Tuesday, August 31, 2021

Øygarden 27 - 30 August 2021 - Finally home again

Having been away there is inevitably a lot to catch up on. On 27 August a trip to the shops at Tjeldstø produced an interesting falcon seen from the car and into the sun but I got a strong Hobby lerkefalk vibe. I turned the car around and headed after it. I got onto a falcon mobbing a huge female Goshawk hønsehauk but again it was into the sun and distant....

My terrace produced the usual White-tailed Eagles havørn, a small flock of Curlew storpsove feeding in the heather and most of the usual species. 

On 28 August I had a quick look at Tjeldstø but it was very quiet with just several Snipe enkeltbekkasin seen.

A walk at Herdlevær on 29 August gave a few species of wader, including a rather grey looking Golden Plover heilo that needed a closer inpsection. Other migrants here included a Kestrel tårnfalk and the first Yellow Wagtail gulerle of the autumn.


Golden Plover heilo

White Wagtail linerle

On the way home a couple of Spotted Redshank sotsnipe fed at Husvatnet, Tjeldstø along with nine Ruff brushane and three Redshank rødstilk.

On 30 August I spent a couple of hours at Skogsøy in strong northerly winds. It was generally quiet with around 40 Gannet havsule heading north along with a single Fulmar havhest and a few Arctic Tern rødnebbterne. For some reason even the waders were heading north with small flocks of Knot polarsnipe, Turnstone steinvender and Ringed Plover sandlo flying the wrong way into the wind. A few Dunlin myrsnipe and Sanderling sandløper flew south. A Peregrine vandrefalk gave excellent views here too.

Knot polarsnipe

The two Spotted Reds were still at Husvatnet on the way home and gave much better views and were also quite vocal at times. 








Spotted Redshanks sotsnipe at Tjeldstø


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