Today only a very limited amount of nets could be opened. This was mainly because of the strong winds. There were almost no birds around the garden, except from the local Tree sparrows and Redpolls. This resulted in one of the worst days at the station with only two recaptures. To make it even worse, Morten saw a sparrowhawk escape the net.

Out at sea, Henrik and David had a productive day with a great northern diver, two artic skuas and a yellow legged gull. In the afternoon, Bello also saw an artic skua.

Because it was a slow day, Morten was able to make some delicious Goulash.

We all enjoyed it. Hopefully, the very windy coming days can bring in some nice seabirds.

Ringing list (new/recapture):

Robin (0/1)

Dunnock (0/1)

DOF link: https://dofbasen.dk/search/result.php?design=table&soeg=soeg&periode=dato&dato=03-04-2022&omraade=stor&stor=607&obstype=observationer&species=alle&sortering=dato

Folk på stationen: Bello, Morten, Henrik, David and Menno

Today was another day with a quite cold start of the day. Because of that, Morten and I split up again to make sure the nets could be checked every 15 minutes. At eight, Bello visited me at the ringing lab because he was too cold to continue the seawatch in the dunes. Although it was a bit quiet out at sea, we had a good time. At a moment Bello saw a bird in the Helgoland trap. So we both went for it. Unfortunately, the bird managed to find a hole and escaped. But now the hole in the trap is fixed, so third time must be a charm (and we can ring a bird that we catch in it).

Bello continuing the seawatch from the ringing lab – Photo by Menno
After we closed the lighthouse garden, we caught a coal tit in the Stationshaven. Coal tits are really wonderful birds, so this one was good looking as well. It was a male, because of the pattern on its lesser coverts. It was a recapture, it was caught the first time here at 28th of September 2021. Since then it got caught 11 more times, because of its catch quite often here I suspect that it is a local breeder.

Coal tit male – Photo by Morten
The coming days will be quite windy, so it might be possible that can not ring at those days. But we can join Mikkel at the seawatch. An albatross has been seen in England, so maybe it will pay us a visit as well, like one did in 2015.

The rest of the day, we spent shopping and checking some places around Esbjerg. Unfortunately, we did not find any rare bird.

Ringing list (new/recapture):
Robin (1/0)
Lesser Redpoll (4/0)
Blackbird (1/0)
Coal tit (0/1)
Chiffchaff (2/0)
8 new birds over 4 species.

DOF link: https://dofbasen.dk/search/result.php?design=table&soeg=soeg&periode=dato&dato=02-04-2022&omraade=stor&stor=607&obstype=observationer&species=alle&sortering=dato

Folk på stationen: Bello, Morten and Menno

Der var flere øjne til stede ved fuglestationen i dag, men det hjalp nu ikke på antallet af fugle.
Henrik Böhmer gav Bello selskab på morgenobsen, men der var så få fugle ude over havet, at Henrik ret hurtigt valgte andre græsgange, mens Bello sidst på obsen måtte søge tilflugt i ringmækningslaboratoriet i Fyrhaven for at få varmen på endnu en morgen med temperaturer omkring frysepunktet.
Menno og jeg passede imens nettene i haverne og holdt stand i stationshaven med åbne net til kl 17.
Trods de ekstra timer gav det blot 8 mærkede fugle og 3 genfanget.
Blandt de sidste var en han Lille Gråsisken mærket her i juli 2020 og det blev dagens fugl i hånden.

Midt på morgenen kom både Bent og Svend Åge – ud over at medbringe kaffe og brød, så fik de gået en runde i mosen.
De kom tilbage med beretningen om, at et par Agerhøns var deres bedste obs i dag.
Altså lidt tyndt med fugle, men så kan vi jo brystet os af at være populære at besøge!

