Skogsøy and Nautnes 03 September 2022 - More local year ticks and Northern Lights

 Yet another day in the cracking series of fantastic weather - at least for normal people. 

I started the day at Skogsøy and already during the walk out to where I sit the trip was worth it - a Spotted Redshank sotsnipe flew south calling as it went:)

Migration wise it was quieter than my previous visit and some of the waders were even heading the wrong way. Largely the usual species such as Oystercatcher tjeld, RInged Plover sandlo, Golden Plover heilo, Dunlin myrsnipe, Sanderling sandløper and Turnstone steinvender but also a Curlew Sandpiper tundrasnipe (something of a scarcity in Øygarden, seen only 17 times since the first in 1988 and the first I have seen since 2016!) in one of the flocks. A bit frustrating as many waders were only heard as they passed either overhead or possibly too close in to be seen.

Curlew Sandpiper tundrasnipe with Dunlin myrsnipe and Turnstone steinvender

Gannet havsule

Wader flock

15 Red-throated Diver smålom, a few auks including Black Guillemot teist, a Velvet Scoter sjøorre, a few Arctic Tern rødnebbterne and at least a couple of Tuna makrellstørje were among the other sightings.

Meadow Pipit heipiplerke at Tjeldstø

Young Swallows låvesvale at Tjeldstø

I spent an hour on my terrace and clocked up a few more species including a Common Buzzard musvåk heading north (only six previous observations in the "old" Øygarden), a Kestrel tårnfalk and a few flocks of Greylag grågås and Cormorant storskarv.

In the evening I actually left the house and met people which meant I returned home after my bedtime and was rewarded with a spectacular showing of the aurora borealis. Typically I couldn't find my smallest lens and had forgotten the settings to use so I in no way did any justice to the performance!

Some Northern Lights shots from my terrace. One day I really will buy a landscape lens in the hope that I can do this kind of thing some kind of justice:)

Herdla and Tjeldstø 08 September 2017 - A great Hobby

Light easterly winds, cloudy at first, sunny for a few hours then cloudy again.

Today I was guiding again and kicked the day off at Herdla (not Øygarden but only a short distance away as the crow flies). Here there was something of a wader bonanza with highlights being a Curlew Sandpiper tundrasnipe, a couple of Little Stint dvergsnipe, a Black-tailed Godwit svarthalespove, at least 120 Ruff brushane and several Knot polarsnipe among the 13 wader species noted.

Raptors were also well represented with Peregrine vandrefalk, Merlin dvergfalk, a couple of Kestrel tårnfalk and a Sparrowhawk spurvehauk seen.

There were 100's of dabbling duck of the usual three speces but nothing special among these.

The best of the passerines were a small flock of Goldfinch stillits and a Yellow Wagtail gulerle.

The new hide at Herdla

The newly constructed hide proved very productive. I have often criticised the birdwatching hides in Hordaland for bad design, poor placement or both - but this one is magic - in the right place and with a good practical design too. Well done!

From here we predictably moved on to Øygarden. The action was not as thick and fast as at Herdla but Kestrels tårnfalk were seen at a couple of places, White-tailed Eagle havø!rn put in an appearance as did many of the usual suspects including Twite bergirisk, Brambling bjørkefink and more.

Hobby lerkefalk at Tjeldstø

The undoubted highlight of the day was a Hobby lerkefalk which hunted dragonflies for a short time, perched in a tree for 10 minutes and then disappeared to the north. This sighting adds more credibility to the bird I saw from my terrace a few days ago but we will probably never know. The Hobby is only the 8th record for the county and the third for Øygarden. There is now something of a peak in the occurrence between 07-12 September 

Skogsøy 12 September 2016 - Seawatching at last

Near gale force southerly winds but sunny with it.

I FINALLY managed to squeeze in a couple of hours seawatching between other stuff like taking the youngest to the dentists. The day started well with a fly over Grey Wagtail vintererle as I put the dog in the car - the first I've had locally this year.

The conditions were mildly put challenging today with the strong winds shaking the scope. In addition I was looking out to sea with the scope rather than just scanning with binoculars as normally do. It seemed every time I looked down below me I was just about missing a flock of waders.

Bar-tailed Godwit lappspove

2cy (or possibly a very early moulting adult) Black-throated Diver storlom

 The rounded head, lack of half-collar, bill size (and the way it is held) and the white flanks point towards this species.

Two Curlew Sandpipers tundrasnipe with a Ringed Plover sandlo in the middle

Dunlin myrsnipe

Gannet havsule

Two Golden Plover heilo (left) with two Knot polarsnipe

Ringed Plover sandlo and Sanderling sandløper

Sanderling sandløper

Turnstone steinvender

Turnstone steinvender with Knot polarsnipe

There were plenty of waders passing including my first Curlew Sandpipers tundrasnipe and Grey Plover tundralo of the year in Øygarden. Ringed Plover sandlo, Sanderling sandløper, Turnstone steinvender and Knot polarsnipe were the most numerous waders but there were also several Bar-tailed Godwits lappspove among other things.

