Monday, November 03, 2014

Skogsøy 03 November 2014 - Quantity not quality

Fresh south westerly, occasional light showers

Spent 2.5 hours seawatching and for once I got it right - there was a big movement following the strong winds of the last couple of days. The improvement in the weather triggered a mass movement of gulls and divers but little else.

It was an enjoyable, if somewhat intense seawatch - with almost 2000 birds passing. I undoubtedly missed a lot as things were passing at all ranges and it was impossible to cover everything. Several thousand gulls must have passed through Øygarden today and the flocks never stopped and were passing over land, down the fjord as well as out over the sea.

Numbers seen between 09:30 and 12:00:

Cormorant storskarv S 78
Gannet havsule S 10
Common Gull fiskemåke S 710 (minimum!)
Herring Gull gråmåke S 530
Great Black-backed Gull svartbak S 75
Kittiwake krykkje S 180 adult, 20 1K
Black-headed Gull hettemåke S 10
Red-throated Diver smålom S 140
White-billed Diver gulnebblom S 1 adult
Great Northern Diver islom S 2
WB/GN Diver S 1
Common Scoter svartand S 126
Velvet Scoter sjøorre S 21
Long-tailed Duck havelle S 2
Eider ærfugl S 2
Shag toppskarv S 10
Little Auk alkekonge S 43
Razorbill alke S 9
Auk sp S 15

Cormorant storskarv

First year / 1K Peregrine vandrefalk


Red-throated Diver smålom

Black-headed Gull hettemåke

Flock of Common Gulls fiskemåke

Common Scoter svartand

Adult Kittiwakes krykkje


Also present were a Peregrine vandrefalk and a couple of adult White-tailed Eagle havørn

The goose flock at Breivik consisted of 29 Pinkfeet kortnebbgås and 17 Greylags grågås today.




The only migrant passerines of note were the first Long-tailed tits stjertmeis of the year in Øygarden feeding in trees at Harkestad. Still good flocks of Redwing rødvingtrost, Fieldfare gråtrost and Starling stær pretty much all over.

No comments: