Sunday, April 20, 2008

Øygarden 20 April - Egyptian Goose!!

The first Egyptian Goose niland for Øygarden (and Hordaland)
(Click on picture for larger image)
Flight shot - the bird had some feathers missing from its left wing....
By Øygarden standards this was a full on "twitch" with several birders driving out from Bergen...

I was otherwise engaged when a message came in about an Egyptian Goose niland at Kollsnes. Needless to say I was on my way to see this first for Hordaland in no time, despite it only being a category C species. With it was a Canada Goose kanadagås - a far from common species in Øygarden.

Canada Goose kanadagås - a local rarity in Øygarden, despite good numbers nearby.

Other stuff seen at Kollsnes included a flock of seven Golden Plover heilo - the first in Øygarden this year, a Wheatear steinskvett or two, Skylark sanglerke singing and plenty more.

A Kestrel tårnfalk - the first at Tjeldstø this year flew over my house in the afternoon whilst a Merlin dvergfalk was reported from further north at Tjeldstø earlier in the day.

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