Good day. Forecast said stronger winds; yay, more western; yay, and better outlook from the bunker. When I landed in the bunker I was actually quite suprised that Kristoffer, Leon and myself were the only people getting ready for some seawatching this morning. The day set off quite nice, and we were quickly rewarded with Leach's Storm petrels (Hydrobates leucorhous) quite early, close and in numbers. A species that isn't exactly normal and always feels amazing to churn out as it really isn't for the lazy birder. The day ended out with 14 being observed from the bunker which is actually insane!

One of the 14 (14!!!) Leach's Storm Petrels that swinged by photographed by Leon Pedersen

It's weird to get to a point where I don't even mind that I weren't there for 5 of them :). Other than that we had Sooty Shearwaters (Ardenna grisea) to keep us on our toes where we spotted 4 today. A single Long-tailed Skua (Stercorarius longicaudus) also put it's way past the bunker, but the true highlight was the Sabines gulls. Plural. The first had us quite suprised. None of us had tried the bunker experience of getting them straight in the face! Throughout the day we had a total of 4 where the best individual flew right over our heads to the front of the bunker. Sabines gull from literally 10m away is and experience I will not soon forget.

One of the Sabines that jumped into the bunker photographed by Leon

Sadly we also said goodbye to Alba today who is abandoning us for Gedser to share some of her wisdom. She will be sorely missed from the work and the company around the house. 

We are welcoming new volunteers the coming days so we are hoping they'll be hungry after missing today and find us some rarities.

Todays observations:

At the station: Johan, Strummer, Alba, Kristoffer, Leon

A day with strong-ish winds from west-south-west. Myself, Alba and Kristoffer hit the Sabines with hopes of maybe a shearwater or two and maybe even a storm petrel. What we got in return was a whole lot of nothing. Our outlook was greatly limited by constant rains over the water, so even though we counted until 11am and started again at 5pm till sundown we didn't get anything to enjoy other than our daily dose of Northern Gannets (Morus bassanus), Red-throated Divers (Gavia stellata) and few mixed waters.

With the rarities staying away I had plenty of time to count Lesser Black-backed Gulls (Larus fucus), which yielded a nice amount (54).

Tomorrow winds look even stronger, so we might get some stormbirds. Hopes are even higher than they were this morning.

Todays observations

At the station: Alba, Strummer, Johan, Kristoffer, Leon

Today, we had no ringing due to strong winds and periodic downpour. Because of this, Johan was lucky enough to get my company for morning obs, where he was already joined by Kristoffer. Together, the three of us settled in for a rather boring one and a half hour, although a congregating flock of Northern Gannets (Morus bassanus) gave us some entertainment with practicing ageing the birds. 

About one and a half hour in, I spotted something that at first glance looked like a gull, but it flew with very stiff wings in the typical storm-bird swoops up and down along the reef. This is exactly the giss I have been told to look out for in Fulmars (Fulmarus glacialis), but as I had never actually seen one before, I wanted someone else to confirm the sighting. Just after I had said "That's not a gull, is it?", Johan spotted it and confirmed my suspicions, loudly exclaiming "Fulmar!!!" The three of us all managed to get very good looks at this amazing bird, as it flew very close by. 

Just after we lost the Fulmar, we were all still very excited and discussing the experience amongst each other, and while I was recounting the storm-bird flight pattern and how it was similar to for example Shearwaters move, Johan suddenly shouted at us to shut up as he had just spotted a Shearwater just at the reef. After a few seconds, I was also able to locate the bird, and quite quickly we were able to determine it to be a Sooty Shearwater (Ardenna grisea). This was another individual that came incredibly close, closer than any of the other Shearwaters any of us had seen thus far, and close enough that we could even see the light underwings. In less than a minute, it had passed by us. 

