Øygarden 24.02-02.03 - Out of work = even less time in the field

Now that I no longer have a real job the thinking would be that there would be plenty more time to be out and about. This is in fact just a fanciful notion - I spent the entire week stuck on the computer with the exception of a short but pleasant walk at Hjelme Vest.

Here there were 14 White-tailed Eagles havørn, 50 Purple Sandpipers fjæreplytt, 4 Oystercatcher tjeld (first of the year for me), a Black Guillemot teist and 60 Long-tailed Duck havelle.

White-tailed Eagle havørn were constantly in view from my terrace with up to three present at any given time. Greylags grågås also turned up - obviously prospecting for breeding sites and geese numbers at Tjeldstø rose to 24.

Still good numbers of Brambling bjørkefink around with 30+ seen a few times. A roadside Woodpigeon ringdue on 27.02 must have been a newly returning bird and a flock of 11 Starling stær at Tjeldstø on 29.02 was the biggest flock I have seen thus far this year.

Collared Dove tyrkedue with nest material

On 02.03 a Collared Dove tyrkedue was collecting nest material so the singing over the last few weeks must have paid off.....this species is a relatively recent colonist at Tjeldstø.

2cy Glaucous Gull polarmåke

Travelling for a job interview gave me a short break in downtown Bergen where the long staying Glaucous Gull polarmåke gave good views.

Others with a bit more time on their hands reported, among other things, White-billed Diver gulnebblom and the first Shelduck gravand.

Tjeldstø 15 January 2019 - Another new year tick for the county

Brisk North westerly winds, mostly sunny

Awoke to a thin covering of snow which quickly melted.

Spent the day working from home and only made a brief foray out. From the house during telephone calls etc I picked up Curlew storspove, White-tailed Eagle havørn etc.

One of four Collared Dove tykerdue at Tjeldstø today

The first Song Thrush måltrost of the year

At Tjeldstø the highlight was the first Song Thrush måltrost for Øygarden (and the county of Hordaland) this year. This is a regular but scarce winter visitor which I see most winters.

Other stuff here included four Collared Dove tyrkerdue and three White-tailed Eagles havørn. Judging by the way the local Hoodies kråke were behaving there was probably a more interesting raptor about too (Goshawk or Peregrine).

Nautnes and Dåvøy 01 January 2019 - Stormy!!

North westerly storm easing to strong gale with hail showers later.

Mildly put difficult conditions due to the wind - it wasn't really possible to stand up (or at least stand still) in the wind. My bird feeder and an outside light were destroyed and I lost a roof tile too.

First bird photograph of the year - Common Scoter svartand

Barely even the usual species from the house - with a Cormorant storskarv being the first species of  2019 for me. There was a nice Common Scoter svartand on the sea  in the relatively calm waters there.

At Dåvøy I picked up a Slavonian Grebe horndykker and an adult White-tailed Eagle havørn had a good go at a Herring Gull gråmåke.

The most surprising bird was a Collared Dove tyrkerdue at Tjeldstø - an unusual time of year to see this species here.

Øygarden 24 January 2018 - Plugging some gaps

Gale force SW winds, rain at times but with some sunny spells after I got home.

Overnight the snow was gone and the thaw has obviously given the thrushes a break - although I still found a dead Fieldfare gråtrost during my brief foray out of the car. Too little too late for this one too.

I was just about out yesterday with just a Great Northern Diver islom at Solberg of any note. Today wasn't much better as I needed to get some work done.

Given the conditions I did a few targeted drive-bys in an attempt to get a few new species for the Øygarden year list. Of minimal interest one of these target species was Collared Dove tyrkerdue. There is a small resident population out here that I almost never check out. Away from the regular site this is a good species to see out here - largely as a late spring / early summer migrant. It is a hopelessly under-recorded species out here.

Two of today's Collared Doves tyrkerdue

Today there were four Collared Dove tykerdue present along with a couple of Nuthatch spettmeis and a small flock of Siskin grønnsisik.

Another new for the year for me locally was a female Tufted Duck toppand on Stegeviksvatn.

Part of the albifrons Whitefront tundragås flock at Harkestad

By far the best sighting today was a flock of eight albifrons Whitefronts tundragås at Harkestad. I had to use ISO values I didn't even know I had to get anything resembling a photograph.

Back home the Mealy Redpoll gråsisik flock remained in the garden and a couple of White-tailed Eagles havørn put in an appearance.

Hernar 24 August 2017 - Catching up on the island

Calm, some cloud cover early on.

Very hot and with a lot of midges early on. There were a lot of birds early on too, but action died down after a couple of hours. 

Collared Dove tyrkerdue

Whitethroat tornsanger, probably a bird hatched on the island

One of only a few Willow Warblers løvsanger present today

Best bird was a Collared Dove tyrkerdue - only the third sighting on Hernar and the first since 2012 when this species was seen twice during the autumn. Migrants were fairly thin on the ground, a Sedge Warbler sivsanger may well have been a bird that bred here, other than that there were small numbers of various waders including my first local Greenshank gluttsnipe of the year.

