Nightjars and Good-bye

Today actually started yesterday at 10pm when we went with Lars Bo to catch nightjars (natraven). Pernille and Rasmus also came in the hope of seeing these cool birds. At first we were a little bit disappointed because last time we had been we heard several singing even before sunset whereas this night we didn’t hear any singing at all at first. We had to set up the nets based on where we thought was good locations but it soon became clear that we chose the good places: even while we were setting up the nets, Rasmus, Pernille and I saw at least two nightjars fly around very close to us. It was the first nightjars that Rasmus had seen, so he was very happy. Then we put on the playback and waited.

Simon came out to say good-bye to me and in the hope to see a nightjar but had to wait for a while for his first. He was just about to leave when we finally caught one male. Rasmus junior and Pernille were really happy as it was the first time they had held one. Simon left and then we caught two more nightjars in one net check. One male and one female. The female had an egg that you could actually feel in her belly. It must be a second clutch that she started, either because the first clutch already fledged or because it was lost. We hope for the first option, of course.

After the ringing we came home at around 5 am and everybody went to sleep. I went to the tip in the hope of seeing ringed sandwich terns (splitterne) before but there weren’t any. I think probably the many tourists stop them from roosting on our beach now. They only come when the bad weather keeps the tourists away. There were several seals, some common terns, gulls, plovers (stor præstekrave), and a red-throated diver (rødstrubet lom), which was nice enough. Also just offshore there was a large group of at least 300 black scoters (sortand) roosting in the water which is the biggest flock I have seen here.

After that I went home to sleep as well. In the afternoon we did some maintenance work on the nets and antenna but nothing too exciting.

I will leave tomorrow, after having been here for almost two months. It has been an amazing two months that is hard to put into words. I met a lot of interesting people, learned how the birding community here in Skagen works and wish that it would work like this elsewhere. I saw so many cool birds and ringed many of them. I also became famous without wanting to. I guess things like that just happen to you. Me, I love terns and shorebirds, so being able to watch the sandwich terns through the window all day long as they take the fish they catch around the tip towards their chicks on Hirsholm is by far the best thing about this place. But the experience here has just been phenomenal due to the whole mix of everything, the landscape, the people, the seabirds and the birds in the ringing, even the raptors, and somehow also even the rails. I would much rather be remembered as the girl who loved the terns so much she would talk about nothing else all day long and couldn’t concentrate on the Vikings game when there were terns flying by, than the girl that discovered the lille rørvagtl but I guess different people have different priorities…

It would be really hard to explain to people who have not been here, why you choose to go out birdwatching in the evening and then still get up at 2.15 in the morning to open the nets while you get eaten (or drunk) by mosquitos and do that for weeks on end but this place and everything about it is just so special you want to make use of every hour you have even if it means you don’t sleep enough for two months straight. I guess if it costs me a few weeks of my life time then the energy was well invested. I won’t try to explain and I know that pictures can only give you a little glimpse of the reality up here but there are no words, nor pictures to describe the experience here. The only way is to come and see for yourself. As far as I am concerned, Simon already knows that he will have to put up with me again next year. I am already looking forward to coming back!

It remains to say thanks to everybody who made my experience here so memorable and enjoyable. I will miss it all – but especially the terns!

Ringmærkning (Sandmilen):

Natraven - Nightjar - 3

Folk: Martina Hillbrand, Simon S. Christiansen, Amandine Doré, Rasmus Matthlesen-duhl, Lars Bo Jacobsen, Pernille Roed

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