The superb weather continues with sun for the most part along with light SE winds.
On 11 December I decided to start the day at Tjeldstø. I was rewarded with several Snipe enkeltbekkasin - as expected and a flock of 17 Greylags grågås which had found a good place to hide from casual observers. I also picked up a Velvet Scoter sjøorre, the usual White-tailed Eagles havørn and more.
Frustratingly a falcon put in an appearance and I struggled to identify it even when zooming in all the way in my scope. The bird was at long range and was not Kestrel or Peregrine. Judging the size was the challenge and I am not sure why I don't just claim it as Gyrfalcon jaktfalk. It seemed to be hunting Cormorants storskarv yet looked a bit on the small side for this. I spent a long time watching it sitting on a look out post before it went low over the water to one Cormorant roost and then proceeded to another island with Cormorants before heading off south down the fjord. Something just did not click for Gyr, normally they seem huge.
A trip to Skogsøy on 12.12 could have been a photo bonanza had I been in my usual place instead of the relatively newly built hide (don't ask). Best birds were a total of four Great Northern Divers islom - two of them together at point blank range and the next two also together although a little further out. My camera was still in my rucksack so I only have myself to blame. A Peregrine vandrefalk also posed nicely but I had not opened the window it was visible from....Several each of Gannet havsule and Kittiwake krykkje along with singles of Black Guillemot teist and Velvet Scoter sjøorre and a distant small pale bird low over the sea that was rapidly overtaken by a Guillebill was also intriguing to say the least. Little in the woods other than a flock of around 20 Common Crossbill grankorsnebb.
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