Warblers in NW wind

Today saw a change in the overal proceedings as Amanda, Rasmus and Simon left for Skagen. Rasmus and Simon will return in a few days so the ringing and standardised observations will be covered by myself and Bent for the most part.

The results from the ringing proved that even with a north westerly breeze, migrant warblers can and will persist in their northward passage as the ringing numbers will attest. Although these will also include birds which have arrived a few days ago (as indicated by a small number of retraps) the overal impression suggested there had been a small arrival of Phylosscopus and Curruca warblers.

A late morning/early afternoon extension to the usual trapping practices failed to catch the male Serin (Gulirisk, Serinus serinus) singing in the garden but did result in the years' first Sedge Warbler (Sivsanger, Acrocephalus schoenobaenus) for the observatory being caught and ringed.

Sedge Warbler (Sivsanger, Acrocephalus schoenobaenus)

The stiff tail feathers of a male Great Spotted Woodpecker (Stor Flagspætte, Dendrocopos major), used for propping its body against a tree stem whilst drumming.

The highlights from the mornings' observations included 1 Gadwall (Knarand, Mareca strepera) and five Scaup (Bjergand, Aythya marila) migrating south and north respectively.

See this link to Dofbasen for a full account of this morning's sightings during the standardised count period.

I have also finished going through the nocturnal sound recording (recorded from the observatory garden) on the evening of 10th-11th May. Highlights between civil dusk and dawn include: 2 Common Scoter (Sortand, Melanitta nigra), 1 Redshank (Rødben, Tringa totanus), 2 Oystercatcher (Strandskade, Haematopus ostralegus), 2 Knot (Islandsk Ryle, Calidris canutus), 1 large flock of Greenshank (Hvidklire, Tringa nebularia) https://www.xeno-canto.org/647798, followed shortly after by a rattle from 1 Lesser Whitethroat (Gærdesanger, Curruca curruca) presumably awoken in the garden by the noise overhead, 1 Whimbrel (Småspove, Numenius phaeopus), 1 Dunlin (Almindelig Ryle, Calidris alpina), 2 Common Sandpiper (Mudderklire, Actitis hypoleucos) https://www.xeno-canto.org/647793, 1 Black-headed Gull (Hættemåge, Chroicocephalus ridibundus), 2 Blackbird (Solsort, Turdus merula), 2 Tree Pipit (Skovpiber, Anthus trivialis) https://www.xeno-canto.org/647802, and lastly a four minute period of song from a Nightingale (Sydlig Nattergal, Luscinia megarhynchos) at 04:15am (20 minutes before we left the observatory to open the nets)!

Ringing: 12 Lesser Whitethroat (Gærdesanger, Curruca curruca), 4 Chiffchaff (Gransanger, Phylloscopus collybita), 2 Willow Warbler (Løvsanger, Phylloscopus trochilus), 1 Sedge Warbler (Sivsanger, Acrocephalus schoenobaenus), 1 Wren (Gærdesmutte, Troglodytes troglodytes), 2 Robin (Rødhals, Erithacus rubecula), 2 Blackcap (Munk, Sylvia atricapilla), 2 Whitethroat (Tornsanger, Curruca communis), 1 Dunnock (Jernspurv, Prunella modularis), and 1 Great Spotted Woodpecker (Stor Flagspætte, Dendrocopos major).

People: Amanda, Rasmus, Simon, Bent, and Samuel.