Skogsøy 23 June 2010

Minke whale vågehval
Otter oter

Above and below dark phase Arctic Skua tyvjo

Highlight today was a Minke whale vågehval heading south - probably chasing a shoal of mackerel. One Otter oter and loads of Harbour Porpoise nise also seen.

Birdwise it was fairly quiet with highlights being a couple of Arctic Skua tyvjo heading north and a Great Skua storjo flying south. Small numbers of all the usual auks (Black Guillemot teist, Puffin lunde, Razorbill alke and Guillemot lomvi) and Red-throated Divers smålom also on the move.

Hardangervidda 19-20 June 2010

Shorelark fjellerke

Cranes trane

Bluethroat blåstrupe

Bluethroat blåstrupe

Spent a couple of nights in a tent up on the Hardangervidda. Superb experience as always.

Highlights included a couple of Crane trane and Great Snipe dobbeltbekkasin along with the usual Bluethroats blåstrupe, Shorelark fjellerke, Dotterel boltit etc.

Also out of Øygarden my latest trip report from Crete can be downloaded on this page.

Skogsøy 15 June 2010

Red-throated Diver smålom
Common Scoter svartand

Brisk NNW winds again today.

A late and lazy seawatch indicated that it probably would have been an idea to have started earlier. Hightlight were three Turnstone steinvender flying north. In addition to some late Oystercatcher tjeld passage over 70 Common Scoter svartand, 16 Red-throated Diver smålom, 13 Puffin lunde and a Fulmar havhest also headed north.

Tjeldstø 14 June 2010

Redshank rødstilk
Oystercatcher tjeld
Above and below Lesser Whitethroat møller

Goldcrest fuglekonge

Sunny but with a strong northerly wind. Should really have been out seawatching but time did not permit...

Highlight was a pair of Lesser Whitethroat møller, obviously rather anxious about a nest nearby. Otherwise it was business as usual, most of the waders and many of the gulls now with young. Flocks of newly fledged Starling stær feeding everywhere and the Greylags grågås all but disappeared....

A single Golden Plover heilo out in the reserve was the only migrant seen.