Skogsøy 04 May 2026 - Blistering Barnacles

Another morning spent staring out to sea:)

Today there was  a decent movement of Barnacle Geese hvitkinngås on their way back up to Svalbard. A leucistic bird was in the first flock that past after I arrived which may be the same as the one I photographed on Svalbard last year. I probably missed some flocks which passed behind me - I had flocks over land on my way out and on the way home again.

Otherwise it was more of the same as the previous visit really - but with the addition of a nice pod of Orcas spekkhogger working their way north.

Orcas spekkhogger heading north

Red throated Diver smålom N 119

White Billed Diver gulnebblom N 15

Northern Gannet havsule N 54

Eurasian Shag toppskarv N 18, S 36

Barnacle Goose hvitkinngås N 1072

Long tailed duck havelle N 131

Common Scoter svartand N 43, S 5

Merganser siland N 1, S 1

Oystercatcher tjeld N 18

Whimbrel småspove N 7

Common Gull fiskemåke N 16

Lesser black backed Gull sildemåke N 1

Black-legged Kittiwake krykkje N 3

Common Guillemot lomvi N 4

Razorbill alke N 18

Atlantic Puffin lunde N 1

Auk N 7

Leucistic Barnacle Goose hvitkinngås

Migrating Barnacle Geese hvitkinngås

Common Scoter svartand

Gannet havsule

Guillemot lomvi

Long-tailed Ducks havelle

Shags toppskarv

White-billed Diver gulnebblom - just what this time of year is all about:)

On the way home the only sightings of note were a flock of 65 Golden Plover heilo at Breivik and a male Reed Bunting sivspurv at Tjeldstø.

Golden Plover heilo at Breivik