Herdlevær 26 October 2019 - Pipit chasing

Another rather windy day.

A fairly typical morning out with a couple of White-tailed Eagle havørn, a Razorbill alke on the sea, Rock Pipits skjærpiplerke, a Wigeon brunnakke and small numbers of thrushes and finches. The finches included a couple of Goldfinch stillits.

I thought that a pipit that flew up silently was worth investigating further. Shortly afterwards it called with a tree / OBP flight call and, given the time of year my pulse rate went up and I knew I wasn't going to catch that bus to town.....

A late Tree Pipit trepiplerke

It flew off a long way but I had an idea about where it would probably go down so off I went and sure enough relocated the bird. After viewing the bird in the scope I realised it was "just" a rather late Tree Pipit trepiplerke and managed finally to snap some pictures to document the find. Just shows that these late pipits with interesting calls are just as likely to be Tree Pipit.

Øygarden 01-03 June 2019 - BEE-EATER UNBLOCKED!

After being glued to the computer all day on 1st June I decided I just HAD to get away from work for an hour or so. I thought Hjelme might produce an interesting warbler or some other late spring passerine.

I had barely got out of the car when I glimpsed a silhouette of an interesting looking bird on a telephone wire and heard the briefest of calls - BEE-EATER bieter sprang to mind and after a short walk I managed to relocate the bird. It was rather flighty but thankfully quite vocal.

It took only a few minutes for the other local birder from Øygarden to turn up but a lot longer to relocate the bird in rapidly failing light. Thankfully we got there in the end - finally unblocking this species locally for me as I have been away for both the previous sightings.

Bee-eater bieter swallowing a wasp of some sort

Grey-headed Woodpecker gråspett playing hide and seek on a telegraph pole

Unsurprisingly with this being only the third record for Øygarden the twitchers were on the scene early the next morning though only a few of them connected. I managed brief views shortly before 0600 but had to head into town to pick up a guiding client - I headed straight back and picked up the bird again around 0915 but despite others being around this seems to be the last sighting of the bird.

Other stuff in the area included singing Wryneck vendehals, Grey-headed Woodpecker gråspett, Woodcock rugde and more.

On 2nd June I picked up a singing Tree Pipit trepiplerke at Hatten (one of very few occasions I have heard this species sing in Øygarden), Garden Warbler hagesanger and Spotted Flycatcher gråfluesnapper at Hjelme, Swift tårnseiler at Nautnes and Tjeldstø and plenty more besides.

3rd June saw me guiding again with more of the same.

And that was pretty much the last of the birding for several weeks.....

Herdlevær 03 September 2017 - Should have been at Skogsøy....

Calm and sunny.

Today was never going to be a day for grounded migrants - the weather was just too nice. There was obviously a fair bit on the move but mostly at long range for Herdlevær (which is the same thing as good views at Skogsøy). Should have got up earlier and made more of an effort....

Waders were again the main thing migrating with the first thing I saw being a flock of around 200 Oysteratcher tjeld. Many other wader flocks passed but the vast majority were too far off to identify. Ringed Plover sandlo, Dunline myrsnipe and Golden Plover heilo were typically the most numerous species.

Male Common Scoter svartand

Cormorant storskarv

Shoveler skjeand (centre bird) with four Mallard stokkand

There were also some duck passing with a Shoveler skjeand together with four Mallard stokkand being the best sighting and just about close enough for a record shot. Meadow Pipits heipiplerke and Swallows låvesvale, Greylags grågås, Cormorant storskarv and others were also on the move today.

Passerine wise the best birds today were a couple of Yellow Wagtails gulerle - incredibly the first of the year in Øygarden.

Non-bird sightings of note included a school of Tuna makrellstorje beating up on some Mackerel and a couple of Porpoise nise.

Some of the Ruff brushane present at Tjeldstø today

At Tjeldstø Brambling bjørkefink were heard heading over as well as my first local Tree Pipit trepiplerke of the year. Several Ruff brushane together with a few Golden Plover heilo rested out in the reserve here.

Back home random sightings from the terrace included a Kestrel tårnfalk, at least three different White-tailed Eagles havørn, a continued passage of Swallows låvesvale and Common Gulls fiskemåke and potentially the bird of the day in the form of a Hobby lerkefalk. Had it not been for the rarity status here I would have claimed it - a falcon of the right shape, size and colour hunting Swallows couldn't really have been anything else.....

Eastern Norway 11.08-22.08 Incidental birding....

A largely family orientated trip to Hamar and further north to Engerdal in a roundabout kind of way produced some decent incidental sighting.

First year Red-backed Shrike tornskate, Hamar

First year Whinchat buskskvett, Hamar

From a terrace in Hamar on 13.08 a couple of cups of coffee produced a Red-backed Shrike tornskate, a Marsh Harrier sivhauk, Goshawk hønsehauk, two Sparrowhawk spurvehauk and at least one Osprey fiskeørn. Nice.

Up in the mountains in Oppland (Åsdalstjønna) there were still Bluethroat blåstrupe present along with a variety of other passerines.

