Saturday may have been sandwiched between two days of rain and wind, but I am optimistically declaring the start of spring. Birds were signing, I saw my first bee, and there was even a small flock of 20 Mistle Thrushes (Misteldrossel) flying south. 

It was a day of Skagen at its best with its beautiful renowned light and blue skies a constant accompaniment as I spent nearly the entire day outside. I began with a Fulmar survey walking 10km along the beach from the lighthouse to Gammel Skagen. I had the pleasure of being joined by Alfred (he who brought us the waxwings). Alfred had very kindly made me a memento from this day (which you can compare (favourably) to my artwork below). Thank you, Alfred. 

Alfred's english was very impressive but at times communication was a slight hurdle. It was reassuring though to know that in most languages it seems that 'ah' and a finger point is well-understood as 'there is an exciting bird in that direction.' Occasionally though even finger pointing did not work so, inspired by my trip to Skagen Art Museum last week, I decided to draw on the sand to show Alfred where a Snow Bunting (Snespurv) was. Alfred took one look at my 'artwork', look even more confused and just found the bird himself.

The walk was for me a 'half-success'; we did not find any Fulmars (Mallemuk) but did instead find 4 Common Guillemots (Lomvie). We also found a right shoe in Simon Christiansen's size so the hunt is now on for the left one. For Alfred the day was an unqualified success with two new birds for him. If there is something more satisfying than finding a new bird yourself it may well be finding one for somebody else. We added to Alfred's already very impressive list with Black-legged Kittiwake (Ride) and Brant Goose (Knortegås). 

Birders young and old

In the afternoon, I took advantage of the lovely weather for another leisurely walk. There were not too many birds about, but I did see some Bullfinches (Dompap) rather close and there were 106 Greater White-fronted Geese (Blisgås) flying over.

Bulllfinch (Dompap)

Mute Swan (Knopsvane)

Just as I was nearing home I heard the squealing of a baby pig. Instinct told me that reedbeds were not the habitat of farmyard animals and that could only mean one thing, Water Rails (Vandrikse). This sound is as comical as they are hard to find, so I enjoyed 20 minutes scanning the reeds to catch a glimpse of them. In my excitement at a movement from a reed I inched forward a step too far and the water crept into both my walking boots. Despite me declaring it spring, the water has not warmed since my swim last weekend, but birding is not about glamour but the glory of finding exciting birds. Unfortunately, I left without either glamour or glory....

Whether returning back with glamour, glory or neither, it does not matter when you can call here home

Link to today's observations from observers in the area

People: James Wareing, Alfred Godsk Geckler and Michael Anker

Michael Anker also continued his ringing efforts with the results below:

Ringing (Jennes Sø):

Lille Gråsisken (Lesser Redpoll) - 1

Nordlig Gråsisken (Common Redpoll) - 12

Ringing (Nordstjernevej):

Nordlig Gråsisken (Common Redpoll) - 15

Grønirisk (Greenfinch) - 3

Kvækerfinke (Brambling) - 1

Total: 32

The day started with a rather quiet seawatch. The fog was persistent on the horizon and did its best to hide whatever was out there. I could only let my imagination conjure up Albatrosses, Shearwaters and Eagles, but for the checklists they apparently do not count. Alas, instead I was left with a few Common Guillemots (Lomvie), Common Scoters (Sortand) and Common Eiders (Ederfugl). 

This was perhaps the first red flag that it may not be the best day for birding

We had the pleasure of another visitor to the station today, with 11 year-old Alfred joining Simon and me to go and feed the gulls. Birding is usually the domain of the slightly greyer haired (I am allowed to say that with my own silver streaks multiplying by the day), so to have someone as young as Alfred to keen was a pleasure. The gulls came eagerly to the food but none of them unfortunately had a ring. A desperate search of every corner of the harbour to find something to impress Alfred with could only yield a Little Grebe (Lille lappedykker). They are a nice little bird but not one to write home (or a blog post) about. 

Alfred though was clearly well aware of the tradition that new visitors bring special birds and he left his surprise until the end. Skagen town centre is not usually the place where you are on the highest alert for birds, especially not outside Lidl, but fortunately a birder's eyes are never at rest. In a non-descript tree by the side of the road were 36 Bohemian Waxwings (Silkehale). I have already called a few birds cool, so have not left myself much room for literary manoeuvre, but these birds are really cool.

