3 Sandwich Terns (Splitterne) in our nets!

What a night! After two unsuccessful attempts to catch Sandwich Terns and equip them with colour rings, we were finally successful yesterday and were able to catch three Sandwich Terns, one of them a recapture from Denmark. During the last three weeks we had set up mist nets at two different locations where roosting Sandwich Terns were observed. In the first two nights we only caught one and two birds, but our efforts were worth it. Lisa was very happy that we were able to put 3 colour rings on Sandwich Terns in Nordmandshage yesterday. As part of her master’s thesis about the post breeding dispersal of Sandwich Terns in Danish waters it is important to have recaptures. Colour rings have a much higher recapture rate than metal rings, because you can read them through a telescope or binoculars without having to catch the bird.

But not only the Sandwich Terns flew in our nets: We trapped Oyster Catchers (Strandskader), Dunlins (Almindelig Ryle), Common Sandpipers (Mudderklire), a Redknot (Islandsk Ryle), a Redshank (Rødben), a Common Ringed Plover (Stor Præstekrave) and a Common Tern (Fjordterne). In total 20 birds!

We even caught an adult Dunlin, which you can see by the black feathers on the belly:

Pernille was happy to join us for the nightcatching for one round, even though she had to teach in the morning!

After this exciting, but also efforting night, we needed to get some rest. Meanwhile, Martin was doing migration counts at World’s End 3 and saw a Rosy Starling (Rosenstær). He also observed Great Skuas (Storkjove) and Brant Geese (Knortegås). After lunch he listened to night recordings for nocturnal migration.  

Angus, Lisa, Esben and I were sleeping in the morning to “recover” from the night. Angus went shopping in the afternoon and will cook a veggi chili with rice and garlic bread for tonight. Also, he will do his first social media post today. Esben studied maths today for his umcoming university studies. Lisa checked the DOF Basen countings with countings we made ourselves of roosting Sandwich Terns on several locations in Denmark and summarized it in a map for her master’s thesis.

Simon is disappointed, because the station didn’t get financial support for loss during the corona lockdown, because the Skagen Fuglestation is not a local society of Birdlife Denmark. He is hopeful that there can still be changed something about it.

Ringmærkning (Hals, Nordmandshage):

Oyster Catcher – Strandskader - 3

Dunlins - Almindelig Ryle - 8

Common Sandpipers – Mudderklire - 2

Redknot - Islandsk Ryle - 1

Redshank – Rødben - 1

Common Ringed Plover - Stor Præstekrave - 1

Common Tern – Fjordterne - 1

Sandwich Terns – Splitterne - 3

Total: 20

People: Martin Grienenberger, Simon S. Christiansen, Amelie Zeller, Pernille Roed, Esben E. Hansen, Lisa Vergin, Angus Barnett

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