Øygarden 03-05 January 2024 - Terrace keeps on producing

Freezing but calm conditions continue.

With the exception of a couple of hours on Thursday when I managed to do a quick check at Herdlevær there was no actual birding done.

On Tuesday I had to go and buy some more wood for my stove - normally self-sufficient this year's supply is for various reasons not as good as previous years and I'm making serious inroads into my woodpile. Anyway, I managed five minutes at Hellesøy where I picked up a distant White-billed Diver gulnebblom on the sea. 

Redpoll gråsisik and Redwing rødvingetrost still visiting the garden along with increasing numbers of Blackbirds svarttrost - a typical thing when temperatures are below zero for any length of time.

One of several Redwing rødvingetrost seen at Sæle

On Wednesday 04 January the terrace produced again with a Red-throated Diver smålom and a Sparrowhawk spurvehauk as new species for the year along with the usual White-tailed Eagles havørn etc

I spent a couple of hours at Herdlevær which resulted in Woodcock rugde, Snipe enkeltbekkasin, a Guillemot lomvi on the sea, small numbers of Eiders ærfugl and an Oystercatcher tjeld as the best birds. On the way home a roadside Snipe enkeltbekkasin gave good views.

Guillemot lomvi at Herdlevær

The view at Herdlevær - we are very lucky here as we are escaping the huge amounts of snow and ridiculously cold temperatures currently being experienced in other parts of Norway

Roadside Snipe enkeltbekkasin

Friday was spent in various meetings in Bergen so all I managed in Øygarden was a couple of minutes at Hatten which gave a flock of 17 Parrot Crossbills furukorsnebb, a Great Spotted Woodpecker flaggspett and a Bullfinch dompap.

Øygarden 04-05 February 2021 - A killer winter

 This cold and sunny weather should f*** off back to the east of Norway where it belongs. The longest spell of cold weather for years is now taking a heavy toll on the species that normally manage to survive our usual winters. The Snipe enkeltbekkasin and Woodcock rugde seemed to manage quite well for a few weeks but now they are succumbing to the relentless frozen conditions.

On 04 February I didn't do much other than a very quick look at a part of Tjeldstø where I had a Woodcock rugde, a Sparrowhawk spurvehauk and a couple of White-tailed Eagle havørn.

A roadside Dipper fossekall found plenty of food, catching new prey after only a few seconds underwater. Quite possibly because this species is not normally present so there is plenty to eat for the few birds that do turn up. No worries dealing with the cold for this bird:)

Dipper fossekall with prey

Back home at Nautnes a Greylag grågås headed south, no doubt fleeing the frozen and snow covered fields in search of somewhere milder. Another Woodcock rugde here too - I hoped that it would follow the lead of the Blackbirds svarttrost and try to find food along the shore but this proved not to be the case.

Female Goldeneye kvinand on the sea in front of my house

On 05 February I did Herdlevær before heading home to work. One dead Woodcock rugde and one flying over, a Snipe enkeltbekkasin that had died very shortly before I found it (although it has frozen into the ice it was not yet frozen itself). Although I am staying away from the best areas that are most likely to be able to support such species this one was in a tiny and unexpected area of unfrozen ground.

A Snipe enkeltbekkasin that had died of cold and starvation only a short time before I found it - still trying to find something to eat to the very last....

Birds that were still alive included a Black Guillemot teist, a Red-throated Diver smålom, a flock of 13 Goldeneye kvinand, a few White-tailed Eagle havørn and a flock of 60-70 Eider ærfugl feeding offshore.

More Woodcock rugde both dead and alive were seen on the way home - one of the dead ones included the bird I saw yesterday at Nautnes.

Woodcock rugde hoping that the ground might thaw in this sunny spot

One of a few dead Woodcock rugde seen today. I did not go nearer in case there were others hiding nearby

It was not all doom, gloom and death - at Hatten the White-backed Woodpecker hvitryggspett put on a nice show together with a couple of Great-spotted Woodpeckers flaggspett.

