Tjeldstø and Herdlevær 25 March 2024 - Cheeky pre-work outing

Sunny with a cool northerly wind again.

I was up bright and early and decided to get a couple of hours birding in before work - partly spurred on by the fact the first bird I heard from my terrace was a singing Grey-headed Woodpecker gråspett.

Things went pretty well with the first Pink-foot kortnebbgås of the year on Husvatnet - a very common bird indeed in the east of Norway at the moment but not many move up the west coast of the country. Also singing Meadow Pipit heipiplerke here - the first I've seen locally. My first one was across the fjord last week:)

Pinkfoot kortnebbgås before the sun came up properly.

I was glad I stopped as I didn't see this bird on the way home

I did my usual round at Herdlevær where migrants included a few each of Skylark sanglerke and Song Thrush måltrost and a couple of Snow Bunting snøspurv. Here too Meadow Pipits heipiplerke had arrived.

One of the Meadow Pipits heipiplerke at Herdlevær

A short breakfast break with the scope produced much the same as Skogsøy did yesterday although passage seemed rather more subdued. A couple of Puffin lunde headed south and two Red-throated Diver smålom headed north.

My point and pray had mixed results - in fully automatic mode it tends to opt for a shutter speed too slow for flight photographs

Cormorant storskarv results not as good as yesterday:)

Massively cropped Guillemot lomvi - not to shabby considering the range

My good deed for the day was to show some birders/photographers from town the male Stonechat svartstrupe at Kollsnes.

Home before 10:00 and back to the grindstone.....

Øygarden 01 June - A MOST interesting day

Calm and sunny. There was always a good "feel" about today from the moment I got out of bed.

View from Kollsnes towards Breivik

View looking east from my terrace at 0245

....and view to the west

Today I was up at not just silly o'clock but totally ridiculous o'clock. Hoping that I might not be too late to find some exciting nocturnal birds I visited a few place in the early hours of the morning. This was a magical experience and gave a number of interesting sightings - although not quite the birds I was hoping for / expecting.

Cuckoos gjøk have been very obvious of late but at night they were even more active with many birds all over the place. It is not very often I see bats in the northern part of Øygarden but there was one flying around at Tjeldstø. I also managed to record an interesting call which I hope to find the time to identify....

Pinkfoot kortnebbgås with Greylags grågås

I caught up with a Pinkfoot kortnebbgås that has been seen hanging around with the local Greylags grågås. Although a strange time of year for this species it is not unusual for one or two to turn up like this.

Juvenile Parrot Crossbills furukorsnebb - not normally something I expect to see in the summer months in Øygarden

Male Two-barred Crossbill båndkorsnebb. Another unseasonal occurrence

A seemingly agitated male Two-barred Crossbill båndkorsnebb was very vocal and an unusual find for early June (though I do suspect there have been more about since the winter) and even more unusually it was joined by a few juvenile Parrot Crossbills furukorsnebb. 

The next unusual sighting was of a rather more mundane species in the form of six Collared Dove tyrkerdue migrating north quite high and fast over Sæle.

Golden Plover heilo on Lyngøy

After spending the early morning this was it was time to have a look around some of the islands. Lyngøy proved rather quiet bird-wise with just a few Redshank rødstilk and Golden Plover heilo as migrants. 

This female (or young) Grey Seal havert did not seem to get too excited to be sharing a rock with a new species for the area!

Third year Med Gull svartehavsmåke with Common Gull fiskemåke

The outer islands further south proved rather more exciting with the first Mediterranean Gull svartehavsmåke for Øygarden landing briefly on one of the islands. A third year bird that was a real looker! Probably one of the most anticipated new species for the area - it has been a long time coming.

This is a species that is on the increase and expanding its range. Now a common bird on my home turf - better pics of this species here.

Øygarden 05-08 April - Incidental birding

On 05 April I started the day with a singing Grey-headed Woodpecker gråspett from my terrace.

Ringed Plover sandlo in early morning light

I then had to go into Bergen to work but did a quick round at Herdlevær on the way picking up a nice selection of migrants including my first Twite bergirisk of the year, a couple of Ringed Plover sandlo and many of the usual suspects.

Lesser Black-backed Gull sildemåke

Six Pinkfeet kortnebbgås

No birding on 06 April though I did take a detour on the way to the shops - picking up the six Pinkfeet kortnebbgås again as well as my first local Lesser Black-backed Gull sildemåke of the year - I I have often wondered why they tend to turn up much earlier in other, much colder, parts of Norway - they were plentiful enough up in Hedmark during my recent visit there.

A late and lazy walk at Tjeldstø on 07 April produced my first nest of the year - a Greylag grågås sitting on four eggs - although I have found a few presumably predated Greylag eggs lying around here and there recently. A Lesser Black-backed Gull sildemåke was among the usual gulls here too.

Even less birding on 08 April but had my first Lesser Redpoll brunsisik of the year from my terrace along with Grey-headed Woodpecker gråspett singing again.

