As Morten mentioned yesterday, Rose and I got back very late at night after our adventure on Langli. At 10 in the morning Bjarne drove us to the island with the tractor. The weather was fine and there was not even a strong wind. First, we admired the beautiful building and could imagine how our friends had spent their summers and winters there, it seemed a bit out of time.

We spent an impressive and fun day with Thomas and Lars counting the eggs of Herring Gulls (Sølmåge) and Lesser Black-backed Gulls (Sildemåge) at 4 sites. We also recorded the nests of Eiders (Ederfugl). This took all day, including a lunch break when Thomas took photos of the sites with a drone.

Around 8 pm we ate dinner together in the sunset, drank beer and had funny conversations. Unfortunately, the low tide was delayed to 1 am, so it was not quite clear when Rose and I would be able to make our way back. In the end we decided to leave at 10, even though the water wasn't at the lowest level at that point. But it gave us a good feeling to have some brightness left. It was a great walk home, which took us 1:15 hours. Afterwards we were really exhausted and fell into bed around 1 am. Morten even got up again at that point because he wanted to watch a supernova that has been happening in another universe. He was lucky enough to see it for a few minutes as the sky cleared.

In keeping with the previous day, Rose and I didn't get up until 9 am today. It was a very windy day anyway and Morten had only opened a few nets in which he caught a few birds, there was even a new species for the season: a Barn Swallow (Landsvale). Rose and I had a nice trip to Kærgård Klitplantage and enjoyed some calming hours there. Tonight at midnight we are going stargazing with Morten, we are looking forward to it!

Today’s ringing data:

Fiolk på stationen: Rose, Morten og Amelie

Amelie og Rose tog i morges afsted til Langli for at hjælpe med ynglefugle registreringer.
Bent og jeg passede derfor dagens ringmærkning, der desværre var præget af relativ kølig blæst fra nordvest, så fangsten blev begrænset.
På tidspunket for denne korte dagsopdatering har jeg stadig nogle net åbne i stationshaven, men er blot på 10 mærkede fugle og samme antal af genfangster af vore egne fugle.
Alligevel har dagen da givet 3 mærkede Skovpibere, hvilket mere end fordobblede dette forårs antal ringmærkede for den art.
Desuden blev det til en længe ventet tilføjelse af Husrødstjert på dette forårs ringmærkningsliste.


Første ringmærkede Husrødstjert dette forår. Den har jeg ventet længe på, da arten har været registreret i området både i slutningen af marts og flere gange i april, men altså først nu, at én er fløjet i et net.

Mellem netrunderne har Vendehalse synget lystigt i nabolaget - åbenbart ligeglad med blæsten fra nordvest.
Bent havde en enkelt Mursejler og jeg har haft en Digesvale mellem de øvrige svaler, mens 2 Musvåger og 2 Ravne også har været i luften over Mosen.
Mosen har været lukket for adgang det meste af dagen pga forsvarets kampvognstræning og det har også forhindret os i, at få tjekket, hvordan ternehegningen på stranden klarer sig i blæsten.

Jeg afslutter her en kort dagbog for at passe endnu en netrunde, men der kommer opdatering fra Langli på bloggen i morgen, hvor der evt også kommer denne dags sidste fangster med.
Amelie og Rose er først tilbage her på fuglestationen efter kl 22 i aften, da de må vente på lavvande for at kunne gå retur ad ebbevejen fra Langli.
Personligt glæder jeg til at se deres beretning fra den dejlige ø, men den må altså vente til i morgen!

And a beautiful day comes to an end! Rose and I started into a slow morning. It had been blowing all night and the wind was still strong in the morning. Morten was up a bit earlier and even opened a few nets that were not so exposed. He caught the fourth Wood Warbler (Skovsanger) of the season, an Icterine Warbler (Gulbug) and a Spotted Flycatcher (Grå Fluesnapper). We then had a very late breakfast together with banana pancakes. Morten checked some ringing data today and even cut the grass under the nets.

Rose and I did a bit of coworking in the dining room. She worked on her report about her internship in the national park, while I did some research about my dried plants. Bent also came by and chatted with us. In the afternoon Rose and I went on a super great trip to Nyeng and Skallingen.

It was beautiful! We listened to music on the car and made lots of great observations. In one garden there was a huge group of Dådyr, which we could watch from the car.

