Migration of birds at Blåvandshuk

Blåvandshuk is a perfect destination for those with an interest in birds. It is one of the best places in the country to spot those birds that are living on land as well as seabirds at the same time.

Every spring and fall thousands of geese, ducks, shorebirds, seagulls and terns are forced to navigate around the westernmost point of Denmark, Blåvandshuk.

The location made it a natural place for bird watching, and coincidentally, Blåvandshuk is home to one of Denmark’s oldest stations as Blaavand Observatory and Ringing Station resides here. The station contributes to the important collection of data concerning the birds’ annual movements and also performs ringing for the Museum of Zoology. The birds are collected in nets that are being checked every half hour. Each captured bird’s age and gender is then determined before it gets a ring around its leg and is set free again.

When the wind is favorable big flocks of songbirds can sometimes be heard among the more than 340 different kinds of birds that passes the lighthouse at Blåvandshuk every year.

  • Blaavand Observatory and Ringing Station has existed since 1963 and is among the oldest and most experienced in the world.
  • The station’s observations take place half an hour before sunrise and last for three hours.
  • The age and gender of all the temporarily captured birds are getting determined before they are released again.

Address

Blåvandshuk Fyr, Fyrvej, 6857 Blaavand.