Let’s start with yesterday evening. Because Anton and Leona had seen a Snowbunting (Snespurv) earlier, getting cozy in the dunes, we wanted to give it a try with Nightcatching. We went out and scanned the dunes with the nocturnal scope and the flashlight and immediately saw some promising shapes. We walked a little bit closer and – what a pity – the Snowbunting flew up! Anton tried to go for another bird and we watched excitedly. It was a Short-eared Owl (Mosehornugle), sitting on the ground while eating a Blackbird (Solsort)! It sadly escaped (with the blackbird in its claws), but with the bright flashlight and binoculars we could watch it nicely, flying further into the dunes. For Felix and me, this was the first time seeing this a Short-eared Owl, so we still were really happy about it! We tried for some more time but were not successful and went back to the station. On the way, we found a fascinating Natterjack Toad (Strandtudse) and even though it didn’t get a ring, we declared it the “Catch of the Night”.

Today, Louis and Joseph went to the Morning Observation, with an easterly wind of 4 m/s. Some Passerines were flying over, for example over 2000 Starlings (Staer), a flock of Longtailed Tits (Halemejse) and 113 Fieldfares (Sjagger). As well as 150 Eider Ducks (Ederfugl), many Cormorants (Skarv) and Common Scoters (Sortand). Some highlights were a White-tailed Eagle (Havørn), Rough-legged Buzzard (Fjeldvåge) and two Hen Harriers (Blå Kærhøg). All observations can be seen here.

Meanwhile, Anton, Leona and I opened the Nets in the Station and Lighthouse Gardens and were joined by Felix and Frida for the Netchecks. We had one round with many birds, but apart from that it was quite slow. We had a lot of Blackbirds (Solsort), Goldcrests (Fuglekonge) and Robins (Rødhals), which are the birds we had most of this week in the ringing. One Firecrest (Rødtoppet Fuglekonge) and a pair of Bullfinches (Lille Dompap) were nice sights, as well as a Brambling (Kvækerfinke), Wrens (Gærdesmutte) and a flock of Tree Sparrows (Skovspurv), which were new species for Felix and Frida to see close up.

In the afternoon, some birding and baking was done. Louis and Joseph made delicious Cinnamon Buns, which everyone enjoyed very much! The tasty smell was filling all the downstairs rooms and gave cozy Autumn vibes. Felix and I went to the beach and after five minutes managed to spot a single Waxwing (Silkehale) near the Lighthouse! First, we heard the call and then immediately saw the beautiful bird sitting in a pine tree! This was a lifer for both of us and we were so happy about it, that the tourists around us started asking what we were looking at. Leona came and saw this bird for the first time as well, and Felix managed to take some photos while it was sitting on the fence. This was definitely my highlight today! We then continued our walk to the Sabine’s Bunker but didn’t see much. The others went out as well and saw “millions of blackbirds” and again, a Snowbunting and Short-eared Owl.

Photo: Felix

In the evening, Anne arrived, who has been here two weeks in the summer before. Leona has cooked a lovely dinner and now all of us can get our well-deserved rest.

People at the Station: Louis Poulsen, Anton Liebermann, Joseph Stephan, Antonia Greil, Felix, Leona, Frida, Anne

Vejret var det meste af morgenen omkring 6 m/s fra øst, og kun lidt regn i starten af morgenen, så nettene var oppe i dag. Det gik ikke helt amok, men lidt skete der da, og dags totalen kom op på 45 mærkede fugle, samt 7 genfangster, den mest talrige art blev Rødhals med 11 stks. Og højdepunktet var en sen Havesanger, som vi også så ude ved obsen lidt tidligere på morgenen.

På obsen skete der godt nok ikke det store, højdepunkterne blev en Mosehornugle [Short-eared owl] som fløj op fra klitterne nedenfor obs posten, 84 Lille Korsnæb [Common Crossbill] og ikke mindst en Havesangeren som gemte sig inde i hyben krattene, det er sansynligvis den samme som de fangede i nettene nogle timer senere.