We also saw Redshanks (Rødben), a Grey Plover (Strandhjejle), several hundred Sanderlings (Sandløber), Brent Geese (Knortegås), two Shelducks (Gravand) and several Oyster Catchers (Strandskade). On the way back we spotted a Lapwing (Vibe) with four chicks.

Because we lost a bit the sense of time during long talks, we made some quick and tasty fried rice and then packed up a few things, because Rose and I are going to Langli tomorrow, we are looking forward to it!

Efter en lun nat med 16 graders varme vågnede vi op til lidt tordenbulder i det fjerne.
Regn og tordenbyger lå nede over Tyskebugt og så ud til at komme op mod os i løbet af morgenen, men de endte med, at forblive ude over havet indtil kl 17.
Derfter fik vi både regn og mærkbart fald i temperaturen her til aften.

Inden da havde Henrik indtaget sin plads i klitten på Sydhukket fra solopgang.
Sidste gang i dette forår, at det sker og hans afslutning gav et par af de mere fåtallige arter herude.
Dels meldte han om 2 nordtrækkende Sortstrubet Lom og dels om 2 trækforsøgende Karmindompap.
Første gang i år, at vi med sikkerhed registrerer Karmindompap i området.

Det skulle vise sig, at være en ankomst med manér, da jeg over middag kunne ringmærke en hun.
Ny art for Amelie, så der kom lidt ud af dagens forsøg med net åbne fra kl 04:30 til regnen startede kl 17.
Der var godt nok begrænset antal fugle, men til gengæld nogle kvalitetsarter for Blåvand med både Karmindompap, forårets 3. ringmærkede Skovsanger og med 2 Kærsanger som ny art på dette års ringmærkningsliste.
Blandt dagens genfangster var de 2 Gulbuge nævneværdige. Den ene var den belgisk mærkede, som Amelie og Henrik havde i Kr. Himmelfarts ferien, mens den anden var mærket her for præsist et år siden d. 22. maj 2022.


Startede med en Skovsanger, der altid ser godt ud.


Lidt senere kom Kærsanger på forårets ringmærkningsliste


Men dagens art blev altså Karmindompap!

Midt på eftermiddagen kom der overraskende besøg af en gruppe på 10 fynboer, der bankede på og hørte, om de måtte få en guided tur med fortælling og visning af ringmærkning.
Tog dem med ind i stationshaven og ringmærkningslaboratoriet, hvor de fik den store fortælling, men desværre uden at kunne vise dem en fugl i hånden.
Nettene i haven var helt tomme på de to runder, hvor gæsterne var tilstede.

En anden gæst var tilkaldt for at løse vores problem med manglende varmt vand i køkken og på badeværelse, svigtene varme i ovnen og en opvaskemaskine, der ikke ville afslutte opvasken.
Viste sig at komfur/ovn, opvaskemaskine og vandvarmer er koblet på en og samme sikringsgruppe.
Den var så blevet overbelastet af, at vi på et tidspunkt har brugt både varmt vand, kogeplader, ovn og opvaskemaskine på samme tidspunkt.
Fremover holder vi os til kun, at køre opvask om natten, når vi ikke har gang i komfur og varmtvandsforbrug.

Rose dukkede op til spisetid i aften og bliver her nogle dage, bortset fra en arbejdsrelateret tur til Langli i løbet af denne uge.
En uge, der foreløbig ser meget udfordrende ud vejrmæssigt med kulde og alt for meget vind til ringmærkning.
Må så se, hvor meget ret i det, at meterologerne får denne gang.

Dagens ringmærkning:


Folk på stationen: Rose, Henrik; Amelie og Morten

Although the morning started slow, we were able to ring an incredible number of 21 different species today! We had a good number of Spotted Flycatchers (Grå Fluesnapper), with a total of 5 individuals ringed. During a short rain shower Morten had taken a Woodpigeon (Ringdue) out of the net, this bird weighed almost half a kilo... Great birds today were also a Tree Pipit (Skovpiber), an Icterine Warbler (Gulbug) and a Reed Warbler (Rørsanger). Also, the second Wood Warbler (Skovsanger) of the season was ringed.

I was especially happy about a Red-backed Shrike (Rødrygget Tornskade), which found its way into the Helgoland Trap. It was a beautiful female that at last made a little bit of friends with Morten after it made life difficult for us to get at least one reasonable photo.