Hernar 04 April - A very birdy welcome home

Finally back home - to AMAZING weather and lots of migrants.

I spent the morning on Hernar where the best sighting was the first spring record for the island of Water Rail vannrikse - running over a path rather than in the usual boggy area.

Brambling bjørkefink

Pied Wagtail svartryggerle

There were plenty of new for the year for Øygarden - a couple of singing Chiff-chaff gransanger, a Wheatear steinskvett, Brambling bjørkefink, Siskin grønnsisik, Ringed Plover sandlo, Reed Bunting sivspurv and Dunnock jernspurv.

A couple of Snipe enkeltbakkasin may have been overwintering birds but Redwing rødvingetrost, Goldcrest fuglekonge and others were migrants. Loads of Meadow Pipits heipiplerke busy setting up territories, a few White-tailed Eagles havørn and plenty more. Both White Wagtail linerle and Pied Wagtail svartryggerle were also local firsts for the year for me here.

Five of the six Pinkfeet kortnebbgås

Two Rook kornkråke

After working for a few hours I headed out again, this time to Kollsnes/Breivik where the highlight was a Lapland Bunting lappsurv - first for the county this year. Other good sightings were six Pinkfeet kortnebbgås and a couple of Rook kornkråke. A few more Wheatear steinskvett here too - these ones singing!

Herdlevær 17 October 2016 - A change in the weather

Cloudy with light rain at times. Still SE winds,

A very late walk at Herdlevær produced a few bits and bobs though nothing remarkable.

One of at least eight Blackcap munk present today

Still lots of Common Crossbill grankorsnebb about

Getting on the late side for Lesser Black-backed Gull sildemåke

This abnormally pale Song Thrush måltrost raised the pulse rate for several seconds

Over the sea a Great Northern Diver islom headed south and a Black-throated Diver storlom landed on the sea. A Peregrine vandrefalk hunted over the waves too. There was some movement too with small numbers of Common Scoter svartand and several auks. A lateish Lesser Black-backed Gull sildemåke was among an obvious southward movement of gulls of various species.

Gannet havusle entangled in rope.

A Gannet havsule entangled in rubbish flew around me a few times - almost as if it was showing me. Unfortunately this is quite a common sight.

On the land the biggest change was at least 8 Blackcap munk and a very pale Song Thrush måltrost that got the pulse racing for a bit.

fabalis Bean Goose sædgås with Pinkfoot kortnebbgås

Best birds were at Breivik in the form of a fabalis Bean Goose sædgås together with a Pinkfoot kortnebbgås.

Øygarden 19 May 2015 - More new in

South easterly wind, mostly overcast with periods of both sun and rain.

Tree Pipit trepiplerke

Started the day off with a pre-school ringing trip. This resulted in the first Tree Pipit trepiplerke I've seen in Øygarden this year- but the species has both been seen and trapped in the last few days. The other birds caught included Meadow Pipits heipiplerke, Lesser Redpoll brunsisik and Willow Warber løvsanger.

A short walk at Sæle was pretty quiet but a Blackcap munk sang there, a House Martin taksvale put in an appearance and a Merlin dvergfalk flew over.

Pinkfeet kortnebbgås at Skjold

Three Pinkfeet kortnebbgås fed in fields at Skjold. This felt like a late date for migrant Pinkfeet but the database says this is not really the case at all. Note that this is the number of observations, not the number of birds:

The large pink beak with a black tip is "obvious" here

The bird seems larger than the two adult Common Gulls which are closer

A couple of flight shots

At Tjeldstø a Sand Martin sandsvale had joined the Swallows låvesvale feeding over the lake. An  unusual looking gull caught my attention  initially as it was walking around a lot in the rough ground beside Husvatnet. It was obviously larger than the Common Gulls fiskemåke and had a larger pink bill with a clear-cut black tip. Unfortunately it flew off before I could investigate further.

Spent most of the day working but picked up two Ruff brushane flying over the house during a phone call.

Tjeldstø 10 April 2015 - Almost back in business

Southerly and overcast most of the day.

Pinkfoot kortnebbgås

Above and below: Yellowhammer gulspurv

Suffering from a suspected concussion I took things very easy indeed with the shortest of walks at Tjeldstø. This paid off quite nicely with the first Pinkfoot kortnebbgås for the year in Øygarden. A couple of Yellowhammer gulspurv, a scarce migrant in Øygarden, proved quite photogenic along with Lesser Black-backed Gull sildemåke and my first White Wagtail linerle of the year.

Hybrid Glaoucous x Herring Gull

Also present was the apparently long-staying hybrid Glaucous x Herring gull - giving me the best photo opportunities I have had with this bird.

Lots of stuff now back with Curlews storspove displaying at Tjeldstø and Nautnes, Meadow Pipits heipiplerke now widespread and most of the usual suspects.

The first lambs are out and about at Tjeldstø