Southerly winds, warm and sunny.
Yet another fantastic day out in Øygarden!
Spent the morning on Hernar (where else on a Thursday?!). Similar in many ways to a couple of days ago but slightly less on the ground and in the bushes - but ALWAYS something going on and plenty to see. Again quite a lot of visible migration with highlights being a couple of Great Northern Diver islom, five Pinkfeet kortnebbgås and a Merlin dvergfalk. Other stuff included a Garden Warbler hagesanger, several Chiff-chaff gransanger, five Barnacle Geese hvitkinngås. Peregrine vandrefalk and several Swallows låvesvale.
Another Peregrine vandrefalk was seen as we got off the boat at Hellesøy.
A breif look at Tjeldstø produced a couple of hundred Meadow Pipits heipiplerke, a Jay nøtteskrike and a Kestrel tårnfalk. Next stop was Breivik where we had three more Kestrel tårnfalk and six more Swallows låvesvale as well as a Wheatear steinskvett and a few more White-tailed Eagle havørn.
We started on Herdlevær before having to leave for Rong - here the best bird was a Yellowhammer gulspurv just as we got out of the car - a hard bird to see in Øygarden. Otherwise it was more of the same here.
At Rong we managed to get onto a Pomarine Skua polarjo that had been found shortly beforehand. Although quite regular in autumn they are always birds passing down the west side of the islands - not hanging around like this one. As this is probably my favourite species it was an excellent end to an excellent day.
Back home at Nautnes I managed two new species for the garden list in the form of a House Sparrow gråspurv and a Marsh Tit løvmeis - the latter being a new species for me in Øygarden and could conceivably be the same bird found very close by last month. Now on 96 species as I approach the anniversary of living at Nautnes.
Yet another fantastic day out in Øygarden!
Chiff-chaff gransanger
Part of one of many flocks of Cormorant storskarv seen heading south today
Garden Warbler hagesanger
A look back to Hernar as we left - note the new "cabin" on the right of the picture - a perfect place for any self respecting birder with superb views and the potential for a truly massive house list!
Merlin dvergfalk - this passed together with a Sparrowhawk spurvehauk and a Kestrel tårnfalk as we waited for the boat to arrive
Reed Bunting sivpsurv - good numbers seen today
Spent the morning on Hernar (where else on a Thursday?!). Similar in many ways to a couple of days ago but slightly less on the ground and in the bushes - but ALWAYS something going on and plenty to see. Again quite a lot of visible migration with highlights being a couple of Great Northern Diver islom, five Pinkfeet kortnebbgås and a Merlin dvergfalk. Other stuff included a Garden Warbler hagesanger, several Chiff-chaff gransanger, five Barnacle Geese hvitkinngås. Peregrine vandrefalk and several Swallows låvesvale.
Another Peregrine vandrefalk was seen as we got off the boat at Hellesøy.
A breif look at Tjeldstø produced a couple of hundred Meadow Pipits heipiplerke, a Jay nøtteskrike and a Kestrel tårnfalk. Next stop was Breivik where we had three more Kestrel tårnfalk and six more Swallows låvesvale as well as a Wheatear steinskvett and a few more White-tailed Eagle havørn.
We started on Herdlevær before having to leave for Rong - here the best bird was a Yellowhammer gulspurv just as we got out of the car - a hard bird to see in Øygarden. Otherwise it was more of the same here.
Juvenile Pomarine Skua polarjo at Rong
At Rong we managed to get onto a Pomarine Skua polarjo that had been found shortly beforehand. Although quite regular in autumn they are always birds passing down the west side of the islands - not hanging around like this one. As this is probably my favourite species it was an excellent end to an excellent day.
Back home at Nautnes I managed two new species for the garden list in the form of a House Sparrow gråspurv and a Marsh Tit løvmeis - the latter being a new species for me in Øygarden and could conceivably be the same bird found very close by last month. Now on 96 species as I approach the anniversary of living at Nautnes.
