Fulmar survey with quite a lot dead Puffins

Good evening to all blog readers!

Yesterday, it was a very nice morning and I really wanted to go out. So I proposed to Simon that I would do the fulmar survey. I started at the station and should go along the beach until Solnedgangspladsen in Gammel Skagen. On my way, I met Jørgen and Igor and they joined me for a part of the survey. At Grenen, we found a young dead 2K Puffin. But it shouldn´t be my last Puffin (Lunde) on this survey. On the rest of the way, I found two more dead adult 3K+ Puffins. So many Puffins, that´s really rare here, especially the adults. It was probably hunger, that brought them here. I admired their pretty beaks. Later, Simon explained to me how to age them: The beaks of the young Puffins (Lunde) have an angle that is much sharper than in the adult beak. Furthermore, there is more grey in the beak. My wish is to see one alive and in good condition, let´s see, if I´ll be able to age it then because the Puffin (Lunde) I wish to see will be very active, only visible through the scope and flying away fast.

2K Puffin (Lunde)

3K+ Puffin (Lunde)

But back to reality and my survey: It was actually quite successful. I found three dead Fulmars (Mallemuk) and collected 11 birds in total although I had to stop the survey before I arrived in Gammel Skagen. The reason why Simon picked me up earlier was that I found a Guillemot (Lomvie) on the beach, that was still living but had a plastic net around its body. I cut the net but the Guillemot (Lomvie), that had been lying on the beach with its head down wouldn't survive long, it was in a really bad condition and had to be euthanized. So Simon, who had just arrived at Skagen, picked me and the bird up and showed me how to do it so that it goes quickly. Labeling the birds and putting them into the freezer took quite a while. After that, I cleaned the lab. In the evening, it was time to put the birds in three different Exel Lists. Later, I was quite tired and found myself on the sofa next to a big, good-natured, and soft elephant…

Today was a quiet day for me, Simon had some meetings, I continued fixing the nets and was out birding in the fields, bushes, and on the beach in direction to town without many highlights. There were some Meadow Pipits (Engpiber) around in the fields, I saw a flock of Fieldfares (Sjagger), Goldcrests (Fuglekonge) in some trees and a nice Jay (Skovskade). Maybe, tomorrow I´ll go to Grenen with the scope, although it is very unlikely that I´ll spot my cheerful Puffin (Lunde), but I am nevertheless curious.

See you soon! 

People at the station: Simon S. Christiansen, Hanelie Sidhu