For the last hour, Strummer joined us as well, and we had a nice and relaxing time

Today's observations

At the station: Strummer, Alba, Johan, Kristoffer

Observations:

After a few days at home, I was really looking forward to seeing some birds today. Again, we had western winds, so I got a calm day back in action. Rain hit me sporadically on the post today, where I think I scrambled together 2 hours that could count as standardized. Very few birds today, but it was nice to get back to my Northern Gannets (Morus bassanus), 184 today; Red-throated Loons (Gavia stellata), 38 today; and 2 Arctic Skuas (Stercorarius parasiticus). One came really well in extremely good light, really showing off its "white commas" juxtaposed against an otherwise dark morph. Always a favorite bird of mine.

Todays observations:

Ringing:

Today we only had a few rounds of ringing before the rain hit, although in that time we managed to catch a few birds.  In the lighthouse Alba had one recapture Robin (rødhals) while in the station we had 4 new Blackcap (Munk).  Amongst those Blackcap, there were multiple young first cycle males who had a really nice contrast in the crown! 

Observations:

Ringing:

Today we had two guests who joined ringing for part of the morning, and obs for another part. Unfortunately, we only caught a few birds to show them (12 throughout the whole morning), but few birds also meant that I had time to show and explain some of the characteristics we use to age the birds. In this respect, the morning started out rather spectacularly, with the season's second adult Robin (Erithica rubecula) being the very first bird ringed. 

Wing of an adult (2k+) Robin. Note that, although a few of the greater coverts have some light spots, those spots are very small and dark-buffish compared to the typical spots on juvenile-type feathers, and that there is no shift in the base colours of the feathers, meaning that there is no moult contrast. This, combined with very rounded tail feathers, reveals it to be an adult individual. Foto: Alba M. Holmberg

The very last bird of the day was another welcome surprise: The fourth Blue Tit (Cyanistes caeruleus) of the season. As per usual Blue Tit fashion, it was an angry little ball of feathers with a tiny but strong beak that it used to tirelessly peck at me whenever it got the chance. Because of this, getting a good picture was a bit of a challenge, but we managed in between its hacking-barages on my fingers.

A young (1k) Blue Tit. The combination of a broad dark-blue neckband and very striking blue colours (seen better in person) indicates it to be a male. Foto: Alba M. Holmberg

Today's captures:

At the station: Strummer, Alba

Observations:

Ringing:

I'm starting to sense something of a pattern with the good ringing days immediately being followed up by pretty bad days. As yesterday was among the best days of the season, it must thus come as no surprise that today was pretty boring by comparison, with not even 20 birds being caught. This probably owes in great part to the fact that a constant light and foggy precipitation throughout the morning and day had reduced visibility to less than five kilometers, and (in my experience) birds tend to be less active during such conditions. 

Robins (Erithacus rubecula) still make out bulk of the captures, today with 8 individuals out of the total 18, but as they in general are very nice birds to work with, I have no complaints about that. With so many birds of one species being caught, it's fun to compare and contrast especially variable traits among individuals, such as, in robins, the size and colour of the light dots at the tips of the primary coverts. Now, most Robins have juvenile-type greater coverts rather large, whitish-buff tips on them, while most of the time, the adult-type coverts lack any such spots. However, there are many exceptions to this rule, with the juvenile feathers of some Robins lacking the spots entirely, and some adult feathers having (usually smaller and darker coloured) spots. A less extreme example of the last type of exception is shown in the picture below:

Wing of a 1k Robin, with the red line showing the moult limit between the juvenile-type outer greater coverts with big light spots on the tips, and the adult-type inner greater coverts, with small, more dark-buffish tips. Foto: Alba M. Holmberg.

Because of these complications, it is always important to, in addition to any change in the spotting of the greater coverts, also establish that there is a difference of base colours between the two generations of feathers before declaring a moult limit to be present (in Robins). 

Today's captures:

At the station: Strummer, Alba, Johan, Emil?

