Med vinden i ØNØ her til morgen var der klare forventninger til lidt flere vadere end vi havde set de foregående dage. Men den var nok ikke helt stærk nok til at skubbe vadere ud til vestkysten - der kom i hvert fald ikke ret mange. Sølle 20 alm. ryle og 19 strandskade plus få små kobbersnepper og småspover. Morgenens højdepunkter blev en sølvhejre der kom trækkende nord med 3 fiskehejrer, 3 alm. kjover, 2 gråstrubede lappedykkere og en hedelærke. Igen i dag var der pæn bevægelse i sortænderne med 4400 og skarverne med ca. 2400. Der var også væsentlig flere suler end de foregående dage med 268 fugle. 

Midt på formiddagen stod det på praktisk arbejde. Der var mødt 8 personer op til arbejdet, som primært omhandlede at trimme og klippe haverne og fjerne ukrudt fra gårdspladsen. Og puha, det trængte til en kærlig hånd. 

Tak til de fremmødte for god energi og humør!

I morgen er vinden fortsat NØ, men skal fortsat være 4-5 m/s, så det bliver nok en stille dag på kontoret.

Morning Observation:

Det var en dejlig varm morgen med kun en smule vind fra nord. Desværre følte vadefuglene ikke for at trække i de forhold, og kun meget få vader viste sig på obsen i dag.

Til gengæld havde vi fire dejlige almindelige kjover – tre meget tæt på, og én trækkende lidt længere ude. Bevægelsen af sortænder havde også taget til i dag, og i løbet af de tre timer kom der en god mængde igennem.

På stranden var der, som det har været længe, en masse rastende sildemåger og fjordterner, men i dag var der også utroligt mange skarver. Når nogle fløj væk, blev de straks erstattet af nye kæmpeflokke, der kom flyvende ud til sandbankerne.

While Thomas and his father were doing the daily morning observation, Louis and I were checking the resting birds on the beach and sandbanks.

It was a typical Saturday morning with absolutely no tourists on the beach, so we had no trouble reading multiple rings of colour-ringed gulls. Our highlight was a juvenile Little Ringed Plover foraging along the shore.

Juvenile Little Ringed Plover; Photo: Louis Poulsen

In the afternoon, Louis and I prepared a pizza dough that we enjoyed for dinner.

Mangiare deliziose pizze con le birre; Photo: Louis Poulsen

Tomorrow, the weather conditions look promising for wader migration…

Kystfugle Project Update:

The past few months have been a rollercoaster of emotions for me, with more downs than ups, since it has not been going well for the coastal breeding birds inside the fences on the west coast. Even though the breeding season has been catastrophic, our efforts have not been meaningless!

The poor results can be explained by unfavourable weather conditions resulting in sand drift and flooding. Additionally, mammalian and avian predation has been a significant factor, keeping the breeding success of the very few breeding pairs low.

On my last visit to the fence (24.06.25) at Lakolk on Rømø, it was quite windy, with westerly winds up to 10m/s and heavy showers. As a result, the tide came up to the perimeterhegn with a water level of +1.80m. On that day, the fenced-off area provided two pairs of Kentish Plovers and a flock of 15 Little Terns with an area free of disturbance, mammalian predation, and flooding. Even though there were no incubating adults, it was a pleasure to see that they are showing interest in the area.

The fence at Blåvandshuk obviously suffered from the same harsh weather conditions. In comparison to Lakolk, there were two breeding attempts by Little Terns, but unfortunately both were predated, most likely by hooded crows, red foxes, or ravens. Additionally, nine breeding attempts by Common Ringed Plovers were recorded inside (4) and outside (5) the electric fence. Four of the nests outside the fence were predated (again, most likely by foxes and corvids), and one was flooded. Of the nests inside the fence, two were definitely predated by corvids, one by a red fox, and one was abandoned due to sand drift.

Raven predating Ringed Plover nest; Photo: Joseph Stephan.

