Øygarden 20-24 January 2026 - A trickle of new species

The weather turned colder, basically calm and sunny but freezing temperatures at least at night.

On 20th January I spent a few hours out in a boat with a couple of friends, there was still too much swell for productive birding in the best places so a few inshore locations were visited. Duck numbers are just a shadow of what they were when I first moved out to Øygarden. Oslofjord gets a lot of attention in the media as it is "dead" (a serious overhype n my opinion) but here in the west things too have also deteriorated alarmingly with no mention of the serious decline in birds and other species. Ling-tailed Duck havelle numbers used to be in the low 100's. These days we are lucky to see over 20 or 30. 

A flock of around 40 Long-tailed Ducks havelle were thus a welcome sight. A lone Velvet Scoter sjøorre, a couple of Common Scoter svartand, a single Curlew storspove and a Black Guillemot teist were in the Tvisloket area along with several White-tailed Eagle havørn.

Heading south past Nautnes and through Langsund was rather quiet bird wise with just a single Common Gull fiskemåke of minor interest. An Oystercatcher tjeld at Alvheim was new for the year and at Solberg a Lapwing vipe flew over - the first for 2026:)

Curlew storspove at Tvisloket - smaller numbers than usual appear to be overwintering here

Heron gråhegre in Alveheimsundet

Flyover Lapwing vipe at Solberg

Long-tailed Ducks havelle, at least at photogenic as Long-tailed tit stjertmeis

An Otter eating a Butterfish (tangsprell). Picture taken from my terrace once I was safely back at work...

One of many White-tailed Eagles havørn seen.

With life returning to normal I only managed a short trip out on 21st January. 

I found a well hidden Woodcock rugde and manged to take a few pictures from a distance without flushing it.  At Tjeldstø I saw my first Rock Pipits skjærpiplerke of the year as well as another Woodcock rugde, a White-tailed Eagle havørn and a flock of Fieldfare gråtrost.

A walk at dusk produced several Woodcock rugde, a Water Rail vannriskse and both Wren gjerdesmett and Robin rødstrupe feeding well past bedtime. The latter was using streetlights to extend its foraging time.

The cold conditions are taking a toll, here a dead Grey Heron gråhegre at a freshwater locality - I'm not sure why this happens as it seems like there is plenty of food in the sea that should be available to the Herons.

Woodcock rugde showing its extremely good camouflage. These pictures were taken at a safe distance without flushing the bird and are heavily cropped. Look for the eye! 

White-tailed Eagle havørn at Tjeldstø

The following day I was barely out of the house. A nice flock of Parrot Crossblls furukorsnebb gave great views after they had quenched their thirst at one of the few available areas of unfrozen water. They did not hang around and I only managed an almost record shot.....

Parrot Crossbill furukorsnebb at Tjeldstø

A Willow Tit granmeis at Hovden was another new species for the year, small numbers of this species have been observed in Øygarden recently.

An extended trip to Skogsøy on 24th was something of an anticlimax with just a Great Northern Diver islom feeding in the bay, a Rock Pipit skjærpiplerke and barely the usual suspects. The drive home produced a couple of Snipe enkeltbekkasin and a Water Rail vannrikse.

Common Snipe enkeltbekkasin