A diver came by relatively close - to me this looked like a second year Black-throated Diver storlom.

Gullfjell and Herdla 12 July 2015 - Summer Guiding Bergen

Spent the day guiding and for once not in Øygarden but instead on a couple of my old stomping grounds nearer Bergen.

Good weather all day - sunny and warm on Gullfjell in the morning and light rain for Herdla in the afternoon.

Male Dotterel boltit on Gullfjell

Gullfjell produced the goods with the highlight being a nice male Dotterel boltit. In a Gullfjell context the best bird for me was a White-tailed Eagle havørn - the first I have seen there. Other stuff included two Rock Ptarmigan fjellrype, a couple of Ring Ousel ringtrost, good numbers of Golden Plover heilo and plenty of Wheatear steinskvett. Looks like the birds are having a good year on Gullfjell with plenty of newly fledged young about.

Herdla produced a selection of waders on autumn migration - including a cracking adult summer Curlew Sandpiper tundrasnipe - the first for the county this year.

Skogsøy 05 January 2012 - Iceland Gull

Light northerly with occasional short showers.

 Above and below: record shots of Iceland Gull grønlandsmåke

Fantastically long bill on this Curlew storspove - must be a female

Surprisingly pleasant conditions. Sat for a little over 1.5 hours and had a slow but steady trickle of stuff moving north. Most surprising bird was the very first - a Puffin lunde heading north. Not long after this a third year (or perhaps an adult) Iceland Gull grønlandsmåke flew past. An excellent start to the day!

Other stuff on the move were small numbers of Little Auk alkekonge, 14 Kittiwake krykkje, several Gannets havsule and the first Curlew storspove of the year. A Common Gull fiskemåke was a slightly unusual winter bird for Skogsøy.

Looked for the Lesser Scaup purpurhodeand but again it was not to be seen. Looks like it has probably moved on....

Øygarden 27 November 2011

Strong SW and rain during the morning, NW storm for a period in the afternoon.

Herdlevær produced a late Golden Plover heilo as a surprise bird. Other stuff here included a flock of at least 12 Pinkfeet kortnebbgås flying over, 15 Purple Sandpiper fjæreplytt sheltering from the weather and a minimum of six Rock Pipits skjærpiplerke.

 Common Crossbills grankorsnebb at Herdlevær

Breivik held a decent selection of geese again - with four Bean Geese sædgås, seven Whitefronts tundragås, several Pinkfeet kortnebbgås and at least 20 Greylags grågås.

fabalis Bean Geese sædgås at Breivik

Looking out over Hjeltefjorden from my sitting room window during the afternoon produced at least a couple of Fulmar havhest, a late Curlew storspove (first for ages), Little Auks alkekonge and more.

Herdlevær 29 August 2011 - Curlew Sandpiper

Light northerly wind, partyl cloudy.

Another productive few hours at Herdlevær though once again few passerines about. Numbers of resting / feeding wader well down from the other day but still Sanderling sandløper, Knot polarsnipe, Turnstone steinvender, Ringed Plover sandlo, Dunlin myrsnipe and Common Sandpipers strandsnipe about. Unusually a single Curlew Sandpiper tundrasnipe was among the resting birds.

 Above and below: Curlew Sandpiper tundrasnipe

 Above and below: Sanderling sandløper

Whinchat buskskvett

A couple of Black-tailed Godwit svarthalespove headed south along with small numbers of other waders. Cormorants storskarv were the most numerous species on the move today with around 140 heading south in 1.5 hours. Several Great Skua storjo and at least two Peregrines vandrefalk about meant that there was always something to see.

Tjeldstø 28 August 2010

Golden Plover heilo and Curlew Sandpiper tundrasnipe overhead
Golden Plover heilo

Curlew Sandpiper tundrasnipe (right), two Ruff brushane (centre) and a Golden Plover heilo (left)

A short stroll in the afternoon produced a Wood Sandpiper grønnstilk and a Curlew Sandpiper tundrasnipe as the best birds. Also well over 40 Golden Plover heilo and around 15 Ruff brushane.

A Whinchat buskskvett was the only passerine of note.

Tjeldstø 21 August 2010 - Great Snipe

Curlew Sandpipers tundrasnipe - not a common bird at Tjeldstø
This White-tailed Eagle havørn prevented any wader photography by flying right overhead...

Strong southerly winds but sunny with it.

Took things very easy today after yesterday's excitement. Late in the day a quick stroll in the reserve produced two good Øygarden birds - first at least two first year Curlew Sandpiper tundrasnipe which were scared off by a White-tailed Eagle havørn as I tried to take some pictures.

Satisfied with this I turned for home and put up a Great Snipe dobbeltbekkasin - only the second time I've had this species at Tjeldstø.

Apart from this things were fairly quiet with just a Greenshank gluttsnipe and a party of four Golden Plover heilo.

A few birders tried for the Blyth's Reed Warbler busksanger today without success.