Even More Blue Tits!

This morning Sarah and I (Miles) headed to Worlds End 3 for the migration count. Winds from the southeast have not brought much migration in recent days, but we did see a Common Shelduck (Gravand), Black Guillemot (Tejst), 1392 Common Scoters (Sortand) and 164 Blue Tits. While observers at Worlds End 1 and Kabeltromlen have been noting large flocks of Blue Tits, not as a many make it all the way to Worlds End 3.

The large flocks of Blue Tits at the migration count translated into a huge day at the ringing. Amira, Gabriel and Simon caught a whooping 55 Blue Tits today! Yesterday was a great day for Blue Tits, and yet they still managed to catch 17 more today. Another highlight was a Yellowhammer (Gulspurv). It was a recapture, but it is always cool to see such a colorful bird in the hand.

Yellowhammer (Gulspurv) recaptured at Kabeltromlen this morning

Florian got some extra rest this morning, then went out to Jennes Sø and Skarvsøen. There were many warblers in the bushes at Skarvsøen, but a Yellow-browed Warbler (Hvidbrynet Løvsanger) continues to elude us. He did see a Hawfinch (Kernebider) and 2 Jack Snipe (Enkeltbekkasin), which are both notable. We may try to catch the Jack Snipe after the storm passes on Saturday. Florian also spotted a kingfisher (Isfugl) while at Skarvsøen (he truly has a knack for manifesting them). He looked carefully at the legs to see if there was a ring and indeed there was! This is almost certainly the bird we captured and ringed last Thursday (25/09), so it is interesting to know it is still in the area.

After ringing finished, the whole crew helped sew holes in the nets. Sarah was a great motivator for this and helped keep moral high! Simon was somewhat stunned that we were able to repair all the nets in one day. I also sawed off some low roots and branches to reduce tripping hazards in the net lanes.

The crew sewing mist nets together

We had a late lunch around 4 pm, but Mette brought us some leftover cake from the café, which caused much jubilation. For dinner, Florian cooked us some delicious Swiss rösti and we learned about Swedish idioms from Gabriel. I think, “To slide in on a shrimp sandwich,” meaning to achieve something with little effort, is a new favorite for everyone.

Ringing (Kabeltromlen):

Blue Tit (Blåmejse) 55

Song Thrush (Sangdrossel) 1

Eurasian Wren (Gærdesmutte) 6

Coal Tit (Sortmejse) 2

Dunnock (Jernspurv) 1

European Robin (Rødhals) 1

Eurasian Blackcap (Munk) 13

Reed Bunting (Rørspurv) 6

Eurasian Bullfinch (Dompap) 1

Eurasian Bullfinch (Eurasian) (Lille Dompap) 3

Common Chiffchaff (Gransanger) 4

Goldcrest (Fuglekonge) 5

Total: 98

Highlights from today’s observations at Worlds End 3:

Caspian Gull (Kaspisk Måge) 4

Common Scoter (Sortand) 1392

Black Guillemot (Tejst) 1

Blue Tit (Blåmejse) 164

Today’s observations from the area can be found here.

People: Gabriel Axelsson, Florian Hatt, Sarah Partridge, Amira Nuseibeh, Miles Scheuering, Knud Pedersen, Simon S. Christiansen and our guest Otto Clemmensen.