Siberian Jay lavskrike with blueberry, Engerdal

Plenty of Yellow Wagtails gulerle about in Engerdal with a good mix of adult and young birds

Golden Plover heilo

Roadside Hawk Owl haukugle (actually in Sweden, but not by much)

Small numbers of Tree Pipits trepiplerke still around in Engerdal

One of several Osprey fiskeørn sightings - this one as I was packing the car to leave Engerdal

Engerdal produced most of the usual suspects despite little effort in the field. Siberian Jays lavskrike eating blueberries and mushrooms, more Ospreys fiskeørn and plenty of passerines now moving down into the valleys - Yellow Wagtail gulerle being the most numerous. Predictably not many waders left but still some Whimbrels småspove high up on their breeding grounds, a Greenshank gluttsnipe, small numbers of Common Sandpiper strandsnipe and a single Golden Plover heilo.

A quick shopping trip over to Sweden gave roadside views of Hawk Owl haukugle and Sibe Jay lavskrike.

Øygarden 11 May 2016 - Another bogey bites the dust

Hot and sunny again.

Work has almost stopped play again.

2cy Bluethroat blåstrupe

Female Black Redstart svartrødstjert

Instantly recognisable Tree Pipit trepiplerke

Today another of my Øygarden bogey-birds bit the dust - not quite in the way I like but anything goes. Mr Goodgame caught a Bluethroat blåstrupe at Herdlevær - a new species for us both in Øygarden. Nice. Although little more than a drive by a Tree Pipit trepiplerke dropped in - perhaps the same bird that was caught later and the female Black Redstart svartrødstjert was still around - impossible to get close to but I tricked it by pretending to leave and then snapping a couple of shots from the car.

Male Gadwall snadderand

Lesser Redpoll brunsisik

Female Pintail stjertand

I managed a short walk at Tjeldstø which turned up the long-staying male Gadwall snadderand, the female Pintail stjertand that turned up yesterday and perhaps even better - singing Sedge Warbler(s). Sedge Warbler sivsanger were a regular breeder at Tjeldstø when I first moved out here but it has been a few years since I last heard one singing at this locality. Hope it / they stick around. It was very hot and the heat haze didn't exactly help with the record shots.....

Just before midnight last night a Greenshank gluttsnipe dropped into the bay in front of my house.

Herdlevær 10 May 2016 - Dotterel

Calm and sunny again.

Time to get back to work so I just took a quick check at Husvatnet, Tjeldstø and the short round at Herdlevær. I was not disappointed.

Heavily cropped picture of the male Gadwall snadderand (right hand bird)

At Tjeldstø I finally connected with the male Gadwall snadderand that has been hanging around for a few days. Also here the first Tree Pipit trepiplerke of the year flew out of the trees.

Probably a male Dotterel boltit

Female Dotterel boltit

Female Greenland Wheatear steinskvett

Twite bergirisk

Herdlevær was quite good with the undisputed highlight a nice pair of Dotterel boltit - first in the county this year. The female Black Redstart svartrødstjert was still knocking about and the ringers caught a couple of Greenland Wheatear steinskvett - amazing to think that these birds will fly all the way to Greenland. Also Whimbrel småspove, Twite bergirisk and the usual suspects.

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.

Herdlevær 04 September 2014 - mini fall

Southerly winds with showers.

A good day out with enough going on to keep interest up. First migrant was an obliging Tree Pipit trepiplerke. This was closely followed by Pied Flycatcher svarthvit fluesnapper and a Yellow Wagtail gulerle.

Tree pipit trepiplerke - this shot shows all the key ID features - short hind claw, finer flank streaks and the bulker bill. This bird also called several times.

Tree pipit trepiplerke in a tree.

Good numbers of pipits in the area, several Wheatear steinskvett, Whinchat buskskvett, a Garden Warbler hagesanger and a selection of the usual waders were also seen.

A Swift tårnseiler fed over Husvatnet on the way home - beginning to be late for this species.

Tjeldstø 14 August 2014 - Waders on the move

Calm and sunny

A couple of Ruff brushane at Tjeldstø

Back in Øygarden at last but with no prospect of getting out and about in the immediate future. A five minute pause at Husvatnet on the way to the shops produced at least nine Ruff brushane, two Bar-headed Geese stripegås, five Teal krikkand and a Sand Martin sandsvale of note.

Back home at Nautnes the best birds were a Tree pipit trepiplerke flying over (a predictable new for the house), a Greenshank gluttsnipe and a Green Sandpiper skogsnipe along with a variety of other waders.

Hernar 25 August 2011

Southerly winds and partly cloudy at first.

One of the first birds seen was a Common Rosefinch rosenfink - probably the same bird also seen later on together with another. Other migrants included a couple of Garden Warbler hagesanger, a Tree Pipit trepiplerke, a Spotted Flycatcher gråfluesnapper and a Pied Flycatcher svarthvit fluesnapper with a hint of a second wing bar.

Over 60 Twite bergirisk, plenty of waders flying over, a couple of flocks of Greylags grågås and most of the local breeders still present meant things were pretty busy for most of the morning.

 Pied Flycatcher svarthvit fluesnapper with hint of second wing bar

 Loads of Twite bergirisk about

 Dead sheep in trawl net

 Whitethroat tornsanger

 White Wagtail linerle

Record shot of one of the Rosefinches rosenfink

A strange find was a dead sheep entangled in a trawl net floating in the sea....perhaps the animal became caught in it whilst grazing on seawed at low tide only to be drowned at high tide?