Øygarden 28 May 2010

Willow Warbler løvsanger
Willow Warbler løvsanger

Lesser Whitethroat møller

Highlight today was another singing Icterine Warbler gulsanger, this time on the outskirts of Kollsnes næringspark. Other birds in the same area included yet another singing Lesser Whitethroat møller and a male Merlin dvergfalk flying over.

A Sedge Warbler sivsanger finally turned up at Tjeldstø.

Hernar 27 May 2010 - Corncrake and Rosefinch!

Female Common Rosefinch rosenfink - typically located just as the boat was leaving...
One of three singing Sedge Warbler sivsanger on the island

Fieldfare gråtrost obviously feeding hungry babies

An excellent morning on Hernar - really didn't want to get that boat back today.

Best bird was a "singing" Corncrake åkerrikse - a long awaited bird for me in Øygarden. It sang on and off for much of the morning. Almost as good was a female Common Rosefinch rosenfink that turned up moments before the boat left.

Otherwise it was a case of quality rather than quantity - although the noise from three singing Sedge Warbler sivsanger and a couple of Common Whitethroat tornsanger made up for the lack of numbers.

Øygarden 26 May 2010 - Good News!

Not really out today. Great news though - the proposed wind park at Kollsnes has been turned down. Eagles and Owls would no doubt be rejoicing if they knew what was going on.

Øygarden 25 May 2010

Part of a Barnacle Goose hvitkinngås flock
Red-throated Diver smålom

Velvet Scoters sjøorre

Barnacle Goose hvitkinngås overhead

Distant shot of two pale phase Arctic Skua tyvjo

A late 'n' lazy seawatch at Skogsøy produced surprisingly little of interest given the wind conditions. Highlights were a couple of flocks of Turnstone steinvender, approximately 275 Barnacle Geese hvitkinngås moving north, a couple of dark phase Arctic Skua tyvjo, several Velvet Scoter sjøorre and about 20 Red-throated Diver smålom.

On the way back home a couple of light phase Arctic Skua tyvjo circled over Herdlevær. A return trip in the evening produced five Whimbrel småspove feeding there as best birds.

The Bar-tailed Godwit lappspove remains at Tjeldstø.

Hjelme 24 May 2010

Nuthatch spettmeis

Just a short stroll out today but managed to see a rare sight for Øygarden - a pair of Nuthatch spettmeis which seemed to be breeding in the area. First I have seen in Øygarden this year.

Otherwise a Lesser Whitethroat møller singing along with a host of the common species, including a Cuckoo gjøk.

Tjeldstø 23 May 2010

There are quite a few Lapwing vipe chicks like this one around now
Black-tailed Godwits svarthalespove of islandica race

Black-tailed Godwit svarthalespove and Bar-tailed Godwit lappspove (right hand bird)

Bar-tailed Godwit lappspove on the left this time

A short stroll around the reserve produced five Black-tailed Godwit svarthalespove and a Bar-tailed Godwit lappspove as the best sightings. Must be getting on for a record year for Black-tailed Godwit observations.

Other stuff included more newly hatched Lapwing vipe chicks and a female Wigeon brunnakke.

Øygarden 22 May 2010

One of a few Sedge Warbler sivsanger at Breivik

Anyone with a mist net? This one would surely be worth catching!

Once again barely out of the house.

A Peregrine vandrefalk hunting in the reserve at Tjeldstø and a few Sedge Warbler sivsanger at Breivik was all there was time for.

Nautnes 21 May 2010 - Icterine Warbler

Icterine Warbler gulsanger

Willow Warbler løvsanger

Golden Plover heilo

Indoors and working all day but a tip-off about a singing Icterine Warbler gulsanger at Nautnes corresponded with the children coming home from school and we immediately left to see this infrequent Øygarden species.

Later in the evening some distant Golden Plover heilo at Breivik warranted some extra checking.

Skogsøy 20 May 2010

Part of a flock of Red-throated Diver smålom
Raven ravn

Relatively quiet today with a little over 70 Red-throated Diver smålom, a White-billed Diver gulnebblom, a single Black-throated Diver storlom and an Arctic Skua tyvjo all heading north together with small numbers of Puffin lunde and Kittiwake krykkje.

A couple of Twite bergirisk and an assortment of other passerines also passed the lookout point.

Back at Tjeldstø a Peregrine vandrefalk caused widespread panic amoung the Common Gulls fiskemåke and even the Greylags grågås demonstrated their defence tactics for the many goslings feeding around Husvatnet.

Herdlevær 19 May 2010

Above and below Sedge Warbler sivsanger

Lapwing vipe sees off a Herring Gull gråmåke

Seemed like there had been a small arrival of birds with a female Blackcap munk and a Sedge Warbler sivsanger noted.