Som eftermiddagens store overraskelse kørte der pludseligt en stor sort bil ind på p-pladsen og trods solbrillerne på manden, der steg ud af bilen, så kunne vi godt genkende Kronprins Frederik.
Vi nåede lige at få besked om, at han egentlig var taget til Oksbøl for at være med i de store øvelser ude i terrænet, men der var en fejl i kalenderen, så forsvaret ikke havde skydning i dag.
Det havde fået Hans Højhed til at tænke på, at han måske ville overveje, at droppe jagtriflen og i stedet slå sig på fugleobservering via et teleskop.
Det var noget med tidens trend og image pleje over ikke at slå dyr ihjel for fornøjelsens skyld, men derimod bidrage med tællinger til at belyse klimaforandringer og den slags ting via fugletællinger.
Det skulle være meget trendy, havde han fået at vide fra Lea Wermelin.
Hans Højhed Kronprinsen ville derfor gerne have en times lynkursus i fugletælling, når han nu var kommet herud vestpå.
Vi kiggede lidt på hinanden og overvejede, hvem af os, der skulle tage den tjans, men inden vi fik stillet os til rådighed, kom Kim Fisher ind på p pladsen og overtog med det samme hele situationen.
Han havde både mere erfaring i at tælle fugle end os andre 3 tilsammen og fik også fortalt, at han fra Ren Strand Fanø var bon jour med Lea, så han var den helt rette til at guide.
2 minutter senere så vi baghjulene af deres biler, der var på vej ned på stranden, da Kronprinsen havde fået nøglen til bommen fra Oksbøl lejren.
I skrivende stund har vi ikke set mere til de herre, men mon ikke de vil være tilbage på deres rette poster inden 1. april er omme.

Ringing list (new/recapture):

Dunnock (2/1)

Lesser Redpoll (3/1)

Blackbird (2/0)

Goldcrest (0/1)

Chiffchaff (1/0)

8 new birds over 5 species.

DOF link: https://dofbasen.dk/search/result.php?design=table&soeg=soeg&periode=dato&dato=01-04-2022&omraade=stor&stor=607&obstype=observationer&species=alle&sortering=dato

Folk på stationen: Bent, Svend Aage, Henrik, Bello, Morten and Menno

Today the day started completely white. Luckily the nets were not frozen, so we were able to open up the nets. Because of the cold, we split up to be able to make every fifteen minutes a round to prevent any casualties. At some time, we switched who did the stationshaven so we were both able to eat some breakfast. Mikkel did not do the seawatch because of the cold, so he also helped us with the extracting the birds. Besides the helping with the ringing, Bello found a nice group of skylarks that were eating at the parking lot. Morten took some nice pictures of. Morten also saw a black redstart and a wheatear, I bet they did not expected the snow when they departured from their wintering grounds further south. Bello had today a day full of raptors. First, he saw a hen harrier, then we had a rough-legged buzzard hunting in the military zone, and he ended of with some buzzards and two white tailed eagles. The rough-legged buzzard is quite a good species, because there were no records of it in the area since autumn ’20. Because of the very faint undertail and whitish was on the upper side of the hand, it is probably a 2k (born last year).

Skylarks – Photo by Morten

My first full month has finished now, still three to go! I hope that the following months will be as good as last month. Last month, we caught a record number of birds, 498. In the history of this Fuglestation, there was no year were this many birds were caught. Unfortunately, we could not make 500 because there were almost no birds around on today, we only managed to catch 11 new birds. In total 27 species have been caught.

In the first month, there were quite some ringing highlights. What to think of the sparrowhawk? or of the long-tailed tit, and now I almost forget the fieldfare, all quite rare in spring in the nets.

From the observing there were also some highlights. The massive passage of waders and ducks, which were blown out of course and flew back to the waddensea and at the same day we saw a black guillemot. Next to that, we also saw a black scoter, a good find of Mikkel. Mikkel was sharp this month, resulting in a black tailed godwit and a great northern loon and serin

Ringing list (new/recapture):

Dunnock (3/0)

Robin (0/2)

Blackbird (2/2)

Goldcrest (0/1)

Chaffinch (1/0)

Greenfinch (1/0)

Redpoll (1/0)

Yellowhammer (1/0)

9 new birds over 6 species.

