More Than a Breeze

Once upon a time in the early morning hours, foreign bird banders up at KAB asked a local birder if there was ever a time of year in Skagen with less wind, and the local smirked and said ‘’no, it’s always windy’’. Though it is always somewhat windy, the past couple mornings have been windier than usual and have kept us from opening our mist nets up at KAB. However, members of our team were able to conduct a migration and roost count at the tip. Around 4:30 AM armed with their scopes, binoculars, seats, and counters Alice and Max trekked through the sandy beach to the little dune overlooking the tip, the wide beach dotted with colorful pebbles, and the seas. Once at the top, they set up their scopes in the hopes of catching a glimpse of the expected migratory species that usually appear this time of year. In the first hour of observation, the team spotted two black terns, alongside the many herring gulls and common terns usually present on the beach. By 7AM the team accompanied by Knud spotted a couple exciting species including different types of skuas such as: great skuas, arctic skuas, and a long-tailed skua that stole the show.

Long-Tailed Skua, Photo credit: Knud Pedersen

The morning observations ended at around 9AM after the routine 4 hour counting process, and Martina joined the group at the tip to attempt to resight some ringed gulls. With the aid of her scope she was able to get a good look at a couple different rings, but she soon started to feel the effects of the wind. As the wind started to pick up, the scope started to shake and as Martina held on and attempted to continue her work, the wind increased nearly toppling the scope. Unfortunately, the combination of strong winds, tourists enjoying the beach but often unintentionally flushing the birds cut Martina’s mission short, but fortunately she did not leave empty handed.

Martina spotted a gull spotting her with a scope. Photo credit: Martina Hillbrand

Size comparison: Great black-backed gull (Svartbag) on the left vs. lesser black-backed gull (Sildemåge) on the right. Photo Credit: Martina Hillbrand

The winds do not only affect our ability to open the mist nets, but also have an impact on migration depending on their direction and intensity. The effects of the wind can also been seen on the tourists attempting to walk to the tip, bikers biking to town at a snails pace, and on the sand as well as dunes near the beach. So, for all of those still out there braving the winds, cover up and hold on! Coz what’s Skagen without a little wind?

Local observations of the day in DOFBasen

People: Rita DeLucco, Alice Scalzo, Nathan Delmas, Max Laubstein, Martina Hillbrand, Knud Pedersen, and our guests Margit and Jesper.