Skogsøy 31 December 2006

Peregrine vandrefalk, picture taken without telephoto lens

Generally rather quiet with few duck and even fewer auks. Best birds were two Northern Fulmar havhest heading south - a surprisingly rare bird in winter. Several Black-legged Kittiwake krykkje also knocking about.

Suberb views of a Peregrine vandrefalk hovering overhead; later seen with prey and being chased by a remarkably agile White-tailed Eagle havørn which looked as if it managed to force the falcon down....

Thirteen Greylags grågås at Kollsnes were a little unseasonal. Snipe enkeltbekkasin, Eurasian Sparrowhawk spurvhauk and three more White-tailed Eagle havørn from the house.

Øygarden 30 December 2006

Iceland Gull grønlandsmåke

Difficult to see on this picture but the bird on the right has yellow legs....

Just a couple of hours out trying to do my bit for the New Years weekend bird race; things started very well as a Peregrine vandrefalk flew over the garden as I left. Solberg was first stop and it was here the best bird turned up - a 2K Iceland Gull grønlandsmåke. Two Eurasian Curlew storspove and at least three, probably five White-tailed Eagle havørn also seen here.

A brief stop at Alvheim produced "only" a Kestrel tårnfalk as best bird and the only other bird of note was at least one Woodcock rugde at Hjelme.

A potentially interesting gull "got away" - a Herring Gull gråmåke with yellow legs seen in terribly poor photgraphs taken of the Iceland Gull. Lucky to get as much as that - the camera only powers up on one of three attempts, makes a series of grinding and clicking noises as it does so and the autofocus has stopped working altogether.....

Solberg 29 December

A total of six White-tailed Eagle havørn together was a good total. Twenty Purple Sandpiper fjæreplytt fed on the rocks and a Gannet havsule headed south. A flock of 35 Long-tailed Duck havelle were about the only birds not scared off by the eagles.

Tjeldstø 28 December 2006

Fantastic weather. Best bird today was a Northern Goshawk hønsehauk, probably the same one that turned up in late November. Other birds included two White-tailed Eagle havørn, a small flock of Purple Sandpiper fjæreplytt, two Redwing rødvingtrost and a Common Snipe enkeltbekkasin.