Gulls (Stormmåge) feeding amongst the sea foam.

Picture 1: 3K Cormorant RW(4K4)

The weather and storminess led to us undertaking a second coat of oil in the kitchen before heading out for a walk to find some species and to enjoy the sun again as it was out for most of today. With the wind direction, we thought walking to Nordstrand via Grenen would be best, and then back to the lighthouse via Jennes Sø for a late lunch. Walking through Grenen there were very few passerines seen and heard today. The beach and tip were blown out, so we headed over to see if the Cormorants (Skarv) were roosting on the beach. We found a nice flock of about 24 birds and viewed from a distance. They are always a little nervous here so even our presence was a little too much today. Unfortunate, as one of the 2^nd yr birds had a Danish colour ring on - we will get that one soon! However, we continued westwards. The waves decreased and a few ducks emerged from the swell – 6 Eiders (Ederfugl), ~120 Common Scoters (Sortand), 3 Velvet Scoter (Fløjlsand), and a Red-breasted merganser (Toppet Skallesluger) to be precise. Another flock of Cormorants (Skarv) were seen, and we could easily read the ring of one of them from a good distance away. Cormorant (4K4) was ringed as a chick in 2024 on Hirsholm just offshore from Frederikshavn and this was their first resighting elsewhere, now in its third calendar year.

Picture 2: Nordstrand Dunes

Walking on round to Nordstrand we emerged onto the road and headed towards Jennes Sø. A couple of Great Tits (Musvit) and Blue Tits (Blåmejse) were found in the bushes, and a flyover Yellowhammer (Gulspurv) was nice too. Taking the track to Jennes Sø, the shelter of the small copse made it a little less windy. With it being the coldest winter for about 15yrs in the area, it was not surprising how the small lake was totally frozen. According to the signage, it is a good spot to go ice skating and so maybe this is the year! Moving on round and back to the lighthouse, it was great to see both Rough-legged Buzzard (Fjeldvåge) and Common Buzzard (Musvåge) interacting with one another, as well as a couple of Ravens (Ravn) too.

Picture 3: Near the Lighthouse

A late lunch was had and a quick bit of admin before heading back out and this time in the direction of Skagen. With the sun slowly setting and the Cormorants (Skarv) heading to roost, being on the windiest coastline it was seafoam central with large amounts lifting off the sea and hitting us as we walked along. A small flock of Eiders (Ederfugl) were of note but other than that we headed back for dinner, games and chill.

Highlights:

-       Rough-legged Buzzard (Fjeldvåge)     

Link to Dofbasen here.

Observers: Thomas Weston and Eleanor Harris

Picture 1: My signature Marble Cake

We woke up and decided to complete some indoor tasks as it was snowing outside. It was rather windy and felt as if the wind speed had increased with the waves crashing against the rocks. The plan this morning was to bake a cake and make a vegetarian Shepards Pie to take round for dinner with Lisa and Simon. We completed the food prep which took a while as we got slightly interrupted with oiling the newly sanded kitchen work surfaces.

Picture 2: Banana Bread

Once both tasks were completed, we had some lunch and some banana bread that we baked yesterday evening.

Picture 3: Frozen Water

Whilst eating lunch, the sun started to come out so both of us were eager to go for a short walk as it was windy and chilly out. We wrapped up warm and headed towards Jennes Sø. After a slight detour we reached our destination. The water was still very frozen with lots of ice around and looked rather beautiful in the low winter sunshine. We continued our walk towards the lighthouse and on our way, Thomas spotted a Sparrowhawk (Spurvehøg) and a possible Goshawk (Duehøg) so some good finds as quiet overall.

Picture 4: Frozen Sea

On our way back to the lighthouse we spotted that the rocks were covered in ice, after investigating we discovered that this was frozen sea foam and water. It was impressive and showed how cold it really was. We were on a tight schedule so headed back to warm up and get ready for our evening plans with Lisa and Simon.

