A Snowy Start

Picture 1 – Lighthouse. Photo by Eleanor.

After a long day of travel from the UK yesterday, with a special thank you to Simon SC and help from local birder Jørgen, plus a good night’s sleep, we woke up to a very snowy day. As we arrived in the dark yesterday, we had no idea the extent of the snow, but we were surprised and shocked by the amounts in the area. Coming from the UK, snow is a rarity, so it was super exciting and special to wake up to a magical Winter Wonderland.

Picture 2 – Enjoying the Snow. Photos by Thomas.

After some nice breakfast and tea, we decided to put on layers consisting of snow suits and to go and explore. With some layers and cosy clothes, we stepped into the snow, crunching along the ice and sand. It is a rarity in the UK to see snow on a beach and it was the first time that I had encountered it. What fun it was to feel the wind in my face and hear the sea crashing and rolling into an almost deserted beech with only a few people out.

Picture 3 – Reed Bunting (Rørspurv). Photo by Thomas.

On our snowy travels some of the birding highlights from our morning walk were 23 Sanderling (Sandløber), two Bearded Tit (Skægmejse)– my first ones ever-, a flock of 6 Woodcock (!) (Skavsneppe), Snow Bunting (Snespurv), ‘Northern’ Long Tailed Tits (Halemejse), a very cold Reed Bunting (Rørspurv) and a Hen Harrier (Blå Kærhøg).

Picture 4 – Snowy Skagen. Photo by Eleanor.

Thomas was getting hungry, so we came back for some cosy comfort food, lunch, and even more tea, which was much needed after a rather windy and wild walk. After some food our next mission of the day was to go into Skagen and get some food to stock up for the cold weather predicted. We wrapped up warm and walked into Skagen, getting slightly distracted by the Christmas trees and lights still around. In the UK we have a tradition of taking down decorations on the 6th January so we both found it rather lovely that Christmas had been extended. On our walk we saw a Rough Legged Buzzard (Fjeldvåge), the first that I had ever seen, so it was very exciting and a surprise to see it come out of the snowy scenes. On the way back we saw the same bird near the lighthouse so we will see if it hangs around the area in the coming days.

Once back we made two pots of tea to warm up and are just taking it steady for the evening as a long few days we have had. We look forward to sharing our next month with you and what we find and get up too.

Highlights:

• Woodcock (Skavsneppe)
• Rough Legged Buzzard (Fjeldvåge)
• Hen Harrier (Blå Kærhøg)

Link to Dofbasen:https://dofbasen.dk/search/result.php?design=table&soeg=soeg&periode=dato&dato=09-01-2026&omraade=stor&stor=588&obstype=observationer&species=alle&sortering=dato

Observers: Eleanor Harris and Thomas Weston