Nuthatch spettmeis

White-backed Woodpecker hvitryggspett

Tjeldstø 13 January 2021 - Avoiding disturbance

 Calm, sunny and frozen AGAIN.

All I managed today was a lunchtime walk around Tjeldstø with one of my daughters. We deliberately stayed well away from the areas being used by Woodcock rugde and Snipe enkeltbekkasin but still saw three of the former and one of the latter.

The female White-backed Woodpecker hvitryggspett was back at Hatten and gave brief views on the way home.

White-backed Woodpecker hvitryggspett

Back home at Nautnes several Redwing rødvingetrost fed near my house but did not join the flock of Blackbirds svarttrost there.

One of the Snipe enkeltbekkasin seen today - cropped image of a bird photographed from my car and not flushed,

Hatten 06 January 2021 - Game Over

 Another calm, sunny and frosty day.

No real birding today but there are always errands to run so when I heard about a White-backed Woodpecker hvitryggspett it would have been downright rude not to have tried to see it. It performed very nicely, just a shame me and my camera did not (previous subject had been in full sunshine....). Perhaps the same bird I had at Tjeldstø at the end of December....

Other than that Blackbird svarttrost numbers in the garden building up - now up to four, roadside Woodcock rugde, a couple of White-tailed Eagles havørn, a Velvet Scoter sjøorre and not a lot else.

Woodcock rugde not looking too comfortable. Hopefully a thaw is just around the corner

White-backed Woodpecker hvitryggspett showing why it has it's name

Øygarden 29-30 December 2020 - Still going strong!

 Back in Øygarden again it was business as usual with new birds still being found.

On 29 December the main goal of the day was to go to the shops for the New Year festivities. This was all the birding I did - but a good day despite this. A Grey-headed Woodpecker gråspett almost in the garden as I went out to the car. A short diversion on the way to the shops produced a real Øygarden rarity in the form of a Coot sothøne. This is a scarce visitor in Øygarden so this bird plugged a hole in some birders lists. A Moorehen sivhøne was also present - possibly the same bird I saw there earlier in the autumn.

Coot sothøne on Blomvatnet

Grey-headed Woodpecker gråspett at Nautnes

On 30 December a late start with a walk in some potentially interesting terrain produced little other than a Woodcock rugde and a flock of Common Crossbill grankorsnebb.

This was followed by a walk at Hjelme Vest - this proved rather more successful with two Turnstone steinvender as the highlight. A Peregrine vandrefalk, a Curlew storspove, 70 Long-tailed Duck havelle, 60 Common Crossbill grankorsnebb and several Black Guillemot teist were among the other sightings.

Things improved even further when I picked my daughters up at Tjeldstø - a woodpecker flew over the road and gave good views but unfortunately my camera was still in my rucksack so I only managed some poor shots of the first confirmed White-backed Woodpecker hvitryggspett for this locality.

Female White-backed Woodpecker hvitryggspett at Tjeldstø

Hatten 14 November 2020 - FINALLY a new Øygarden species

 Strong southerly winds, mild and overcast.

At Tjeldstø, a flock of Whoopers sangsvane attracted two Teal krikkand, three Wigeon brunnakke and 20 Mallard stokkand which typically fed on whatever the swans kick up whilst they are feeding.

I had planned to look for woodpeckers and had just got out of the car to start working the woods when I received with hot tip and jumped straight back into the car to catch up with a species I have not definitely seen in Øygarden before - White-backed Woodpecker hvitryggspett. The species is regular enough a couple of fjords to the east of us and has probably been seen out here at the coast prior to the first documented birds this autumn. 

As I have been offshore for most of the autumn it has taken a while to catch up with this species on the home turf - and today a cracking female performed well at close range, albeit in poor light.

Here together with Great Spotted Woodpecker flaggspett

Female White-backed Woodpecker hvitryggspett - the first definite record for me in Øygarden - although I have strongly suspected it a couple of times, most recently earlier in the autumn.

There are other potentially credible records but none backed up with documentation prior to the spate of the records this autumn. At least two birds have been seen with a male at Breivik in addition to bird(s) at Skjold and Hatten