I have only seen them once before, as they only make it to the south of England (where I am from) every ten years or so. They tend to come in big groups, raiding fruit trees for a few days/weeks and then moving on. What I particularly like about them, aside from their appearance, is that they can turn up in the most random locations. You rarely need to go to a nature reserve or a field in the middle of nowhere to see Waxwings. Instead they are quite happy turning up in car parks, city centres and front gardens. We were delighted and spent a pleasurable 15 minutes watching them feed before they flew away in the direction of the cemetry.   

One very happy young birder

A birder photographing a birder, who is photographing a birder, who is photographing a bird

Alfred continued to make us feel old, by documenting our sightings on his Instagram page. Meanwhile, I am sitting here in the analogue age, writing a blog post that may or may not be read by my mum and a few Skagen Fuglestation diehards. Anyway, as I often tell my dad, there are few things worse than an old man trying too hard to be young, so I shall stay loyal to my blog. 

Michael Anker gave an effort in ringing birds in the misty weather.

Link to todays observations from observers in the area

People: James Waering, Alfred Godsk Geckler and Simon S. Christiansen, Michael Anker

Ringing (Jennes Sø):

Musvit  (Great Tit) - 1

Ringing (Nordstjernevej):

Grønirisk (Greenfinch) - 6

Bogfinke (Chaffinch) - 1

Stor Gråsisken (Mealy Redpoll) - 2

Total: 10

Could there be anything more romantic on Valentine's Day than going birding before coming back home to a candlelit dinner? When I add that this is all alone, I struggle to think of an alternative and I am sure my partner would agree...I have been kept company over the past two days instead by the birdies of Skagen, who were starting to come out in higher numbers as the snow melts away. 

I started the day with a seawatch, overlooking what seemed like more of a pond than a winter sea. This certainly makes for more pleasurable birdwatching as birds do not appear for a second before disappearing behind a wave for the following 15 seconds. The only observation of note was a Long-tailed Duck (Havlit), which was 'showing well' in the parlance of birders. Fittingly for today there was also a Red-breasted Merganser (Toppet skallesluger) couple who wondered close to shore. They rarely stuck together though and often dived at different times, perhaps not yet in the spirit of the day. 

Mr Merganser, questioning his life choices

The weather brightened up yesterday afternoon showing Skagen in its full glory. I took advantage my going for a walk looking for some non-seabirds for a change. There were some nice finds, including a female Eurasian Sparrowhawk (Spurvehøg) and some Bullfinches (Dompap) who teasingly came close enough for photographs but insisted on a mesh of twigs in the foreground to blur them (perhaps they had artistic effect in mind). 

Mrs Sparrowhawk, alone this Valentine's Day

Mr Bullfinch, dressed for the occassion 

I also managed to get a photo of a bird that I very rarely do. This has nothing to do with it being rare, in fact the opposite, it is too common to often think it worth closely observing. There is also someone I know who will always appreciate a photo of a Common Woodpigeon (Ringdue) happy Valentine's Day....

Link to todays observations from observers in the area

People: James Wareing

My solitude in the lighthouse was interrupted over the weekend by the visitor of a former volunteer Esben and his friend (also Esben). They were a pleasure to have here, bringing both lovely food and company.

There seems to be an unwritten law here that when a new birder comes, they bring luck on their first visit out. My first seawatch with Knud produced a Sooty Shearwater (Sodfarvet skråpe), so I was keen to find out what the Esbens could offer. We set out at night, armed with a net, thermal scope and flashlight to see what birds we would find. The thermal scope is a seriously cool piece of equipment, betraying the presence of any life by its body-heat. It feels almost like cheating! Within two minutes we had found a Common Kingfisher (Isfugl), and managed to catch it, place it in a bag in order to take it back and ring it.

This is only the third time the station has ringed a kingfisher and so we called Simon so he could come and take part. We met Simon with his car parked at the side of the road, as I (with only my eyes uncovered) handed him over the bag. If the police were observing, this would have seemed like the most obvious illegal activity and our explanation that it was only a bird would have been laughed at. Fortunately, the police are rarely to be seen here.

