Following Tradition: The Great Painters of Skagen

This morning started out with a seawatch from Grenen at WE3. I arrived just after Juliane around 4:50 and we were met by Martin and Knud. With light winds and clear skies visibility out to the horizon was quite good, but the unimpeded rising sun obstructed a good portion of the sea. There was less activity than the previous morning, but we still enjoyed the continuing high numbers of Arctic Skuas (Almindelig Kjove) harassing terns over the beach. I even had one chase a tern over my head on the Sandomentrak, before I had even reached the beach! Over the course of the morning we saw nine, five light morphs and four dark morphs. Perhaps with some luck one of the rarer species will make an appearance in the coming days! Juliane enjoyed three lifers: a very distant Northern Fulmar (Mallemuk), close migrating Razorbill (Alk), and a nice male Velvet Scoter (Fløjlsand) that joined the Common Scoters (Sortand) on the water.

A great comparison between the two color morphs (light and dark) of the Arctic Skua (Almindelig Kjove)

Juliane returned home while I elected to take a nap in the dunes, a pleasant way to enjoy the first warm sunny morning since I arrived. After I awoke I birded my way back along the Sandomentrak and came quite close to crashing while biking back— unfortunately in full display to the people on the back row of the Sandomen, whose looks of concern quickly gave way to stifled laughter.

Arriving back at the lighthouse I walked into a kitchen converted to an art studio— Julian and Juliane had their watercolors out and were painting some observations from the last few days. Juliane was working on a Gray Seal (Gråsæl) and orchids from the count on the same page as a finished Cinereous Vulture (Munkegrib). Julian was finishing up a pencil sketch of an Arctic Skua (Almindelig Kjove) before painting it and I enjoyed watching as it slowly gained color, realizing into an impressive depiction of such a sharp bird. Just the latest in a long line of painters drawn to Skagen!

Arctic Skua by Julian Helbig (watercolor)

I joined the Rasmussens on a shopping trip into town to pick up some much-needed groceries while Juliane did some cleaning, and after I returned Simon stopped by to do some planning for tomorrow, our first day of ringing since Juliane and I arrived. After he left, we ate dinner and prepped some gear for the early morning tomorrow!

Link to today’s observations in DOFbasen from observers in the area

People: Brian Browne, Julian Helbig, Juliane Rößler, Knud Pedersen, Martin Rasmussen, Kristine Rasmussen