Sheriff Simon and his Snipes

The Milky Way hung hidden by dark clouds over the Støvring plains. Somewhere out there, under the cloak of darkness, the birds were sleeping. But not us. Not tonight.

Simon Jr. - better known in these parts as the Lille Sheriff - tightened his boots, adjusted his headlamp, and gave a nod to his seasoned partner, SSC (Simon Sr.), the old gunslinger of bird science. Armed with torches and trusty handnets that swung like lassos in the night, we rode out to two secret spots near Støvring. The mission? To track, catch, and ring the elusive Great Snipe (Tredækker). And let me tell you, pardner - it wasn’t our first rodeo.

With the stealth of bity cats and the precision of diving gannets, we managed to lasso one Skylark from the shadows. A fine catch. But just as we were admiring our feathered prize, Johan Funder rolled in like a whirlwind from the north. While we were wrangling one, he was rounding up five: three Common Snipes (Dobbeltbekassin) and two Skylarks (Sanglærke). The man’s got bird sense like Indiana Jones got whip skills.

Three Common Snipes (Dobbeltbekassin) and a Skylark (Sanglærke).

Not long after, Lars Bo appeared on the horizon, boots crunching through the dewy grass. The posse was complete.

We saddled up and headed to the second site, where the night’s true treasure awaited: an adult Great Snipe (Tredækker). A rare gem in the ornithological wild west. I had the honor of measuring it myself - its plumage glowed like ancient gold under the torchlight. A moment of awe, etched into memory.

Look at this beauty: Great Snipe (Tredækker)!!!

Two feather generations in the wing: this bird interrupted its moult. The older feathers are more bleached out and brown.

Simon Sr. measuring "Bill-Head". This measurement is very helpful in many waders.

The ride back with SSC was quiet but rich, those kinds of talks that only happen after a night in the field. I grabbed a quick hour of sleep before heading to Kabeltromlen, where Louise and Youri had already opened the nets. The wind howled across the site, and Sarah rode her out to Denmark’s last dune to count seabirds against the crashing waves.

Ringing was slow and birds seemed to be sleeping in. But one Redwing (Vindrossel) turned up in the net, a recapture from July. Maybe an oversummering bird in the Grenen bog. A little mystery tucked into a feathered frame. And watching Louise work, I couldn’t help but smile: she’s learned so much in just one month of scientific bird ringing. Sharp hands, sharp eyes. The makings of a fine field biologist.

Between net rounds, I’d glance out over the sea, past the heads of the counters, scanning the horizon like a sheriff watching for trouble. And then it came—the best bird of the day: a Long-tailed Skua (Lille Kjove), what a surprise! The phone cell made a loud noise and I grabbed the hearer. It was Sarah, shouting excited words through the breeze: there is a Peregrine Falcon (Vandrefalk) flying over you. When we turned around we could get a quick view on it before it appeared on the horizon. Great one. Otherwise migration count was fun with many Gannets (Sule) and some pretty Velvet Scoters (Fløjlsand).

In the noon, we had to say one more painful goodbye to Louise, who headed back home today. Before leaving she offered me a meal in The Skagen Fuglestation Saloon, look at this burger!

Homemade Veggi Burger

Even though her time at the bird observatory stopped for now, bird migration continued. I just stood in front of Det Grå Fyr to look at birds flying by, when suddenly an Arctic Skua (Almindelig Kjove) appeared. Since the Gulls (Måge) were closer, I decided to take some pictures.

Herring Gulls (Sølvmåge) joined by a Common Gull (Stormmåge) on the right.

A flock of 12 Bar-tailed Godwits (Lille Kobbersneppe) passing by the lighthouse.

Cormorant (Skarv) does not mind the wind.

In the afternoon, Sarah and I – the last people remaining in this ghost town – climbed the lighthouse and had a nice chat with cake and coffee – ehm whiskey – in the shop. Then Selina and Janna arrived. It is nice to see both familiar and new faces at the station!

The august was really fun. Ringing was great with +156% birds caught in comparison to my August 2023. Soon I will have to mount my horse and gallop back to Germany into the sunset. Thanks to all the nice people at the station!

Why did the Lille Sheriff wear two hats? One for the sun, and one for the attitude.

Spotted Flycatcher (Grå Fluesnapper) 1

Blackcap (Munk) 2

People: Selina Veng, Janna Ouedraogo, Louise Buksti-Ladefoged, Sarah Partridge, Simon S. Christiansen, Youri Van der Horst, Simon Kiesé, Johan Funder, Lars Bo Jakobsen and our guests Helle and Johan.