DOF link: https://dofbasen.dk/search/result.php?design=table&soeg=soeg&periode=dato&dato=31-03-2022&omraade=stor&stor=607&obstype=observationer&species=alle&sortering=dato

Folk på stationen: Bent, Bello, Morten and Menno

Ringing totals for march

Lufttemperaturen var nede på 2 grader ved solopgangstid, men det føltes ikke helt så koldt denne morgen, hvor vinden havde lagt sig og var svag fra østnordøst.
Der var god sigt og Bello kunne holde fingrene i træning med kliktælleren, da Sortænderne rørte på sig og hovedsageligt fløj mod nord – samlet tal af den art nåede i alt op på 5390 i løbet af morgenen.
Bello fik også 398 Rødstrubede Lommer og 491 Stormmåger med blandt dagens tal, mens overraskelsen blev et par Traner, der kom flyvende ud fra heden og gik til rast på revlerne langt ude.
Der stod de i knap en time og pudsede sig, lavede lidt optræk til dans, inden de på det stigende vand fløj ind til heden igen sydøst for fuglestationen.
Menno og jeg havde ikke travlt ved nettene, så vi stod med vores teleskoper oppe ved ringmærkningslaboratoriet i Fyrhaven og kunne nyde Trane parret i de lidt uvante omgivelser på sandrevlen med forbi flyvende Suler og Lommer i baggrunden.

Vi havde først nogle meget stille timer ved nettene, men da Jonas og Peter dukke op midt på morgenen for et arrangement for Blåvand Naturcenter var der heldigvis lidt fugle i haverne.
Jonas kunne derfor fremvise både Solsort, Gransanger, Lille Gråsisken og Grønirisk til gæsterne, så det var godt timet.
Grønirisken var i øvrigt ny art for os i år i nettene.
Vi endte med at lukke alle net lidt efter kl 13, da der kom snebyger ind fra øst i løbet af eftermiddagen.
Her til aften er der hvidt derude og vejrudsigten melder nattefrost, så vi kommer nok til at stå op til en ”vintermorgen” d. 31. marts!

Ringing list (new/recapture):

Dunnock (2/0)

Robin (0/2)

Blackbird (2/1)

Chiffchaff (1/0)

Goldcrest (0/2)

Tree sparrow (0/1)

Chaffinch (0/1)

Greenfinch (1/1)

Redpoll (4/2)

10 new birds over 10 species.

DOF link: https://dofbasen.dk/search/result.php?design=table&soeg=soeg&periode=dato&dato=30-03-2022&omraade=stor&stor=607&obstype=observationer&species=alle&sortering=dato

Folk på stationen: Jonas, Peter, Bello, Menno og Morten

Frisk og kølig vind fra nord på en klar morgen gav ikke mange fugle trods den gode sigt.
Bello passede obsen ved Hukket og havde klart dagens bedste fugl, da en Islom lettede fra rast og fløj mod nord.
Altid en oplevelse med de store lommer.
Der har tidligere i år været en Islom d. 8. januar, så den her er nr. 2 i år ved Hukket, mens Anders Myrtue den anden dag havde en storlom sp. ved Hvidbjerg Strand.
Det kunne jo sagtens være dagens Islom, der har rastet et par dage og nu har bevæget sig lidt nordpå.
Ellers var der over havet mest lidt bevægelse af Suler ude ved revet, mens vi stadig venter på større antal terner.
3 Splitterner var alt hvad det blev til i dag af den familie.

Ved nettene var Menno og jeg presset af den friske nordenvind, så vi kun kunne arbejde med 2/3 af nettene åbne, Resten stod for påvirket af vinden.
Tror nu ikke det havde hjulpet meget på fangsttallet med alle net i gang, for på 10 timer med åbne net lykkedes det kun at mærke en Jernspurv og få en genfangst af en Gærdesmutte fra august sidste år.
Menno så dog glad ud trods manglen på fugle i haven.
Da han tog Jernspurven ud af nettene var det et ”jubilæum” - årets Jernspurv nr. 100 ringmærket her.
Vi må glædes over det vi kan her.