Today’s ringing data:

Good observations today were 8 migrating Swifts (Mursejler) and a singing Marsh Warbler (Kærsanger) that Lars-Tom could hear on his afternoon walk.  When Morten heard a Great Spotted Woodpecker (Stor Flagspætte) this morning and told the others, it turned out funnily enough that it was not a woodpecker at all, but an Icterine Warbler. Lars-Tom had seen it the day before and could testify that it was a genuine imitation of a Great Spotted Woodpecker.

Lars-Tom left us in the early afternoon today. Many thanks for the visit and the nice conversations! When David had also left and it became really warm, Morten and I had some ice cream in the garden. While doing so, he spotted two raptors. One was a Common Buzzard (Musvåge) and the second, which was very far up in the sky and rising higher and higher, was a White-tailed Eagle (Havørn). Even though the bird was very far away, this was a great observation for me as it is the first White-tailed Eagle I have seen since arriving here. Hopefully I will be able to observe another one a bit closer in the next weeks.

We are already excited to see what will be waiting for us tomorrow!

Fiolk på stationen: Morten, David, Henrik, Lars-Tom og Amelie

David, Henrik, Lars-Tom, Amelie og jeg har brugt en lang solrig dag ude fra før solopgang til langt ud på eftermiddagen.
Det har givet masser af kulør i ansigtet, men ikke de store tal af fugle i notesbøgerne.
Trækket over havet i morgentimerne var sløvt med blot 2 Almindelig Kjove, en Dværgmåge og en Dværgfalk som det bedste fra klitten ved Sydhukket.

Amelie og jeg havde åbne ringmærkningsnet i 13 timer, men endte blot me den total på 25 ringmærkede fugle og 4 egne kontroller.
David var rundt om Mosen og fandt da årets første syngende Kærsanger herude, men ellers var det gengangere artsmæssigt.
Midt på dagen forsøgte Lars-Tom at få noget ud af en tur til Skallingen, hvor det lykkedes ham at få set en Hvepsevåge.
Så er det meste vist også skrevet om den dag her.

Eneste fuglefoto, som jeg fik taget i dag, var mødet med en helt ny Bogfinke unge på vores gårdsplads.
Den kunne endnu ikke flyve, men må være hoppet ud af reden i løbet af dagens første timer.


Dagens ringmærkning:


Folk på stationen: Henrik, Lars-Tom, Davcid, Amelie og Morten

Another sunny but cold morning began for us today at the Blåvand Fuglestation. Henrik and I took care of the nets like yesterday, while David took over the observation of the migration. There was not so much going on, though. He saw three Arctic Skuas (Almindelig Kjove) and some Cuckoos (Gøg), but in general no high numbers in migrating birds.

Today we were able to ring a few more birds than yesterday. A special highlight were three Icterine Warblers (Gulbug). One of them was a recapture from Belgium! Unfortunately we can't say yet when it was ringed. It could be that it was ringed last autumn in Belgium, but possibly also only a few days ago.

The Icterine Warblers are just beginning to reach their breeding habitats. This individual may be breeding near here soon or moving a bit further towards Sweden or Norway. When I put up the nets this morning, I was greeted by three little Song Thrushes happily running around in the fyrhaven. One of them ran into the net this morning. These are the first firsyears birds of this species. Between rounds David, Henrik and I also had time to sit in the garden and drink coffee. I was told stories about all the rare birds they had comfortably observed from these benches :)

Today's ringing data:

In the afternoon we got two guests: Lars and Thyge. Lars will stay at the station for the weekend. Morten also came back today. So, all in all we had a lot of eyes to watch birds today! In general there was a lot of activity at Blåvandshuk today, the parking lots were full and people were milling around. Also we got a few visitors at the station. There was a girl with her grandma, who watched from the lighthouse how a Starling got tangled in the nets. Concerned, they came to us. I took the family to Fyrhaven and was lucky that there were two birds in the nets this round. So they could watch the ringing and also Klara was glad that the birds were well!

Fiolk på stationen: Henrik, David, Morten, Lars, Thyge og Amelie

Finally, the strong wind has decreased again, so that we could open the nets for ringing again today. Henrik came early in the morning and took over the Stationshaven, while I did the rounds in the Fyrhaven. It was a day with very few birds, so we could do a little birdwatching between the rounds.