Picture 5: Vegetarian Shepards Pie

This evening, we had some tasty food which was enjoyed all round and watched the Handball semi-finals. Denmark and Germany ended up winning so who knows what will happen on Sunday!

Highlight

-       Sparrowhawk (Spurvehøg)     

Link to Dofbasen here.

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

Picture 1: Observatory Sanding

With the wind blowing strong from the east again, snow falling, and temperatures not reaching zero, we decided today was going to be a day of completing tasks. Washing was essential, but the biggest task was sanding the surfaces in the kitchen. Primed with the relevant equipment we set out sanding all the surfaces which took most of the morning. Dust was everywhere and we would usually put species seen from the window in this section, but the stormy weather and dust filled room led to very few being seen this morning – a few passing Cormorants (Skarv) and a handful of Herring Gulls (Sølmåge) the best!

Picture 2: Dunes between Ellekrattet and Jennes Sø

Once complete, lunch was had, and we waited a little to see if the snow would stop and then maybe we could complete the second session of oiling the Kabletromlen. With such cold temperatures and no sun at all, we decided to set off for some food shopping, and recycle some of the glass bottles via a spot where a Great Grey Shrike (Stor tornskade) was recently seen. We cycled between Ellekrattet and Jennes Sø to use our binoculars to search for the bird as this has been a favoured site for them previously. The sound of the glass bouncing in the bike basket was not ideal, but we did see a Rough Legged Buzzard (Fjeldvåge), a distant Gannet (Sule), and a couple of Blackbirds (Solsort). No luck with the shrike this time, but we will try again. Moving onwards, we recycled our bottles, said “hi” to the local horses featured previously in the blog, and went into Skagen to do our shopping before heading back just after sunset.

Highlights:

-             Rough Legged Buzzard (Fjeldvåge)

Link to Dofbasen here.

Observers: Thomas Weston and Eleanor Harris

Picture 1: ‘Black -bellied Dipper’ (Vandstær)

Today we woke up bright and early to begin our birding adventure with Simon. The plan was to explore areas beyond Skagen and see some birding highlights. We packed our stuff including some food and warm clothes ahead of our Danish Tour. Our first stop was to see a ‘Black -bellied Dipper’ (Vandstær) in Blindslev Gl Elværk, this was very exciting as they are slightly different from the ones we get in the UK.  On the drive to the site, it was interesting seeing some more of the Danish countryside and exploring new areas. We reached the site and quickly found the Dipper we were looking for in the icy water. It was rather cold with icicles lining the river and we all could feel a chill so headed back to the car to warm up and continue our journey. What a great encounter ahead of our adventure ahead.

Picture 2: Crested Lark (Toplærke)

We continued our journey to Hirshals with the plan to walk around the harbour and explore the local area. Stopping on the outskirts, Thomas spotted some Fieldfare (Sjagger) so we pulled over in a local car park and went for a short walk. Some of the other highlights in the area were 24 Snow Bunting (Snespurve) and 2 Brambling (Knækerfinke) which all were found thriving in a somewhat industrial area showing how important these are for our wildlife.

The real reason we were here was to see the last Crested Lark (Toplærke) in Denmark. This Lark thrives in an urban area, so the Harbour was the perfect place to go looking. Once we reached the site the lark was easily located hanging around the car park and showed nicely. After a short time, it flew in the opposite direction away from us. It was amazing and special to see this species my first but also a little sad to think that this is the last in Denmark. This record really does show how species need safe havens to thrive and the impact of our behaviour on the environment.

Picture 3: Simon and Thomas Observing the Harbour

A spot of gull feeding and observation was needed so the plan was to entice some of the local gulls with some bread. We arrived at an excellent site and first observed the harbour. It was great to see a new area and a new harbour. There was a good number of gulls, so we grabbed the very English white bread out of the car to see if any were interested in a free meal. When we arrived, we saw some of them attempting to eat Starfish unsuccessfully, it really did look a challenge! We manged to attract Great Backed Gulls (Svartbag), a Comon Gull (Stormmåge) and Herring Gulls (Sølvmåge), all of which were very pleased with a tasty free meal. A great success all round!!

