Whinchat!!!!

Observations:

A steady day with not too crazy numbers. We again had the company of David at in dunes, but the big numbers or species didn't really show up. To not keep ranting about Eurasian Oystercatchers (Haematopus ostralegus) and Red Knots (Calidris canutus) we could mention that we did have 10 Common Shelducks (Tadorna tadorna) across the beach and 3 Red-throated Loons (Gavia stellata) who are slowly turning up these days.

After reloading on coffee and sleep after standard, Jonas and I went for some bush bashing in the early afternoon. With the ball up we weren't able to go to the spiciest areas, and the results agreed. We had a Spotted Flycatcher (Muscicapa striata) and some Northern Wheatears (Oenathe oenathe), but nothing that really got the adrenaline goin'. Jonas noted that it is maybe the time he has had in Blåvand with the least birds, but noone can say that we're not putting in the work.

Todays observations 

Ringing:

With winds having died down to mere 3-4 m/s, we were able to open all of the nets in both the Station and the Lighthouse gardens. The last while, the very first round of standard has been empty more times than not, so when Strummer and I each got a European Robin (Erithacus rubecula) in the very beginning of the day, we got our hopes up for a not-too-boring day (at least by Blåvand standards). Though we have seen busier days, we still got decent numbers of birds, with my runs at the Lighthouse producing on average a bit more than 1,5 birds per round.

Then, on the second-to-last round of standard time, I saw two birds hanging in the net that comes just after the Helgoland trap. First, there was a European Stonechat (Saxicola rubicola), but as opposed to all the other Stonechats I had caught before, which were juveniles, this one had the unmistakeable markings of an adult-like male!

Adult male European Stonechat. The reason he looks so scruffy is because he is in the middle of his post-breeding moult, so he is in the process of changing all of his feathers. Foto: Johan Them Steffensen

Already giddy with excitement, since we've been hoping to catch one of these for a while, I extracted this bird, but when I went over to the other, which I had upon a very brief glance assumed would probably be another Stonechat, I noticed that it was a bit bigger, had a very pronounced light eyebrow-stripe, as well as white bases to its tail-feathers; it was a Whinchat (Saxicola rubetra)!! I very excitedly texted Strummer about it and finished the round, which also produced the first Spotted Flycatcher (Muscicapa striata) of the season, before going up to the laboratory to ring the birds, where I was joined by the whole Blåvand volunteer gang who all wanted to see the Whinchat (it was even a lifer for some of them). 

Young male Whinchat. This is the first time this species has been caught in Blåvand since 2023, and it was a new lifer for both Strummer and Johan, as well as the first time I have handled it/seen it handled. Foto: Alba M. Holmberg

Young Spotted Flycatcher, the first for the season in Blåvand. Photo: Johan Them Steffensen.

After this, we did not catch much else of note before a sudden rainshower coming out of nowhere forced us to close the nets. Although the numbers weren't crazy, with 25 birds caught in total (23 new and 2 recaptures), the Whinchat has elevated it to one of the most exciting standard-days of the season so far in my eyes.

Today's captures:

At the station: Strummer, Alba, Jonas, Johan, David Manstrup