Don't ask too much

Morgen observation:

Efter nogle dage med blæst var det i dag noget mere stille, og vi tog igen plads i "hullet" i stedet for at gå til Sabinebunkeren. Henrik og jeg satte os klar kl. 5:45 og var okay fulde af forventning, for det var – som sagt – dagen efter blæsevejr, og det plejer at kunne noget. Derudover var vinden i SV, hvilket godt kunne give en del vader.

Kort efter obsen gik i gang, kom David også – og lige efter skete det, der sagtens kunne have været dagens højdepunkt: 7 almindelige kjover kom flyvende sammen over stranden, begyndte at småraste lidt, jagtede lidt rundt – og nogle af dem landede endda. Det var vildt fedt at se, og langsomt bevægede de sig videre mod nord.

I løbet af morgenen kom også Thyge Enevoldsen og Bent Jakobsen, så med fem mand i hullet skulle man tro, vi nok skulle finde et eller andet – men det kræver jo én ting: At fuglene er der. Og det var de desværre ikke rigtigt i dag.

Obsen var meget sløv, især hvad angik bevægelse – kun få vader trak. Men der var dog fin diversitet i arterne:

• 70 strandskader
• 26 stor præstekrave
• 8 hjejler
• 4 strandhjejler
• 79 islandske ryler
• 13 sandløbere
• 10 almindelige ryler
• 13 lille kobbersneppe
• 2 småspover
• 2 rødben
• og 17 stenvendere

I alt: 244 trækkende vader i dag. Det er jo ikke alverden – men dog nok til, at der var lidt at kigge på det meste af obsen.

Et andet højdepunkt var en flok på 5 fiskehejrer, der trak lige over hovedet på os – og så en lækker flok på 9 stenvendere, der virkelig kom fint og tæt forbi.

THK

Ringmærkning:

After all those windy days we did expect today to be a lot better than the days we had lately. It was still quite windy, though, so we didn’t want to get our hopes up too high – but did anyway. Somehow, when the sun came up in the morning, it didn’t really get light. It stayed very dark for another hour or so, so we also didn’t catch any birds, nor see or hear any. Just when we were about to despair (but obviously still needing to keep the nets open for standard time), the bird god had pity and sent us some birds into the nets. And within one hour and a half we caught more birds than we had for the last few days together. But then it was also over again – no more birds caught after those hopeful 90 minutes. So we closed when standard time ended – also because the wind was picking up again.

Even though we caught few birds, we have a remarkable long list of species (12 birds processed, 11 species!). But beside that, we also caught the only second Common redstart for the season (a juvenile again).

Pretty little thing

And also recaptured several bird that had been ringed last year: two tree sparrows (undoubtedly of the group breeding around the station building and always around), both ringed last year. Since it is impossible to age them after they start molting, that was a very welcome information – also because Tree sparrows don’t live very long on average, it is nice to know they are still among us.

And we also had quite a pretty recovery of a Yellowhammer that was ringed as a juvenile last year. By now he has become a very handsome “old” male. And he too is still alive.

For once, we caught a bird (a juvenile Stonechat) in the Helgoland trap!

Apart from that, nothing exciting. The winds are still strong and will be tomorrow, so we are currently hoping for more birds on Saturday.

MH

Folk på stationen: Estelle Cumin, Martina Hillbrand, Henrik Böhmer, Thomas Kristensen