Sunday, December 31, 2006

Skogsøy 31 December 2006

Peregrine vandrefalk, picture taken without telephoto lens

Generally rather quiet with few duck and even fewer auks. Best birds were two Northern Fulmar havhest heading south - a surprisingly rare bird in winter. Several Black-legged Kittiwake krykkje also knocking about.

Suberb views of a Peregrine vandrefalk hovering overhead; later seen with prey and being chased by a remarkably agile White-tailed Eagle havørn which looked as if it managed to force the falcon down....
Thirteen Greylags grågås at Kollsnes were a little unseasonal. Snipe enkeltbekkasin, Eurasian Sparrowhawk spurvhauk and three more White-tailed Eagle havørn from the house.

Saturday, December 30, 2006

Øygarden 30 December 2006


Iceland Gull grønlandsmåke

Difficult to see on this picture but the bird on the right has yellow legs....


Just a couple of hours out trying to do my bit for the New Years weekend bird race; things started very well as a Peregrine vandrefalk flew over the garden as I left. Solberg was first stop and it was here the best bird turned up - a 2K Iceland Gull grønlandsmåke. Two Eurasian Curlew storspove and at least three, probably five White-tailed Eagle havørn also seen here.

A brief stop at Alvheim produced "only" a Kestrel tårnfalk as best bird and the only other bird of note was at least one Woodcock rugde at Hjelme.

A potentially interesting gull "got away" - a Herring Gull gråmåke with yellow legs seen in terribly poor photgraphs taken of the Iceland Gull. Lucky to get as much as that - the camera only powers up on one of three attempts, makes a series of grinding and clicking noises as it does so and the autofocus has stopped working altogether.....

Friday, December 29, 2006

Solberg 29 December

A total of six White-tailed Eagle havørn together was a good total. Twenty Purple Sandpiper fjæreplytt fed on the rocks and a Gannet havsule headed south. A flock of 35 Long-tailed Duck havelle were about the only birds not scared off by the eagles.

Tjeldstø 28 December 2006

Fantastic weather. Best bird today was a Northern Goshawk hønsehauk, probably the same one that turned up in late November. Other birds included two White-tailed Eagle havørn, a small flock of Purple Sandpiper fjæreplytt, two Redwing rødvingtrost and a Common Snipe enkeltbekkasin.