It was a real treat to take it back and measure and observe it closely. They are always a delight to see in the wild with their vibrant blue colours so to see one so close up was special. This female has been here since November and, if she does move on elsewhere, we are excited to see where she will turn up. As a side note, you can tell it is a female by the lower half of their bill which is orange (the male's is black). To remember, just think of it as lipstick. Another fun fact...the Danish, Dutch and German name for the Common Kingfisher literally translates as 'ice bird.' This is a bit of a misnomer though, as they can also be found as faraway (geographically and climatically) as Papua New Guinea. It is also a little strange given that they depend on getting their food from water, so when it is frozen, they have to go elswhere or starve...

The next day, the Esbens decided that what would be a really fun thing to do, would be to go for a quick dive into the sea. Always wanting to be a part of the culture I am in living in, I had no choice to agree. So we stripped down to shorts and ran barefoot across the snow into the water. I have a self-imposed rule that, whenever I go into the water, I have to be fully submerged for it to 'count.' I can report that it was 'fresh' (which means 3/4 degrees) but warmed myself with the knowledge that, according to Esben, it is 'good for the immune system.'

Unfortunately, the Esbens have now left, which means no more swimming, but I am very much looking forward to whatever luck and experiences the next visitors bring.

Link to todays observations from observers in the area

People: James Wareing and the Esbens

Ringing (Batteriskoven):

Isfugl (Kingfisher) - 1

There is no need for a report on the weather here today, because you can all understand the theme by now. 

Today's seawatch was not as productive as yesterday in terms of numbers (not aided by half the sea being covered in fog), but it did produce a new bird for me. This was a Little Auk (Søkonge), which was a very nice surprise whizzing close to the shore. My bird app describes their size as similar to that of a grapefruit, so for those of you who have not seen a Little Auk before, just imagine a flying black and white grapefruit. I was also very excited to see an Atlantic Puffin (Lunde). This was another bird that I had always wanted to see and my excitement warmed me until I got home. However, on closer analysis with Simon, he informed me that what I had seen was probably just a Guillemot or a Razorbill (Lomvie or Alk) and my first puffin will have to wait....So there are no cute puffin photos, we will just have to make do with Common Gulls (Stormmåge) instead. 

Rolf Christiansen very astutely pointed out on Facebook yesterday that only 1 of the 100 local birders (1%) was out birding yesterday (and that was him). He makes a very good point, the weather was indeed windy, cold and more conducive to staying inside. However, by my quick maths, 100% of the English birders in Skagen were out birding yesterday. The only logical conclusion is that the English are perhaps a little tougher than the Danish...*runs for cover*. 

Birding today reminds me of a quote from a Olympic gold medallist, Daley Thompson (from England), who said that he trains twice on Christmas Day because he knows that he has gained two training sessions on his rivals. Perhaps, the Little Auk is what I gained today...

Link to todays observations from observers in the area

People: James Wareing

Yesterday's radio silence was brought about by a large amount of snow falling on Wednesaday night (around 3cm). When Simon explained to me that February is the quiet/cold/wet/snowy month for the observatory and did I really still want to come, this is what I excitedly signed up for...I can now understand why most people just sit and wait comfortably until spring! But their loss is my gain, and Skagen under a blanket of snow is particularly beautiful, if only now a little colder. 

The birds though do not seem to mind and put on a nice display this morning as I did my seawatch. There were high numbers of Common Guillemots (Lomvie) as close to 2000 were seen over the course of two hours. Also present in hight numbers were Common Scoters (Sortand) and Black-legged Kittiwakes (Ride). The gulls in particular, were often quite close to shore, which gave me a good excuse to move my feet and try and take some photographs. The wind (or at least I blame the wind) ruined a few of my photographs but a couple turned out ok.  

Ride (Black-legged Kittiwake)

Common Eider (Edderfugl)

Herring Gull (Sølvmåge)

Great Black-backed Gull (Svartbag)

For those of you less familiar with a seawatch, this involves watching and counting all the birds you can see flying over the sea in hourly intervals, usually using a scope. Despite the cold, it is actually a rather civilised affair, and I was able to enjoy a nice armchair and listen to a podcast at the same time. At least it may seem cosy from the first view. The second photo shows the birder/criminal/both himself, I will let the reader decide. 

