My first full day on the birdstation, what would it bring? Let’s start with an introduction, I am Michael, 19 years old and I come from the Netherlands. I am a intern at the Blåvand fuglestation and I will be busy with ringing and reading rings, counting and my own project with red-backed shrikes, of which more later.

Today the day started slow, there was almost no arrival and we had 8 birds after 1,5 hours. We had one striking willow warbler, it was greyer than usual, which might indicate it was a northern willow warbler. After the 1,5 hours of ringing, we had to close the nets because of the rain, not promising. After a few hours the rain stopped, and we opened the nets in the garden again. The first round was nothing, so we went to Henrik who was already counting again, but due to the low numbers of birds, we went back again. From the parking area I at least saw one bird in the net, nice. This appeared to be a wryneck, awesome!

After ringing the wryneck, I went in to the dunes with a spotting scope. The beach was windy and there where probably windy, so we figured it might be fun to sit on a dune and scan for raptors. This resulted in one white-tailed eagle, a red kite, a marsh harrier, a buzzard, 3 raven and 2 kestrels. After one hour, I decided to go to the beach anyways, to look for ringed birds or other exciting sightings. One of the first things I saw was a metal ringed herring gull. He was a little shy, so it took half an hour to read the ring, but I managed to do so with the spotting scope, just in time, 5 minutes later it flew away never to be seen again. It was probably a Danish bird. When I was reading the ring, Morten mentioned he had seen a montagus harrier. Shoot, I missed it, too bad…

As I walked further I heard gulls alarming. I looked up and saw a few gulls bullying another gull. But wait, that is not a gull, it is an osprey! Click click click and gone it was.

I went further on the beach and I read 3 more colour ringed little terns, but that wasn’t easy, because the wind was getting stronger every minute. I decided to call it a day and went back to the station. I tried to read some rings of the tree sparrows, but it unfortunately didn’t work out, I just saw half the ring when it flew away.

Der var frisk vind på 8-9m/s fra sydsydvest da vi stod op og Maxim og jeg måtte arbejde med lidt færre net åbne i haverne pga vinden.
Det gav nu alligevel en del ringmærkede fugle og godt var det, at der nu er kommet gang i ankomsterne af de i Afrika overvintrende arter, så der både kom Rødstjert og Broget Fluesnapper med på dagens ringmærkningsliste.
Det gav mig mulighed for at få flere blodprøver udtaget og sendt til Statens Serum Institut.

I løbet af morgenen og formiddagen kom der besøg af Wilbert fra Holland, der er på en uges ferie med familien på Rømø.
Han havde tidligere kontaktet os for muligheden for at komme med på nogle netrunder og se hvordan vi arbejder og sammenligne med de Hollandske fuglestationers ringmærkning.

Kl 9 ankom Michael fra Holland for 2 månders ophold her, så havde det ikke været for, at David var her og tog morgenobsen, mens Bent og Svend Aage kom ud for lidt obs og arbejde med digitalisering af gamle årgange af fuglestationens dagbøger, så havde hovedsproget på fuglestationen i dag været Hollandsk!

Ude på obsposten fik David fine antal af Suler og terner i morgentimerne, med 144 Suler og 610 Hav/Fjordterner. Derudover blev det bl.a. en enkelt Havlit, 2 Almindelig Kjover, en Dværgmåge, en Havørn og et par Landsvaler.
Bent og Svend Aage hev den første Bysvale i år hjem fra deres obs omkring fuglestationen og Rørhøg over Mosen, mens Michael kom på plads og startede med manér, da han på en tur rundt på stranden og Mosen midt på dagen, både fandt en Sanglærke rede og fik aflæst en af de farvemærkede Dværgterner.
Ternen var mærket i sommeren 2021 på Fanø. Er tidligere aflæst her i yngletiden i 2022, men ikke set i 2023.
Michael lagde hårdt ud med aflæsning af en Dværgterne på stranden - lover godt for hans 2 måneders ophold her ikke mindst da han på en aftentur til stranden fik aflæst flere Dværgterne og havde en Storkjove, der efterhånden er blevet et ret sjældent syn ved Hukket.

