My better half made it over for the best part of a week and my oldest daughter suddenly made it over too💗 So birding continued but not at quite the same pace.
On 8th May I covered several localities without anything surprising. Migrants obviously continue to arrive and Common Sandpiper strandsnipe were suddenly "everywhere" even though some have been present for weeks. Cuckoo gjøk also turning up at more and more places.
The next day the birding gods deemed it fit to present the Grey-headed Woodpecker gråspett in exactly the spot I failed to see it during the previous guiding trips. I had started to think they had moved on.....
The male Grey-headed Woodpecker gråspett showed well again on 10th May too and even drummed on a streetlight (although street is way too big a word in this context). The first Lesser Whitethroat møller of the year turned up nearby (a very late first arrival around here - they are normally present before the end of April)). A Greenshank gluttsnipe at Sæle was a surprise find - not often they show up at this locality in the spring. More Common Whitethroat tornsanger were singing and my first local singing Blackcap munk (!!) too. Small numbers of Common Crossbill grankorsnebb around too - must be breeding.
On 11th May it was time for another trip to Skogsøy. This resulted in one of the poorest spring seawatches in history with just two White-billed Divers gulnebblom and a male Scaup bergand saving the day - the latter species is no longer even annual on direct migration like this. A second year Great Northern Diver islom fed on the sea moving rapidly south with each dive
After this a female Pied Flycatcher svarthvit fluesnapper at Hjelme was the first I've seen in Øygarden this year. Still plenty of White-tailed Eagles havørn to see.
On13th May the best sightings were a Whinchat buskskvett at Nautnes where I also had Twite bergirisk, Whimbrel småspove and a good selection of finches which are now going through around 3kg of sunflower seed per day. Stonechat svartstrupe were seen at two breeding localities:)
A lone Barnacle Goose hvitkinngås turned up on Husvatnet on 14th May.
Woodcock rugde still roding over the woods near my house on calm evenings.
No comments:
Post a Comment