Ved eftermiddagstid, gik jeg, Anton og Leona en god tur ud af mosen, da den endelig var åben efter skydning, og tilbage langs stranden. Det var ikke det helt store det kunne blive til. Højdepunktet var en Snespurv [Snowbunting] som på hjemturen sad i klitterne nedenfor obs posten, måske nogle prøver at gå ud senere for at se om den stadig er der og prøver at mærke den, men det kan i isåfald læse om senere;)

Foto: Leona, Mosetur;)

Alle observationer fra i dag kan ses her:

Folk på stationen: Louis Poulsen, Anton Liebermann, Joseph Stephan, Antonia Greil, Felix, Leona, Frida

Tonight we went out nightcatching, because we saw that the whole morning would be rainy. So we drove out to Grønningen to catch us some nice birds. Anton and Joseph went out on the field which was more like a pond due to the heavy rainfall. After about an hour in the heavy rain they were completely soaked but also coming back with 5 amazing birds. We were able to ring a Meadow Pipit, a Woodcock, a Golden Plover(european), a Purple Sandpiper(2nd for the Station) and a Great Black-backed Gull which was the first ringed one for the station!

Great Black-backed Gull, 4k (Svartbag)

Eurasian Woodcock (Skovsneppe)

Golden Plover (Hjejle)

After a goodnight's sleep. We woke up very late in the morning, because the rainfall was so heavy. So heavy that the basements window was flooded. That's why Frida decided to safe our sinking ship by scooping out the water. Also because she wanted to do something.

Frida being productive. :)

Later in the day Louis decided to go around the area by bike just until Ho. He discovered 3 White-tailed Eagles.

White-tailed Eagle (Havørn)

Meanwhile I also decided to go on a walk and found a few Gold- and Firecrests sitting perfectly in low branches so I could take a few nice pictures. Afterwards I came back to the station and found out that Antonia and Felix sadly weren`t so lucky with finding the Horned Lark but had a nice walk on the beach. So Anton and I decided to go back to the beach to find it. We could't. Instead we saw a Sandwich Tern, a Ruddy Turnstone and a Gannet next to 35 Sanderlings, a Black-headed Gull and a Common Ringed Plover. Afterwards we checked out the trees in front of the Lighthouse and Anton found a Long-eared Owl! This one I hadn't seen before so we went after it and were able to find it in the Lighthousegarden. It got scared by a woodcock that was flying up, scared of us. It flew towards the Helgolandtrap and I immediatly went after it, when I saw that it got stuck at the fence of the Helgolandtrap. I had the gloves on so I made a lunge for it grabbed it and had it suddenly in my hands! So we also ringed the Long-eared Owl! 

Long-eared Owl (Skovhornugle)

In the evening Antonia and Felix cooked a great meal for us and we shared a good laugh again. Overall a great day!!!

People at the station: Frida, Louis, Joseph, Anton, Antonia, Felix og Leona

En dag med lidt af hvert. Louis, Rosa, Joseph og Frida gik på morgenobs, mens Leona og Felix joinede Antonia og jeg i haverne. Vi havde en lille forhåbning til denne dag, da den endelig endelig var i svage vinde. Trods at der ikke var store mængder småfugle i luften, fik vi i haverne et lille skub af bla. Fuglekonger og gransangere. På himlen kom der dog en smule fugle til os også, højdepunkt var 4 silkehaler som kom susende over fyrhaven. Det plejer at være et dejligt tegn med fuglekonge og grans i garnene, men desværre måtte vi lukke en halv time før tid, da et kæmpe vedvarende regnskyl ramte hukket. Den regn varede resten af dagen….

Da vi mødtes med obsfolkene i stuen, kunne de berette om en morgen med kvalitet ala lidt rovfugle og en lapværling. Vi troede dog på regneffekten, så efter Rosa og Frida havde bagt banankage, og energidepoterne var fyldt op, drog Leona ud langs kysten, Louis ind i sommerhusområderne og jeg en tur på stranden og i krattene inden militærområdet. Vi blev våde, men det viste sig dog at Louis kunne hive lidt guld ud af Reginevej, da han ringede glædeligt med en fuglekongesanger. Årets første til Jylland, og i regnen nåede cirka 10 mand ud til ham for at se den. Jeg selv fik tjekket alle mågerne, og gik hjem med Bjerglærke som bedste fugl. Leona ændrede kursen, og fik Fuglekongesangeren som lifer. Det gjorde Antonia og Felix også på hjemturen fra en dag i Esbjerg.

Efter aftensmad og FCK tabte til United, drog vi 5 mand ud på natfangst. Det styrtregnede, og de lover 25mm regn  i morgen tidlig samt 11 m/s sydøsten vind. Tænker vi kan læse lidt om den succes i bloggen i morgen. Vi kom i hvert fald hjem 2.30 i nat relativ gennemblødte.