My little cozy installation in the Fyrhaven.

Henrik watched the morning migration in between and could count about 300 Red-throated Divers (Rødstrubet Lom) and see three Arctic Skuas (Almindelig Kjove). We both could also hear and observe a Serin (Gulirisk), resting in the Fyrhaven on top of a tree. After eight empty rounds, I closed the nets in the Fyrhaven and lastly caught a Lesser Whitethroat (Gærdesanger) in the Helgoland Trap. So, Morten, your theory that a special bird would come when you leave is rejected! At least for now…

Today's ringing data:

Henrik got a visit from his wife and friends today and he showed them a bit of ringing. After lunch we all headed out to the Little Tern Fence armed with two shovels to clear the electric fence of sand. Since there were so many of us, we were able to take turns and save our strength.

When they had left again and I was alone at the station, I set off on a little bike ride to Hvidbjerg Strand. It was nice to do some cycling again and I could also see some resting Eiders (Ederfugl) on the sea. I arrived at the station pretty much at the same time as David, who will do the morning observations tomorrow.

Fiolk på stationen: Henrik with family and friends, David og Amelie

As predicted, the weather today was still similar to yesterday, so we could not open the nets in the morning. Morten was nevertheless early awake and observed the migration in the morning for some time. However, there was not much going on there.

Here is a photo of two migrating Gannets (Sule), one of them still immature.

Since the warm water did not work since yesterday, Morten also took care of it and therefore went to town early in the morning in a very strong wind. We were then really happy when he had fixed it, so that Rose and I did not have to take an ice cold shower!

After another nice breakfast together, Rose and I took care of the map we want to use to plot the nests for the birds inside the fence for the Little Terns (Dwærgterne). At noon I went to the fence as we were a little concerned about the strong winds. I fixed a few signs that had fallen over. The fence is still standing, however, in two places there were larger mounds of sand collecting, which is a problem for the power line. Good news, however, is that several new nests of Little Terns (Dwærgterne) have formed, so I could spot a total of 7 breeding individuals. I also found a new Little Ringed Plover (Stor Præsterkrave) nest. Remarkable were also two huge flocks of Sanderlings (Sandløber), which are currently on the beach and will probably move on in the next week or two.

As the wind slowly started to drop a little bit, Morten opened three nets in the Stationshaven. He only caught one recapture of a Willow Warbler (Løvsanger) that he took blood samples of a few days ago. Tomorrow we will have normal ringing action again, but as Morten will be on a getaway with friends for 2 days, Henrik will do the ringing with me until Friday. Rose left us this afternoon, because she will be in Copenhagen for a few days, but we are happy to see her again on Sunday!

Fiolk på stationen: Rose, Morten og Amelie

Yesterday afternoon the wind started to pick up and overnight it became so strong that it was not possible to open the nets this morning. So, we all slept in and had a nice breakfast together. We then got a call from Bent inviting us to join him on a trip to Vrøgum Klitplantage and Filsø. We were happy about the offer, as there was not much else to do on this windy day.

We had a nice walk in the wet area and could admire some great plant species, including the carnivorous plant Drosera rotundifolia (Soldug), of which Rose took great pictures through her grandma's botanical magnifier.

It was great to be out and about with people who knew many of the plants, as these are not usual areas for me where I often go at home. We were also able to see two Lapwings (Vibe) and hear many Tree Pipits (Skovpiber).

A small tea and cookie break :)

Arriving at Filsø we observed the breeding Black-headed Gulls (Hættemåge) and Common Terns (Fjordterne). There was also a big number of Great Crested Grebes (Toppet Lappedykker). I had never seen so many of these birds in one place before!

Henrik did the morning observations today in the strong wind. There were a few Gannets (Sule), Red-throated Divers (Rødstrubet Lom), an Arctic Skua (Almindelig Kjove) and a Long-tailed Duck (Havlit), for which it is very late now.

After our trip home and blown by the wind, we were all very tired and had a little nap before Morten invited us to Blåvand for eating pizza to celebrate the Golden Oriole (Pirol). Thanks for that, we had a very nice evening!

The wind for tomorrow looks similar to today, so the ringing will have to wait a bit.

Fiolk på stationen: Bent, Henrik, Rose, Morten og Amelie