Sunday, March 06, 2022

Northern Øygarden 04.03 - 06.03 2022 - Seawatching season start

On Friday 04.03 all my free time was taken up with an abortive attempt to get my COVID booster. A flock of 60 Redpoll gråsisik headed south over my house not long after dawn and a couple of Guillemot lomvi turned up just off my terrace.


A couple of Guillemot lomvi photographed from my terrace

A trip to Herdlevær on 05.03 was relatively quiet but once again flocks of Redpoll gråsisik and Siskin grønnsisik very obvious. There was some light rain early in the morning so I checked out a few places on the way to Herdlevær and was rewarded with two Mistle Thrush duetrost at Harkestad - which predicatably proved popular with the birders from town. On the way home I picked up a male Stonechat svartstrupe at Kollsnes which had been found there a short time earlier.

Male Stonechat svartstrupe at Kollsnes

Two Mistle Thrush duetrost at Harkestad

...one came ever so slightly closer

I started the seawatching season at Skogsøy with a couple of hours from 08:00-10:00 on 06.03. Passage wise it was a relatively normal early March seawatch with 91 Oystercatchers tjeld heading north and 87 Shag toppskarv heading south. A nice White-billed Diver gulnebblom fished offshore in very nice scope range as did a Red-necked Grebe gråstrupedykker, Black Guillemot teist and the largest flock of Purple Sandpiper fjæreplytt thus far this year flew past (29 is still not very many though!).  Other sightings included a Great Northern Diver islom flew south quite close in, a hunting Peregrine vandrefalk and some large flocks of Siskin grønnsisik and Redpoll gråsisik heading over - once again south was the direction of choice.


Great Northern Diver islom


One of the many Oystercatcher tjeld flocks heading north

Massively cropped Red-necked Grebe gråstrupedykker.
It looked much better in the scope:)

On the way home two Stonechat svartstrupe at Kollsnes and the two Mistle Thrush duetrost remained at Harkestad.


Back home a Goshawk hønsehauk flew over (first from the house this year) and a Guillemot lomvi put in an appearance too. A Collared Dover tyrkedue singing in the evening was probably the first time I have heard this song from the terrace.



Guillemot lomvi


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