A Beautiful Sunny Day

Picture 1 – 2k Female Hen Harrier (Blå Kærhøg). Pic by Thomas

What a day to wake up to! Yes, it was -3’c and feeling like -7’c but it was sunny, clear and feeling very fresh. After a nice breakfast, we decided to go for a walk to Nordstrand via Grenen. We put on our snow suits and headed for our adventure. The first species seen in the breeze included passing Eider (Ederfugl) and Gannets (Sule), with the bushes hosting Blue Tits (Blåmejse) and Blackbirds (Solsort). Eleanor had never been to the secret bunker, so we stopped here first and accidently disturbed a Woodcock (Skovsneppe) on the way, creepy as always but looking nice in the snow! We then continued onwards along the Sandormen track looking for any species in the bushes. They were very quiet, but Eleanor did see a bird of prey briefly, and after a few minutes a Hen Harrier (Blå Kærhøg) drifted along the track. Thank you to Simon, it was identified as a 2^nd calendar year female who has been hanging around the area for a while.

Picture 2 – Eleanor scanning the beach. Pic by Thomas 

Due to the wind direction, we decided to walk behind the dunes in search of any species. In the bushes a large flock of Fieldfare erupted out of the Sea Buckthorn due to a passing Common Buzzard (Musvåge) before settling again soon after. Our frequent stops to look out at the sea resulted in a good passage of birds heading East along the shore. This included over 1500+ Razorbill/Guillemots (Alk/Lomvie), a few Common Scoter (Sortand), and more Gannets (Sule) too. It was nice to have such a sunny day, a lovely long walk, and good species around us too.  

Picture 3 – Sanderling (Sandløber). Pic by Thomas 

It was not until we reached Nordstrand that we found a flock of Sanderling (Sandløber) and 3 Turnstones (Stenvenger) too. However, time was passing, and we were getting slightly cold on our faces from the exposure to the wind. Therefore, we headed inland and walked along the roads and paths to Jennes Sø. There were few species to be seen, though another Woodcock (Skovsneppe) and the calls of Bearded Tit (Skægmejse) were much appreciated.

Picture 4 – Shifting Snow. Pic by Eleanor.

Back in time for lunch and some warmth, we had been set a couple of tasks by Simon to clear the net ride in the Lighthouse Garden and to feed the birds. Some proof of the clearing snow can be seen in the pic, and Eleanor ensured the birds had a great seed mix consisting of out-of-date bird friendly food she found the cupboards the night before. We received a phone call from Simon to say himself and Lisa were coming round so we got a couple of photos of the sunset and retreated back to the observatory.    

Picture 5 – The lighthouse at sunset. Pic by Eleanor

A lovely end to the birding day, and more tasks set by Simon and Lisa to keep us busy during out stay! More on this to come soon…

Highlights:

• Woodcock (Skavsneppe) at Nordstrand and Grenen
• Hen Harrier (Blå Kærhøg) 2k female at Grenen

Link to Dofbasen: https://dofbasen.dk/search/result.php?design=table&soeg=soeg&periode=dato&dato=10-01-2026&omraade=stor&stor=588&obstype=observationer&species=alle&sortering=dato

Observers: Thomas Weston, Eleanor Harris, Simon S. Christiansen, Lisa Vergin