Øygarden 02.03-04.03.2025 - Home briefly

 On 02 March I managed my usual round at Herdlevær. Some signs of spring with Oystarcatcher tjeld, Starling stær now back. A flock of 20 Purple Sandpiper fjæreplytt , White-tailed Eagles havørn and the usual also seen. 

Best bird was a female Stonechat svartstrupe at Kollsnes - a bird that turned up whilst I was away.

A quick look at Hjelme in the afternoon produced the first local Jay nøtteskrike of the year along with a flocks of Fieldfare gråtrost, Brambling bjørkefink, Chaffinch bokfink and Starling stær.

Spring is well on the way, Crocuses at Herdlevær

Siskin grønnsisik have been common "all winter" but have suddenly started visiting my feeder.

Female Stonechat svartstrupe at Kollsnes

Hjelme Vest, Dåvøy & Hatten 10 January 2020 - Calm weather clean up

Calm and sunny with a touch of frost.

I spent some time out and about trying to make the most of the cracking weather attempting to pick some of the "missing" species that I knew had to be around. This was largely successful with five more new for the Øygarden 2020 list.

First stop was Hjelme Vest, although a number of the hoped for target species failed to show. At least six Black Guillemots teist, 35 Long-tailed Duck havelle, a Curlew storspove and the first Gannet havsule of the year were the best of the sightings over the sea. No other auks, no divers and no grebes....

The woods were more productive too with the usual Crested Tits toppmeis along with Brambling bjørkefink and Redpoll gråsisik.

Next up was Dåvøy where the hoped for / expected Slavonian (Horned) Grebe horndykker showed. A Common Crossbill grankorsnebb flew over and there were 41 Grey Heron gråhegre at the roost.

A male and presumed female Two-barred Crossbill båndkorsnebb

Female Two-barred Crossbill båndkorsnebb

On the way home I popped in at Hatten where birds of the day were a flock of seven Two-barred Crossbill bånkorsnebb. A Jay nøtteskrike put in an appearance along with a selection of the usual woodland suspects.

Herdlevær 24 October 2019 - Jack Snipe at last

Strong southerly winds and overcast again.

I did the usual Herdlevær round again - still plenty of Rock Pipits skjærpiplerke and some thrushes and finches. Best bird was a nice Jack Snipe kvartbekkasin - a species that often turns up in wet and windy conditions.

At Hatten a flock of nine Two-barred Crossbills båndkorsbnebb turned up but were typically difficult to photograph in the tree tops where they were joined by a flock of at least 20 Brambling bjørkefink.

Common Scoter svartand from my terrace at Nautnes

Jay nøtteskrike at Hatten

A few of the Two-barred Crossbills båndkorsnebb

Whoopers sangsvane at Tjeldstø

Hernar 12 October 2017 - More woodland stuff on the move

Mostly light westerly winds, but briefly rather strong. Largely dry but some showers.

Five keen birders trawled the island for migrants on the almost routine autumn Thursday visit. There were loads of birds about and plenty of activity - over 1000 birds of well over 50 species were noted. Nothing very rare in a conventional context but some decent Hernar sightings.

A probable Richards's pipit tartarpiplerke would have been the best bird if confirmed. THe best of the conventional migrants were a Wryneck vendehals and a Yellow-browed Warbler gulbrynsanger that eventually gave good views to most of us.

15 Blue tit blåmeis feeding in the scrub

Goldcrest fuglekonge

Long-tailed Tits stjertmeis

The main activity came in the form of a big movement of Blue Tits blåmeis with at least 700 heading west - probably a conservative estimate of the total passing. Smaller numbers of Great Tit kjøttmeis and Coal Tit svartmeis also moved through. At least one flock of Long-tailed Tit stjertmeis spent some time on the island too. In a Hernar context a couple of migrating Jays nøtteskrike may have been the best sighting of the day - seemingly a new species for the island.

A couple of WaterRail vannriskse, two Reed Bunting sivspurv, several Goldfinch stillits, around 60 Twite bergirisk, a Ring Ousel ringtrost, a Dunlin myrsnipe, a few Blackcap munk, at least one Chiff-chaff gransanger, over 100 Common Redpoll gråsisik and plenty of Brambling bjørkefink were also present.

Other sightings of interest included the first Long-tailed Ducks havelle of the autumn and a Peregrine vandrefalk that snatched a passing Snipe enkeltbekkasin out of the air with apparent ease.

Above two pictures from yesterday

The Yellow-legged Gull gulbeinmåke gained more cred today....

The Yellow-legged Gull gulbeinmåke put in an appearance at Harkestad later in the day.

Sæle 04 November 2016 - Hume's?

Light SE, light rain at first, overcast all day.

I took what I thought would be a short walk at Sæle. Here I found an interesting warbler and stayed much longer than I should.


This bird does not look like a typical Yellow-browed and shows at least some features of Hume's Yellow-browed Warbler blekbrynsanger.