Red Fox predating an artificial nest; Photo: Joseph Stephan.

I’m still working on the detailed maps and graphs that will show the locations of nesting sites, predation, and sand drift patterns.

Last but not least, my Little Tern highlight from the 30.06.25.

A flock of 48 Little Terns at Blåvandshuk; Photo: Joseph Stephan

Folk på stationen: Thomas Kristensen, Joseph Stephan og Louis Poulsen

Jeg fandt mig til rette på efterårsspottet lidt før 4:45 og så frem til tre timers obs i NV til N vind. Første interval var ret sløvt, men efterhånden begyndte der så småt at komme nogle fugle. Louis kom også op på obsen og var med resten af morgenen.

Der kom nogle få vader trækkende, og et par af dem valgte også at raste på stranden foran os. Vi havde fire arter af vader i dag: strandskader, almindelig ryle, småspove og en enkelt hvidklire.

Med meget få fugle trækkende var det godt, at der kom et par højdepunkter til at underholde os lidt. Det bestod af en lys almindelig kjove, der jagtede måger og terner langs strandkanten – et virkelig flot syn. Og som en fed overraskelse rastede der også en skestork på en sandbanke sammen med en masse måger.

Skestork rastende på stranden. Billede: Thomas Kristensen

Folk på stationen: Thomas Kristensen, Joseph Stephan, Marit Nillissen og Louis Poulsen

Så er vi i gang! D. 10. juli betyder start på efterårssæsonen - i hvert fald mht. trækobs. Vinden var fra morgenen VNV omkring 4-5 m/s og overskyet med få små byger. På obsen var David Manstrup, Louis Poulsen, Marit og undertegnede. Det er jo ikke ligefrem den vindretning vi håber på her midt i juli, men det blev egentlig en fin morgen med 5 rastende almindelige kjover, en sjælden sommer-forekomst af dværgfalk og pænt med sortænder. Lige knap 5.500 sortænder trak syd i løbet af de første tre timer og yderligere 2.000 rastede nord for pælerækken. Træk er måske så meget sagt - det er jo lokale bevægelser langs vestkysten, som vi har oplevet hele sommeren. 
 Alm. kjover på hukket.

På vaderfronten havde vi lige knapt 100 trækkende - primært almindelige ryler. 

Der stod i dag pænt med måger på stranden, f.eks. 270 sildemåger og en enkelt 2k kaspisk måge. I mosen var der 5 familieflokke af rødrygget tornskade - i alt 16 fugle, hvilket er pænt. 

I morgen tager Marit hjem, så sidst mand på stationen er Joseph, som bliver her indtil engang i august. Næste frivillig ankommer d. 21. juli for at starte ringmærkningen op og imens bliver trækket dækket af mig selv, Thomas Kristensen og David, med lidt hjælp fra Louis i øjeblikket. Hyggeligt bliver det!

HBØ

After morning observations ended about 10 days ago, today marked the official end of the spring season, as it was the last day of bird ringing. Unfortunately, we didn’t finish with a bang. The weather wasn’t on our side – it was already raining heavily in the morning, so no ringing took place. It was a bit of a sad way to wrap up the season.

It’s been a strange season, where most of us have felt that things were rather slow – especially in terms of bird numbers, both in the nets and during the morning observations. However, it’s also been a season filled with truly exciting sightings, such as the Barred Warbler “Høgesanger” in spring, Leach’s Storm-petrel “Stor stormsvale” passing by, and generally quite a few notable “green” species – and of course, the one “red” species: the Iberian Chiffchaff “Iberisk gransanger”, for which we are still awaiting final DNA confirmation.

So, while the season may have been slow in terms of numbers, there have been several highlights to look back on. Moreover, the community at the station has been fantastic, with the season largely driven by young people. We’ve had a great time together, both during observations, the ringing sessions and generally in the station.

Now the bird observatory enters a quieter period, but several people will still be present at the station right up until the autumn season begins. Joseph will also remain in the Blåvand area over the summer to monitor the Little Terns “Dværgterne”, so there will still be some ongoing work and research.

From all of us at the station: thank you for this season! After a short summer break, we’re already looking forward to what we hope will be a fantastic autumn season, kicking off in mid-July.

The ringing

It was very windy this morning and wind gusts were even heavier. So, we left the nets closed and waited until later in the morning, at 09:15 we opened some nets in the station garden. We ringed two 1K Great Tits “Musvit” and two Icterine Warblers “Gulbug”. We also had an Icterine Warbler “Gulbug”, that was ringed in 2022 by Menno. At noon, Lise had to say goodbye as her Flextaxi picked her up to the train station. But she is already excited to be back at the station for one month from late August on!

Great Tits/ Musvit 1K. Picture: Lise Mastrup

Also Frida left the station today, but she will for sure be back to visit Joseph and enjoy Blåvand and its birds.

The moths:

I had 14 different moths species in the traps and flying on the gras today. I will show one that you can observe quite often flying in the gras during the day from this time of the year on until early September.

Camptogramma bilineata "Okkergul bladmåler". Picture Hanelie Sidhu

At the station: Lise Mastrup, Marit Nillissen, Levi van den Os, Emma Gray, Joseph Stephan and Frida, Hanelie Sidhu

The ringing:
I dag ringmærkede Hanelie, Anne og jeg sammen. Vi håbede vi ville have nok fugle til at vi alle kunne få mulighed for at ringmærke nogle nye - det lykkedes heldigvis:)

Vi blev desuden hurtigt enige om at i dag måtte være store baby-dag, for vi havde flere forskellige unger i nettet; rødhals, jernspurv, musvit, dompap og sortstrubet bynkefugl. Sidstnævnte landede i nettet med hvad vi må tro er dens far.

Stonechat "Sortstrubet Bynkefugl" 1K and 2K male. Picture: Anne Hjortlund Hansen

Robin "Rødhals" 1K. Picture: Anne Hjortlund Hansen

Bullfinch "Dompap" 1K, picture: Anne Hjortlund Hansen

Afternoon activities:
Til eftermiddag var der friskbagte småkager fra Emma og vi fik sagt på gensyn til både Marits mor og Anne, som begge vendte hjemad igen. I morgen er min sidste dag på stationen for nu, så jeg håber på der kommer en enkelt mere lille fugl eller to i nettet.

The moths: 

It was quite good with moths today, I had 23 different including one caterpillar. One was new for me, Cleorodes lichenaria "Lille lavmåler".

Cleorodes lichenaria "Lille lavmåler". Picture: Hanelie Sidhu

At the station: Lise Mastrup, Anne Hjortlund Hansen, Levi van den Os, Joseph Stephan and Frida, Henrik Bøhmer, Thomas Kristensen, Emma Gray, Marit Nillissen and her mom, Hanelie Sidhu  

Morning observations:

We usually see that the days after strong winds also provide good birds, and after yesterday’s windy conditions, today was no exception. The observations started 5.00 and at first glace, it looked to be a quiet day. Thomas joined Henrik at the observation ten to six, and as he arrived, two adult Mediterranean Gulls flew south just at the shoreline, and shortly after we had a nice Black Guillemot. This species is not annual at Blaavand and definitely a good sighting. A little after 7, the female Surf Scoter passed south with a group of Common Scoters and provided great views again today. Around this time, the number of Scoters had increased, and they came in showers from the north. Of course, it is the huge numbers of resting birds moving around, but then again, more than 11.000 birds passed south today. Also almost 200 Lesser Black-backed Gulls and almost 70 Velvel Scoters passed during the morning. 

In the bushes and bog, there were few other birds than the local ones, but nonetheless there were 6 Red-backed Shrikes, 3 Marsh Warblers and a female Bluethroat.