As my reference point on the horizon I had a ship at anchor that was appropriately named Super Ice, as if to remind me of just how my feet were feeling at all times. Arctic Lady was also at anchor nearby, just to reinforce the message. I am hoping Tropical Islander will be sailing here tomorrow to give me some warmer vibes (although that is currently near South Korea, so is probably unlikely). 

Tomorrow apparently brings more snow and maybe the day after that and the day after that, with a bit more snow forecasted for the following day too...Regardless, you know where to find me; sitting on a beach in my armchair watching the birds (it sounds idyllic at least!). 

Link to todays observations from observers in the area

People: James Wareing

Today's blog is dedicated to the colour white and variants of it (bear with me, this is going somewhere...). It started looking rather gloomy under heavy clouds but ended with sunshine and two new species for me, so an unqualified success!

I took advantage of some lovely light around midday to take a walk across the moor, which was drizzled in a small helping of snow. The moor at this time of year is beautiful, with the goldeny yellow of the grass complementing the low winter sun. It rather reminds me of home in England but has the fortune of having significantly fewer dogs.

The birds however were generally very quiet. A few Crested Tits (Topmejse) betrayed themselves with their song but did not submit to being photographed, which is a shame because they are a cool bird and one I have only seen on one other occassion. 

Just as I was about to head back I spotted a white blob on top of a tree. I am used to seeing many white blobs in the corner of my eye here, I call them gulls. Gulls though, my instinct told me, do not sit on trees, so a closer look was needed. I was very excited by what appeared in my binoculars, a bird I had always wanted to see, a Great Grey Shrike (Stor Tornskade). Shrikes are particularly cool birds; their scientific family name is derived from the Latin word for "butcher". This is because of their habit of impaling prey onto spikes of branches/thorns to save for later and show the females just how good a hunter they are. They are not too commonly seen here, so this was an exciting find. Unfortunately, I was only able to get a rather distant photograph so I am hoping it stays around for a photoshoot tomorrow. 

In the afternoon, Simon and I went to Skagen harbour to feed the gulls. The gulls were very happy with our offering of white bread and quickly around 200 flocked to greet us. The Common Eiders (Ederfugl), were less impressed with our offering and stayed far away (maybe they prefer wholemeal with a few seeds....)

There was thinking to this madness and we managed to find two ringed gulls to record. When we returned to the lighthouse we recorded these and found they were originally from Norway. 

Amongst all this gull madness was the last present of the day, a Caspian Gull (Kaspisk måge) was to be found amongst the multitude of Herring Gulls (Sølvmåge). To those of you who do not know their gulls, you may ask: 'Well how did you know it was a Caspian Gull and not a Herring Gull?'. Well, the answer is; I was with Simon and Simon knows his gulls very well. On reflection, I can now see that it stands out from the others but I am indebted to Simon for first finding it. 

And so ends another day in paradise, not quite Papua New Guinea, but I think it will do all the same. 

Today’s observations in Dofbasen from observers in the area

People: James Wareing (with help from Simon Christiansen) 

This morning I spent a couple of hours observing the seabirds with the lovely Knud, who is always very generous with his time in helping volunteers like me. The weather is now not as windy, but as you can see from the birder and forecast below, it has turned ever so slightly colder. It certainly felt that way sitting in the sand dunes with the wind in our faces. Fortunately, Knud informed me that we currently have the best weather in Denmark, so I guess I should be grateful.

The birds certainly seemed to be thankful for the high winds to have stopped and we were rewarded for our commitment with over 3000 Guillemots (Lomvien) in just two hours flying through (mainly to the north-west). Along with the usual seabirds, 63 Canada Geese (Canadagåsen) were also seen flying north, perhaps escaping the Danish weather and two Mute Swans (Knopsvanen) arrived in Denmark from the north, probably regretting their decision.

One notable absentee was a Gannet (Morus), which we did not see for the entire first hour. As soon as Knud noted this to me, we saw one within the next few minutes. I optimistically then announced that we had not seen an albatross (Albatrosser) yet, but maybe the ability to call in birds is reserved only for bird-whispers like Knud.

I am glad to report that beaches do not just wash up plastic. What is without life can still be full of life, as a dead harbour porpoise (Marsvin) had provided a good feed to the gulls. We also found a dead Herring Gull (Sølvmåge) which had been ringed in the South of Norway five years ago.   

