Local Birding

We awoke to a cloudy and windy day with snow flurries from the east. We were keen to get some of the last remaining tasks completed, so we waited for a time we thought our guest would be awake, before we sanded the guest apartment surface. Little did we know he was out and about visiting local sites birding by car already. Once we knew this, we took a little time to complete the sanding, and made it look as good as the surface in the observatory which we are both proud of.

Picture 1: Colour ringed 6yr old Great Black Backed Gulls (Svartbag).

Once completed we set off to visit Grenen and Nordstrand in search of colour ringed birds. Our main targets recently have been Cormorant (Skarv), Herring Gull (Sølmåge), and Great Black-Backed Gull (Svartbag), though any species with a colour ring is always great to see. We reached the tip with sand, snow, and wind in the face. We found a small flock of 3 Cormorants (Skarv) with a mix of large Gulls (Måge). In the flock we could see that two Great Black-Backed Gulls (Svartbag) had rings on them, and we quickly got the combinations. From the Norweigen database, we know that one was ringed 4 years ago and the individual pictured was ringed 6 years ago which was nice to see. Nearby, a flock of 51 Cormorants (Skarv) failed to produce any colour rings which demonstrates there must be quite a high turnover here! We also spotted some passing, Red-breasted Mergansers (Toppet Skallesluger), a resting flock of Eiders (Ederfugl) and Common Scoter (Sortand), as well as a Snow Bunting (Snespurv) on the beach.

Picture 2: Ellekrattet reeds

We decided to follow the Sandormen Track to Ellekrattet and found a nice Sparrowhawk (Spurvhøg) male looking for some food along the reedbed near Kabeltromlen. We got to Ellekrattet and found 2 Blackbirds (Solsort), but nothing else on this visit. We even checked the nearby heath and reeds without success, until…. Eleanor saw a raptor emerge from the long grass along the track back to the Lighthouse. It was our friendly 2^nd year female Hen Harrier (Blå Kærhøg) hunting for voles or anything else she could find in the strong winds and snow. However, our lunch called and a trip to the harbour was then had. The strong wind was a little unfavourable for the birds, but we found some nice Eiders (Ederfugl) and a small flock of Cormorants (Skarv). Jørgen could add a nice flock of 79 Turnstone (Stevender) - including 76 in one flock,  4 Purple Sandpiper (Sortgrå Ryle) and a few Sanderling (Sandløber) to the totals.

Picture 3: Cookies

Back in time for tea, and a catchup with our guest Jørgen, we have a chilled evening planned with food, more homemade cookies and a nice tart for dinner.

Highlights:

-    2^nd year female Hen Harrier (Blå Kærhøg)

-   76 Turnstone (Stevender)

Link to Dofbasen here.

Observers: Thomas Weston, Eleanor Harris, Jørgen Hulbæk