A really good ringing day and a Great Northern Diver resting in the shoreline

My morning started actually with some difficulties. There was frost on the net poles and they were very slippery. When I wanted to open one of the 18 meter nets in the stations garden, the rope just slipped down on the poles on both sides of the nets and the net fell on the ground. The poles were too slippery to fix it in the morning, so I continued opening the lighthouse garden. Unfortunately, the same happened with one of the nets in the lighthouse gardens. So, two nets needed to stay closed. Yesterday was a good day but I wasn´t sure if I should expect the same for today, as it was so cold.  I was surprised how many birds I had to take out of the nets in the first round, it was mainly Robins “Rødhals” and Dunnocks “Jernspurv” but also two Songthrushes “Sangdrossel”.

Seven new Robins "Rødhals" were ringed today. That is a good sign, that spring migration is starting. Picture: Hanelie Sidhu

The second round continued busy, there was a little flock of Lesser Redpolls “Lille Gråsisken” in the nets in the lighthouse garden. Also some other nice species were in the nets today, three Chiffchaffs “Gransanger”, a female Bullfinch “Dompap” and some Goldcrests “Fuglekonge”. I had the nets open for two more hours after standard time and had two visitors, who followed me on a round. In total 40 new birds were ringed, the best number for March so far.

The Lesser Redpoll "Lille Gråsisken" was the secound most bird caught today. Picture: Hanelie Sidhu

I also found the first moth for days in the trap in the lighthouse garden, it was again Xylocampa areola “Gedeblad-ugle". As it is feeding on catkins and there are some both gardens, it is not surprising to find it here.

Xylocampa areola “Gedeblad-ugle". Picture: Hanelie Sidhu

While I was busy in the ringing, Marit and Henrik went for morning Observations. The biggest highlight was a Great Northern Diver “Islom” resting in the shoreline. They saw again three Sandwich Terns “Splitterne”. There were also five Goosanders “Stor Skalleslugger”, which we do not see so often here and some Caspian Gulls “Caspisk måge” resting on the beach. Apart from that, it was a rather calm morning.

Todays observations can be seen here.

Around 13:00, Henrik proposed go on a little birdwatching tour in the area, so we closed all nets. While closing, we saw Det hvide C, which is called Comma in english in the stationgarden.

Polygonia c-album "Det Hvide C". Picture: Hanelie Sidhu

We checked Grønningen for Pied Wagtails, the British subspecies yarelli, but there were none. At Nyeng and another place we had a good number of birds but all more winter species as Curlews "Sorspove" and Pintails "Spidsand".

Birdwatching at Nyeng. Picture: Marit Nillissen

After, we went to a heathland on the way to Veijers strand where we saw a Great Grey Shrike “Stor Tornskade” and went to a place where Henrik had found badger "Grævling" and most possibly wulf "Ulv" tracks.

There are some wulfs "Ulv". Here (most possibly) one of their tracks. Picture: Marit Nillissen.

On our trip we saw some Buzzards “Musvage” and two White-tailed Eagles “Havørn”.

It was a nice tour and also nice to get around a little more sometimes.

In the late afternoon, the participants of the DOFbasn quality assurance arrived at the station.

The bird to end todays blog: The Great Grey Shrike "Stor Tornskade". Picture Marit Nillissen

At the station: Henrik Böhmer, Marit Nillisen, David Manstrup, Hanelie Sidhu and DKU