White-tailed Eagle havørn, Peregrine vandrefalk and Sparrowhawk spurvehauk all put in an appearance. 

Other than that the species list of 40 was more or less the usual suspects.

Nautnes 23 January 2017 - Best weather yet this year BUT...

Calm, sunny and mild.

Cracking weather but work and taking my youngest to the dentist meant I couldn't make anything of it. However, a short walk from the house produced a relatively good bird - the first Treecreeper trekryper of the year. Treecreeper can be a hard species to see in Øygarden (though undoubtedly under recorded as they prefer the areas least visited) - I checked it on artsobs and got the following:

Treecreeper trekryper occurrence in Øygarden by week number

(One could argue that the peak in the autumn is due to observer effort with most birders putting the effort in during the peak rarity season but when I check my own records a very similar pattern is shown.

...and by year. Prior to 2010 it wasn't even recorded annually - this may well partly be a feature caused by when observers have started using artsobs. Either way you get the idea - there are not many seen out here.

Among other things seen here were a flock of at least 30 Common Crossbill grankorsnebb feeding in the woods, several Crested Tit toppmeis and a couple of  White-tailed Eagles havørn.

The trip to the dentists produced another local first for the year in the form of a roadside Collared Dove tyrkerdue at Tofy. Generally a spring and early summer migrant in most of Øygarden there is a small resident population in the south of the district.

Nautnes 12 October 2016 - Purely social

Calm and sunny.

I see I have some obstacles to overcome now that I have officially stopped birding. Almost the only people I know outside of work are birders. My Mum and my youngest daughter both like to go ringing and the dog still needs a walk. How can one not notice passing birds under such circumstances....? This was a purely social visit.

Collared Dove tyrkerdue at Herdlevær

So it was off to Herdlevær we went. I did not stop and watch the ringing but couldn't fail to notice a flock of four Collared Dove tyrkerdue that landed briefly on a telephone wire and not being entirely deaf it was hard to ignore both the Waxwing sidensvans and a flock of five Bullfinch dompap that headed north over out heads.

Meadow Pipit heipiplerke in evening shade. A splendid example of how auto ISO works....

Most of the largest flock of Wigeon brunnakke ever recorded in Øygarden

In the evening I had to get out with the dog again and had a flock of around 70 Wigeon brunnakke fly over. This would seem to be the biggest flock of Wigeon ever recorded in Øygarden. Not that I care anymore.

I also have a new camera to replace the one that gave up the ghost after a trip to Skogsøy last week - when I still went birding. I'm now unsure what to photograph so I tested some of the new features available (not very well either!)

Hernar 26 June 2014 - Summer

Calm and sunny.

In between migration seasons there was not much chance of anything special today but a rare chance to make it out to Hernar had to be taken. The highlight were a couple of flocks of Swifts tårnseiler.

Otherwise plenty of the usual Hernar stuff about with Sedge Warblers sivsanger, loads of Twite bergirisk, and Wheatear steinskvett.

Back home at Nautnes a Collared Dove tykerdue was the first I've seen in Øygarden this year and another new for the house list.

Solberg 14 January 2013 - Manic!

Still sunny and well below freezing. Fresh southerly winds.

This Golden Eagle kongeørn would appear to be in at least its fourth calender year

An extremely hectic day with work, dentists etc combining to give me a mere 20 minutes at Solberg. However, all was not lost - on the short drive to Solberg I was rewarded with a roadside Water Rail vannrikse.

Solberg seemed relatively quiet with just a Curlew storspove and a Velvet Scoter sjøorre of note whilst I ate my lunch. Turning to leave a raptor caught my eye - and turned out to be a Golden Eagle kongeørn - no doubt the same bird last seen shortly before New Year.

Collared Doves tyrkerdue

On the way back from the dentists a quick social call at Knappen produced the two "resident" Collared Doves tyrkerdue. Normally a scarce but regular late spring migrant these two have been at this locality since last spring.....

The first Jack Snipe kvartbekkasin of the year

Finally the afternoon school run produced a nice roadside Jack Snipe kvartbekkasin.

Not bad going for a non-birding day!

Hernar 26 September 2012 - new species for the island

Calm and very pleasant conditions.

I was obviously not alone in thinking Hernar might produce the goods today with two other birders travelling from town to catch the early morning boat out to the island.

 New for the island - Collared Dove tykerdue

 Colour ringed Great Black-backed Gull svartbak

 Adult colour-ringed Herring Gull gråmåke (only noticed later when looking at the photo - I was understandably a bit more interested in the right hand bird...)

Whinchat buskskvett

However, things were rather quieter than anticipated. Highlight, if it can be called that, was a new species for the island in the form of a Collared Dove tykerdue - incredibly also the first I've seen in Øygarden this year.
Other migrants included a Common Redstart rødstjert, a few Chiff-chaff gransanger, several Lapland Buntings lappspurv, a Whinchat buskskvett and a couple of Wheatear steinskvett.

A colour ringed Great Black-backed Gull svartbak with number JP954 had been ringed by this gull fanatic.

Plenty of thrushes, Goldcrests fuglekonge and finches about too - including approximately 70 Twite bergirisk.