One small steppehøg, one giant leap for birder-kind

This morning, we had a bit of a team-building exercise. Since the wind was to strong for opening nets at Kabeltromlen, we all went out to World’s End 3 for migration count. Company-wise, the count was – of course – very entertaining. Bird-wise, it was lacking in excitement for the first part, so we started admiring Common Scoter (Sortand) flocks of different sizes. But then, birdwatching again proved how unpredictable it is: Coming in from the sea, there was a slim raptor. We only got a short view over the water, but then it got closer over the dunes migrating landwards and we got good sights of a very nice bird: A first year Pallid Harrier (Steppehøg)! While this species is a frequent sight in spring, it is a rather rare bird for late summer/autumn. It was first time since 2023 a Pallid Harrier (Steppehøg) was recorded in the area. I was extremely happy about this since I didn’t expect to see this species in my time here. And especially the first-year plumage is really magnificent (or as Simon K. would say: „snazzy“ because of all the different shades of brown). Simon Sr., who had left World’s End 3 earlier due to the lack of birds, luckily also managed to see the Harrier from Højen Fyr where it was migrating west.

Pallid Harrier (Steppehøg) over the dunes of Grenen. Foto: Simon Kiesé.

After this, the last part of the count passed quickly with a notable number of ducks, especially Teal (Krikand) and Widgeon (Pibeand).

Back at the lighthouse, Mio, Simon and I warmed ourselves up with hot cups of tea and entered data. Simon also took care of some very pleasant business: He entered Dotterels (Pomeransfugl) on Dofbasen since we found their calls on the passive recorder near Kabeltromlen. One flew over the area close to midnight on the 17th of August.

Recording of the first Dotterel (Pomeransfugl) on xeno canto.

Two others came in the night of the 23th over Kabeltromlen. Hopefully we’ll get that species in the field soon.

James was at Skarvsøen to watch some waders. It was a worthy visit with Wood Sandpipers (Tinksmed), Ruffs (Brushane) and a couple of Greenshank (Hvidklire) in the area.

After lunch, everyone took a nap since we weren’t sure yet whether we would go out during the night. Just before I was wrapping up my R session (we love statistics at this station), Pauline arrived! She is a new volunteer coming from Berlin and will stay here until early October. The first thing Simon Sr. told us about was her experience with bat monitoring so next time we have a bat in the net (like yesterday), we now have an expert to call!

In the late afternoon, Mio, Simon and James went down to the exhibition and played the games there, like throwing balls at birds. We highly recommend the exhibition, it is very fun! By then, Simon Sr. had decided that due to rain during the night, we would not go nightcatching for Great Snipe (Tredækker). So we settled in for a chill night. While Mio and Simon Jr. were cooking dinner, James and I watched England play against Pakistan in cricket. He explained the game to me and I now learned a bunch of new hyper-specific cricket related words. Even though watching the game was quite interesting, I think I will stick to birdwatching.

After dinner, we all started relaxing evening activities, like writing this blog while Simon is playing (or attempting to play) guitar in the background.

The strong wind and many cups of tea made this day feel like the first autumn day. Except for the Pallid Harrier (steppehøg), of course. It was a moment of spring-like sunshine on this cloudy day.

No Ringing today. :(

Link to today's observations in the Dofbasen from observers in the area.

People: Mio Brix, Simon S. Christiansen, Simon Kiesé, Pauline Nähring, Jule Tappe, James Wareing