At Tjeldstø a Bar-tailed Godwit lappspove fed beside Husvatnet in the evening - probably the same bird seen yesterday evening.

Tjeldstø 13 May 2010

Calm, sunny and WARM!

A Greenshank gluttsnipe was the first in Øygrden this year - this species is nothing like as common in the spring as it is in autumn.

Other stuff of interest included the singing Lesser Whitethroat møller, a couple of singing Blackcap munk, a Common Whitethroat tornsanger and a few Sand Martins sandsvale.

At least three White-tailed Eagle havørn paying attention to the geese - no doubt looking to pick off some of the many newly hatched young.

Øygarden 12 May 2010 - Barnacles

One of many Wheatear steinskvett at Herdlevær
A 3cy Lesser Black-backed Gull sildemåke (right hand bird) at Kollsnes

Lapwing vipe

Barnacle geese hvitkinngås

Tjeldstø produced most of the interest starting with flocks of Barnacles hvitkinngås passing over the house during my morning coffee.

This promted a trip to Herdlevær which produced a few hundred more northbound Barnacle Geese. A half hour seawatch with just binoculars resulted in over 30 Red-throated Diver smålom passing.

Also at Herdlevær at least one Common Whitethroat tornsanger - the first for me this year although this bird was first reported a couple of days back.

Back at Tjeldstø in the evening two Black-tailed Godwit svarthalespove and a Dunlin myrsnipe seen from my living room promted another trip out - which resulted in a couple of Wood Sandpiper grønnstilk - another new for the year.

Tjeldstø 11 May 2010

Golden Plover heilo feeding out in the reserve
Oystercatcher tjeld raising the alarm

A Sparrowhawk spurvehauk caused some concern among the Common Gulls fiskemåke today. Other than that very much business as usual with more geese chicks about and a flock of at least 17 Golden Plover heilo out in the reserve.

Øygarden 10 May 2010

Lesser Whitethraot møller
Golden Plover heilo

At Tjeldstø the first Common Tern makrellterne of the year turned up outside the house during breakfast.

A pair of Wigeon brunnakke, nine Golden Plover heilo and a further increase in Redshank rødstilk numbers also noted at Tjeldstø.

Lesser Whitethroat møller heard singing at Tjeldstø and Hjelme.

Skogsøy 09 May 2010

Wheatear steinskvett at Breivik
White-billed Divers gulnebblom

Deer at dawn

Yet another good day at Skogsøy - with five White-billed Diver gulnebblom passing at close range and three Arctic Skua tyvjo as highlights. Four Arctic Tern rødnebbterne were the first of the year and over 120 Long-tailed Duck havelle moved north. "Only" a little over 60 Red-throated Diver smålom today.

Another new bird was a singing Sedge Warbler sivsanger at Breivik

Tjeldstø 08 May 2010 - Black-tailed Godwits

Black-tailed Godwits svarthalespove from yesterday evening (didn't leave the house for the birds that turned up today)

Part of a flock of 25+ Golden Plover heilo out in the reserve today

White-tailed Eagle havørn bugging the geese

Northerly winds and sunny weather meant that Skogsøy should have been the first choice today.

Stayed at home and was rewarded with the Pinkfoot kortnebbgås that turned up yesterday.

In the late afternoon a flock of four Black-tailed Godwit svarthalespove flew in and landed beside Husvatnet - no doubt different birds to the three seen late yesterday evening and not seen again.

The first Lapwing vipe and Greylag grågås chicks were seen today - a couple of days after the first Mallard stokkand chicks were seen. Strange to think that some birds have young whilst others have yet to even arrive...

Hernar 07 May 2010

Purple Sandpiper fjæreplytt in summer plumage - one of 24 seen today
Two Whimbrel småspove taking a break on their migration north

Red-throated Diver smålom

Long-tailed Duck havelle - at least 50 seen today

Above and below a female Blackcap munk feeding on the ground

Glorious calm, sunny and warm weather meant the day was going to turn out well.

Hernar was full of stuff - though probably a lot less today than yesterday. An absolute minimum of 10 Chiff-chaff gransanger and four Blackcap munk were the most numerous migrants. A Sand Martin sandsvale was the first in Øygarden this year and amazingly yet another Crane trane flew over - another new to the ever increasing Hernar list! Remarkably no Wrens gjerdesmett or Willow Warbler løvsanger were seen on the island.

The Tree Sparrow pilfink from the previous visit were still about. Wheatears steinskvett and Twite bergirisk everywhere meant there was always something to see.

A look around the islands by boat produced small numbers of Red-throated Diver smålom heading north, several Black Guillemot teist, four Whimbrel småspove and 24 Purple Sandpipers fjæreplytt. A total of around 50 Long-tailed Ducks havelle scattered about on the sea were now largely in their rather strange breeding plumage.