Breivik 07 June 2012

Light southerly winds and sunny.

Female Reed Bunting sivspurv

A few House Martin taksvale were the only indication of any movement.

Singing Sedge Warblers sivsanger and Reed Buntings sivspurv seen at the usual place - very much business as usual in other words.

Hernar 06 June 2012

Finally a change in the weather, light winds from various directions and feeling rather warmer.

 Singing Grasshopper Warbler gresshoppesanger

 Above and below Meadow Pipit heipiplerke

One of many Willow Warblers løvsanger seen today

Spent the day on the island of Hernar. Hightlights here were the singing Grasshopper Warbler gresshoppesanger that has been present for at least a couple of weeks.

The only other migrant of any note was a Garden Warbler hagesanger.

However, plenty of birds and plenty of activity. Redpolls brunsisik, Twite bergirisk and Willow Warblers løvsanger very plentiful.

Small numbers of Red-throated Diver smålom heading still heading north - eight seen during almost an hour of seawatching.

Tjeldstø 05 June 2012 - More young ones

Light northerly winds and sunny.

 Crow kråke skull - not sure what this died of but it seemed to have to extra holes in the back of its head

 Newly hatching (and still hatching!) Herring gull gråmåke chicks

 Lapwing vipe chick

Feamle Teal krikkand leading her young to safety

No migrants of note other than a Ringed Plover sandlo feeding beside Husvatnet - an unusual time and place for this species.

More and more species now have young. More Lapwiing vipe, Redshank rødstilk chicks seen today along with at least three Teal krikkand families. Herring Gulls gråmåke are still mainly sitting on eggs but at least one brood had started hatching with a young one in the nest and another on its way out of the egg.

A handful of Arctic Tern rødnebbterne pairs also sitting on eggs.

Solberg 04 June 2012 - 20 minutes

Still strong northerly winds, but cloudy instead of sunny.

Male Snow Bunting snøspurv - an apt sighting given the chilly northerly winds for the last week or so....

Meadow Pipit heipiplerke

A quick dash to Solberg proved surprisingly productive with a cracking male Snow Bunting snøspurv as the highlight. This is probably the first June sighting of this species in Øygarden.

Other stuff included a Great Northern Diver islom heading north and a lone Ringed Plover sandlo on the shore.

Skogsøy 03 June 2012 - last of the poms?

Rather predictably the strong northerly winds continued....

 Above and below: almost all the Gannets havsule passing were immature

 Still small numbers of Oystercatcher tjeld and other waders heading north

 Above and below: Red-throated Divers smålom

A few hours spent seawatching at Skogsøy proved reasonably productive with a flock of three Pomarine Skua polarjo being the highlight. Possibly the lat birds of the spring...?

Other stuff included 30 Red-throated Diver smålom, 38 Oystercatcher tjeld, approximately 100 Arctic Tern rødnebbterne and small numbers of the usual auks, Gannets havsule and Fulmar havhest. Heading south were a total of 50 Common Scoter svartand.

Tjeldstø 02 June 2012 - more young

Sunny with cold northerlies yet again.

 Just a few of the Greylag grågås young present on Husvatnet today

 Newly fledged Meadow Pipit heipiplerke

 Anxious Redshank rødstilk parent

Adult White-tailed Eagle havørn being mobbed by Hooded Crow kråke

Even more young birds to be seen today with Redshank rødstilk chicks beside Husvatnet (probably hatched a few days ago) alongside young Lapwing vipe. Out in the reserve a well grown Meadow Pipit heipiplerke has probably left the nest a little early...

An adult White-tailed Eagle havørn made a few attempts to catch a gosling but the parent geese defended well and the goslings dived so in the end the eagle moved on. A little under 100 Greylags grågås put to flight by the eagle today.

A Sparrowhawk spurvehauk was a relatively rare breeding season sighting today.

Skogsøy 01 June 2012 - Chilly seawatch

Finally some birding time!

Sunny but very cold in the fresh northerly winds.

Wearing the same gear as in December with the exception of a warm hat- something that was sorely missed today.

 Barnacle Geese hvitkinngås

 Part of the Brent Goose ringgås flock

Heavily cropped record shot of the Sanderling sandløper

A fairly steady passage of birds throughout the four hours or so we sat there:

Arctic Tern rødnebbterne north ca 90
Kittiwake krykkje north 30
Pale-bellied Brent Goose ringgås north 30
Puffin lunde north 24
Gannet havsule north 20
Red-throated Diver smålom north 12
Razorbill alke north 9
Common Scoter svartand north 7, south 8
Barnacle Goose hvitkinngås north 7
Fulmar havhest north 5
Long-tailed Duck havelle north 2 (fairly late observation)
Common Guillemot lomvi north 4
Black guillemot teist north 2
Dunlin myrsnipe north 1
Sanderling sandløper north 1 (unusual spring sighting)
Arctic Skua tyvjo (dark phase) north 1

Elsewhere in Øygarden a hunting Peregrine vandrefalk was an encouraging sight.