What's better than 1 nutcracker on the roof? 2 NUTCRACKERS IN THE HAND

Ringing:

It finally happened. After 40 years of ringing at Blåvand Bird Observatory, we finally got our first nutcracker (Nucifraga caryocatactes). Two, in fact! Through a combined effort of Anton's audio lure and Strummer's dedication to spending hours at the net waiting, Blåvand history was made. This came both the end of the DOF Felttræf and during the final days of Strummer's time at the station, so spirits were high after a not too exciting field season. The nutcrackers were extracted by Strummer and Thomas and ringed by Strummer and Johan. 

Double nutcracker day! Only a few individuals show up in this area this year, and this is the first time they have been ringed at Blåvand Bird Observatory.

The Blåvand volunteer team: Anton, Johan, Storm, Strummer, Mathilde

The birds attracted a crowd as around 45 people showed up to see them and take pictures. It was a great end to the DOF Felttræf and the first time the bird was seen in the hand for many. 

A crowd of DOF and DOF Ung birdwatchers show up to see a nutcracker in the hand. 

Apart from the nutcrackers, the ringing went relatively quiet, apart from Johan getting to ring his first sparrowhawk. 

At the Station: 

The obs today was certainly not an obs of all time, to say the least. The wind was blowing mostly from the south, which can be not terrible, but at 9-10 meters per second, it was simply a wind of no birds. 

This is clearly reflected in the numbers today, with only 5 Grey Wagtails (Motacilla cinerea), 68 Chaffinches (Fringilla coelebs), 50 Meadow Pipits (Anthus pratensis), 253 Common Scoters (Melanitta nigra), and just about Red-throated Loons (Gavia stellata). The only real notable highlight at obs today was a single Richard’s Pipit (Anthus richardi), only giving off a couple of calls before disappearing into the marsh northeast of obs. Now, a Richard’s Pipit is of course never a species to scoff at, but the quality of the obs wasn’t mind-blowing

All in all, a quite boring day at obs - hopefully the coming week can bring some more interesting winds, and with it, some more interesting birds to obs.

At the station: Strummer Edwards, Mathilde Sif Eiby, Anton Ræbild Jensen, Johan Them Steffensen