Tuesday, October 06, 2015

Hernar 05 October 2015 - A magic day's birding!

Sunny with light easterly and south-easterly winds.

One of the all-time best days out on Hernar ever!! A truly cracking day out with non-stop action from start to finish. No mega rarities but PLENTY of decent birds and a whole load of migration - and in fantastic weather to top it all!






Above: record shots of today's Pallid Harrier steppehauk


Highlights were a Pallid Harrier steppehauk (yet again!). This makes the third consecutive trip to Hernar with a harrier. It looks like this is a different bird to the one seen at Nautnes recently. We found it around 1500 and it promptly gained height and headed south - by 1510 it was already over Hellesøy.

Next best bird was a Red-throated Pipit lappiplerke migrating south. This bird came in low and very vocal.

Early morning Yellow-browed before the sun came up


More Yellow-browed Warbler gulbrynsanger

One of at least two Richard's Pipit tartarpiplerke seen today


The runners up were three Yellow-browed Warbler gulbrynsanger, two Richard's Pipits tartarpiplerke (one of which was actually on the ground for a change!).

Early morning Chiff-chaff gransanger

Newly washed Chiff-chaff gransanger

Part of a flock of 150 Cormorants storskarv migrating over the island today

Lots of Goldcrest fuglekonge about today

Most of the Goldfinch stillits flock present during the morning

One of two Ring Ousel ringtrost seen on Hernar today


There were loads of other migrants too including a Short-eared Owl jordugle, a flock of five Goldfinch stillits, two Ring Ousel ringtrost, loads of Chif-chaff gransanger, several Blackcap munk, a Snow Bunting snøspurv, a Lapland Bunting lappspurv, several Great Northern Diver islom and plenty more besides.

A flock of 15 Long-tailed Duck havelle were the first of the autumn, amazingly four Fulmar havhest headed south down Hjeltefjord - one of which was an intermediate phase bird. Amazingly this seems like the first record for the island!

Good numbers of Redwing rødvingetrost, loads of Brambling bjørkefink and most of the usual autumn suspects were also seen.

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