On 28th April I did Herdlevær and Tjeldstø before heading into town to pick up a couple from Hurtigruten.
Tjeldstø produced the goods both on the way into town when I found the first Spotted Redshank sotsnipe of the year and on the way home when birders looking for the Spotted Red had found two nice male Ruff brushane and Greenshank gluttsnipe. I also managed brief views of an early male Whinchat buskskvett which frustratingly vanished before I could get anyone onto it.
Herdlevær produced Collared Dove tyrkerdue and an early Arctic Tern rødnebbterne new for the year. Goldfinch stillits, Twite bergirisk and the usual suspects were also present. Half an hour with the scope gave 31 Red-throated Diver smålom, 85 Oystercatcher tjeld, several Common Scoter svartand and more in addition to the tern.
A Jay nøtteskrike at Hatten was another local first - not something I've even tried to see so far and I was actually hoping for something else entirely:)
A flock of 18 Barnacle Geese hvitkinngås flew north over Kollsnes - today would have been a good day to sit at Skogsøy!
In the evening a roding Woodcock rugde seen from my terrace was a fitting end to a quite productive day.
On 29th April Common Sandpiper strandsnipe was another local first for 2026 and seen from my terrace as we prepared to leave for a day out and about.
Hjelme failed to produce what I had hoped for which was very frustrating but a Cuckoo gjøk was a new for the year here. A good variety of woodland species turned up including a few Common Crossbill grankorsnebb - the first I've seen for a while.
The obligatory stop at Husvatnet produced a remarkable record in the form of a Jack Snipe kvartbekkasin - I think this is the first time I have seen this species on spring migration even though it is a regular autumn migrant and an occasional winter visitor.
Other good birds at Tjeldstø were two Barnacle Geese hvittkingås, a Goshawk hønsehauk and several White-tailed Eagles havørn. At least two pairs of Tufted Duck toppand hint at some possibilities but usually these birds move on despite appearing settled for a while.
We then headed inland where there was a mixture of disappointment and success. A nice Green Woodpecker grønspett was the best sighting on the avian side of things but was eclipsed by nice views of a Pine Martin mår! Pied Flycatcher svarthvit fluesnapper and a variety of other species were also noted - but not the one we went inland for:(
In the evening at least four roding Woodcock rugde were seen from the terrace just befoe bedtime:)
Another visit to Hjelme on 30th April was again unsuccessful for the target species.
However, Stonechats svartstrupe were more cooperative with two nice males seen at two localities as we left Øygarden in search of some other species.
Herdla was the first stop where we had hoped to see the Yellow Wagtails gulerle that have been reported there the last few days. This was not to be but a good selection of decent birds were seen with two Lapland Buntings lappspurv, four Bar-tailed Godwits lappspove, a male Ruff brushane and a Red-necked Grebe gråstrupedykker. Good numbers of waders included 360 Golden Plover heilo in stunning summer plumage, Greenshank gluttsnipe and the usual breeding wader species at this site. A male Pied Wagtail svartryggerle was probably the same bird as on my previous visit there. A House Martin taksvale was the first I've seen on this side of the country too - as well as being a bonus species on the "wish list".
With time running out and with heavy traffic time was limited by the time we reached Gullfjell. After some initial disappointing scans of the area the target species showed very well indeed as we left the area - a lovely Dipper fossekall.
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