The day started with Lars and I getting up at 4am to go roostcounting at Grenen, and the sighting of a Storkjove (Great Skua) flying along the waves. Today there was also lots of Almindelig Kjove (Arctic Skuas) both migrating west and being a menace to the local gulls and terns. Continuing our exploration, we came across a group of Rødrygget Tornskade (Red-backed Shrike) foraging and calling amidst the shrubs. One of these birds was ringed, although we couldn't make the number out the bird appeared to be ringed by Skagen Fuglestation. 

We returned home after a few hours to rest and eat (many thanks to Lars and Janne for lunch), and later went to Flagbakken to count raptors. We were blessed with a (distant) sighting of a Havørn (White-tailed Eagle) and many Hvepsevåge and Musvåge. Lars and I were also delighted to have spotted and heard some Kernebider (Hawfinch) in the forest, near some Dompap (Bullfinch) and Topmejser (Crested Tit). Although there wasn't much diversity in our raptor count, we considered our little trip south to Flagbakken a success for the little birds.

A list of today's sightings can be viewed here.

Skagen Fuglestation: Seán Walsh, Lars & Janne.

In a nice twist, the weather was very nice today. The sun showed itself for most of the day without many clouds, and the wind wasn't as strong as the last few days. It topped off at 17 degrees Celsius which made raptor watching a good choice for me as the morning warmed up. I went to Saftevandsbakken around 10am, just as the raptors seemed to be appearing. I was very lucky to spot a small gathering of Musvåge and Hvepsevåge (Common and Honey Buzzard). Among them, in the distance, was a larger bird, that I later identified as the Steppeørn (Steppe Eagle)! It was a new bird for me to see, though the other volunteers and birdwatchers in the area told me it was to be expected as it had returned consecutively with the warm weather since May. Unfortunately though, I wasn't totally blessed with the weather. After just an hour of raptor watching, the winds changed and became a bit unfavourable and most of the birds of prey I did see were actually returning south.

After finishing up watching the raptors go by, I made my way to Grenen for the first time in a couple days. I sat at one of the World's End seawatching sites on the dunes at first, where I saw a Rød Glente (Red Kite), Tårnfalk (Common Kestrel) and a Hvepsevåge. Afterwards I headed to the beach, where I came across a large, mixed roosting flock of terns and gulls. I counted over 400 total terns and gulls. Among them were some waders, such as an Almindelig Ryle (Dunlin) and a Mudderklire (Common Sandpiper). I also saw two Almindelig Kjove (Arctic Skua) from the beach.

 You can find a list of today's observations here.

Skagen Fuglestation: Seán Walsh, Lars & Janne.

It's strange to think that I have made some new great friends in just a week here at Skagen Bird Station. After having spent just one week with Lauren, Dante and Søren at the observatory, I feel like I have gained some new great friends. Today I said goodbye to all three of my new friends as they went home, leaving me alone at the bird station until Simon comes back and the new volunteer arrives on the 10th. Although my stay with them has been short, I am very grateful to Lauren for showing me all of the intricacies of ringing birds and to Dante for his knowledge of the general birding of Skagen. To Søren, I am grateful for his friendship and for him showing me all of the local birding sites nearby. In the end they have all taught me something.

The morning was slow for birding due to the poor weather and my fellow volunteers leaving the bird observatory. I went to Grenen in the afternoon to go search for some Kjove, with no luck. I was later informed by Lars that he saw an Arctic Skua from the lighthouse, but the Lille Kjove (Long-tailed Skua) seems to have left us for good. I was also blessed with a Red-throated Diver flying close to the shore. As I left Grenen, I spotted something sticking out of the dunes close to the beach. It turned out to be the skull of a dolphin, with the first vertebrae attached and missing the lower jaw. I brought it back on my bicycle to be cleaned at the laboratory at the station.

Later in the evening, Lars and Janne were very kind to invite me to join them for dinner in Skagen town and we had a great time trying local Danish food, beer and Snaps.

A list of today's observations can be viewed here.

Sean, Søren and I headed out to Skarvsøen for our seventh CES of the season. This was Sean’s first time ringing and Søren’s first time ringing as a volunteer and doing net rounds! We had a surprisingly good catch with 36 birds, dominated by Rørsanger (Reed Warblers), as well as 2 Kærsanger (Marsh Warblers) and 1 Topmejse (Crested Tit). We were also joined by our guests Lars and Janne, and we treated to excellent views of Trane (Crane), Hvepsevåge (Honey Buzzards) and Hvidklire (Greenshank).

Dante headed to Saftevandsbakken for raptor watching and his highlights included the returning Steppeørn (Steppe Eagle), 11 Rød Glente (Red Kite) and 7 Hvepsevåge (Honey Buzzards).

This is my last blog and mine and Dante’s last full day at Skagen Fuglestation. We would like to thank all the volunteers who we have spent the last 4 months with- you’ve made our time here truly special. Thank you to all the local birders for sharing their knowledge and experience with us all. And finally, thank you to Simon for having us here at Skagen Fuglestation- we’ve had an amazing 4 months, seen some fantastic birds and definitely learnt a lot.

