Herdlevær 22 August 2020 - Good weather at last!

 Fresh southerly winds and some short but very heavy showers.

At last some proper weather! Enough sunshine and calm conditions - time for getting up close and personal with some waders.

I took at very late and lazy stroll round Herdlevær and picked up a decent selection of the usual waders including a (the?) Green Sandpiper skogsnipe, 26 Knot polarsnipe, a few each of Sanderling sandløper and Turnstone steinvender. 

A small flock of Dunline myrsnipe together with a Sanderling sandløper fed intensively and more or less ignored us. The initial crawl through puddles and piles of sheep dung that left me wet and filthy  proved totally pointless

Dunlin myrsnipe - a small flock of six birds was present today

Knot polarsnipe and Oystercatcher tjeld

Sanderling sandløper

Back home the usual couple of White-tailed Eagles havørn and a nice flyover Merlin dvergfalk.

Herdlevær 28 August 2019 - (almost) Before the weather breaks.....

With work to do in the morning I left it until the last minute before the forecast torrential rain hit. I almost made it but was thoroughly soaked on the way home.

Sanderlings sandløper

Fresh westerly winds with rapidly approaching clouds may have been responsible for putting down a few waders. Best of the bunch were four of this years Sanderling sandløper. Other waders were three Knot polarsnipe, a couple of Golden Plover heilo, four Redshank rødstilk, Snipe enkeltbekkasin, and a Common Sandpiper strandsnipe. The only other migrant was a Kestrel tårnfalk.

On the way home a few Whinchat buskskvett joined the usual Wheatears steinskvett at Kollsnes.

Skogsøy 29 July 2018 - Another day, another seawatch

Sunny with strong southerly winds after some rain in the night.

I seem to have lost the ability to jump out of bed before dawn but managed to get out a bit earlier than yesterday.

Small numbers of Lesser Black-backed Gulls sildemåke on the move

Oystercatcher tjeld

One of this years young Rock Pipits skjærpiplerke

Flock of Sanderling sandløper

 Mixed bag of waders - Mostly adult Knot polarsnipe with two Turnstone steinvender and two Sanderling sandløper

Even more cropped to show the ID better.

With the weather very different indeed there was a distinct change in the species passing. Knot polarsnipe were the mainstay with many flocks of adult birds passing - over 130 in total and thus the most I have seen in Øygarden in a day. The best sighting was a migrating Temminck's Stint temminckssnipe - thankfully one of the closest waders to pass today giving good views in the scope. This is a rare bird out in Øygarden with only three previous sightings.

Other waders included at least 13 Sanderling sandløper (the first of the year for Øygarden - and Hordaland as a whole for that matter), two Turnstone steinvender, Greenshank gluttsnipe, Ringed Plover sandlo, Common Sandpiper strandsnipe, Curlew storspove, Whimbrel småspove and Oystercatcher tjeld.

The only other sighting of note was a single Great Skua storjo, also heading south.

Green Sandpiper skogsnipe against the light

A couple of Green Sandpiper skogsnipe were feeding at Sture on the way home.

Øygarden 05 September 2017 - Its raining Snipe

Finally some rain and southerly winds! Not that I'd want that every day :)

Herdlevær was one of the obvious choices and was the first place visited today. Small numbers of Sanderling sandløper, Dunlin myrsnipe and Ringed Plover sandlo and others were present on the shore along with a single Purple Sandpiper fjæreplytt.

When Dunlin myrsnipe don't have mud or sand to probe in they still use the length of their bills.....

Purple Sandpiper fjæreplytt with Sanderling sandløper - although neither species is rare in Øygarden it is not often I photograph them together.

A total of around 20 Snipe enkeltbekkasin flew over here as did a flock of Ruff brushane.

Passerine wise it was much the same as usual with good numbers of Meadow Pipit heipiplerke and White Wagtail linerle feeding in the area.

Not much in the way of wildfowl with just a flock of six Wigeon brunnakke of any interest.

Snipe enkeltbekkasin at Tjeldstø

After this Snipe enkeltbekkasin were seen everywhere with approximately 30 flying over during a brief visit to Tjeldstø. Many more were seen feeding in the fields and elsewhere.

Flocks of Meadow Pipit heipiplerke, White Wagtail linerle, Starling stær and Fieldfare gråtrost were everywhere today along with smaller numbers of Redwing rødvingetrost etc.

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.

Northumberland 29 June - 10 July - Summer hols

Ten days back "home" in Northumberland were largely dedicated to family stuff but I did manage 10 minutes at Druridge bay, a day out at Lindisfarne as well as family walks in the Hartope Valley and at Newbiggin-by-the-Sea.

Part of a flock of Manx Shearwater havlire, Newbiggin-by-the-Sea. Northumberland, 03 July 2016

Mediterranean Gulls svarthavemåke were, as usual, a feature at Newbiggin with a few different ages groups represented. An early morning walk with my grandaughter gave cracking views of Manx Shearwaters havlire close in - something not quite reflected in the pictures here.

Avocet avosett, Druridge Bay, Northumberland, 04 July 2016

Little Owl kirkeugle, Druridge Bay, Northumberland, 04 July 2016

Ten minutes at Druridge bay on 04 July gave plenty of decent sightings with Avocet avosett, Little Egret silkehegre, a flock of Black-tailed Godwit svarthalespove and an obliging roadside Little Owl kirkeugle were the hightlights.

Dunlin myrsnipe were among returning waders seen at Lindisfarne, July 2016

Sanderling sandløper, Lindisfarne, July 2016

On 06 July a number of returning waders were already present at Lindisfarne nature reserve including flocks of Sanderling sandløper, Knot polarsnipe and Bar-tailed Godwit lappsove. The were also good numbers of Little Terns dvergterne in the area. I was informed that is now a criminal offence to take pictures of the latter species - though quite how true this is away from the breeding sites remains to be confirmed.

01-07 December - Not birding in the UK

Spent a week catching up with family. Not really out much but the family are strategically placed so there were still some decent sightings.

Mediterranean Gull svartehavsmåke

Hopefully one of the next new species in Øygarden.

 Ringed Plover sandlo

Turnstone steinvender

Colour ringed Sanderling sandløper

A few half hour strolls outside the house at Newbiggin - the Med Gull svartehavsmåke capital of the NE - paid dividends: loads of Med Gulls, a few of which were ringed, including a colour ringed bird that without scope and time didn't get read...Other birds here inlcuded a colour ringed Sanderling sandløper among the decent numbers of waders on the shore, Iceland Gull grønlandsmåke, Merlin dvergfalk, Waxwing sidensvans and plenty more besides.

Grey Plover tundralo at Seahouses

Bar-tailed Godwit lappspove at Seahouses

Mistle Thrush duetrost at Bamburgh

Part of a decent flock of Linnet tornirisk at Stag Rocks, Bamburgh

Further north in the Bamburgh / Seahouses area there were plenty of birds to see too - including roadside Barn Owls tårnugle, Stonechat svartstrupe and good numbers of waders and wildfowl.

Birding Northumberland makes it all too easy...