Øygarden 03 January 2022 - Better than the New Year's Bird Race?

I started the day late and lazy, although this was nothing to do with the wet and windy conditions during the first part of the morning. A fantastic selection of birds given the fact that it is early January.

At Hellesøy a nice Little Grebe dvergdykker fished in a sheltered area - a species I did not see in Øygarden last year but which at least used to be quite a regular winter visitor here.

Little Grebe dvergdykker at Hellesøy

Next up was Breivik where the Pinkfoot kortnebbgås and it's two accompanying Greylag grågås companions seemed to have recovered from their firework trauma. Nearby an unseasonal Woodpigeon ringdue flew over. A few Starling stær joined the 120 or so Fieldfare gråtrost feeding in the fields.

Pinkfoot kortnebbgås with two Greylags grågås

Hoping that something may have been blown into Solberg I popped in there. First bird I saw was a Knot polarsnipe - an extremely rare bird in the winter months, only the third January record for the county and the first away from Herdla. A Rock Pipit skjærpiplerke here was the first I have seen this year.

Knot polarsnipe - a very good January record and would have been greatly appreciated just yesterday:)

At Adnevika a Mistle Thrush duetrost joined Fieldfares gråtrost and Redwings rødvingetrost feeding in the fields.

Good numbers of thrushes and Bramblings bjørkefink pretty much everywhere.

Out in Øygarden there is little in the way of ringing so any colour ringed gulls often come from somewhere else - always interesting to see where they came from.

At least one colour ringed Herring Gull gråmåke was present at Dåvøy a couple of days ago. Today I entered the details and this 3cy bird was ringed in Møre og Romsdal some 180 km further north. This is the first sighting away from the area in which it was ringed:)

3cy Herring Gull gråmåke from Møre og Romsdal and now spending time in Øygarden

Bleikenøvlingen etc 26 August 2017 - Messing around in boats

A couple of hours spent checking out the islands to the north and west of Øygarden - Bleikenøvlingen, Høgaskjeret, Høgenøvlingen etc in the evening was quite productive.

There was the usual selection of autumn waders of at least nine species including Knot polarsnipe, Sanderling sandløper, Dunline myrsnipe, Turnstones steinvender and the first Purple Sandpipers fjæreplytt of the autumn.

One of two first year Black Guillemots teist seen. Presumably local breeders.

Almost impossible to photograph as they bobbed up and down behind the waves whilst we did the same

Resting migrant Common Gulls fiskemåke

Highly camouflaged Dunlin myrsnipe paid us no attention as they fed....

A curious Grey Seal havert...

Almost dream shot of Knot polarsnipe with breaking wave

Knot polarsnipe. Mostly first year birds seen today but some adults present too.

Ringed Plover sandlo

Colour ringed Shag toppskarv, Green ring with white lettering on right leg, normal metal ring on left leg

Could it be possible that this bird comes from a Spanish colour ringing scheme?!

 Cormorant storskarv in centre and another Shag on the right.

Shelduck gravand

Turnstone steinvender with Dunlin myrsnipe (and a Ringed Plover sandlo in the background)

Turnstones steinvender

One of the many Shags toppskarv seen was colour ringed - it was possible to read off the ring from photographs. Amazingly the only colour ringing project I have been able to find that fits the ring colour and coding is from Spain. I have not been able to find any details about Norwegian Shags having been found in Spain before but birds from the UK have so anything is possible. Watch this space.....

The only other birds of note were two young Shelduck gravand - presumably resting migrants.

Another bird of note for me was my first local Jay nøtteskrike of the year. This in no way reflects the status of this species in Øygarden - it is more a reflection of how little time I spend in woodland.

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.

Herdlevær 22 August 2016 - Photogenic waders and an exciting falcon

Light easterly breeze, hot and sunny.

The cracking weather continues - too nice really from a birding point of view.

The potential highlight was a very large, bulky and long-tailed falcon which I kept getting a "Goshawk vibe" off. There is a very strong possibility that this may well have been a Gyr jaktfalk.....I spent too long watching it sitting on a rock before it disappeared further north - I had hoped it would come and take one of the Knot polarsnipe feeding in front of me.

Curlew storspove

(This image has not been cropped at all)

First year Knot polarsnipe

There was not a huge amount of variety of waders at Herdlevær today - but they posed well for the camera. Knot polarsnipe were the most numerous with over 30 present - all but a few of them first year birds.

A Kestrel tårnfalk and the now usual Twite bergirisk also seen here.

A Yellow wagtail gulerle flew over whilst I was waiting for a bus at Nautnes - first I've had in Øygarden this year.

Hernar 20 August 2016 - Waders

Calm, hot and sunny.

A trip to Hernar was not part of the day's plans but it was a most welcome change. The island was full of birds but very quiet on the migration side of things. Good numbers of Twite bergirisk, Starling stær and most of the usual species. The only migrant passerine of any interest was a single juvenile Common Crossbill grankorsnebb.

A selection of the commoner autumn waders flew over including a Greenshank gluttsnipe.

Juvenile Black Guillemot teist

Adult Black Guillemot teist

Curlew storspove and Whimbrel småspove in flight

Knot polarsnipe flock and a Dunlin myrsnipe

More Knot polarsnipe and Dunlin myrsnipe

Little Stint dvergsnipe

Purple Sandpipers fjæreplytt - first of the autumn

Sanderling sandløper

Shag toppskarv

One of several Turnstone steinvender seen today

Whimbrel småspove

The journey there and back proved rather more productive with 15 species of wader including a few flocks of Knot polarsnipe, a single Sanderling sandløper, the first Little Stint dvergsnipe of the year and the first Purple Sandpiper fjæreplytt of the autumn. Other sightings included Black Guillemots teist, Peregrine vandrefalk and Kestrel tårnfalk.

A Merlin dvergfalk flew right past me as I left the shop at Tjeldstø.