Solberg 18 November 2020 - Another Little Gull

 Stronger S winds today and not much time to be out and about.

I sat for 15 minutes at Solberg where the best sighting was another adult Little Gull dvergmåke. Otherwise just the usual including 10 Kittiwake krykkje and a Red-throated Diver smålom.

At Tjeldstø a (or the?) female Scaup bergand was present on Rotevatnet together with a female Common Scoter svartand and the flock of 19 Greylag grågås was still there.

Adult Kittiwake krykkje passing my terrace

Another 10 minutes from my terrace produced just a steady movement of Kittiwakes krykkje heading south and a Common Scoter svartand. And the Otter which has thankfully become a daily feature again after a period of only erratic visits.

The only other thing worth mentioning was a flyover Goshawk hønsehauk at Breivik.

Herdlevær 16 November 2020 - LITTLE GULLS!!

 A great morning out in relatively calm and mild conditions.

Started off at Herdlevær with my usual round. Before I sat down for coffee and breakfast I had already picked up Slavonian Grebe horndykker, Black-throated Diver storlom, Red-throated Diver smålom and more.

Black-throated Diver storlom

Cormorant storskarv with ring - I would love to know where this bird came from!

Above two: Adult Little Gull dvergmåke

Above two: 1cy Little Gull dvergmåke

Slavonian Grebe horndykker

As usual during my coffee stop I kept my eye on the sea where there was a steady passage of Kittiwakes krykkje, Herring Gulls gråmåke and Common Gulls fiskemåke. Suddenly an adult Little Gull dvergmåke came into view, I fumbled for my camera hoping to get some record shots but was not sure I managed it until later. Frantically rescanning the sea to try and refind it I found a first year Little Gull and began to question my eyes/sanity for getting things so wrong but after a minute or so they teamed up and I saw them together:) First record this year for both Øygarden and the "county".

The way home also proved successful with a Hawfinch kjernebiter at Tjeldstø along with a flock of 19 Greylags grågås - I'm presuming these late birds are probably from Iceland.

Engerdal, Hedmark 11-16 June 2018

The current trend of not getting any birding time in continues.

During a trip to Engerdal I managed to get out for one quite productive day camping out in the wilds and had a couple of other very short trips out of the house - one of which resulted in a couple of new species for Engerdal kommune - Common Rosefinch rosenfink and Common Whitethroat tornsanger

I also managed to add Parrot Crossbill furukornebb to my Engerdal list - despite the majority of the crossbills seen being Common Crossbill grankorsnebb.

In other respects it was a typical June trip - with Broad-billed Sandpiper fjellmyrløper, Ruff brushane and the usual breeding waders seen. A couple of Short-eared Owls jordugle, Siberian Jays lavskrike and most of the usual species were also seen.

In the "lowlands" things seemed rather quieter than usual but higher up there was at least as much activity as there usually is.

Yellowhammer gulspurv

Thumebergii Yellow Wagtail gulerle

Roding Woodcock rugde

Wood Sandpipers grønnstilk - a very common breeding bird in the area

Siberian Jay lavskrike

Ruff brushane

Little Gull dvergmåke

Goldeneye kvinand with young

Common Rosefinch rosenfink - one of two birds singing at one site - though I only actually saw this one.

Common Crossbill grankorsnebb

Male Brambling bjørkefink

Up close and personal with Broad-billed Sandpiper fjellmyrløper - this image is only very lightly cropped

Displaying Broad-billed Sandpiper fjellmyrløper

Arctic Tern rødnebbterne

Engerdal 22-26 May 2015 - Not birding Øygarden - but no regrets!

I recently spent a few days in Engerdal in Hedmark county and would liked to have spent more time there. This area is much larger than Øygarden and with a lot fewer people living there. It is a municipality with a massive potential and in many ways an inland version of Øyarden - wild and untamed and even more under-watched.

Great Snipe dobbeltbekkasin

Migrating Red-necked Phalarope svømmesnipe

Highlights this time around were a resting Great Snipe dobbeltbekkasin, Red-necked Phalarope svømmesnipe, Little Gulls dvergmåke, Capercaille storfugl, Cranes trane and Waxwings sidensvans. All this in addition to the usual selection of waders and wildfowl as well as some personal Engerdal "firsts" such as Buzzard musvåk. All almost without trying.

I had similar problems that Rixy experienced recently with closed roads and a lot of snow - should have been there in a couple of weeks time.....

Here are few images from my latest visit to my second favourite municipality in Norway:

Common Sandpiper strandsnipe

Common Scoter svartand with Velvet Scoter sjøorre in the background

Crane trane

Above and below: Little Gull dvergmåke

Semi-tame Reindeer

Roe Deer

Above and below: Waxwings sidensvans getting settled in

Male Whinchat buskskvett

Whooper Swans sangsvane

Wood Sandpiper grønnstilk back on an almost ice free breeding ground

Above and below: More Wood Sands grønnstilk at lower altitude...

Dunlin myrsnipe feeding along the icy edge of an still frozen pool - note the snow / ice in the lower image

Nuthatch spettmeis

Herdlevær 26 August - Little Gulls!

Southerlies with light showers

A quick look at Solberg produced small numbers of waders and an Otter eating a huge flatfish but little else.

Herdlevær was very quiet for passerines but for everything else it was a different story. Despite the late and lazy start there was non-stop action at the coast. Flocks of waders were passing constantly - most too far off to be identified. Oystercatcher tjeld, Golden Plover heilo and Ruff brushane were the commonest identified but plenty of Dunlin myrsnipe, Ringed Plover sandlo, Knot polarsnipe and other species. Several hundred waders passed in total.

 Dunlin myrsnipe

 Ringed Plover sandlo

Many waders also stopped to feed on the islands - largely Knot polarsnipe, Ringed Plover sandlo, Dunlin myrsnipe and Sanderling sandløper.

However, the undoubted highlight was a flock of FIVE Little Gulls dvergmåke - an adult summer and four first year birds. This is probably the biggest flock ever recorded in the county. Two Little Stint dvergsnipe - always a good bird in Øygarden passed in a mixed flock of Dunlin and Ringed Plover.

Other sightings of interest included the first pale-bellied Brent Geese ringgås of the autumn heading south, a couple of dark phase Arctic Skua tyvjo, a Great Skua storjo and a Red-throated Diver smålom - the first of the autumn for me.