De kommende døgn ser vi frem til dage med mindre vind og fra mere østlig retning, så selvom det tegner til vintertemperaturer med risiko for nattefrost, selv herude på det vestligste punkt, så tror vi på flere småfugle i området de næste dage.

Jernspurv og Menno – Photo by Morten Jenrich

Ringing list (new/recapture):

Dunnock (1/0)

Wren (0/1)

1 new bird over 2 species.

DOF link: https://dofbasen.dk/search/result.php?design=table&soeg=soeg&periode=dato&dato=29-03-2022&omraade=stor&stor=607&obstype=observationer&species=alle&sortering=dato

Folk på stationen: Bello, Menno og Morten

Today we caught the same bird 4 times. It was ringed on the 24th and we saw it graditly add some weight. The last time today, it was in the stationshaven while the other three times it was caught at the lighthouse. So it is slowly migrating again.

After the new species for the season yesterday, we managed to have another new species for the season today. We caught a female stonechat (sortstrubet bynkefugl). Apart from that, it was another slow day at the station with only 5 new birds. But the coming days we can get a 100 dunnock (only one more needed) and a 100 redpolls (only two more needed) this season.

Sortstrubet Bynkefugl. Foto - Menno

På morgenobservationen satte jeg mig på sydhukket i læ af turistbunkeren da trækket er mest nordgående nu. Dog stadig få arter men jeg har fornøjelsen af lidt måge og sortand træk. Stormmåge 269, Sildemåge 32(en med en blå ring som jeg aflæste), svartbag 28, sortand 1111 og så var der pænt med nordgående Suler 23 og 3 sydgående. '

Morten lavede lasagne til aftensmad, det var rigtig godt, og så glæder vi os til at vinden skifter så vi kan få nogle flere fugle i nettene!

Dagens obs: 

https://dofbasen.dk/search/result.php?design=table&soeg=soeg&periode=dato&dato=28-03-2022&omraade=stor&stor=607&obstype=observationer&species=alle&sortering=dato

Ringmærkningsliste, nye / genfangst 

Folk på stationen; Bello, Bent, Menno, Morten

Today the time changed into summertime because I was not really alert on this. I started opening the nets a 5:45, this was an hour earlier than needed. But this could be a nice change for catching a woodcock or a long-eared owl. Unfortunately, they did not enter the nets.

For the first time this season we found a bird in the Helgoland trap. The first time that we catch a bird in the Helgoland trap still must follow. The bird in matter, a dunnock, found a way out. But now we exactly know what to do if another bird turns up in the trap.

After the second round, I joined Bello for some time on the sea watch. After some time, we saw a slender looking lesser black backed gull. It also had a very dark and almost no white in the wing. These are all pointers toward a Baltic gull (ssp. fuscus), but it is hard to say because the variation in ssp. Intermedius can also show this. Only birds with rings from known colonies where ssp. fuscus breed can be safely identified. We could not find it back, so we could not check if it was ringed. The whole count resulted in around 1200 common scoters and around 350 common gulls going north.

Another first this season was a 2k female fieldfare. Fieldfares are in spring quite rare to be caught, the last time one was caught in spring was in 2016. Next to that, it was very nice to study this species in good detail. Although Bello was almost asleep, he managed to grab some nice photos of this bird.

Fieldfare – Photo by Bello

Today we got visits from Sven and Svend. Sven was here because when he left yesterday, he still got a bag of Bello in his car after they birded together yesterday. Svend brought the new gull guide and some cake, so we have some good new literature to study. And had a talk over a cup of coffee and a piece of dagmartærte, a traditional Danish cake. The book will really help find a rare gull on the beach.

Morten said that there will be a chance that the Nothern lights might be visible today, so we did a try for that. We will share the result tomorrow on the blog.

