Saturday, March 18, 2017

Herdlevær / Tjeldstø / Storavatnet 18 March - Eagle quest leads to some good birds

Guiding again today (just about the only reason I can get to spend more than a couple of hours out!) in calm and sunny conditions.

The aim was getting close to White-tailed Eagles havørn - something that we managed but only just despite seeing an absolute minimum of 11 different birds including eight at one locality!

Started the day at Herdlevær which showed that there was a good passage of birds migrating north today - not that I paid that much attention. At least 100 Common Gulls fiskemåke, plenty of Gannets havsule and Oystercatchers tjeld were on the move. Otherwise it was more or less the usual with a White-tailed Eagle havørn, and most of the usual suspects including a few Tree Sparrow pilfink.

Next up was Tjeldstø where Husvatnet produced my first Meadow Pipit heipiplerke of the year, a pair of Tufted Duck toppand, a few Lapwing vipe, a flock of 20 Woodpigeons ringdue among the Greylags grågås and other birds. A male Scaup bergand, a small flock of Skylark sanglerke, a Gannet havsule, a Curlew storspove and a few more White-tailed Eagle havørn were among the other species seen at Tjeldstø.

Storavatnet's best birds today were a truly massive Goshawk honsehauk and a Golden Plover heilo - both being the first I have seen locally this year. More White-tailed Eagles havørn here as well as a couple of Sparrowhawk spurvehauk and another Curlew storspove.

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