Saturday, October 03, 2020

Herdlevær 01 October 2020 - SURF SCOTER!

 A morning walk at Herdlevær really produced the goods today. Light SE winds, overcast with  hint of rain turning sunny later.

As we neared the place where I normally stop for coffee and breakfast a scoter came flying past at close range. For some reason I thought I should lift my binoculars and check it out - and was immediately struck by the massive orange bill, white forehead and a large white neck patch - male SURF SCOTER brilleand!!. It then promptly vanished behind some rocks and was lost to view....the fifth county record and the third in Øygarden (previous two were migrating birds in May). Interestingly the only autumn record for the county turned up on 01 October - back in 1996 which is the only time I have seen this species in Hordaland / Vestlandet.

During our breakfast break a Great Northern Diver islom headed south along with several Red-throated Diver smålom

A total of five Yellow-browed Warblers gulbrynsanger, Grey Plover tundralo, Grey Wagtail vintererle and a good selection of other migrants were also noted.

On the way home a diver came in to land on a lake at Breivik. I called it as Black-throated Diver storlom at the time but when I looked at the pictures later it looked a bit more interesting than that....


No white flank patch despite a variety of poses and a hint of a chin strap made me think again when I downloaded the images in the evening.....


Also on the way home the Yellow-legged Gull gulbeinmåke was back to looking more like a Yellow-legged gull with strikingly different moult to the surrounding Herring Gulls gråmåke.

Herring Gulls gråmåke with very streaky heads

Yellow-legged Gull gulbeinmåke looking much more the part.
This bird is a regular pain and has not been identified with certainty - although many come down on the YLG side of the debate. I swing from omissus to YLG on this one. The clear white head clearly sets it apart from the local Herring Gulls so right now I am back on the YLG side of things:)

After a brief pause at home which produced a Guillemot lomvi on the sea in front of the house, a calling Grey-headed Woodpecker gråspett and a few Swallow låvesvale I headed out again.

At Tjeldstø a Lesser-spotted Woodpecker dvergspett called several times, a couple of Grey Wagtail vintererle headed south as did a few Kestrel tårnfalk and a Sparrowhawk spurvehauk. Three Lapwing vipe besde Husvatnet were a little unseasonal but this species has been recorded in every month of the year here.

One of a few Kestrels tårnfalk migrating today

Lapwing vipe


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