En anden aflæsning kom via mail fra ringmærkningscentralen, da en hun Kvækerfinke, som vi ringmærkede den 22. april, i går blev genfanget i Hurup, Thy.
Den er altså kommet 126km mod nord i løbet af de 6 dage.

Dagens ringmærkning:


Folk på stationen: Bent, Svend Aage, David, Maxim, Michael og Morten

Der var igen relativ lun luft fra sydøst da vi stod op, men med udsigt til jævnlige små regnbyger endte vi med kun at bruge nettene i stationshaven.
Det blev da heller ikke til så stort et antal mærkninger som i går, men kvaliteten fejlede ikke noget fra start af, da Maxim på første runde kunne mærke sin første Ringdrossel.
Så kom den art også på forårets ringmærkningslisten!

Ellers var der pænt med Gærdesangere og efter en uges pause kom der endelig på ny en Rødstjert herud og fik ring på.
Med ankomsten af flere individer af Afrika-trækkende småfugle kom jeg rigtig i gang med blodprøvetagning, så Statens Serum Institut kan screene for forekomsten af Vest Nil Virus.
Det vil blive en af mine hovedopgaver resten af foråret at få udtaget disse blodprøver.
Det tager bare ekstra tid pr fugl, så jeg nåede slet ikke at komme op til Anders, der fra Sydhukket tog sig af morgenobsen.
Han meldte om en morgen med et ryk af terner den første time og derefter næsten ingenting til notesbogen.

Små blodprøve rør, hvor 0,075-0,1ml blod er nok til, at Statens Serum Instiutut kan lave fuld analyse for sporing af West Nile Virus.

Da der midt på eftermiddagen kom nye regnbyger ind fra syd, tog jeg mig en god siesta, mens Maxim motionerede og på sin løbetur var forbi ternehegnet på stranden.
Han kom tilbage med beretningen om, at hegnet står godt og der allerede er 10 Dværgterner i det indhegnede område!

Her til aften er David på stationen og tager en overnatning, så han er klar til morgenobsen i morgen.
Vi kan næsten ikke kan vente på, at se hvad der sker over Hukket i sydvesten vind uden regn og med lune temperaturer og går tidligt i seng med tro på, at få en god mandag med masser af fugle både ved havet og i haverne.

Dagens ringmærkning:

Folk på stationen: Anders, David, Maxim og Morten

Today we definitely handled more than 5 birds. Although not a storm, there were quite a few new arrivals. In total 53 new birds and 3 controls. Among the new arrivals were two Pied Flycatchers, the first of the season. There where multiple Blackcaps, Chiffchaffs and Willow Warblers and to top it off a Fire Crest! It has been a while since we have caught everyone’s favourite little bird.

Pied Flycatcher

Firecrest

The increase in birds today certainly has given Morten and I some well overdue energy and enthusiasm again. The past two weeks were a slow decent into despair, wandering when the spring numbers would come. Over the days, with each empty round, all we could do was give each other a slightly sarcastic smile and think: no surprise here. The morning observations were done by David and Anders today. It was a cold morning on the beach with little migration observed. Most notable were 700 Terns and a Black Throated diver.

While sitting in the garden enjoying the weather, Morten saw a Wryneck entering one of the birdhouses in the garden! We might actually have them breed in the garden this season, which is exciting news for a Wryneck enthusiast like myself. Morten also spotted another Whitetailed Eagle flyover the station which was a different individual from the previously seen eagles.

In the afternoon Kim Fischer gathered some volunteers from DOF to block off part of the beach to create a breeding area for the Little Tern. Kim has been leading this project for some years now and it is a collaboration between Nationalpark Vadehavet and DOF. With each year of closing of an area more birds have started breeding in the protected area. The Little Tern is not the only species that has been breeding in the fenced of area over the years, Ring Plovers have been breeding in there as well. It is now the hope that the Kentish Plover will start breeding in the protected area as well. It is also worth mentioning that Ringed Plovers have already been seen breeding on the beach.