After the fiasco that was ringing yesterday, it could (almost) only get better today, and with mild northwestern winds and no rain on the forecast, it looked like it would. After having opened most of the nets in both the Station and Lighthouse gardens, I realized we might get a quite busy day when I caught a whole three Robins (Erithacus rubecula) in just the Station garden on the very first round (its usually a very good sign if we catch as many as two), and after having caught another 9 Robins and a Tree Pipit (Anthus trivialis) in the Lighthouse garden on that same run, I realized I had to call Strummer back from obs to help me out. 

The Robin invasion slowed down considerably, however, after that first round, but we still caught good numbers of them throughout the rest of the day, as well as fewer numbers of a good range of other species, landing us on a species total of 15 different species. The Robins, with 34 individuals caught, only one of which was a recap, contributed with more than half of all of the 62 birds caught today, with Willow Warblers (Phylloscopus trochilus) ranking second with (only) 5 individuals. 

The second coolest bird we got today is one I sadly don't have any pictures of, since it was the very first bird of the day, meaning I was too busy to take any. This was the very first, and currently only, adult (2k+) Robin of the season, which could be distinguished from its younger species-mates by its rounder tail-feathers as well as greater coverts lacking any sort of moult limit, instead all being of the olive-green adult feather type.

The undisputed coolest bird of the day was caught in our least-successful capture-contraption: The Helgoland Trap. To trap birds in the Helgoland trap, we usually clap and whistle to try to scare any birds in the big part of the trap down into the small box at the end of the tract-like ruse. This bird, however, had found its own way into the box, and had I not heard it flapping from outside and closed the box off, it might have flown out and escaped as I exited the trap. Luckily I did hear it, and when I checked to see what had ventured into the box, I saw that is was an eagerly awaited catch. It was a Northern Wheatear (Oenanthe oenanthe)!

Northern Wheatear, a first for the season! Foto: Strummer Edwards

Since Strummer and I have both been very eager to catch one, I called them up to the Lighthouse where they got to see it just after I had finished processing it, so we could both get some good pictures before letting it go.

After having had Station nets open for some time after standard was over, we also managed to replace some of the nets in the garden that needed it most, so hopefully these nets will catch more in the upcoming time.

Today's captures:

At the station: Strummer, Alba, Johan, Emil

Observations:

Ringing:

After the high that was yesterday, I should have predicted the low that was to come today, given our previous (lack of) luck this season. But alas, it was with an optimistic heart that I set out to open the nets this morning, hoping for a fun, slightly busy day split between the two gardens. Not even an hour (and not even 5 birds) went by before Strummer warned me about some ominous-looking clouds headed in our direction, and although DMI's radar didn't show any such precipitation, blindly trusting that piece of technology has come back to bite us before, so I decided to play it safe and only have the Station Garden open.

Although the clouds indeed did not bring much more than a very light drizzle (not enough to close the nets, but just enough to go rounds more frequently), the rest of standard time only brought 3 additional catches, as well as an almost-catch in the form of a Sparrowhawk that escaped just as I was running toward it. Thus, we ended with a total of 7 birds caught, all of them new, of which the bulk was young Robins (Erithacus rubecula) (3 individuals) and the next most common bird was the Common Chiffchaff (Phylloscopus collybita) (2 individuals). 

The very last bird of the day, a Dunnock (Prunella modularis), was a bit unusual though. When taking it out of the bag, I threw a cursory glance at its tail, and seeing some pretty broad and rounded retrices (tail-feathers), I expected it to be an adult (2k+), but when looking at its wing to properly age it, it looked to be a young (1k) bird. After taking a proper look at its tail though, I realized what was going on. 

Tail of the Dunnock. Foto: Alba M. Holmberg

It had lost at replaced half of its tail!! On the picture above, it can be seen that half of the tail (the right half as seen from above) consists of feathers with quite narrow and sharp ends, as well as a more brownish ground colour, while the other (left) half has broad feathers with rounded ends, sporting a more uniform grey-ish colour. The sharp tail-feathers are textbook juvenile tail-feathers, while the rounded ones are typical of adult Dunnocks, so why does this bird have both types? The answer is quite simple: It must have lost half of its (juvenile-type) tail and then regrown the lost retrices as adult-type feathers! 