Pro Hume's:
Less contrast on dark bases to secondaries behind the wing bar
Broad whitish wing bar on greater coverts, no second wing bar
Creamy super fainter between eye and bill than towards back of head
More greyish plumage
Greyish tertials
Underparts not as gleaming white at YBW

Against Humes:
Legs perhaps not as dark as might be expected and more pale on the bill

Unfortunately this bird did not call.

Jay nøtteskrike

Long-tailed Tit stjertmeis

Short-eared Owl jordugle

Other stuff seen at Sæle included a Short-eared Owl jordugle, a nice flock of Long-tailed Tits stjertmeis, Blackcap munk and a couple of Meadow Pipit heipiplerke.

Elsewhere Woodcock rugde, Jay nøtteskrike, a few White-tailed Eagles havørn and the usual.

Tjeldstø etc 07 January 2015 - Nice weather = plenty of birds

Stiff southerly breeze but more or less clear.

It always amazes me how much stuff turns up after a spell of bad weather....

A Common Scoter svartand came right past the house at first light - makes me think I should just have been staying at home recently. Incredible that this was the first for the year - normally one of the commoner seaduck in the area!

Whooper sangsvane family at Tjeldstø

Tjeldstø was full of stuff including a surprise Jay nøtteskrike. Good numbers of thrushes with AT LEAST 60 Fieldfare gråtrost - and easily twice that number - accompanied by Redwings rødvingetrost and Starlings stær. Mallard stokkand numbers on Husvatnet were up to 24 - no doubt scared there by the rather active White-tailed Eagles havørn. Four adult and one young Whooper Swan sangsvane were also on the lake,

Solber held little other than a White-tailed Eagle havørn that robbed a Great Black-bakced Gull svartbak of its prey.

Above and below - record shots of the Golden Eagle kongeørn at Rong - a lot more white in the wing than the bird at Nautnes some days ago

Decent views of a Golden Eagle kongeørn at Rong - necessitating a run back to the car to grab the camera - too little too late. This bird is almost definitely a different one to that seen at Nautnes several days ago. Also a roost of 22 Heron gråhegre here.

Øygarden 29 September 2014 - Flogging it

Light westerlies early on, calming even further later. Mostly sunny.

A great day out and about and even better - no problems running out of time today!

 

Seawatchers we salute you!

Rock Pipit skjærpiplerke - pale legs, white outer tail feathers, white wing bars but incomplete eye ring and dark lores.

Some Gannets havsule came by at VERY close range

 

Common Sandpiper strandsnipe

 

One of many Jays nøtteskrike seen today - part of a larger movement over much of southern Norway

Started off at Skogsøy where I had hoped for either some return movement of birds displaced by the recent heavy weather. Neither kind of movement materialised....However, all was not lost with a nice Great Northern Diver islom, a few Sanderling sandløper (amazingly the first I've had in Øygarden this year!) and a light passage of Gannets havsule and Common Gulls fiskemåke.

 

White-tailed Eagle havørn

Sparrowhawk spurvehauk with Hooded Crow kråke

Raptors were well represented here with White-tailed Eagle havørn, Peregrine vandrefalk and Sparrowhawk spurvehauk. Good numbers of Rock Pipit skjærpiplerke and a Common Sandpiper strandsnipe.

Jays nøtteskrike were a feature of the day with eight over Breivik, two at Tjeldstø and another at Herdlevær. From late morning onwards there was an obvious movement of passerines - largely Meadow Pipits heipiplerke (biggest flock >100) and Blue Tits blåmeis (biggest flock 40).

Long-tailed Duck havelle on Husvatnet, Tjeldstø.

An unusual sighting was a Long-tailed Duck havelle on freshwater at Husvatnet at Tjeldstø - first of the autumn as well.

Bird of the day in Øygarden was a Turtle Dove turteldue seen at Breivik.



 

Øygarden 05 September 2014 - More stuff on the move

Light southerly winds and sunny

Not out in any meaningful way but obviously a fair bit on the move with Garden Warbler hagesanger, Blackcap munk and a variety of other migrants seen at Tjeldstø,

Housework back home produced at least one Tree pipit trepiplerke and another new species for the house list - Jay nøtteskrike.

Tjeldstø 18 January 2013 - Woodcock / Another one bites the dust

Still clear cold and sunny.

This bird ate several such larvae in the short period of observation I had - hope it is enough to keep the bird alive!

With ever descreasing amounts of fresh water the afternoon school run once again provided the best birding. Brief views of a Water Rail vannriske and excellent views of a Woodcock rugde were the highlights. Photography and viewing greatly hampered by traffic though....

Snow on the eyeball MUST be cold!

A combination of work and a very painful knee after a fall on the treacherously slippy ice / snow combo yesterday I barely got out at all. A short hobble at Hjelme produced the first two Jays nøtteskrike of the year  along with several Parrot Crossbill furukorsnebb and the usual woodland stuff.