We escaped just in time before the snow started and I now write watching the snow gust past my window. This is certainly one of life’s more satisfying feelings, knowing you are warm and cosy inside (and not a bird). I think it will remain that way for the rest of today.

Link to todays observations from observers in the area

People: James Wareing

Today I went on a survey along the beach looking for dead fulmars (Mallemuk). We are assisting Aarhus University in collecting these birds which will later be examined to see how much plastic is in their stomachs. During 2022-2023, the Skagen Bird Station collected 24 dead Fulmars. Laboratory analysis showed that 79% of them had plastic in their stomachs, and 42% in an amount that was above the limit value for so-called "good environmental condition". One of the dead individuals contained so much plastic that it is considered to be the cause of the bird's death. A whopping 17.8 grams of plastic hid in the stomach of this bird. It had probably died of starvation, as there was simply no room in the stomach for actual food.

The walk was completed in what could well be a record time (Guiness book of World Records were not here to verify this) as I was aided by a 100km/h wind behind me. Searching for dead birds was made a little more challenging by the bath tub like amounts of white foam covering the beach. Finding a white bird amongst the bubbles is a comical challenge. No fulmars were un/fortunately found.

The importance of this work is underlined when walking along the beach. It is shocking how much plastic and other waste washes up here and what makes it to the beach is just a small sample size of what must be floating in the ocean. At times though, the best way to deal with this depressing scene is to find amusement and it is astounding what variety of items washes up on the shore here. There was recently a container ship in the North Sea that lost 18 containers, of which only around half have been found. This has led to a surprising amount of new black trainers (none in my size as yet), plastic ‘floral’ wreaths (in a luminous green colour unseen in nature) and a 20kg bag of rice (unfortunately inedible).

After a quick break for lunch, I was informed that there was an Iceland gull (Hvidvinget måge) in the harbour in Skagen. So it was on to the bike and this time heading into the 100km/h winds to see what I could find. Having never seen an Iceland gull before, and being admittedly sketchy on my long distance gull identifying skills, I was initially despondent to find a wall full of around 400 gulls. I was rather hoping to find a solitary gull holding a sign saying ‘I AM AN ICELAND GULL’….But, luck was with me and in the middle of my binoculars came a very silvery looking gull (quite unsure what the whole fuss was about). Unfortunately, it was too windy to take a photograph through my binoculars.

Mission accomplished, I headed back home, aided this time both by the wind and the adrenaline of my success.

Link to todays observations from observers in the area

People: James Wareing

A belated Happy New Year/February from Skagen Fuglestation! My name is James Wareing and I have joined the observatory for a short three-week spell this February. I am from near London in England, but spent the last year in Papua New Guinea. So far I can report that I am experiencing a weather and a culture shock, swapping rainforests and birds of paradise for windswept beaches and gulls. The mosquitoes are now gone, which is a relief, and have been replaced by the blight of sand storms, thanks to the near 100km/h winds we have had this week.

Being here for such a short period of time and just before the spring starts is as wonderful as it is teasing. Knowing what excitement is to come just after I leave is like going to a concert, staying for the opening acts, but being forced to leave just before the main band comes on. Nevertheless, it is a real privilege to be here, and I look forward to sharing what I experience over the next month. 

Although the 'quieter' season in Skagen, that is only a relative term, and there has been already so much to be excited by. I have done two seabird counts so far, with the highlight being a Sooty Shearwater (Sodfarvet Skråpe), which was kind enough to fly back and forth quite close to the shore showing off in the high winds. It really was a delight to watch and displayed such elegant flight. They are rarely seen here in January, generally spending the summer in the north Atlantic. 

This afternoon I was treated to bright sunshine and took the opportunity for a walk before sunset along the beach. Skagen is renowned for its wonderful light and it lived up to its reputation.

I was rewarded with beautiful views of Snow Buntings (Snespurven), Sanderlings (Sandløber) and Common Eiders (Edderfugl), all doing their best to hide from the wind and sand.

The strong winds have been around for a while now and are forecasted for a little longer. Who knows, maybe they will blow something exciting my way....I will keep you updated. 

Today’s observations in Dofbasen from observers in the area

People: James Wareing