It was quite the undertaking to set the fences up, but many hands make light work. We started early in the afternoon and were done around 17.00 o’clock. First on each corner of the area stakes were placed in the sand and the fences were placed around them. Once that was placed lines were placed around the fence where and electrical current can run through, powered by a solar panel. Since 2022 the fences used, have an electric current run through them so that the Terns are not only protected from people but also from small predators like the Fox. When all the work was finished all the volunteers returned to the station to celebrate their effort with come coffee and cake.

Tomorrow could be a promising day for ringing. Tonight will be a relatively warm night and so will be the morning. Let’s hope for at least another 50 birds in the net!

Vi stod op til endnu en kølig april morgen med temperatur på 2 grader.
Samtidig kunne vi se en regnfront langsomt nærme sig fra syd.
Derfor valgte vi kun at åbne net i stationshaven, så vi hurtigt kunne lukke net igen, når regnen nåede frem.
Det gav os 2 ½ time med stort set tomme netrunder.
Maxim og jeg fik kun sat ring på en Munk, en Løvsanger og en Gråsisken, mens en gammel Musvit fra 2021 blev eneste genfangst.

Da regnen stoppede kl 13 åbnede jeg på ny nettene i stationshaven, men trods forsøg på ringmærkning frem til kl 17:30 gav det blot fangst af yderligere en Munk.
Timerne fra regnen startede ved 8 tiden og til kl 13 blev brugt inde – fugleposer blev vasket og der blev holdt siesta og hygget med kaffe og Maxim´s guitarspil.
Om eftermiddagen fik Maxim og jeg skiftet 3 slidte net i haven ud med nye friske net, så vi i det mindste fik brugt dagen på at være klar til rykind af fugle med den varme luft, der loves i vejrudsigterne for den kommende uge.

Henrik var i klitten for morgenobs lige til regnen satte ind, men havde ikke meget at berette derfra.
3 trækkende Almindelig Kjover og 7 Bjergænder er nok morgenens bedste notater, mens jeg kun kunne finde en enkelt 2k Kaspisk Måge ved et tjek af rastende måger ved højvande.

Dagen endte dog med at byde på god underholdning i luften over Hukket, da det blev godt vejr efter regnen var passeret og jeg fik lidt rovfugle herud.
3 Musvåger, 1 han Rørhøg og en Tårnfalk blev overgået i antal af 4 Havørne.
Først kom en yngre Havørn ud og vendte over Nordhukket, den kom retur igen et kvarter senere, denne gang i følgeskab med en 2k fugl.
Lidt over en time senere var der ”måge alarm” ud for Sydhukket og et par adulte Havørne viste sig over klitsiden, inden de returnerede mod øst.
Da jeg startede med at kigge på fugle for over 40 år side ville det være utopisk, at have Havørn som dagens topscore på en rovfugleliste, men tiderne har ændret sig..

Dagens første yngre Havørn på vej ind bag Fyret fra vendepunktet ude over Hukket

Derfra blev den over Mosen mødt af en sur Krage

Da Havørnen lidt senere kom ud på endnu en rundtur havde den selskab af en anden ung Havørn - måske det kunne holde kragerne lidt på afstand
Slidte halefjer og fældning i svingfjer mellem hånd og arm, så nok en 3k fugl


De gamle fugle har fjer i lidt pænere stand

Morgendagen skulle igen starte køligt, men varm luft burde være lige på trapperne og det kribler i fingrene for at komme til at håndtere mere end 5 fugle pr. dag, så optimismen er her og aftenen er rigtig fin med sol og stille vindforhold, Ringduer, der parrer sig på rækværket om haven; en Vendehals, der synger fra Vesterled beplantningen og den fantastiske lyd fra snurrende Strandtudser i klitlavningerne mod Mosen.