Today began with Anton and Antonia opening the mist nets, while Louis, Rose, Frida, Christopher, and I got ready for the daily morning observation. It was a fairly slow morning, but we still spotted 59 Eider Ducks (Ederfugl), 21 Kittiwakes (Ride), 32 Little Gulls (Dværmåge), one Short-Eared Owl (Mosehornugle), and two Parrot Crossbills (Stor Korsnæb). You can find a comprehensive list of all observations here.

observation spot from today

They managed to catch 92 birds, which included four Long-tailed Tits (Sydlig Halemejse) and one Firecrest (Rødtoppet Fuglekonge).

ringing data from today

Firecrest

In the afternoon, Louis cycled to Skallingen and spotted a Yellow-browed Warbler (Hvidbrynet Løvsanger) together with two Nuthatches (Spætmejse). In the meantime, Rose, Frida, and I took a trip into the forest to collect mushrooms for tonight’s dinner. We also spotted two Eurasian Jays (Skovskade), which brightened the mood even more. Afterwards Rose and Frida prepared a delightful pasta with mushrooms for dinner, which we all cherished with each and every taste.

eating dinner together

We enjoyed each other's company, had some hearty laughs, and finished watching the movie we had started yesterday. What an amazing day!

People at the station: Anton, Antonia, Felix, Frida, Leona, Rose, Louis, Joseph

The day started, as usual, with the daily morning observation, today from the Headbunker. The wind was 9m/s from Sø. A lot of Geese were seen, which included 11 Brent Geese (Knortegås), 118 White-fronted Geese (Blisgås) and 78 Greylag Geese (Grågås). Also, a lot of Eider ducks (Ederfugl), with a total of 237, 250 Sortand (Common Scoters) as well as 1 Little Auk (Søkonge) and 1 Caspian Gull (Kaspisk Måge). For Passerines migration it was also an exciting day, as there was so much going on: flocks of Chaffinches (Bogfinke) and Bramblings (Kvækerfinke) with over 1200 individuals, some Meadow Pipits (Engpiber), over 3800 Starlings (Stær), some Common Crossbills (Lille Korsnæb), Siskins (Grønsisken), Reedbuntings (Rørspurv) and Goldfinches (Stillits). All observations can be seen here.

Meanwhile, Anton and I were opening nets both in the Stations and Lighthouse Garden. The first round was quite good, but then rain was coming and we caught less and less birds with each netcheck. Felix joined at some point and could see the birds for the first time this close. As the rain was going to increase, we closed the nets at 12. I was still happy to have some birds, for example Bullfinches (Dompap), a recaptured Brambling (Kvækerfinke), Songthrush (Sangdrossel) and of course some Goldcrests (Fuglekonge). In the breaks between the netrounds we also had some time to watch the migrating passerines, which was really nice.

(Photos: Felix)

Today was a big change with the people staying at the station. Andreas, Thor and Oliver left, and in exchange Leona, Frida and Rosa arrived. Kristoffer made a tasty dinner with chickencurry and rice and now we are looking forward to the next week!

People at the Station: Louis Poulsen, Anton Liebermann, Joseph Stephan, Antonia Greil, Thor Vincent, Oliver Laursen, Andreas Pedersen, Kristoffer Hansen, Felix Kreuzmann, Leona, Frida, Rosa.

Dagen startede ud med Louis, Thor, Oliver og jeg gik ud mod obsen i forholdsvis stille vejr i modsætning til de sidste par dages kuling fra øst. Det var tydeligt at mærke, da der var mange fugle i krattene. Derfor valgte Thor og jeg at ændre vores planer, da Daniel Palm Eskildsen kunne berette om 10 gransanger i et krat! Thor gjorde et ihærdigt forsøg, da han tjekkede alle krattene på hukket. Han havde en Mosehornugle og en del af gransanger.

Louis og Oliver havde noget mere på obsen ifa. et meget flot træk af pibeænder (410 stk.), 57 Spidsænder og 19 Hvinænder. Louis var glad for Hvinænder, da det er en af hans ynglingsænder, så der var god stemning på obsen. 

Lidt op af dagen åbnede Anton, Antonia og Joseph nettene, da vinden havde lagt sig tilstrækkelig for dette. De fangede en del solsorte og mellem netrunderne mødte jeg dem på sydhukket hvor vi kunne se på 3 fine Havlitter.

