A colour-ringed Rock Pipit "Skærpiber" from Norway in our trap!

Good evening dear blog readers!

Now, there is finally some variety in the blog and other volunteers whose texts you can enjoy. But today it is my turn again to tell you about our adventures. Simon and Esben came yesterday in the late evening to the station, we were waiting for them after one after the other went to bed.

This morning, Marion and Robbe went to Grenen to the Morning Obs with Knud. Alice and I meanwhile stayed here and opened the nets in the lighthouse garden. We sacrificed a pack of our breakfast oats and pumpkin seeds to feed the birds at the nets. We also set our little trap with the worms on the beach again and used sound to attract the Rock Pipits "Skærpiber". Today we also prepared a bigger trap and hung worms in it, Esben helped us a bit. We also used sound on the nets but caught nothing. But when we checked the Pipit Trap for the second time, we were very excited: The trap was closed and a Rock Pipit "Skærpiber" was jumping around in it, it had eaten our two worms. It was already ringed, with a colour ring from Norway. We took it to the lab and called Simon, who came to take the measurements with Alice and explain how to age a Rock pipit. it was a 3K+ bird. Afterwards there was a photo session before I released the little guy.

The morning brought no more birds and at 11 o´clock,  Alice and I closed the nets and took the traps back to the lab. Afterwards the lab was swept and soon Marion and Robbe arrived from Grenen. Their highlights were the Glaucous Gull "Gråmåge" and some Cranes "Trane" in the distance. And again, the Snow Buntings "Snespurv" pleased our observers.

The weather was good and today also Marion got the chance to meet Jørgen and Igor.  When we went upstairs to the station, we planned the afternoon with Simon, because there was still a lot planned for today. We had lunch together and soon Esben, Simon, and Alice left to prepare practical work for the Raptor GPS project. This is a project to find out more about the offshore migration of raptors to Norway and Sweden.

However, the three had to set off twice, the second time Marion came with them as well. But that was not so bad, because so they could buy a few things and Simon could drive Robbe and me in the afternoon to the parking lot at Nordstrand. Karin also came with us, because her stay in Skagen was now finally over and Simon drove her afterwards to the train station from where the journey now goes back to Germany. Robbe and I met Knud at the parking lot and went to the Cormorant Lake to cut reeds. At the lake, we put on the waders and went into the lake with the hedge cutters. It almost seemed as if we had already practised this scene in a light version yesterday on our wet walk back to the station. And again I was the one who stayed with dry feed, yesterday because I was the only one wearing rubber boots, today because Robbes waders had a hole in them. So I waded to the deeper parts of the lake to cut the reeds, while Robbe stayed rather in the shallower water and did the work there. Knud cheered us on from the edge of the lake and directed us where to cut.

Foto: Knud Pedersen

Now you all have a great view of the lake again and soon hopefully many breeding cormorants. After all the reeds were cut we went for a short walk where Knud showed us the whole lake and explained how the land changes and also how the lake was formed. He took us back to the lighthouse but the others were not there yet. After some time Simon, Esben, Alice, and Marion came back, who were on the way for the Raptor GPS project and did some shopping for us. We had quite a long evening meeting today and then we had super delicious vegetarian nutchos that Marion had cooked for us today.

Today’s observations in Dofbasen from observers in the area

Sum of the Raptors in the area based on observations typed into Dofbasen the same day

From the oven, it smells just besides delicious after banana bread, which Esben makes for us.  With this delicious smell in the nose, we´re now slowly going to bed, see you tomorrow!

Hanelie

People: Esben E. Hansen, Simon S. Christiansen, Knud Pedersen, Robbe Cool, Hanelie Sidhu, Marion L'Huillier-Hunsinger,  Alice Scalzo and Karin