Folk på stationen: Henrik, Maxim og Morten

We have had quite the full house at the station this past month, but for the time being it looks like Morten and I will be by ourselves again. Lisa and James started their journey back to England this morning. Their enthusiasm for birding, British humour and baked goods will be missed. Eventhough they are gone, I know that my pronunciation of words like yoghurt and zebra will never be the same again! May they have a good time back home and an even better time in the Seychelles, whenever they manage to work through the cocktail laced bureaucracy of the island.

It seems that the weather, the number of people and the atmosphere have harmoniously accompanied one another here at the station. When I arrived in early March, there was a sharp and fresh winter air  all around and with only Morten and I here at the station the cold and misty conditions created a sense of isolation here at the most western point of Blåvand. Slowly the air became warmer, the sun showed itself more frequently and more volunteers arrived at the station. The sense of isolation turned into that of community. All this synchronized with the slow rise of spring.

It has been very inspiring to get to know people from different walks of life, all who have a binding interest in birds, nature and  philosophy on life. It would be fitting for the dry spell of birds to shift into an overwhelming storm of new arrivals, now that the leisurely enjoyment of social reciprocity has passed and a gentle forlorn feeling can use some tempering by busying the mind. From what I have been hearing, the weather conditions are changing in the coming days in such a manner that this storm of birds might actually show up.

This morning however was still a bit chilly, but otherwise the weather conditions were calm, and again the net count was not impressive. A total of 17 new birds and 5 recaptures. On the observation front it wasn’t any better. Most notable were the Gannets, but other than that numbers were very low.

In the afternoon something interesting did happen. While in the station garden Morten spotted six cranes flying over. After checking the database, it turns out this is only the fourth ever documented account of a group bigger than five Cranes here in Blåvand!

Six Cranes flying over the station

In the evening Morten has told me about the holiday of Store bededag, which is celebrated on April 26 this year. To end the day, we upheld the tradition of eating varme hveder the night before, which Morten grew up celebrating at home just like I’m sure many other families do.

varme hveder

People at the station: Lisa, James, Henrik, Morten and Maxim

If yesterday was Blåvand’s big day, then we were rudely brought back to normalcy today. Persistent cold weather means the bird pipes are still blocked and numbers of birds both ringed and observed over the sea were low. We did (and Lisa in particular) have the pleasure of two nice birds caught in the net, a Collared Dove and a Crested Tit.  

Yesterday’s Blåvand Big Day was an unqualified success and was a great way to spark our birding enthusiasm after some challengingly quiet days. We all went to exceptional lengths and I must confess to never having been as excited to see a Blue Tit, as I was when I finally found our first of the day at 16:45. The most elusive species of the day frustratingly was the Magpie, which was finally discovered by Lisa at 19:45, who wins the prize for last bird seen. The Blåvand budget could not stretch to too extravagant a prize, so she had to settle for eternal glory. Here were the final results from the big day:

Morten reported the exciting news that Lisa has recently spotted only the second breeding record for a certain species in Blåvands Huk (with the last being in 2016). I can imagine you as reader overcome now with anticipation as to what this species is. Perhaps it is also a rare bird for Denmark, or even Europe….

Well, I will keep you in suspense no longer, drum-roll please……..this was the Greylag Goose! This breeding record is not so much of a reflection on some successful habitat management, but rather that unexpectedly high amount of rain this year (particularly this April) has left a lot of flooding on the more. This was to the Greylags’ advantage as four goslings have been seen alongside three mallard chicks. Big news I am sure you will agree. In other breeding news, there are 14 Litte Terns on the beach which is great news. It will probably be time soon to erect a fenced off area on the beach to allow them to breed in peace. 

