Saturday, March 02, 2019

Øygarden 02 March 2019 - Red-necked Grebe

Chilly southerly wind and rain after around 1230.

Despite the worst weather thus far this week I was out birding for real today! Not just drive-bys but actually out with the scope. Magic!

I started at Hjelme West which proved quite productive - the highlight being the first Red-necked Grebe gråstrupedykker of the year (also the first for the county).  Numbers of seaduck were up at last with around 110 Long-tailed Duck havelle and over 30 Common Scoter svartand. Other regulars here included a Black Guillemot teist, over 20 Oystercatcher tjeld, 40 Purple Sandpipers fjæreplytt, a Curlew storspove and White-tailed Eagle havørn. Despite the wintery feel a Skylark sanglerke flew over too.

After this I checked out Alvheim (virtually nothing - definitely getting the feeling this locality is not as good as it once was), Solberg (just a couple of White-tailed Eagle havørn and FINALLY a few Long-tailed Duck havelle here too) and Dåvøy where the Grey Heron gråhegre roost numbered 26 birds.

Tjeldstø still held the Mute Swans knoppsvane along with the long staying two Wigeon brunnakke and Tufted Duck toppand. A lone Lapwing vipe beside Husvatnet was potentially the same bird I had there a few days ago. The first Oystercatcher tjeld of the year for this locality also turned up.

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