Sunday, August 12, 2018

Skogsøy 11 August 2018 - White-tailed Eagle takes on Gannet

Fresh North westerly at first, calming to virtually nothing around 0800.

The weather forecast meant that there was little choice other than to drag myself out of bed and get out there. For once I managed to get up on time, but the results were a little disappointing.

The sky gave a moody backdrop today


A steady stream of Gannets havsule was the mainstay as usual with at least 260 heading north in the almost three hours I sat there. A couple of Great Skua storjo were the best birds.

A Curlew storspove and a Whimbrel småspove flew past together providing an opportunity to take some comparison shots:

Curlew storspove - very pale underwings and no head markings
Bill length and shape not much to go on here!

Whimbrel småspove - darker underwings and head markings
Bill rather similar to above image in this case

White-tailed Eagle havørn beating up on a Gannet havsule


White-tailed Eagle havørn

It was really a day for White-tailed Eagles havørn with an adult flying over on my way out followed by a young bird trying to be a skua - it beat up on a Gannet havsule, forcing it into the sea and made repeated passes at it once the bird was down. Not a behaviour I recall seeing before. Several more were seen elsewhere including a flock of three.


Carrion Crow svartkråke

Also picked up a Carrion Crow svartkråke near Sture - probably the same bird I saw in the area earlier in the summer.

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