We don't birdwatch for fun we birdwatch for DUTY

This morning was rather windy and cold, but under orders from the boss we went to Kabeltromlen to try to net. After much hemming and hawing in the dark, we ended up with only three nets open, and we weren’t happy with how they looked in the wind. We immediately closed the nets and headed back to the lighthouse against gale-force winds, feeling good about our decision to quit netting today. No ringing meant that Mara had some time to work on her Master’s dissertation, while Amira and I cycled out to join the others at Nordstrand. I was the last to arrive and approached a very hygge scene of Amira, Miles, Florian, Simon, Knud, and a wee German tourist all huddled up together in some shelter under a dune.

It was a very pleasant morning in our cozy nook, sharing coffee and cookies and light banter. Seawatching from Nordstrand was very fun, and there was much to see today with plenty of eyes to spot things. There were again many auks (alkefugle) today, and a bit easier to see from our spot today a little closer to the sea. We also saw two peregrines (vandrefalk) coming in from the sea, flying close over our heads. Other highlights included a Goosander (Stor skellesluger) flying together with some red-breasted mergansers (toppet skallesluger), both red-necked and great-crested grebes (gråstrubet og toppet lappedykker), and an adorable flock of snow buntings (snespurv) resting on the beach. Florian had a busy morning clicking large flocks of hundreds of Allike (Jackdaws), which were cool to see coming straight at us from the sea in haphazard flocks.

Allike, possibly the cutest of the corvids, always bouncing along merrily with their jaunty little calls, also have a vicious side. They have strong social hierarchies within the group, and when an individual is ousted for whatever reason, they can be violently pecked to death by the rest of the group. A terrifying example of mob mentality. Jackdaws are famous for being shrewd and observant, able to recognize human faces and interpret expressions. They can be a good friend or a formidable enemy, so beware how you treat these clever beasts. I also learned a fun idiom from Simon today: “fuld som en allike,” meaning “drunk as a jackdaw” (although the reason for this jackdaw slander is not particularly clear). Being a lover of both birds and words, I am very fond of bird-based idioms, and although we have many in English, I know of none that are so wonderfully species-specific.

After the end of the count, Florian, Amira and I went to visit Skarvsøen since we were already halfway there. We saw a wonderful flock of scrumptious halemejser, very busy foraging and being round and delicious, among a few other passerine species, and we stopped at the lake to admire some dabbling Krikand (teals), but there wasn’t too much happening in the wind (although Florian did see some Waxwings (silkehale) after we left). After this we all tucked ourselves away in the lighthouse for some office tasks and various meetings and other bits (with snacks).

 

In other news, a goldcrest (fuglekonge) that we ringed on OCTOBER SIXTH 2025 (a historical day indeed) was retrapped on October 13^th in Keldsnor in the south of Denmark. What a long journey for our sweet little puffball and we are so happy to hear of his safe travels so far!

After dinner, Simon took Amira, Miles and me out night catching at Ellekrattet and Storsig. We needed a lesson from the master because we are not so good at this on our own. We walked at breakneck speed through the wind, and in classic Simon fasion, trapped one enkeltbekkasin (Jack snipe) and one Woodcock (Skovsneppe) almost immediately. Very efficient indeed. This was very exciting, especially with the woodcock, to see this true beauty up close under the light. The white undertail feathers are the most brilliant titanium! They both flew away happily and we went to sleep feeling very satisfied.

People: Mara Glane, Florian Hatt, Sarah Partridge, Amira Nuseibeh, Miles Scheuering, Knud Pedersen, Simon S. Christiansen, Tiago.

Today's observations from the area can be seen here.