Tjeldstø 25 August 2015 - The one that got away?

Light easterly winds, overcast with occasional light drizzle.

Mixed flock of Ruff brushane and Golden Plover heilo

Merlin dvergfalk

Juvenile Whinchat buskskvett

Spent an hour in the reserve at Tjeldstø which proved frustratingly productive - a wader slightly bulkier than the Redshank rødstilk it accompanied and with a white "cigar" on its back flew over. The bird called a few times but I couldn't place the call. Proportion-wise it looked good for a Dowitcher but only a few sounds it made agree with anything I could find on xeno-canto.

Plodding onwards I picked up the usual selection of waders - including over 30 Golden Plover heilo, several Ruff brushane and a few Ringed Plover sandlo.

Other sightings of note were two Kestrel tårnfalk, a nice Merlin dvergfalk and a Whinchat buskskvett family.

Herdlevær 24 August 2015 - More waders

Light easterly winds, largely sunny

Yellow Wagtail gulerle

Bar-tailed Godwit lappspove

Curlew storspove

Knot polarsnipe

Knot polarsnipe

Common Snipe enkeltbekkasin

Typically for the time of year it was waders that provided most of the interest. At Herdlevær a few Knot polarsnipe were the first I've seen locally this year, other waders included Redshank rødstilk, Greenshank gluttsnipe, several Snipe enkeltbekkasin, some Curlews storspove, a Whimbrel småspove, a Ruff brushane, a Dunlin myrsnipe, a few Golden Plover heilo, a couple of Bar-tailed Godwit lappspove and a small flock of Ringed Plover sandlo.

Best of the rest here were a couple of Yellow Wagtails gulerle (also the first I've seen in Øygarden this year) and a migrating Kestrel tårnfalk.

At Kollsnes a nice roadside Goshawk hønsehauk gave good views before taking off and scaring up about a dozen Snipe enkeltbekkasin, a Green Sandpiper skogsnipe and a few Golden Plover heilo. Kestrel tårnfalk was also seen here.

At another site recently it seems probable that an Eagle Owl hubro has had a successful breeding season - a bird heard "singing" was probably becoming territorial again and driving its young out of the area.

Tjeldstø 09 August 2015 - What I call nice weather.

Southerly winds, overcast and mild.

Not what most people call good summer weather during an early stroll around Tjeldstø but ideal conditions for some grounded waders.

Greenshank gluttsnipe

Part of a Snipe enkeltbekkasin flock

Spotted Redshank sotsnipe

Wheatear steinskvett

Highlight was a Spotted Redshank sotsnipe - looked like an adult so not the same bird as yesterday. Also migrating Greenshanks gluttsnipe, a Redshank rødstilk sounding like it still has young in the area, a first summer Lapwing vipe, a Curlew storspove and a flock of around 20 Snipe enkeltbekkasin.

Skogsøy 08 August 2015 - A typical early August seawatch

Nice conditions with more or less clear skies and a light NW breeze.

A couple of hours or so from 05:45 to 08:00 produced the usual early August suspects on the move - Oystercatcher tjeld, Common Gull fiskemåke and Great Skua storjo,

Part of a southbound Greylag grågås flock

Gannets havsule were passing close in today

Migrating Common Gulls fiskemåke

Oystercatchers tjeld

Typically for this time of year there were some flocks of moulting male Eiders ærfugl

Highlight was a nice adult Bar-tailed Godwit lappspove - the first of the year in Øygarden for me,

Totals were:
Gannet havsule, N33, S63 - very many of these were very close in
Cormorant storskarv S5
Shag toppskarv N7
Greylag grågås S28
Oystercatcher tjeld S219
Bar-tailed Godwit lappspove S1 adult
Common Scoter svartand 1

A Spotted Redshank sotsnipe was reported from Tjeldstø - quite possibly the same tringa wader I saw go down in the same place yesterday evening.

Hernar 06 August 2015 - Black Redstart!

Winds once again more or less southerly, mostly sunny.

Above: first year Black Redstart svartrødstjert

Ruff brushane passing overhead

Spent the morning checking out Hernar. The highlight was a most unexpected find in the form of a Black Redstart svartrødstjert, Not only is this a strange time of year for this species but the bird appeared to be a youngster and thus may not have had time to travel very far.....

There have never been any records of Black Redstart  in Øygarden between mid May and the last part of October before:

Black Redstart occurrence in Øygarden

Not much in the way of other migrant passerines but there were a few flocks of Ruff brushane, several Redshank rødstilk, a steady passage of Common Gulls fiskemåke and some Greylags grågås on the move.

Good numbers of Twite bergirisk and most of the usual Hernar suspects.

Late in the evening I had a migrating Green Sandpiper skogsnipe over the house

Tjeldstø 05 August 2015 - Raptors

Southerly winds again but sunnier than yesterday.

Highlights during a late and lazy walk around the reserve were a hunting Peregrine vandrefalk, a young Cuckoo gjøk and a White-tailed Eagle havørn.

At Nautnes a Goshawk hønsehauk had a good go at one of this year's Common Gull fiskemåke young and Golden Plover heilo flew over on a couple of occasions.

Herdlevær 04 August 2015 - Some more waders and other autumn migratuion

Southerly winds and overcast.

Had several species of waders including a couple of Whimbrel småspove and a Golden Plover heilo as well as some small flocks of unidentified waders heading south over the sea.

Other migrants included a few Swift tårnseiler and at least one Great Skua storjo. A flock of around 20 Fieldfare gråtrost also looked like migrants.

Otherwise just a couple of adult White-tailed Eagles havørn and the usual suspects.

Back home at Nautnes a Greenshank gluttsnipe flew over.

Tjeldstø 03 August 2015 - Some waders

Light easterly winds and sunny.

Redshank rødstilk

Ruff brushane

Highlight were three Ruff brusfugl - the first of the autumn for me although seven were reported from the same locality earlier in the day. These birds were obviously migrants but at the same time Redshank rødstilk were still concerned about the well-being of their young.

A decent selection of waders were reported from the area today including Grey Plover tundralo