Øygarden 30.09 - 08.10.2022 - Giving up

Hopes of having time off in October evaporated quickly.

A Common Sandpiper strandsnipe and a Willow Tit granmeis from my terrace on 30.09 and 01.10 respectively were the only notable sightings on these days.

A 15 minute walk at Breivik on 02.10 resulted in a Peregrine vandrefalk as well as the more usual Sparrowhawk spurvehauk, Skylark sanglerke, Snipe enkeltbekkassin and around 40 Meadow Pipits heipiplerke.

On 03 October the first Goldeneye kvinand of the autumn turned up on Rotevatnet, a Spotted Redshank sotsnipe flew over (possibly the same bird as seen later in the day across the fjord at Herdla).  A female Pintail stjertand turned up at Husvatnet along with several Wigeon brunnakke. A small flock of Goldfinch stillits flew over here too. On the way home a (the?) Green Woodpecker grønnspett posed well, albeit in fading light.

A decent sized Conger Eel havål being set free

Green Woodpecker grønnspett

Female Pintail stjertand

Wigeon brunnakke

An interesting find the same day was a Conger Eel havål that my neighbour caught in a crab pot and released again. 

On 05 October I managed a massive 20 minutes at Breivik where the best bird was a Jack Snipe kvartbekkassin.

The following day no actual time out birding but picked up a flyover Barnacle Goose hvitkinngås at Tjeldstø along with three other gesse, probably Pinkfeet kortnebbgås. Another Barancle Goose hvitkinngås rested at Kollsnes.

Barnacle Goose hvitkinngås at Kollsnes

Rock Pipit skjærpiplerke at Breivik

This bird looked rather cleaner, with more well defined streaking and had  more obvious eye ring than most local birds have.

A seawatch at Skogsøy on 08 October was disappointing given the recent seawatching results both north and south of Øygarden with just 60+ Gannets havsule heading north, a few Red-throated Diver smålom heading south and a Black Guillemot teist along with a lot of rather distant auk and gull movement.