Ringing list (new/recapture):

Dunnock (2/0)

Robin (1/1)

Goldcrest (0/2)

Blackbird (4/0)

Fieldfare (1/0)

Brambling (1/0)

Chiffchaff (1/0)

Great tit (0/1)

Redpoll (1/0)

Song Thrush (0/1)

13 new birds over 11 species.

DOF link: https://dofbasen.dk/search/result.php?design=table&soeg=soeg&periode=dato&dato=27-03-2022&omraade=stor&stor=607&obstype=observationer&species=alle&sortering=dato

People at the station: Bello, Morten, Sven, Svend, Bent and Menno

Det blæste en del så jeg satte mig bag militærvognen, der kom ingen fugle, Men Henrik kom. Han valgte at finde et bedre sted at sidde, og jeg fulgte lidt tid efter. 
Vi stod i læ bag en af bunkerne på stranden og lige så stille blev det mere og mere diset, med den dårligste sigt på 300m vil jeg tro. David kom også, og ud over et fint norgående stormmågetræk, så skete der ikke noget. Lige indtil Henrik finder en pisse tidlig fjordterne som tøffer afsted i modvinden indtil den til sidst sætter fart på. Det er den 4. tidligste Fjordterne i DK nogensinde! 


Fjordterne, Foto - Henrik Böhmer

Vinden hjalp heller ikke på fangsterne, så det blev til 6 nye fugle på 13 timer og kun en inden for det standardiserede tidsrum som er på 5 timer. 14 fugle i alt da 8 var genfangster.  

Jeg kørete om eftermiddagen rundt med Sven og vi fik set en masse af nærområdet, men heller ingen fugle på nær en Blå Kærhøg han. Vi fik også handlet lidt.
Imorgen stilner vinden af så der er håb i det mindste om flere fugle i nettene.

Ringmærknings liste: nye / genfanget
0/1 Solsort
1/0 Vindrossel
0/5 Fuglekonge
0/1 Sortmejse
0/1 Skovspurv
4/0 Lille Gråsisken
1/0 Gulspurv

Dagens observationer
https://dofbasen.dk/search/result.php?design=table&soeg=soeg&periode=dato&dato=26-03-2022&omraade=stor&stor=607&obstype=observationer&species=alle&sortering=dato


Folk på stationen; Bello, David, Menno, Morten, Henrik, Sven

Today Morten came over to help with the ringing. It was not that busy with only 27 new birds. Morten has been here before, and clearly knows the way around the station. Although it was not that busy with birds, the weather was quite nice. But today it was not in the numbers, but in the quality of species. The first bird in the nets at the lighthouse was a short-toed treecreeper. A really nice species, and definitely one I wanted to see up close.

Short- toed treecreeper – Photo by Menno

In the next round at the lighthouse, we had a male bullfinch in the nets. Earlier this week we caught a female, but a male is just a bit more beautiful. After Bello finished the counting, he did not see anything noteworthy, we did a round with four of us (Morten, Bello, Sven and me) and we caught a female bullfinch. It was quite a good day for bullfinch, but in previous days we heard many flying around.

Male bullfinch – Photo by Menno

Sven made some recordings today to make some movies to get more people enthusiastic about the work that is done at the station. Later on, the day, he also had a meeting with Bent and John about this.

Sven making recordings of the ringing of a blackbird, with Bello on the left writing, Morten ringing in the middle and Sven filming it all on the right. – Photo by Menno

Ringing list (new/recapture):

Wren (0/1)

Dunnock (4/2)

Robin (1/1)

Blackbird (4/2)

Song thrush (1/0)

Chiffchaff (4/0)

Goldcrest (3/3)

Blue tit (0/1)

Great tit (1/0)

Short toed treecreeper (1/0)

Chaffinch (2/1)

Brambling (1/0)

Redpoll (2/3)

Bullfinch (2/0)

27 new birds over 12 species.

DOF list:

https://dofbasen.dk/search/result.php?design=table&soeg=soeg&periode=dato&dato=25-03-2022&omraade=stor&stor=607&obstype=observationer&species=alle&sortering=dato

People at the station: Bello, Bent, Sven, Morten, John and Menno