Picture 4: Eleanor and Thomas completing maintenance

We all were getting a little cold so decided to head back to Skagen via a few errands. We headed to Albæk our last stop on our tour. We arrived in the sunshine and had a short walk and explore including the harbour and beech. This is an area that both me and Thomas would like to explore more plus potential go to the seaside sauna!! Heading back to Skagen we quickly stopped at one of the traps to do some much needed maintenance which involved some logistical challenges and resulted in me climbing onto Thomas’s shoulders!!! Once complete we heading back to Skagen where Simon completed a few errands including a car wash and we went to visit the Great Northern Diver (Islom).

A great day all round and some lovely species and exploring. It was a very lovely day so thank you Simon for taking us on a birdy tour.

Highlights:

-            Crested Lark (Toplærke)

-            ‘Black -bellied Dipper’ (Vandstær)

-            Brambling (Kvækerfinke)

-             Great Northern Diver (Islom)

Link to Dofbasen

Observers: Eleanor Harris, Thomas Weston and Simon S. Christiansen

Picture 1: Kabeltromlen varnishing

Today was a good day. We awoke to a sunrise where we could see the sun and started our day cleaning the apartment and making it look more presentable. With the sun being out we decided today was the best day to varnish the new Kabeltromlen. We took a little while finding brushes and as seen from the pic, we chose the only ones we could find! They were a little bigger than the ones you get at school and without finding any others, we thought they were our best shout. Little did we know but there were larger ones hiding in the attic, which Simon provided later in the day once complete.  

Picture 2: A Sunny Skagen Beach View

Anyway, we proceeded to varnish, and this took a good couple of hours and a whole pot to complete. We are not sure if we were meant to use the whole pot, but it turned out just right, so we hope that it remains waterproof until the next coat. Bird wise, it was a little busier than recent, we heard a Water Rail (Vandriske) in the reeds and saw our overwintering Hen Harrier (Blå Kærhøg) flushing Fieldfare (Sjagger) over the dunes. This was a successful task, and we wandered back to the lighthouse via Worlds End II for some much-needed lunch. The sunlight today was incredible and really transformed the area. It is amazing just how dark the days have been recently; it makes it feel like a totally different place!

Post-lunch and a decision – to see the Great-Northern Diver (Islom) who has been showing incredibly well in the harbour, or to try our luck trying to catch some waders. We are pretty determined when it comes to things, so we tried option two. We walked back to the beach and started our search for waders. A few Gannets (Sule), Common Scoters (Sortand), Eiders (Ederfugl) and Cormorants (Skarv) were seen but our target was the Sanderling (Sandløber). They are amazing little waders and to find out where these birds move around to in Denmark and where they breed would be amazing to find out as numbers change so frequently throughout the wintertime here in Skagen. Unfortunately, it was not meant to be today and after a few close attempts we could not catch any birds on this attempt. With the sun heading quickly below the horizon, it was back to the observatory for tea and biscuits before a chill and cosy evening is had ahead of tomorrows adventure.

Highlights:

-             Hen Harrier (Blå Kærhøg)
-             Great Northern Diver (Islom)

Link to Dofbasen here.

Observers: Thomas Weston, Eleanor Harris, and Simon S. Christiansen

*** We recieved news of our first ever ringed Treecreeper (Træløber) caught from elsewhere. This was a bird ringed in Finland on the 18th September 2025 and recaught by Michael Ancher at Jennes Sø on the 17th October 2025. An amazing 955km SW in 29 days.***

Today was the final Mallemuk/Fulmar survey of the month, and it ended up being a very good bird day too! Due to the wind direction slightly changing to an NNE direction, we were advised by Simon to walk from Det Grå Fyr to Gammel Skagen to complete the survey. Our 10km walk started well, a brief auk spp looked interesting but never came to anything, and some resting Eiders (Ederfugl) and Common Scoters (Sortand) were always great to see.

