Come find your Northern diver in the Northern Beach

This morning, Rosie and I opened the nets at Kabeltromlen, and Sarah joined us for the first round. It was quite windy, so we were only able to open 15 of the 26 nets. However, we still managed to ring some birds, especially during the last few rounds, with the highlight being 5 Mealy Redpolls (Stor Gråsisken)!

One of the Mealy Redpolls (Stor Gråsisken). Photo by Rosie Berkin.

As there weren't as many birds during the first rounds, I went for a walk to check for Water Pipits (Bjergpiber), hoping to catch some in the coming days. Unfortunately, there were no Water Pipits around. However, I was able to see some Horned Larks (Bjerglærke) for the first time (they are really cool birds!) and a large number of Snow Buntings (Snespurv) searching for food in the dunes. After that, I went to Jennes Sø to ring redpolls with Michaels. It was nice meeting him, although we weren't able to ring any redpolls during the last two rounds.

After closing the nets, I met Louis-Marie and Mio on their way back from Nordstrand. They had gone there this morning with Saxe and Gustav for the migration count. Despite the wind, it was a great morning, with a total of 5 Great Northern Divers (Islom), quite a number of Kittiwakes (Ride) and Razorbills (Alk) (almost 3,000!), as well as Fulmars (Mallemuk) and Long-tailed Ducks (Havlit). We went back to the lighthouse together, and on the way, Mio gave Louis-Marie a lift on his bike, as Louis-Marie had walked to Nordstrand that morning and hadn't brought his bike. It looked quite fun!

Mio giving Louis-Marie a lift in his bike

After lunch, I had a very hygge afternoon, with a long nap and some data entry. Rosie opened the garden net, but we weren't able to catch any birds (we'll have more luck next time!). A young Rock Pipit (Skærpiber) appeared in the garden half an hour before sunset, and Mio, Saxa and I tried to catch it, first with a handheld net and later using a sound lure and a Potter trap, but we weren't successful (yet!). Age based on two generations of wing coverts

The Rock Pipit (Skærpiber) in the lighthouse garden - a 1cy. Photo by Saxe Lind.

Sarah is preparing dinner right now, and later we'll be going to the town pub for a little family outing, together with one of Sarah's normal friends (shout out to David!). Saxe and Gustav are leaving the station shortly, but they'll be back next spring! It was really nice having you guys here, and we hope you had a great time!

We also welcome Celine and his parents, Thomas and Maja, our new guests who will be with us this weekend. Welcome!

Today's movie recommendation is "Flushed Away", a funny animated film and Rosie's second favourite. And for a more bird-related recommendation, David Attenborough's documentary series "The Life of Birds" is a must-watch. I think every birder should watch it at least once in their life. The episodes are fantastic!

Ringing Kabeltromlen
Lesser Bullfinch (Lille Dompap) – 3
Mealy Redpoll (Stor Gråsisken) – 5
Great Tit (Musvit) – 1
Common Blackbird (Solsort) – 1

Ringing Jennes Sø  (Michael Ancher)
Lesser Redpoll (Lille Gråsisken) – 12
Mealy Redpoll (Stor Gråsisken) – 8

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

People: Mio Brix, Simon Sigaard Christiansen, Sarah Partridge, Louis-Marie Gourmelon, Christina Liu, Rosie Berkin, Saxe Lind Christiansen og Gustav Juel