Resten af dagen stod på hygge på stationen. Louis lavede pandekager, og til aften lavede Joseph hotdogs. Det sidste vi lavede inden vi gik i seng var at se Manchester United spille mod sheffield United og til Antons store fornøjelse vandt Manchester United.

I morgen lover de endnu mindre vind så måske sidder der noget i nettene.

Folk på stationen: Louis Poulsen, Anton Liebermann, Joseph Stephan, Antonia Greil, Thor Vincent, Oliver Laursen, Andreas Pedersen, Felix og Kristoffer Hansen.

Pga. hård blæst fra øst var der ingen ringmærkning i dag, og fra morgenstunden kunne man høre regnen på vinduerne, så forventningerne var ikke helt oppe at ringe, men heldigvis stoppede det før obsen startede, og der var faktisk overraskende mange fugle i forhold til forventningerne, specielt gæs kom der en del af, 815 gæs i alt.

5 gåse arter blev det til, hvor mest talrige blev Grågås med 257, og 117 Blisgås hvilket er en hel del i forhold til normalt ved Blåvand, ellers kom der også lidt ænder, men de kom laangt ude fordi at stranden er så stor pga. den lave vandstand.

Derudover blev vi i slutningen af obsen forkælet med en super lækker indtrækkende Skestork [Spoonbill] og en Rød Glente [Red Kite] ude over stranden, samt en lækker Blå Kærhøg [Hen harrier]

Skestork [Spoonbill]

Efter vi kom hjem fra obsen og blev tøet lidt op, gik Thor, Jeg og Oliver en god tur gennem mosen og langs stranden for at kigge efter en sjov Stenpikker, men sådan gik det desværre ikke, vi så dog en almindelig en, en Mosehornugle [Short-eared owl] på stranden, og en ubestemt svale som kom drønende hen over hoved på os.

Til aften spiste vi alle sammen på Ho kro til fælles spisning arrangeret af FeltUd

Der spises på Ho kro;)

Alle observationer fra i dag kan ses her:

Folk på stationen: Louis Poulsen, Anton Liebermann, Joseph Stephan, Antonia Greil, Thor Vincent, Oliver Laursen, Andreas Pedersen

12 m/s østenvind og reel kulde var hvad vi stod op til. Obsen blev en tynd omgang, men der kunnens varmes lidt på et par blå kærhøge, et par mosehornugler og en dværgværling. Efter obs gik APR og hans tur en tur i mosen, og trods ihærdighed blev meget få fugle lusket frem. Ikke en nem morgen at kratluske på.

Jeg selv var i melanitta humør i dag, så jeg tog skopet over skulderen og drog mod byen på cykel. Jeg fik skopet og talt fra Ishuet, Lille Strandvej, Skippervej, Blåvand Strand og Hvidbjerg Strand. 96 sortænder blev det til i alt, og blot en enkelt Fløjlsand hun. Virkelig en tynd kop te, jeg ved ikke hvor de store flokke sortænder holder til lige nu, men Blåvand i dag er i hvert fald ikke en af dem. Måske længere ude mod Skallingen? Jeg kunne hive en enkelt gulbenet sølvmåge ud af stranden samt en sortgrå ryle. Nu jeg havde cyklet hele vejen til Hvidbjerg Strand, så ville jeg også tjekke Grønningen. Lidt vadefugle og 2 canadagæs var sjovt, ellers the usual suspects.

Af småfugle på cykelturen fik jeg kratlusket Reginevej, Vestskoven og Kapellet. Virkelig også tunge forhold, og kunne stort set ikke få noget ud af krattene. Og nu med endnu kraftigere østenvind i morgen, så lover det ikke særlig godt. Bliver svært at hive felttræf fuglen hjem nu! ????

The weather was pleasant today, with temperatures around 15 degrees and plenty of sunshine. The wind came from the east, with speeds reaching up to 7 m/s.

The morning observation was somewhat slow today, but they still spotted 337 Eider Ducks (Ederfugl), 330 Jackdaws (Allike), and 3040 Starlings (Staer). You can find a comprehensive list of all observations here.

Anton, Antonia, and I had the nets open all day and caught 173 birds, including four Song Thrushes (Sangdrossel), three Bramblings (Kvaerkerfinke), three Blackbirds (Solsort), and four Coal Tits (Sortmejse).

Brambling

Blackbird

After a long day, Louis prepared a delicious pasta for dinner, which we all enjoyed to the fullest. We taught each other German and Danish, shared hearty laughs, and then retired to our well-deserved beds.