A full list of today's observations can be found here.

Skagen Fuglestation: Sean Walsh, Søren Leth-Nissen, Dante Shepherd, Lauren Evans, Lars & Janne.

Skarvsøen CES Ringing Totals:

Torsanger (Common Whitethroat)- 5

Rørsanger (Reed Warbler)- 18

Gærdesanger (Lesser Whitethroat)- 4

Topmejse (Crested Tit)- 1

Havesanger (Garden Warbler)- 1

Munk (Blackcap)- 1

Blåmejse (Blue Tit)- 2

Solsort (Blackbird)- 2

Kærsanger (Marsh Warbler)- 2

Total: 36

Dante and Lauren headed out to World’s End and started observing at 05.00. Lars, Séan, and Søren joined the windy and showery morning around 06.45.

While a small band of bloodthirsty mosquitoes insisted on tasting our blood, Arctic Skuas spend their morning chasing gulls, terns and fellow skuas (Kjove) trying to steal their hard earned prey.

My personal highlight included a flock of 19 Black-legged Kittiwakes (Ride) blending in with 56 Sandwich Terns (Splitterner).

On the dark side of World\s end, a Common Whitethroat aggressively defended its territory by singing its lungs out.

A full list of today’s observations can be found here.

Skagen Fuglestation: Seán Walsh, Dante Shepherd, Lauren Evans, Søren Leth-Nissen, Lars & Janne.

The morning opened up with plenty of rain and wind to rival yesterday’s. Søren and I decided that the one minute drive to Grenen and walking from there was the best option rather than biking. We started our morning not long before 07:00, bracing the winds of Grenen point and managed once again to see the Lille Kjove (Long-tailed Skua) along with three Almindelig Kjove (Arctic Skua) at close range. The wind seemed to bring good waders as we were also blessed with a Hvidklire (Common Greenshank) and some Almindelig Ryle (Dunlin).

We pursued south from there, stopping off at the Nordstrand and later Jerup Strandenge. The weather at Jerup was far better than Grenen Point and the Nordstrand as it was far better sheltered than the other locations, and we were blessed with some more Almindelig Ryle and Svaleklire (Green Sandpiper) here.

Søren and I decided after a hardy, cold morning that we would visit his friends in Tolne to warm up further inland and have some coffee. Along the way, I called out a pair of Trane (Common Crane), and Søren abruptly pulled the car over to check them out. As we were parked on the side of the road, I looked away from the Trane and noticed from afar what I thought to be some herons, but was actually an immature Havørn! The bird showed no shyness at all and flew almost directly over our heads and gave us some great views as it flew north-west. The two sightings gave us some nice things to talk about with Sørens friends.

Lauren & Dante had their final meetings with Simon as they prepare to leave the observatory on Thursday. They went out seawatching in Grenen in the afternoon and also managed to catch sight of the Lille Kjove and even spotted two Almindelig Skråpe!

It also looks like the worst of the weather has passed now, and all of us at the station are looking forward to potentially going ringing later in the week. Sadly, it would also be Lauren & Dante’s last session with us.

We also learned that a Spurvehøg (Sparrowhawk) recaptured at Kabeltromlekrattet on 09-05-2023 was ringed on Fair Isle on 04-09-2022! Very far to have travelled for a Spurvehøg.

A list of todays observations can be viewed here.

Skagen Fuglestation: Seán Walsh, Dante Shepherd, Søren Leth-Nissen, Lauren Evans, Lars & Janne.

The westerly winds had dropped a little this morning but have built up throughout the day and are now buffeting the lighthouse and station windows!

Dante and I headed to World’s End for seawatching again this morning whilst the wind was slightly calmer. Migration was slightly slower than yesterday with 7 Mallemuk (Fulmars) passing in 3 hours as well as 1 Fiskeørn (Osprey) and 150 Stær (Starling) seen over the sea!

Gulspurv (Yellowhammer).

In the afternoon, we all headed out for thirds of the Lille Kjove (Long-tailed Skua) which is still harassing Splitterne (Sandwich Terns) and resting on the beach. We were, again, treated to excellent views as the bird flew overhead which made battling the strong winds and sand-storm worth it. Spring seems barely over, and already autumn wader migration appears to have begun with Hvidklire (Greenshank) and Almindelig Ryle (Dunlin) seen migrating south-west over Skagen as well as a 1 Krumnæbbet Ryle (Curlew Sandpiper). We were also delighted to see that all 7 of the Landsvale (Swallow) chicks, that we ringed a few weeks ago, have fledged and can now been seen flying with their parents. 

Today we welcomed back Søren, who has stayed in the station’s apartment as a guest for many years but is back this time as a volunteer. We also said goodbye to Anders and Dorthe and welcomed our news guests Lars and Janne.

