European Serin in the nets!

Morning observation

This morning, Emma decided she wanted to join the morning observation, because she wanted to gain some experience in observing. Levi decided to sleep in, so it was Thomas, Emma and me today. The migration was better than the other days. We had some higher numbers than normal, but the variation in species was quite low.

Todays observations can be seen here.

It was fun to have Emma at the obs today. She even found out that she had a ‘’super talent’’: she can look with both of her eyes through the scope. She can use her right eye for the counting and her left eye for looking at the details. Thomas and I also tried, but didn’t succeed.

After around two hours, Thomas left because he had to drop off Hanelie at the train station. She will be helping in Gedser Bird Station for 1,5 week, so Morten is taking over the ringing here in Blavand. After the obs, Emma and I joined the ringing to help Morten out. After standard time, we closed the nets in the Lighthouse garden. The nets in the Stations garden were open all day.

Thomas and Marit at the morning obs. Picture: Emma Gray

Ringing

Hanelie and Morten opened the nets this morning. She joined the ringing for a few rounds before she had to go to Gedser. Morten continued the ringing.

After standard time, the nets in the Station garden stayed open until 17:00. Morten caught some really nice birds, like a Tree sparrow “Skovspurv” which was ringed in 2019! He also caught a European Serin “Gulirisk” which we very rarely ring out here. In the last 40 years it is ringed less than 5 times here at Blavand. Also, one of the recaptured Greenfinches “Grønirisk”, Morten has ringed it himself in June 2022.European Serin. Picture: Marit Nillissen

Morten also started taking blood samples of the long distance migrating birds such as the Willow warbler and the Lesser Whitethroat. With these blood samples, we can check if these birds have the West Nile Virus, which is coming from Africa.

At the station: Levi van den Os, Joseph Stephan, Emma Gray, Thomas Kristensen, Morten Jenrich Hansen, Marit Nillissen