Picture 1: Colour ringed RW '4C9' Cormorant (Skarv).

Walking towards Grenen we saw a pair of Whooper Swans (Sangsvane) fly in off the sea before heading south. We then saw a small flock of 12 Snow Buntings (Snespurv) and enjoyed watching them in the strong winds. As we turned west from the tip, we checked the small flock of hardy Herring Gulls (Sølmåge), Great Black-Backed Gulls (Svartbag), and Cormorants (Skarv). We noticed one of the Cormorants (Skarv) had a Danish red colour ring and proceeded to read the colour code - an exciting find and we are looking forward to hearing more from this individual.

Picture 2: 5k+ White-tailed Eagle (Havørn)

Looking out to sea we noticed a male Goldeneye (Hvinand) flying very fast east into the wind. Looking further behind it, we noticed why there was such a hurry, it was a rather unusual observation of a ‘migrating’ White-tailed Eagle (Havørn) heading NE out to sea flushing every duck along the way. This was particularly unusual given the wind direction and the time of year. However, we lost it far out to sea, so maybe it is now in Finland? Moving on, the lack of any dead birds for the survey was apparent, but we found some nice Velvet Scoter (Fløjlsand), Gannets (Sule), and another flock of 8 Whooper Swans (Sangsvane) migrating South. With a bit of sun, it felt almost autumnal, though -2’c with windchill of -9’c quickly reminded us that it was January.

Picture 3: Sanderling (Sandløber) - 1 1st cy. with adults

Nordstrand approached and our fun flocks of Sanderling (Sandløber) were present with a single Turnstone (Stenvender). In the bushes a large flock of Fieldfare (Sjagger) resided. By this time, we were over half the way and only a few gull wings were found for the survey, so we continued onwards. Walking past Højen Fyr, and onto the final stretch, a sad looking oiled Herring Gull (Sølmåge) was noteworthy for the wrong reasons. The end was now in sight and conversations about species we would like to see ended up us finding one on the groynes: it was a Purple Sandpiper (SortgrA Fyr). These perky, showy little waders are always great to see and proved rather photogenic.

Picture 4: Fastelavn Bun

One unidentified cetacean later and Simon picked us up at the end point, thank you so much! A quick stop in Skagen, our second home the harbour, and back in time for lunch and tea. Simon provided us a Fastelavn Bun to celebrate Fastelavn. This traditionally involved "Hitting the Cat in the Barrel”, but this is now celebrated with sweets and fruit inside a hanging cat pinata, rather than cats in barrels, a bit more ethical. However, it was delicious and would highly recommend after our 10km/15,000 steps today. Now time to chill and relax….

Highlights:

-  Goldeneye (Hvidand) in front of a White-tailed Eagle (Havørn) - Grenen
-  Purple Sandpiper – Gammel Skagen
-  Great-northern Diver (Islom) – Skagen Havn

Link to Dofbasen here.

Observers: Eleanor Harris, Thomas Weston, and Simon S. Christiansen

Picture 1: View from Stokmilen

We woke up with a plan to have a mini adventure. It was much calmer outside so a real change from the last few days with the wind changing direction. We both decided it was a good day to attempt a cycling trip. The last few days the bikes have been rather challenging to say the least due to wind direction, but today this changed. After making some nice lunch we decided to head out. Some good snacks were needed for our day ahead. Our plan was to cycle to Stokmilen and explore the area. We have both previously been there before but thought it would be a lovely place to have an adventure Sunday.