A full list of today's observations can be found here.

Skagen Fuglestation: Sean Walsh, Dante Shepherd, Søren Leth-Nissen, Lauren Evans, Lars & Janne.

Dante and I were up early for seawatching from World’s End. Although not super busy, we had a good morning with 14 Mallemuk (Fulmar) and 1 Almindelig Skråpe (Manx Shearwater) while the 2k+ Lille Kjove (Long-tailed Skua) from yesterday afternoon remained on the beach. Our guest, Anders, also managed to see the Lille Kjove this morning. Overland, the highlights were 7 Rød Glente (Red Kites) and 1 Rosefinch (Karmindompap). 

Lille Kjove (Long-tailed Skua). Photo by Anders Østerby.

Sean used his first morning to get to know Skagen a little better and had a resting Hvepsevåge (Honey Buzzard) and singing Bomlærke (Corn Bunting) in Batteriskoven before the heavy rain hit Skagen mid-afternoon.

We also said goodbye to Zach this morning who has headed back to London and, although sad to be leaving Skagen, is very excited to see his local patch again!

A full list of today's observations can be found here.

Skagen Fuglestation: Sean Walsh, Dante Shepherd, Lauren Evans, Anders & Dorthe.

Strong westerly winds buffeted Skagen all day. Dante and I decided to try some seawatching from World’s End in the morning although migration over the sea was rather slow. Zach headed out round Storsig and Stald Grenen and enjoyed 2 adult and 2 juvenile Topmejse (Crested Tits) as well as Sortmejse (Coal Tit). Our guests Anders and Dorthe birded Nordstrand and Skarvsøen. Overall, our highlights of the day included 3 Havørn (White-tailed Eagles), 3 Hvepsevåge (Honey Buzzards), 1 Sortstrubet Lom (Black-throated Diver) and 1 Sortstrubet bynkefugl (Stonechat).

Today was Zach’s last full day at the station before he heads back to London tomorrow. We also welcomed Sean, our newest volunteer from Galway, Ireland, who will be volunteering at the station for the next 6 weeks.

After dinner, just as we thought we were winding down for the day, Dante recieved a text from Erik Christophersen who had found a 3cy Lille Kjove (Long-tailed Skua) resting on the beach. The four of us battled the wind and raced out to the tip and had outstanding views of the bird chasing Spliterne (Sandwich Tern), tussling with a Almindelig Kjove (Arctic Skua), flying round our heads and resting on the beach. Such amazing views of an amazing bird! 

Lille Kjove (Long-tailed Skua). Photo by Erik Christophersen, see more on his blog here: https://ecskagen.blogspot.com/

Whilst on the beach, we also spotted 3 Stor Præstekrave (Ringed Plover) chicks. I quickly headed back to the station to gather the rings and we managed to catch and ring 2 of the chicks. Quite a last evening for Zach and first evening for Sean! 

A full list of today's observations can be found here.

Skagen Fuglestation: Zach Pannifer, Dante Shepherd, Lauren Evans, Sean Walsh, Anders & Dorthe.

Zach and I decided to make the most of the calm winds and headed to Kabeltromlen for a last ringing session for Zach before he heads home later this week. We had a good morning catching 25 new birds including the first juvenile Tornsanger (Common Whitethroats), Gærdesanger (Lesser Whitethroat) and Munk (Blackcaps) of the year. We also caught another unseasonal Vindrossel (Redwing), but the highlight of the morning came just as Zach was ringing the last bird when a Biæder (European Bee-eater) flew low overhead calling. This was undoubtedly my best view of this species and Zach’s first, and we thoroughly enjoyed watching it literally catch bees as it flew with Mursejler (Common Swifts) and Bysvale (House Martins).

Juvenile Tornsanger (Common Whitethroat).

After ringing, Zach joined Dante out birding and for a spot of raptor watching. Their highlights included 23 Hvepsevåge (Honey Buzzards), 4 Havørn (White-tailed Eagles), 2 Sort Glente (Black Kites) and the return of the Steppeørn (Steppe Eagle).

In the evening, Zach and I joined our guests Anders and Dorthe on a guided Natravn (Nightjar) walk round Sandmilen. Unfortunately, we did not hear or see any Nightjars but it was amazing to see how light it still was at 23:00 when we finished!

A full list of today's observations can be found here.

Skagen Fuglestation: Zach Pannifer, Dante Shepherd, Lauren Evans, Anders & Dorthe.

Kabeltromlen Ringing Totals:

Tornsanger (Common Whitethroat)- 8

Gransanger (Chiffchaff)- 2

Lille Gråsisken (Lesser Redpoll)- 2

Gærdesanger (Lesser Whitethroat)- 4

Rørsanger (Reed Warbler)- 1

Kærsanger (Marsh Warbler)- 1

Topmejse (Crested Tit)- 1

Munk (Blackcap)- 4

Vindrossel (Redwing)- 1

Solsort (Blackbird)- 1

Total: 25