Hernar 19 April 2019 - Game on!

Another cracking day weather wise and therefore expectations were not too high for grounded migrants. However, the island was full of birds including some good ones which made for a magic morning out with a real feel of spring / summer.

Just about the first bird seen - a male Blackcap munk - all three Blackcaps seen today were males

Probably the best bird of the day - a Hawfinch kjernebiter

Plenty of very restless Lesser Redpolls brunsisik about - this one sat still for a few seconds

Meadow Pipit heipiplerke

The first Willow Warbler løvsanger of the year for me

There was an obvious arrival of a number of species on the island with the best bird being a Hawfinch kjernebiter. A few Willow Warbler løvsanger were also present and even sang - lying back in the grass in the sunshine and listening to the first Willow Warbler song made the trip worthwhile in itself. At least three male Blackcap munk, several Swallows låvesvale, a singing Skylark sanglerke, a migrating Woodcock rugde, at least 8 Chiff-chaffs gransanger and several Goldcrests fuglekonge were among the other migrants seen.

Good numbers of migrating Curlew storspove were seen throughout the morning with a flock of 27 over my house before I left, a flock of 55 over Hernar and more flocks passing and resting on the islands.

Curlew storspove and Teal krikkand

Four Shoveler skjeand (right hand birds) and five Teal krikkand

The Shoveler were no doubt the same birds also reported at Herdlevær

One of several flocks of Teal krikkand seen

Wigeon brunnakke

The journey to and from the island was also productive - largely in the form of dabbling ducks. These included four Shoveler skjeand, several Wigeon brunnakke and around 25 Teal krikkand.

Hernar 18 October 2018 - Better late than never

Hardly the best conditions for migrants with a strong westerly wind blowing. However, a trip to Hernar was on the cards as I have yet to make it out there this autumn so there really was no choice.

Female Blackcap munk

Chiff-chaff gransanger

Tree Sparrow pilfink - one of the new species for the year on Hernar today

One of only a few Twite bergirisk left on the island

Wren gjerdesmett

There were plenty of birds about without anything very special. In a Hernar context a couple of Tree Sparrow pilfink may have been the best birds and were the first to be recorded there this year. A fly over Great Northern Diver islom, several each of Chiff-chaff gransanger and Blackcap munk, a couple of Water Rail vannrikse and a few Twite bergirisk took the tally to around 40 species on the island today.

Good numbers of the usual four species of thrush, a few Brambling bjørkefink, plenty of both Robin rødstrupe and Wren gjerdesmett along with an obvious movement of tits - a flock of around 60 Blue tits blåmeis dropped in briefly and there were also both Great Tit kjøttmeis and Coal tit svartmeis on the island - in other words these birds were migrants.

House Sparrows gråspurv feeding on the harbour wall at Hellesøy

One of several White-tailed Eagles havørn seen today

Heading back from the boat to my car a White-tailed Eagle havørn gave good flight views, also had four more earlier in the day.

Øygarden 01 November 2017 - Clearout?

Strong SW winds and rain much of the day.

Significantly fewer birds about today - the flocks of thrushes in the fields and crossbills overhead were pretty much absent today.

Nuthatch spettmeis at Sæle

It was not completely birdless though with Blackcaps munk at Tjeldstø and Sæle, Snipe enkeltbekkasin here and there, White-tailed Eagles havørn, flocks of Starling stær more or less everywhere and still some woodland species about that are normally uncommon such as Willow Tits granmeis and Nuthatch spettmeis.

Rock Pipits skjærpiplerke were seen here and there but only one Meadow Pipit heipiplerke.

Nautnes 31 October 2016 - Birding from the terrace. Again.

Light SE, dull and wet.

Should really have been out and about a bit more today. Most stuff seen from the terrace today - hardly surprising as I was not really out other than a drive-by past a few places on the way to and from the shops.

This picture was taken with one hand whilst on the phone to work.....

A Little Auk alkekonge on the sea in front of the house was the first of the autumn for me. Other stuff from the garden included a couple of Blackcap munk and a Goldfinch stillits. The Tree Sparrow pilfink is still hanging around

An adult Lesser Black-backed Gull sildemåke was at Husvatnet, Tjeldstø. Quite a late record. I am pretty certain I also heard a tristis Chiff-chaff gransanger here but never saw the bird itself.

Female Blackcap munk at Alvheim

One could argue that man-made environments reduce the quality of the natural state of things. But with most of the "natural" berries now cleaned out it is the introduced species that are providing food for migrants.....