This is one of the reasons that it is very dangerous to age a bird as being adult based only on the tail, as it could concievably have lost its whole tail at some point and then regrown it with adult-type feathers.

Another thing ringers look for in the tail-feathers when trying to age a bird is so-called growth bars, which are bands on the feathers of poorer quality than the rest of the feather originating from times where the bird did not get much to eat during the growth of the feather. For juvenile-type tails, these bands will usually allign pretty well with each other across the feathers of the whole tail, as juvenile birds typically grow out their whole tail at the same time. When adult birds moult their tails, however, they usually do that one pair of feathers at a time, so the tail is replaced in increments instead of all at once. Since not all of the tail-feathers grow out at once, any growth-bars will usually not allign across the whole tail. Thus, if the bars allign, its probably a young bird, and if not, its probably an adult. However, in the event of the tail getting lost when not in the context of moulting, all of the feathers can grow out simultaneously, even in adult birds, so there are exceptions to this rule. 

Though it is difficult to see on the picture, it looks as if the adult-type half of the Dunnock's tail has growth-bars that line up pretty well with each other, indicating that the whole half of its tail was lost at once, maybe to something like a Sparrowhawk grabbing onto it. 

Today's ringing totals:

Jernspurv (Dunnock): 1

Rødhals (European Robin): 3

Gransanger (Common Chiffchaff): 2

Løvsanger (Willow Warbler): 1

At the station: Strummer, Alba, Johan, Emil

Ringing

After many slow days of ringing, our luck finally seemed to break.  In the lighthouse, I had over 15 birds in just the second round, by far our best single round of the season, and Alba had 8 and 5 during the first two runs in the station.  What followed was a consistent stream of birds, with about five per round in the fyrhaven. 

Robins (Rødhals) were the primary bulk of the day with 26 caught (still all 1Ks unfortunately) but we also had a good deal of Dunnock (Jernspurv) and Chiffchaff (Gransanger).  

After the early rounds started to slow down, I took a minute to open the krat, hoping to catch something interesting.  Sparrowhawks (Spurvehøg) and Jays (Skovskade) were flying around the area so I was hoping we'd get lucky and catch one of the long awaited season firsts.  After a few rounds of 1-3 birds, I was heading over the hill to check krat when I saw a large bird caught at the far end of the long net.  I threw down my net stick and sprinted to catch it, luckily making it before the bird was able to escape.  I extracted it and brought it down to the station so we could give it a steel ring and make sure everyone saw it.  A quick look at the wing length and plumage characteristics easily identified the bird as a first cycle male, leaving plenty of time for pictures before we continued ringing. 

Just one hour later, I was in almost the exact same spot on the hill down to the krat when I saw a second sparrowhawk stuck, making for a lovely suprise! Alba was able to ring this bird and we did a quick demonstration for a group of families already at the nature center. 

We ended the day with 66 new birds and one recapture, by far our best day of the season.  

Observations

With no ringing today, Johan and I bravely trekked to the observation post for what we hoped would be a nice morning of birding.  With strong southwestern winds, we were hopeful we would have good luck with migrating passerines and anything else Blåvand would give us.  Thankfully we were rewarded with a remarkeable morning of observations.  

Throughout the day, we experienced a steady stream of southbound Common Scoters (Sortand), cummulating in the best count we have had all season with 941! There were other waterbirds throughout the day, including a season first Red-necked Grebe (Gråstrubet Lappedykker), notably only the second I've ever seen after I got my lifer at Blåvand in 2023. We also had a close flyby of Pintail (Spidsand) which was a welcome highlight when obs was in a bit of a lull.  

For passerines, it was a wonderful day of movement. Throughout the later morning, we were getting frequent flyovers of Meadow Pipits (Engpiber), ending the morning with over 200!!! We also had individual flyovers of White Wagtails (Hvid Vipstjert) and Sparrowhawk (Spurvehøg). 

People at the station: Strummer, Johan, Alba