No branch is safe in Blåvand

Ringing:

Let’s get back to another slow day at ringing in Blåvand! Myself, Strummer and Storm manned the ringing team and apparently that was more than enough. We kept spirits high but only got visited by 19 newly ringed birds and 3 recaptures. In this stack we had some cool specimens that included a Eurasian Blackbird (Turdus merula), that seemed to have skipped a greater covert in its moult. A very easy limit to see. Other than that we had a decent amount of thrushes in the opening rounds today, and to top it off a male Eurasian Bullfinch (Pyrrhula pyrrhula) that gave some great runway looks. Always a great bird.

The moult limit can be seen even by the most untrained eye. Weird bird. Photo: Johan Them Steffensen.

Beautiful Eurasian Bullfinch (Pyrrhula pyrrhula) that needs no introduction. Photo: Johan Them Steffensen.

Observation: 

Yesterday was a bit slow, especially after the doozy of an obs we had the day before yesterday (01-10/2026). Today we were lucky enough to be blessed with better winds from the south (i.e. no more of the dreadful wind from the northwest), and it rewarded us with a pretty fruitful day at obs.

Firstly, the numbers were pretty decent. With over 4500 Chaffinches/Brambling (Fringilla coelebs/F. montifringilla) moving through, and other highlights like over 50 Songthrushes (Turdus philomelos) and over 320 Starlings (Sturnus vulgaris) flying past, it was a more than satisfactory day. 

Secondly, the rarities were also present. Notably, the Pallid Harrier (Circus macrourus) from yesterday and the day before was still in the area, and it gave yet another great showing. An Olive-Backed Pipit (Anthus hodgsoni) also flew by early into the obs, but unfortunately, no one from the station heard it. A Little Bunting (Emberiza pusilla) passed close by obs around 08.40, which I (Anton Ræbild Jensen) luckily heard, as I have never seen the species before (shoutout to Mikkel Bello for getting it on tape).

Today's observations 

Extracurricular activities:

In the comings and goings of the station in news we have had the pleasure of being visited by Kulten from Aarhus University which is student society focusing on field biology. They found some rare birds for us today and we are hoping they’ll do the same tomorrow.

We also utilized the bad ringing winds to gather energy for some garden work. The station bois got to wield some blades and cut stuff. Nice. Who says men can’t prune.

Todays ringing numbers:

At the station: Strummer, Storm, Anton, Mathilde, Johan, Peter, Jonathan, Lærke, Jonas, Anton, Felix, Tue