Øygarden 21-31 August - Mum visiting and more dog sitting

 On 21 August I did an all day visit to Hernar - a place I have being paying scant attention to this year. There were almost no migrants as such although I did notch up a few Hernar year ticks in the form of Great-spotted Woodpecker flaggspett, Nuthatch spettmeis, Greenshank gluttsnipe, Ruff brushane, Common Crossbill grankorsnebb and more. Didn't even reach the 40 species mark although two unidentified warblers shortly before the boat home would have helped the tally along nicely.

Not birding as such the next day but a stop beside Husvatnet on the way home produced a few Swifts tårnseiler and a flock of seven Goldfinch stillits also at Tjeldstø.

A walk at Herdlevær on 23 August produced little other than small numbers of the usual waders on the move and a Green Sandpiper skogsnipe.

Dino

Not quite Whisky but close enough💗

First year Redshank rødstilk, photographed from the same place as where I stood to take the dog picture

Taking both the dog and my mum out for some fresh air at Tjeldstø the following day showed that there were quite a few waders hidden in the reserve with 10 each of Ruff brushane and Golden Plover heilo, nine Curlew storspove, a few Lapwing vipe, Greenshank gluttsnipe and Ringed Plover sandlo present. A flock of around 500 Starling stær  at Oen and a several early duck movers were at Kollsnes in the form of Wigeon brunnakke and Teal krikkand.

Since "the dog needed to go out" I covered Tjeldstø again on 25 August and clocked up a similar selection of waders with an extra Spotted Redshank sotsnipe flying up out of the reserve. An afternoon stroll with the dog at Nautnes (the usual walk with him) produced a surprise first year Black-throated Diver storlom - thank you Dino:) The third new species for Nautnes thus far this year:) This is the rarest diver locally and most often seen migrating rather than up close and personal.

First year Black-throated Diver storlom - and the first record of this species at Nautnes

Didn't quite make it onto the house list though😥

I kept things simple on 26 August too, doing another repeat of Tjeldstø - being the closest walk with any chance of success. Spotted Red again and Golden Plover heilo numbers up to 40 along with several Snipe enkeltbekkasin , a few Wigeon brunnakke and a Kestrel tårnfalk.

On the last day of dog-sitting I predictably did the same again - but almost all the waders had cleared out.

After the dog left I didn't get out of the house, something I hope at least work might be happy about.

Great-spotted Woodpeckers flaggspett continued to turn up where they have not been present, so there is definitely something going on there.

My tripod head broke meaning that I couldn't really use my scope for over a week until the new one arrived, not that this made a difference as the problem was almost purely hypothetical.

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