Birding volunteer Michael Colley, from Gambia, untangles a screaming bird from one of the volunteer’s 18 mist nets, a thin net that catches birds in flight, on Sunday, April 16, 2023 in Skagen, Denmark. At the northern tip of Denmark, a small group of volunteers living in the Skagen Grey Lighthouse are responsible for collecting data on a common yet essential animal- birds. The volunteers, who usually stay at the station in Skagen for a handful of months, are often awake long before sunrise and work until sundown, adapting to a limited sleep schedule in order to maximize data collection. Ringing sessions, which involve attaching a small ring to the bird’s leg, are essential for tracking bird migration. These sessions require the volunteers to be awake by 3 a.m. during the first weeks of April and even earlier during the summer months. The volunteers regularly capture, ring and release over 50 birds a day when the mist nets are set up.