Welcome to the first issue of Field Notes!
In an attempt to write a little more regularly here on the blog, Field Notes will be updates about what I’ve been up to between my travels. In this first issue, I write about traveling to different nature spots in East Denmark and about reconnecting with my creativity.
April and May 2026
In April and May I visited my parents in their summer house in northern Zealand. I spent lots of time outdoors watching birds, but I also started doodling and eventually drawing some of the birds I’ve seen on travels. I obsessed over buying high-quality pens, and I spent many evenings drawing different birds species.
Earlier in the year I had taken up painting with water colors, where you can create all colors you want with fewer materials than with pens. But I felt that with these pens (pitt artist pens) it was easier to do some quick drawing, because every time I wanted to do water coloring I had to prepare our dining table before eventually creating anything. And every time we had a meal, I had to take everything away again and back and forth. By late May I had picked up a good habit of drawing almost every evening.
As mentioned, I spent some quality time with my parents, and at the restored Søborg Lake in northern Zealand my parents and I saw this cute stoat sneaking around in the field by the lake (see photo below).
Søborg Lake is an extraordinary example of how Danish farmers 200 years ago removed natural habitats such as moors, bogs, peatland, streams, lakes etc. to have larger and more coherent farms, and after a decade of restoration work the lake is now returning slowly. Eventually, the lake will be about 330 hectares large and is now already home to a large number of waterbirds, and even white-tailed eagles are a common sight here! Be sure to bring your binoculars along, if you come to visit this place. Søborg Sø is reachable by public transport, if you don’t mind a walk from the train station in Græsted.
April was really a creative month, where I made a handmade piece of ceramics (an ugly moss-green mug!), and I also carved linoleum (aka linocut) with one of my best friends. I am lucky to have close friends that love being creative, and it’s such a cozy thing to do together.
After creating only my second linoleum piece I wanted to have unlimited access to the linoleum world, and decided to go all in and buy all the equipment for carving and printing at home. It’s really great to have everything at home, and I can pick up something I am working in the evenings after work, and continue refining pieces of linoleum.
An AI model created the design of the kingfisher below from a quick prompt, and I could easily carve this out. Later I have thought more about the design and there are things I would have done differently! But now I know the proces of sketching, carving and printing an edition of linoleum.
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About visiting Kalvebod Fælled – the best nature reserve close to Copenhagen!
Only 30 minutes on bike away from my home in Copenhagen, I can go birdwatching at one of the most important wetlands of Eastern Denmark.
Kalvebod Fælled is another example of restored nature, that used to have another purpose. Kalvebod Fælled is a result of land reclamation since the 1850’s, followed by being used as a military shooting terrain, and then finally being protected in 1990 and cleared for explosives.
Today Kalvebod Fælled consists of a matrix of lakes, wetlands, dry meadows, wet meadows, birch forests etc. Klydesøen (translation: The lake of Avocets) is the most important area for waterbirds, where I photographed these birds below (Common Redshank and Little Grebe).
Today there is only one bird hide for proper waterbird photography at Kalvebod Fælled, but I recently learned that there will be a new and improved bird hide! I am looking forward to seeing the result, and trying it out myself. Shout-out to Mallorcas S’Albufera Reserve that boasted eight bird hides!
In early May, the male Great Snipes gather at a display arena before heading up north to breed, and they had a stopover in Kalvebod Fælled, where they for several consecutive nights could be heard (and sometimes barely seen!) around twilight. They were hiding in tussocks and I didn’t get to see any, but I was lucky to have good hearing – and I was able to hear them ‘singing’.
It was a very special experience to hear the Great Snipes at Kalvebod Fælled, and I got to see the place in different colors than usual.
Final birds
Besides residing in my parents summerhouse, I also frequented my partners parents cottage which also happens to be close to some great wetland habitats and small forests in Odsherred, northwestern Zealand. I am extremely thankful for being able to visit different summerhouses, allowing me to get away from the very urban neighborhood I am residing in.
Have you visited a good birding/wildlife spot recently? And would you ever consider traveling to Denmark for wildlife/birds?
Stay tuned for more travel and birding content, and thanks for following along!
Best,
Rie
*None of the mentioned places or experiences in this post were sponsored.
© All photos are my own unless stated and may not be used without permission.
