Hardangervidda 16. June 2024 - Hardangervidda Light II

Heading home to Øygarden I made a few roadside stops on the vidda. Most of them made me want to just keep walking further and spending a LOT more time up on the vidda.

Plenty of Shorelark fjellerke in suitable habitat, but no Lapland Buntings lappspurv. Otherwise many of the usual suspects showed up - Ptarmigan fjellrype, Rough-legged Buzzard fjellvåk and more.

Female Ptarmigan fjellrype at Dyranut

Ringed Plovers sandlo at Dyranut

Shorelark fjellerke on the vidda

At Dyranut there were a few pairs of Ringed Plover sandlo getting started with the breeding season - down at the coast I saw the first young weeks ago!

Also picked up a pair of Hawk Owl haukugle in suitable habitat:)

Hawk Owl haukugle pair

The drive over the vidda and back to Bergen was a timely reminder of how incredibly spectacular this country is. The vidda, måbødalen, Eidfjord, Voss and the road from Voss to Bergen are amazing! Just wonderful and I wish I had had the time to stop and take some photos. Just fantastic to be lucky enough to call this place home:)

Back home at Nautnes a nice Red-throated Diver smålom was waiting for me on the sea outside my terrace.

Second year Red-throated Diver smålom at Nautnes

Hardangervidda 09-10 June 2023 - A brief stop in the hills

Heading east I had to stop for a meeting and what better place than Halne on the Hardangervidda:)

After work I had a couple of short walks in the area, still some snow around and the lake was mostly covered in ice. Best bird in a Hardangervidda context was a Black-throated Diver storlom which fed briefly on an ice free area. Otherwise it was more or less situation normal, or perhaps the "new normal" as I did not see any Lapland Bunting lappsourv.

Singing Bluethroat blåstrupe and Shorelark fjelllerke, displaying Rock Ptarmigan fjellrype and a selection of the usual waders were among the sightings here.

Bluethroat blåstrupe, Halne

One of many Fieldfare gråtrost nests in the area

Fieldfare gråtrost

Dunlin myrsnipe at Dyranut

Ringed Plover sandlo at Dyranut

Rock Ptarmigan fjellrype, Hardangervidda

Shorelark fjelllerke

Hardangervidda 26-27 June 2020 - Stay in the hills

Essentially a camping trip with two of my daughters, but needless to say some birds were seen.

Somewhat cooler up on the vidda - fantastic! Temperatures were definitely shorts and T-shirt but at long last probably not over 20 degrees.

An afternoon stroll produced Temminck's stint temminkssnipe, Shorelark fjellerke, Ptarmigan fjellrype, Rough-legged Buzzard fjellvåk, Velvet Scoters sjoørre, Bluethroat blåstrupe, a selection of other wildfowl and small numbers of the usual waders.

Dunlin myrsnipe

Evening view from the tent...

How my daughters see me - here photographing Temminck's Stint

Ptarmigan fjellrype

Temminck's Stint temminkssnipe

This bird caught a couple of rather large grubs / larvae during the short period I  watched it.

No display flight or song.

I awoke bright and very early the next morning and pottered about whilst waiting for the girls to wake up. More Shorelark, a few Bluethroat, Willow Grouse lirype and most of the usual species for the area BUT NOT ONE SINGLE LAPLAND BUNTING. This is the same area that in some previous years they seemed to sing from every large rock.

Where there is food there is hope......and this bird just kept gathering up more and more after this photo was taken

Shorelark fjellerke

Willow Grouse lirype - very close to overlapping habitat with Ptarmigan here!

Bluethroat blåstrupe

Rough-legged Buzzard fjellvåk

Another short walk after breakfast produced a single Great Snipe dobbeltbekkasin and a Rough-legged Buzzard fjellvåk. Time was short so we had to head on out.

We'll be back!

Hardangarvidda 07 August 2019 - Late season vidda

Constantly changing conditions from overcast with rain to sunny - as can so often be the case in the mountains

Although this was not intended as a birding trip as such, a few stops were made in the usual kinds of places and at least some of the target species were found to still be present including five Temminck's Stints temminksnipe and small numbers of Shorelark fjellerke. Bluethroats blåstrupe were still widespread and a reasonable selection of other waders were seen including a Green Sandpiper skogsnipe. Lapland Bunting lappspurv was heard only at one location.

The commonest species were Meadow Pipit heipiplerke, Fieldfare gråtrost, Yellow Wagtail gulerle, White Wagtail linerle, Wheatear steinskvett, Willow Warbler løvsanger, Common Gull fiskemåke and Golden Plover heilo. Other species were Kestrel tårnfalk, Reed Bunting sivspurv, Raven ravn, Common Sandpiper strandsnipe, Ringed Plover sandlo, Cormorant storskarv, Herring Gull gråmåke, Redwing rødvingetrost, Redshank rødstilk and Tufted Duck toppand.

Some young Bluethroats blåstrupe were particularly cooperative!

 Young Bluethroats blåstrupe

A more typical view of Bluethroat blåstrupe

An adult female

One of this year's Dunlin myrsnipe

Various views of the Hardanger glacier

Young Ringed Plover sandlo

Young Shorelark fjellerke

Yellow wagtail gulerle