Picture 2: View from the Buried Church

We arrived at Stokmilen after about a 40-minute cycle in the gently falling snow. It was super lovely being back but one of the things we both noticed was that the area had slightly changed with sand movement. Paths looked a little different from our previous visit two years ago. We walked through pine wood to get to the Buried Church which was rather picturesque in the snow. It was super peaceful and beautiful to explore and climb the tower which is a cool bit of Skagen history. We decided that this was an excellent spot for some lunch and break so had a short stop. Whilst eating lunch we watched snowflakes falling onto our clothes and bags which was rather lovely, a sign of a proper winter wonderland.  

Picture 3: Crested Tit (Topmejse)

On our walk Thomas spotted some Crested Tit (Topmejse), which was a very lovely find. We decided to watch for a while and see if anything else turned up. In the same tree, we also had a Treecreeper (Træløber), and a Coal Tit (Sortmejse) so some good finds so far. We were getting a little cold so continued our walk ending with some dramatic landscapes along the Danish coast south from our location. It is an incredible area and worth a visit if ever in Skagen.

Picture 4: Beach looking towards the Harbour

After a little break we decided to head back to warm up with some tea and biscuits which were needed after our mini adventure. On the way back we stopped to see some Brambling (Kvækerfinke) and Greenfinches (Grønoriske) hiding in the trees, a lovely little distraction.

Today has been lovely and we will see what the evening brings. It has been really nice to explore a different area and see some good wildlife.  Thomas is cooking pizza so a proper Pizza Sunday inspired by my family!!

Highlights:

-              Crested Tit (Topmejse) - Stokmillen

-              Brambling (Kvækerfinke) – Skagen By

-              Great-northern Diver (Islom) – Skagen Havn

Link to Dofbasen here.

Observers: Eleanor Harris, Thomas Weston

We awoke to another day of strong easterly winds, but this time with snow! A mini winter wonderland was forming around the bird observatory, so we set a plan to walk into Skagen as the wind has been making it extremely hard to cycle back to the lighthouse the past few days.

Picture 1: Batteriskoven

Our first stop was Batteriskoven, where the snow was slightly settling on the ground and the only flowing area of freshwater in the area could be found. Unfortunately, no birds today, so we headed over to the harbour. A large flock of Herring Gulls (Sølmåge) and Great Black-Backed Gulls (Svartbag) circled the fishing boats, and a flyby Kittiwake (Ride) was notable.

Picture 2: Long tailed duck (Havit)

On the water a flock of Eiders (Ederfugl) held a Razorbill (Alk), Red-breasted merganser (Toppet Skallesluger) and a female/2^nd calendar year type Long-tailed Duck (Havlit). We bumped into Erik which was super lovely as it has been a couple of years we have seen each other! A lovely encounter and thank you for pulling over for a chat. Made our day.

Picture 3: Waxwings (Silkehale)              

Our journey through Skagen was pleasant as the snow continued to fall and the buildings sheltered from the wind. Heading towards our favourite bakery Eleanor was watching some House Sparrows (Gråspurv) in the bushes when I heard a familiar call. A flock of 21 Waxwings (Silkehale)! After our previous search was unsuccessful, it was great to see them in the trees, eating rosehips, and drinking snow. We watched them for a while before they headed off in search of more food.

Picture 4: Bakery cuteness

A good time for us to get some lunch, so as the Waxwings (Silkehale) were just outside the bakery it would be rude not to take a visit. We warmed up, had some croissants and hot chocolate, before making our way back through Skagen, looking in some of the shops, getting some food shopping completed, and back to the lighthouse in time for dark. A very much needed chilled day and a snowy one too!

Highlights:

• 21 Waxwings (Silkehale) – Skagen By
• Long tailed duck (Havlit) - Skagen Havn
• Great-northern Diver (Islom) in the harbour per Erik 

Link to Dofbasen here.

Observers: Thomas Weston, Eleanor Harris, Erik Christophersen

Picture 1 - Blue Tit (Blåmejse)

We woke up to another stormy day with the wind rattling through the widows. It was rather dramatic as always, and chilly.

