Skogsøy and Herdlevær 15 May 2024 - BOOM!

I spent the morning seawatching at Skogsøy in good company:) 

We stopped at Breivik on the way there and picked up a couple of singing Sedge Warblers sivsanger.

Skogsøy was relatively quiet with only small numbers of Red-throated Diver smålom, a dark phase Arctic Skua tyvjo and a couple of Great Northern Divers islom of note. A Dunlin myrsnipe heading south was the first I've seen locally this year. Some flocks of Oystercatcher tjeld heading south too - autumn already?

Southbound Black-headed Gulls hettemåke

Shag toppskarv (right) and Cormorants storskarv

Adult Great Northern Diver islom

The bird was panting and had its beak open resulting in a "no beak" look. However, no doubt about ID - good views in the scope

2cy Great Northern Diver islom - although the bill looks pale we should have been almost blinded by the reflection from a bananabill

Shelduck gravand heading south

I left to make a meeting back home and on my way back to the car a message ticked in - Subalpine sp at Herdlevær.!! I picked up the pace somewhat and made brief contact with the bird before heading back for the meeting. Perusal of photographs showed it to be a female Eastern Subalpine Warbler rødsmekksanger - first county record! Big congrats to the finder Eirik Adolfsen - yet another star find.

Female Eastern Subalpine Warbler rødsmekksanger