We awoke to a beautiful sunny morning so a change from the cloudy weather of yesterday. The plan was to head to a local beach and catch some Turnstone (Stevender) and Purple Sandpiper (Sortgrå Ryle) which Jørgen spotted yesterday. We picked up Simon and headed to the site with all the kit including some bait.

Picture 1: The Beach – spot Thomas!!

Once reaching the site we located the birds and set up the trap. The beach was rather frozen so it was interesting to see how the birds would react to the cold. Initially it looked promising but as the wind started to pick up, less success was had. Me and Thomas took shifts lying on the beach whilst Jørgen and Simon attempted to walk the birds in. Whilst at the beach we also saw a Knot (Islandsk Ryle), a cool sight to see which was Jørgen’s highlights for the day. It was getting rather cold with no success, so we decided to head to the harbour for some gull feeding.

We headed to the Harbour via the Bakery, as some sweet treats were needed all round after our somewhat cold morning. Thank you, Simon, for getting some Fastelavn Buns, these were enjoyed all round when back at the station.

Picture 2: A colour ringed Great Black-Backed Gull (Svartbag)

In the harbour we located a large group of Herring Gulls (Sølvmåge) and Great Black Backed Gulls (Svartbag) fighting over some freshly used fishing net. The Gull feeding site was full of activity with boats reeling and nets, so the Gulls were rather excited over the stench of fish. The harbour was busy with boats but a lot of them seemed to be grounded due to the ice. It was impressive how ice had formed overnight showing how cold it really was. From the flock we collectively ring read four Norwegian rings so a very successful trip. The gull feeding was slightly less successful compared to the last time we went, when we fed them a gourmet fish, with bread not up to their standard!!

We headed to a new location for some more feeding which was a little more successful, but the Gulls were a little shy. We headed to a few more sites where Simon explored some of the ice but came back looking rather cold. We decided to head back for some food and to warm up. Some of our highlights at the harbour was a Caspian Gull (Kaspisk Måge), Herring Gulls (Sølvmåge), and Great Black-Backed Gull (Svartbag) so a great mix of species.

Picture 3: Kabeltromlen Sunset

After some lunch we headed out to finish oiling the Kabeltromlen which is finally complete and went for a short walk. The sunshine and setting sun were rather beautiful and a lovely end to the afternoon.

Picture 4: Beach Sunset

On the way back we saw a Purple Sandpiper (Sortgrå Ryle), so Thomas headed back to grab the kit whilst I stayed with the bird. We attempted to catch the bird with no luck so went back to the lighthouse to warm up and made some dinner.

Highlights:

-   Knot (Islandsk Ryle)

-   Purple Sandpiper (Sortgrå Ryle)

- Caspian Gull (Kaspisk Måge)

Link to Dofbasen here.

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

We awoke to a cloudy and windy day with snow flurries from the east. We were keen to get some of the last remaining tasks completed, so we waited for a time we thought our guest would be awake, before we sanded the guest apartment surface. Little did we know he was out and about visiting local sites birding by car already. Once we knew this, we took a little time to complete the sanding, and made it look as good as the surface in the observatory which we are both proud of.

Picture 1: Colour ringed 6yr old Great Black Backed Gulls (Svartbag).

Once completed we set off to visit Grenen and Nordstrand in search of colour ringed birds. Our main targets recently have been Cormorant (Skarv), Herring Gull (Sølmåge), and Great Black-Backed Gull (Svartbag), though any species with a colour ring is always great to see. We reached the tip with sand, snow, and wind in the face. We found a small flock of 3 Cormorants (Skarv) with a mix of large Gulls (Måge). In the flock we could see that two Great Black-Backed Gulls (Svartbag) had rings on them, and we quickly got the combinations. From the Norweigen database, we know that one was ringed 4 years ago and the individual pictured was ringed 6 years ago which was nice to see. Nearby, a flock of 51 Cormorants (Skarv) failed to produce any colour rings which demonstrates there must be quite a high turnover here! We also spotted some passing, Red-breasted Mergansers (Toppet Skallesluger), a resting flock of Eiders (Ederfugl) and Common Scoter (Sortand), as well as a Snow Bunting (Snespurv) on the beach.

Picture 2: Ellekrattet reeds

We decided to follow the Sandormen Track to Ellekrattet and found a nice Sparrowhawk (Spurvhøg) male looking for some food along the reedbed near Kabeltromlen. We got to Ellekrattet and found 2 Blackbirds (Solsort), but nothing else on this visit. We even checked the nearby heath and reeds without success, until…. Eleanor saw a raptor emerge from the long grass along the track back to the Lighthouse. It was our friendly 2^nd year female Hen Harrier (Blå Kærhøg) hunting for voles or anything else she could find in the strong winds and snow. However, our lunch called and a trip to the harbour was then had. The strong wind was a little unfavourable for the birds, but we found some nice Eiders (Ederfugl) and a small flock of Cormorants (Skarv). Jørgen could add a nice flock of 79 Turnstone (Stevender) - including 76 in one flock,  4 Purple Sandpiper (Sortgrå Ryle) and a few Sanderling (Sandløber) to the totals.

Picture 3: Cookies

Back in time for tea, and a catchup with our guest Jørgen, we have a chilled evening planned with food, more homemade cookies and a nice tart for dinner.

Highlights:

-    2^nd year female Hen Harrier (Blå Kærhøg)

-   76 Turnstone (Stevender)

Link to Dofbasen here.

Observers: Thomas Weston, Eleanor Harris, Jørgen Hulbæk

Today we woke with a plan to head to Råbjerg Mile, the largest walking dune. It was a beautiful sunny day but rather cold. We packed some lunch and headed into Skagen. Once reaching Skagen we checked the harbour but only one Eider (Ederfugl) and a Kittiwake (Ride) were seen resting in the rather choppy water. Simon phoned to say that our guest Jørgen had arrived so we scrapped the original plan and headed back to the station. It will have to wait till another day.

Once back Jørgen informed us that a Sperm Whale (Kaskelothval) had washed up on a beach in Ålbæk so we all decided to take a trip to visit the site.

Picture 1: Sperm Whale (Kaskelothval)

On the way we saw a passing glimpse of a Great Grey Shrike (Stor Tornskade) which was super cool as it was my first. We have been looking for one for a few days as there has been local reports of one in the area, but our find was unsuccessful, so it was great to see one on route.

Picture 2: Frozen Harbour

 We arrived in the main harbour area in Ålbæk and scouted the area for the whale. Once located it we saw that it was a drive away with crowds already gathering for a proper ‘Whale Twitch’ an impressive sight to see. The harbour was slowly freezing showing how cold it really was, impressive as we only went there a few days previously.

We headed to location which was already rather busy with parked cars! Walking to the beach there were around 100 or so people from young to old showing how unusual this beach find was. It made the news as the species is rare for the area and is the first to be stranded since 2016 with a length of 13.7 metres. An impressive, but also rather sad site to see but also a reminder of the fragility of our costal waters. You could see that the whale had visibly been damaged and knocked around with ice already forming on its tail and fins.

Picture 3: Afternoon Sunshine

We headed back for some lunch and a short walk to the Tip. On our way we saw found a freshly dead Razorbill (alk) so collected that which is know in the freezer. It was a beautiful afternoon with some sunshine much needed after days of cloud.

Picture 4: Night Sky

We made a quick dinner and headed over to Simon and Lisa to watch the final of Handball, Denmark vs Germany. A lovely evening was had and happy smiles all round with Denmark winning so a good day overall.

Highlights:

-    Sperm Whale (Kaskelothval)  

Link to Dofbasen here.

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

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