Finally, I must unfortunately add that Lisa and I will be leaving the station tomorrow. I would like to thank Henrik for letting us come, Morten for all his knowledge and patience in teaching us and the other volunteers Maxim and Bianca for their entertainment and admirably patient acceptance of my humour. We have had three wonderful weeks here and do very much hope that we will get the opportunity to return in the future.

Next stop for us is England before we will soon be moving to the Seychelles to work for a conservation organisation for two years. It will be much the same as Blåvand, with sea, sunsets and terns, but just a little warmer and a few more cocktails.  

David havde valgt at tage en overnatning herude, så der var ekstra øjne til den store Blåvand dag, som James fik sat i gang i går.
Nu skulle der ske noget efter at natten havde bragt vinden om fra den kolde norden- og nordøsten vind til en retning fra vestnordvest.
Vindskiftet var nok til, at temperaturen ved solopgang var ”varme” 6 grader i stedet for at være nede tæt på frysepunktet som de foregående morgener.

James havde kontaktet Skagen Fuglestation og de var også opsatte på, at der skulle ske noget i dag og lavede deres ”Big Day” i Skagens området.
Vi havde ikke intentioner om, at vi i Blåvand skulle leve op til diversiteten af arter på en forårsdag i Skagen, men gjorde da en ihærdig indsats for at få set så mange arter ved Hukket som muligt.
Aftalen var, at der kun måtte tælles arter på ture i området pr. gåben – ingen cykler, biler eller andre transportmidler og med skydning hele dagen, var det militære område lukket for færdsel fra morgen til aften.
Dagens antal arter er derfor udelukkende fra fuglestationens nærområde, Hukket og sommerhusområdet ind mod byen.

På tidspunktet for skrivning af dagens blog er listen på 66 arter – altså meget tæt på, at jeg som fuglestationens gamle rotte fik ret, da jeg i går aftes bød ind med 65 arter som et realistisk mål!

Ringmærkningsmæssigt blev det dog ikke nogen stor dag.
Maxim og jeg havde gang i begge haver lige til kl 10, hvor vi måtte lukke alle net pga tiltagende vind og en regnfront, der kom ned langs vestkysten og varede lige til kl 15:30 med 5mm nedbør i de timer.

Vi nåede i morgentimerne at håndterer 20 fugle, hvoraf de 14 var nye og fik ring på.
Blot en enkelt af disse var en langdistancetrækkende art – en Løvsanger -, så det lille skifte af vindretningen i nat førte altså ikke til nye årsarter i dagens net.


Kvækerfinke hunnen fra i går blev genfanget i dag - denne gang med en fin han som selskab i nettet!

Morgenobsen fra Sydhukket var til gengæld med noget mere aktivitet ude over havet end de seneste kolde morgener.
Tallet af Rødstrubbet Lom blev pænt stort med 420 trækkende, Sortand tallet nåede over 3200, der var 110 Suler og 100 Hav/Fjordterne.
De sidste trak desværre nord så langt ude, at de ikke kunne artsbestemmes med sikkerhed – lidt af en bet for dagslisten, da vi så hverken har Havterne eller Fjordterne der tæller med..

Et eftermiddagsbesøg ved Nordhukket og tjek af rastende fugle ved højvandet gav en god gruppe terner på 88 rastende Splitterner og 8 Dværgterner, men hverken Hav- eller Fjord-terner var inde at raste på stranden og det er stadig ikke lykkedes, at få det arts par med på ”Big Day” projektets artsliste.

Eftermiddagens højvande havde en god gruppe rastende Splitterner, men vi mangler en tæt på kysten Havterne eller Fjordterne til dagslisten..

Lige nu er det blevet tørvejr igen efter endnu en regnbyge, så det er tid til et sidste forsøg på, at få hentet en obs af fx Husskade hjem til dagslisten.
Der har været en her hver dag i over 2 uger, men lige netop i dag er den endnu ikke blevet noteret i notesbøgerne.