Red-backed Shrike Picture: Henrik Böhmer

The ringing:

Anne predicted correctly yesterday that we would get 10 new birds (and nine recaptures). One of them was a nice Spotted Flycatcher “Grå Fluesnapper”.

Spotted Flycatcher “Grå Fluesnapper”. Picture: Anne Hjortlund Hansen

We had quite many juvenile Crested Tits “Topmejse”. Most of them were already ringed but there was also a new one.

Crested Tit "Topmejse". Picture: Hanelie Sidhu

One Common Whitethroat “Tornsanger” that we recaptured and aged as 3k+ was ringed in 2021 as 2K.

In the afternoon I mowed the gras in the station garden, it is growing fast that time of the year.

The moths:

I did not have many moths today; hope it will be better tonight. I will show Plutella xylostella “Kålmøl”, a small and quite common one.

Plutella xylostella “Kålmøl”. Picture: Hanelie Sidhu

At the station: Henrik Bøhmer, Thomas Kristensen, Levi van den Os, Joseph Stephan and Frida, Emma Gray, Anne Hjortlund Hansen, Lise Mastrup, Hanelie Sidhu, Marit Nillissen and her mom

At 3 o´clock in the morning I was downstairs and checked if the weather was really as bad as DMI showed it. First I went to the moths traps and while there was only a light drizzle when I went out, it turened into a heavy rain soon. When I was on my way back to the station from the moths trap at the lighthouse garden, I got completely soaked. I set down to indentify the moths and went out several times to check on the rain, but every time I got wet, so the nets stayed closed this morning.

I had four new moths species today, pictures below.

Rhodostrophia vibicaria "Lædermåler". Picture: Hanelie Sidhu

Gynaephora fascelina "Hedenonne". Picture: Hanelie Sidhu

Leucania comma "Kommaugle". Picture: Hanelie Sidhu

Evergestis forficalis "Kålhalvmøl". Picture: Hanelie Sidhu

Nevertheless, I stayed up the whole morning and was quite productive, after doing the moths I did some data work and it is all finished now. At nine, when the house slowly got awake, I went to bed again and had a good sleep until about 12:00.

While I was fast asleep, Henrik and Thomas went out with their skopes and had a Surfscoter „Brilleand“ and a Black Scoter „Amerikansk Sortand“. Congrads!

In the evening, Anne arrived, she will stay over the weekend, now we are nine people here!

Tommorow morning looks good again for ringing, let´s hope for some birds.

 At the station: Henrik Böhmer, Thomas Kristensen, Lise Mastrup, Emma Gray, Levi van den Os, Joseph Stephan and Frida, Hanelie Sidhu, Anne Hjortlund Hansen, Marit Nillissen and her mom

The ringing:

Three new birds and three recaptures today. A female Black Redstart “Husrødstjert” was the last bird ringed today. Think it was the one jumping around in the garden yesterday but not flying in the nets. Now it did, let´s count that as a success for that slow morning.

Black Redstart "Husrødstjert". Picture: Lise Mastrup

Wildlife around Blåvand:

Today Marit and her mom went on a trip out of Blåvand. On their way back they had a great observation of a wulf “ulv” next to the road!

A wulf "ulv" next to the road! Picture: Marit Nillissen

The moths:

Not many moths today but I had two new ones for me, Diacrisia sannio “Rødfrynset bjøn”  and Dioryctria simplicella “Fyrrekoglehalvmol”, the last of the two is not so common.

Diacrisia sannio “Rødfrynset bjøn”. Picture: Hanelie Sidhu

Dioryctria simplicella "Fyrrekongehalvmøl". Picture: Hanelie Sidhu

At the station: Henrik Böhmer, Lise Mastrup, Emma Gray, Joseph Stephan and Frida, Levi van den Os, Hanelie Sidhu, Thomas Kristensen, Marit Nillissen and her mom