Goldfinch stillits at Alvheim

Velvet Scoter sjøorre at Heggøy

A few Velvet Scoter sjøorre were on the sea at Heggøy and more Goldfinch stillits and Blackcap munk were present at Alvheim.

Thrush numbers seem to be dropping slightly but still plenty of Redwing rødvingetrost and Blackbird svarttrost feeding in the fields.

Nautnes 29 October 2016 - An idiotic new for the house list

North west wind, mostly clear,

I started the day off with a new species for Nautnes - a Water Rail vannrikse. This is nothing like as surprising as it might sound - it is a long-awaited species as there is eminently suitable habitat for this species. It is new in as I specifically looked for this species a few times a week or so ago, Water Rails typically appear after periods with strong SW winds and rain - so this one ticks all the boxes.

The Water Rail was less than 100m from the house but I didn't get it on the house list. A Tree Sparrow pilfink turned up in the garden and THIS was a new species - #126. Hard to believe as this is a relatively common species in Øygarden.

Blackcap munk in the garden

Common Scoter svartand taken from the terrace

Raven ravn

Robin rødstrupe

Other stuff in / from the garden included a Dipper fossekall, a Peregrine vandrefalk, Blackcap munk, Brambling bjørkefink, Common Scoter svartand and White-tailed Eagle havørn.

A quick check at a couple of other places produced Common Crossbills grankorsnebb and Waxwing sidensvans at Solberg and Guillemot lomvi and White-tailed Eagles havørn at Tjeldstø.

Strong winds made for some interesting shots.....

Redwings rødvingetrost are very obvious at the moment

LOADS of Blackbirds svarttrost and Redwing rødvingetrost about with many flocks feeding in fields all over the place.

Hernar 19 October 2016 - The Ace of Spades!

Light SE, some clouds at first, hot and sunny later.

WHAT A DAY!!!!!!!

As usual when I do a full day on Hernar at this time of year knowing that ringing is going on a few km away I had Motorhead's classic "Ace of Spades" in my head - especially the line about "gamblings for losers". Even the text message I sent Nigel as I boarded the boat at Hellesøy - "who has the joker this time?" fitted well with this.

Too dark to bird on arrival....

The point of no return, All bets are off from here on in......

It turns out that Nigel had the joker, he didn't even need to say what he had caught when he called: "I've got it" were his first words. "It" was of course SIBERIAN ACCENTOR sibiirjernspurv. Being on Hernar there was no chance I was going to make this. An hour or two later, having "only" found an Arctic Redpoll polarsisik I got another call - this time about a GLOSSY IBIS bronseibis at Skjold. How could have I got things so wrong?!! 

Glossy Ibis bronseibis obviously finding enough food on a pool that , with the exception of the occasional Green Sandpiper, is largely ignored by birds.

Last time I did this it was me who had the best hand but today I started regretting being stuck on the island....However, it was a magic day with loads of photo opportunities and some decent birds. And I managed to connect with the ibis once back on the mainland - albeit in fading light.

The best bird(s) on Hernar was at least one exilipes Arctic Redpoll polarsisik. There could well have been more of them in a Redpoll gråsisik flock feeding on the island but I could only claim one for sure. At least four, probably five Water Rail vannrikse, a couple of Peregrine vandrefalk, a Waxwing sidensvans and a selection of the usual later autumn migrants made this a good day out.

Arctic Redpoll polarsisik

Arctic above, common below. Just to put any over exposure ideas to bed.....

On the deck this  bird shone

The bird on the right is the one I'm claiming - the unstreaked flanks and blindingly white rump being the main features. The bird on the left has a very white and unstreaked rumpt too but seemed to be in a different class to the one on the right. 

Small bill, loose looking plumage and unstreaked undertail coverts here

 

Flowering ivy and the hordes of insects it attracted proved the best spot to see most of the day's Blackcaps munk

Chiff-chaff gransanger. A "normal" one given the call.

Two juvenile Peregrines vandrefalk came over together as I headed for the boat home...

There was a life and death Raven ravn fight today. This fight club was eagerly cheered on by at least 15 Hooded Crow kråke

Early morning toad. It was still too dark to bird at this point....

One of the days several Water Rail vannriske running around in the open. And not in a swamp. Only on Hernar.....

A decent variety of interesting geese were also reported from Øygarden during the course of the day - hardly surprising given the number of birders heading out to see the all the goodies on show......