After some breakfast we planned the day, with the plan to do some ringing using one of the repaired nets. We put lots of layers on and snow suits to head out into the cold. Yesterday on our walk to feed the Snow Buntings (Snespurv) we came across a surprisingly sheltered spot with a steady number of birds. We grabbed the ringing kit we packed into a bag yesterday for the coming days and headed out with a plan to stay for a few hours weather depending. Once reaching the site, we spend time figuring the best position for the net. We accessed the issues around foliage and wind direction but after some time we successfully got it into place. This took a while with slight gusts from time to time so not the ideal, but we persevered. After about an hour or so we got a big surprise when we caught two birds, these ended up being a Great Tit (Musvit) and a Blue Tit (Blåmejse) so a big success all round.

These are some of the first birds ringed this year which is super cool and hopefully a good sign for the spring season ahead. We both went into ringing this new area with some scepticism if anything would come as walking from the lighthouse it was rather quiet as it has been over the last few days with these strong winds but overall, it was a very successful end to the morning. Whilst ringing we also heard two Water Rails (Vandriske) and saw a Dunnock (Jernspurv) which was very lovely.

Picture 2: Net Sewing

We both were getting a little cold so decided to pack away and head back. After some nice lunch and some quiet time, we decided to tick another task of the list. We had already completed seven nets out of eleven so thought it would be a good idea to complete this whilst the storm continued. It took a while, but we set ourselves a manageable target and completed it before a very quick and easy dinner of leftovers.

Ringing Grenen

Great Tit/Musvit 1
Blue tit/ Blåmejse 1      

Highlights:

• Net sewing complete!

Link to Dofbasen here.

Observers: Eleanor Harris, Thomas Weston

Picture 1: Me feeding the Snow Buntings (Snespurv)

Another very windy day in Skagen today with 35+mph winds consistently throughout the morning, day and night. Last night we had been tasked by Simon to sort the bikes, which was completed very successfully and efficiently in no time at all. Like some of the Gannets (Sule) and Kittiwakes (Rides) we saw flying by, we decided to head North to the tip. Our aim was to feed the Snow Buntings (Snespurv) and check the gulls (Måge). On arrival, we found the food had been eaten and a flock of 11 Snow Buntings (Snespurv) were in the area which was a great sign. Hopefully, they will eat the food when we are not in the area! Few other species were seen or heard on our walk, but we did see a Yellowhammer (Gulspurv) and we heard a Water Rail (Vandriske).

Picture 2: A friendly horse.

We came back for lunch and planned a nice cycle into Skagen to check for some Pink-footed Geese (Kortnæbbet Gås) that Knud had found yesterday in a nearby field. When we were getting ready, we put on all our warm clothes and got ready to leave. Eleanor started getting distracted by some chocolate powder in the cupboard and was keen to make some hot chocolate or a mug cake when back as a warm treat. Before we knew it, we closed the doors, forgot our key, and accidently locked ourselves out of the observatory! Oh no! We informed Simon but no response so we went to look for the geese (Gås), which also were not there, but we found a nice horse, a Sparrowhawk (Spurvehøg) and a flock of Yellowhammer (Gulspurv) and Greenfinches (Grønorisk) near Det Hvid Fyr on our return. Simon got back to us and so we headed to the observatory, a Goldcrest (Fuglekonge) was the only bird of note, but some new saunas at the campsite looked intriguing so maybe we will have to check them out!

Simon saved us on our return and let us in! As a thank you, we exchanged some cookies that Eleanor had baked recently and started completing some net sewing and admin tasks before dinner. Waiting out the storm and seeing what tomorrow brings.

Highlights:

Knud saw 2 Crested Tits (Topmejse) in a grassy field!
A Firecrest (Rødtoppet Fuglekonge) ringed here last autumn at Jennes Sø was recaught in Scotland 11 days later!

Link to Dofbasen here.

Observers: Thomas Weston, Eleanor Harris, Knud Pederson and Simon S. Christiansen