Picture 1 – Sun rise

We knew today was going to be a bit stormy, but we did not know when or how extreme it would be. However, our day started around 8am, whereby we woke up and got ready before going out and seeing a rather lovely sunrise over the sea – in fact this was the only time we fully saw the sun today which was a bit of a change to the past few days.

Picture 2 – Forgotten fish!?

Simon arranged to pick us up for some Gull feeding at the harbour around 10am, so the morning was spent chopping up left over fish that was found in the freezer. We presume that this was left by the autumn team, but unsure of its origins, we thought it would make good gull food!

Picture 2 – Gull feeding  

Picture 3 – Colour ringed Herring Gull (Sølmåge)

It was great to see Simon and we headed over to the harbour in search of gulls. On the drive we hardly saw any gulls (Måge) heading towards Grenen, so we presumed they must be somewhere else. That location was indeed the harbour, and, on our arrival, we found large flocks of Herring Gulls (Sølmåge), Great Black-Backed Gulls (Svartbag), a few Common Gulls (Stormmåge), and a couple of Black-headed gulls too (Haettemåge). Eleanor and Simon were using some of the bread to entice the birds over, whilst I used some of the fish that we prepared earlier. The gull feeding was a great success, and many gulls came over to the food! We ring read a Herring Gull (Sølmåge) from Norway and called this one ‘Elsa’ or ‘Sven’ as it was originally ringed in Arundal and thought we must stick to the current Frozen scenes in Skagen. This is not massively far from the observatory, but it was great to see this bird hanging around the harbour and enjoying our fish, plus posing for a photo or two too. We checked other areas of the harbour and found a Long-tailed duck (Halvit), a few auks (Lomvie/Alk) and about 50+ Eiders (Ederfugl) all sheltering from the wind. A big thank you to Simon for the trip and dropping us back off.

Picture 4 – Sanderling (Sandløber).

Back in time for lunch, and a walk to see whether our bird feeding efforts were being successful resulted in food still present at the lighthouse net but no obvious birds in the vicinity whilst we were there. We decided to walk along to Worlds End three to check the Snow Bunting (Snespurv) food, which was half eaten but still present for our Bunting friends. On our walk, we ended up finding three Snow Buntings (Snespurv), two rather showy Sanderlings (Sandløber), and a single Dunlin (Almindelig Ryle) amongst the sea foam.  The wind was strong, and snow started to fall so we walked along the Sandormen track whereby a Woodcock (Skovsneppe) was one of the only birds seen in the storm.

Getting colder in temperature, we spent an afternoon and evening completing admin tasks and relaxing, much needed as the storm intensified outside.

Highlights:

• Snow Buntings (Snespurv) at Grenen
• Long-tailed duck (Havlit) in the harbour

Link to Dofbasen.

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

Picture 1 – Aurora

After a late night of aurora watching in pjs and snow suits, we woke up to a beautiful, sunny but still day. With this in mind we decided to tick a few jobs of the list starting with bird feeding. The first point of call was to check the lighthouse garden nets for food to attract the birds. It seems there was no luck so far with only a Robin (Rødhals) in the area who was not interested in the free food at all.

Picture 2 – Snow Bunting (Snespurv) Feeding area

After this was completed, we decided to head out for a walk, in search of Snow Bunting (Snespurv), and on the way hatched a plan of the best way to create a feeding area to entice the birds near Worlds End Three. We will update you on the outcome soon so stay tuned. Stepping onto the beach it was noticeable that there was a clear shift in the weather with no wind and mild conditions, a real change from the last few days of blustery weather. After scattering food in a suitable location, we decided to continue our walk to the Sandormen track. It was such a lovely day with bright blue skies and sparkling snow, a magical day to be out and exploring the area.

Picture 3 – Snow Bunting (Snespurv)

On the way Thomas spotted twenty-three Green Finches (Grønirisk) hanging around with four Snow Buntings (Snespurv) who later continued in the direction of our feeding area. The Snow Buntings (Snespurv) was a good sign for both of us and very lovely to see on such a stunning, snowy, calm day in Skagen. Hopefully they found the feast of food waiting, but we left them to it and continued on our way. We will monitor the area in the coming days. After completing one task we made a slow walk back for some lunch, taking a small deter to Ellekrattet where we saw Siskin (Grønsisken) feeding in the alders. It was a lovely end to a beautiful walk full of sunshine and snow.

Picture 4 – Sunshine in Skagen

After some lunch and tea, we got on with some admin tasks and a break from the cold which were much needed. We proceeded to have a quiet and restful afternoon ahead of our evening plans with Lisa and Simon. It has been a lovely day from start to finish and magical to be in this area on such clear and calm day.

Highlights:

• Snow Buntings (Snespurv)
• Hen Harrier (Blå Kærhøg)

Link to Dofbasen.

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

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

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 

Observers: Eleanor Harris and Thomas Weston