Sunday, October 25, 2009

Øygarden 25 October - Gyr falcon and Dusky Warbler!

Record shots (1/100 at 1200 ISO!) of the Dusky Warbler brunsanger at Blomvåg


Juvenile Gyrfalcon jaktfalk at Herdlevær




Having been tied up with a run of birthday partys and various other domestic stuff I'd pretty much given the weekend up as "lost". However, an opportunity to get out presented itself late in the afternoon and needless to say I wasted little time getting out and about.

First stop was Herdlevær which initially seemed very quiet indeed. Just as I was turning for home some Hooded Crows kråke alerted me to the presecence of a raptor which, after some searching, I found on a distant hilltop. I almost wrote it of as just another Goshawk hønsehauk but walked a kilometre or two to get nearer it, all the while the Gyr Falcon jaktfalk possibility grew stronger and stronger until there was no doubt at all.

Towards the end of this chase I received a message about a Dusky Warbler brunsanger which was playing hard to get at Blomvåg which put me in something of a dilemma - try and clinch the Gyr Falcon or go for the sibe which might be a no show anyway. Not easy but I settled for the Gyr in the end.

Not having heard anything further regarding the warbler I chanced it anyway - and saw this amazingly active and very vocal vagrant in rapidly fading light.

Other stuff reported from Øygarden today included the first Little Grebe dvergdykker of the autumn near Toftøy.

What a day!

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