Dagens ringmærkning:


Folk på stationen: David, Maxim, Lisa, James og Morten

Thinking yesterday that we had finally reached the bottom of the all-time low of birds observed and ringed, we were surprised today: it can get worse! The morning temperatures and my frozen limbs had forced me to join the luckier (so I hoped) ringing team of Morten and Maxim. Meanwhile, James showed true endurance and continued the sea watch, counting an occasional Gannet here, a couple of Common Scoters there. Numbers of Scoters going south and north were almost identical, so in the end he wondered if they were just going round in one big circle. Even he admitted that his feet were on the slightly chillier side (that happens as often as you see a Black-browed albatross in Blåvand), although he still walked around barefoot afterwards...

The luck of the beginner was with me as I joined the ringers: A Siskin found himself caught in the net. A beautiful little bird that I had wanted to see close up for a long time.  

For the rest of the morning it was quality, not quantity. Rounds of empty nets allowed for several cups of hot coffee – much needed to fight the cold and onset of bird fatigue. All was forgotten when a lonely Wryneck found itself caught (how teasing that a second individual was calling not too far in the distance). Could we be so lucky and catch two Wrynecks the same morning?

The empty nets persisted throughout the day (news among the Wryneck’s must have spread well as the second individual stayed away from our nets). However, Morten proved, once again, his sixth sense for the right moment to open the mist nets. He caught one more bird (one that I particularly enjoy and had only heard a few days ago… how teasing): A Brambling

By following us throughout the last few days, by now you may have got the sense that we are just building up towards something big, really big. And we do not want to keep you on tenterhooks any longer – tomorrow is the day, Blåvand Big Day. Tomorrow will be breathtaking, full of birds and excitement. We aim to see 50 bird species in the area (no cars or bicycles allowed). We hope you are ready. For our part, the lucky socks are on and we are ready to go…

Ringed birds today: 3 Chiffchaffs, Brambling, Willow Warbler, Goldcrest, Siskin, Blackcap, Robin
Recaptures: Dunnock, Willow Warbler, Blackbird, Lesser Whitethroat and Wryneck

People at the station: Morten, Maxim, James and Lisa

That the bird pipes are still blocked is the headline of today. The birding frustration is certainly building up here at the station now. Weather forecasts are regularly scoured to produce some sort of positive omen that could portend the change in birding fortunes. It is almost bordering on lucky socks territory to change our luck. In the meantime, we did our best to make our fun own entertainment wherever we could find it.

In fact, levels of action were so low that Maxim arranged for his parents to come and visit him from the Netherlands and take him out for dinner (thus avoiding his duty of writing the blog). So the task of summing up an eventful day has been left to me. 

The seawatch was greeted with temperatures around two degrees to start with and this acted to gradually reduce the number of birders. With low numbers of birds, this was a true test of birding stamina and Henrik and I produced a synchronised sigh of relief when the alarm went off to signify that our three hours were complete. Science is still science, and no data is good data…at least we consoled ourselves with that.

Entertainment was though provided by a White-tailed Eagle that landed on the beach. This generally causes quite a commotion amongst the gulls and shorebirds owing to the undoubted alpha animal status of the eagle. It was though a chance for the pluckier/foolisher birds to show off their daring credentials. Two hooded crows, I like to imagine as a dare, gradually approached the eagle from behind. It reminded me of the children’s party game ‘what’s the time Mr Wolf’, with the crows cautiously getting ever closer to the tail of the eagle. As they did so, they put on a rather unconvincing act of pretending to feed before making an attempt to pluck off a tail feather.

At the start of the ringing it looked like we could be in for quite a special day. Blackcap and Blackbird were followed by Chiffchaff and Chaffinch. It looked as if Morten was working through his ringing bingo card alphabetically and we were eagerly anticipating the next round to feature Dunnock and Dunlin. Alas, the fun stopped there. Later in the morning we did though have our third Wryneck of the year to bring today’s total to nine ringed birds.

People at the station: James, Lisa, Morten, Maxim and Henrik