Øygarden 31.01 - 03.02.2023 - Glaucous Gull and Eagle Owl

For once it was not work that limited time in the field. I was even social in a work-related way:)

Edda Flora at work in Hjeltefjord. My social life revolved around this vessel during the week:)

A couple of hours out on 31.01 produced Lesser-spotted Woodpecker dvergspett, the first Nuthatch spettmeis of the year and a singing Parrot Crossbill furukorsnebb at Hatten.

A Curlew storspove from the terrace was the first I've seen at Nautnes this year and a flock of four were seen at Breivik.

The Glaucous Gull polarmåke put in an appearance at Dåvøy again but despite almost daily checks was only seen on 31.01.

Glaucous Gull polarmåke at Dåvøy

Great-spotted Woodpecker flaggspett at Hatten

Otter from the terrace - typically for the winter months I have seen Otters almost everywhere on a daily basis of late

On 02.02, one of the calmer days this week I gave Hjelme Vest a go. Once again rather quiet but this is the kind of place where the longer you stay the more you see. Ended up with the first Oystercatcher tjeld of the year, four Turnstone steinvender, several Purple Sands fjæreplytt, a Little Auk alkekonge, two Great Northern Diver islom and very small numbers of seaduck.

Friday 03.02 gave a Peregrine vandrefalk right over the terrace as the best bird. A trip to Skogsøy after work was rather quiet with just four White-tailed Eagle havørn and a couple of Gannets havsule to show for the effort.

Birdwise the highlight of the week was an Eagle Owl hubro which gave cracking views at a location that I have only ever seen occasional traces of (a feather or two and pellets). Nice to see there are still some around after my regulars died due to human activities a few years ago.

Another highlight this week was 10kg Cod torsk - one of the largest I have caught in Øygarden, although many years ago I did manage a 12kg example.

Nautnes / Tjeldstø 29 April - 01 May 2019 - Back to work

And back to earth with a bang. Very frustrating to sit glued to phone/computer during the best week of the spring....

Checked Tjeldstø to a varying degree each day and glimpsed a few bits and bobs from the terrace at home.

Barnacles hvitkinngås passing Nautnes on 30 April (whilst I was hanging up nestboxes...)

Shoveler skjeand pair on Husvatnet, Tjeldstø

Song Thrush måltrost

Random White-tailed Eagle havørn shot from the terrace

Highlight were the two male Gargany knekkand which stayed until the afternoon of 30 April. A pair of Shoveler skjeand also turned up on Husvatnet as did a few Wigeon brunnakke.

On 29 & 30 April some flocks of Barnacle Geese hvitkinngås headed north - interestingly some large numbers of Pinkfeet and Greylag were reported on artsobs at exactly the same time as the main Barnacle movement happened. Credible obs? Highly unlikely. That thousands of geese of three different species passed over the same area at the same time is just too much of a coincidence.....

Lapwings vipe on eggs, several Greylag grågås families now with chicks, Golden Plover heilo stopping up for a break in their migration were other signs of spring.

01 May is traditionally a day for seawatching at Skogsøy. I did not have the chance to do this but made the "mistake" of doing 15 minutes at Solberg just to get an idea about what might be going on. In the short time I sat there I was rewarded with a White-billed Diver gulnebblom and 15 Red-throated Diver smålom. Doh!!

Massively cropped image of an Eagle Owl hubro being mobbed by a Hooded Crow kråke

Also managed another Eagle Owl hubro sighting....:)

Øygarden 02 March 2018 - Who you gonna call?

Cracking weather for humans, less so for Water Rail vannrikse, Snipe enkeltbekkasin and Woodcock rugde - all species seen today but relegated to "also rans" by events later in the day.

I picked up quite a few of the usual species during shops, ice-skating and a walk at Hjelme Vest. I had just got out of the car to start some real birding when I received a call about an Eagle Owl hubro that was entangled in an electric fence.

One of the nice things about being known as the "birdman" out here is that I am called about all kinds of things related to birds (a Gannet wandering around a garden after a storm, a Merlin that has flown into a window etc etc). Today's call meant that I immediately returned to my car and sped off to assist.

Mobile phone shot immediately after disentanglement

Having freed the bird  (with plenty of assistance) I attempted to release it but it just crash landed in a very undignified manner. So it got the cardboard box treatment for a couple of hours during which it perked up considerably and also did an amazingly smelly poop. I have been crapped on by a huge variety of seabirds - ranging from Gannet, all of the auks, Wilson's Petrel and more and NONE have smelt anything like as bad as this Eagle Owl did.

Assessing damage and wing pattern (to find out more about age) 

Preparing for release

Just before crash landing....

Above four pictures: Roald Hatten

The bird seemed very healthy and not in the least malnourished - a fact confirmed by it's weight. This adult looking bird weighed in at over 2kg and thus probably a male (something also indicated by wing length). A ringer from Bergen headed out as soon as I told him what was going on and his arrival coincided with the bird really perking up. Despite an injury to to one wing, it had a good go at taking off so we felt we should give releasing it a second go. Although the bird flew much better than it did immediately after freeing it from the fence it did not manage to get far and was easily recaptured, it was therefore  sent off for a visit to the vets and further care.

The first Woodpigeon ringdue of the year put in an appearance in the garden during the afternoon.

Øygarden 25-28 March 2017 - Fog stops play for the only day I was out

Largely little wind, ranging from foggy to glorious sunshine.

Barnacle Geese hvitkinngås beside Husvatnet - my first in Øygarden this year but this species was first seen back in February. I wonder if these two are "overshoots" from Oslo - having joined up with the wrong flock of Greylags on their way north...

Crested Tit toppmeis are setting up territories now

I had the good fortune to stumble over Eagle Owl hubro - these shots are very heavily cropped and I turned around and left the area immediately. This is a sensitive time of year for them.

Distant flock of Oystercatcher tjeld at Solberg on 28th - they would have been very close at Skogsøy

White-tailed Eagle havørn enjoying its ill-gotten gains at Nautnes, picture taken from my terrace.

The trend of not getting out continued - with the exception of 26th March when I got up early and went out to Skogsøy to watch the fog. Seriously, the visibility looked misty but reasonable from Nautnes but at Skogsøy I spent and hour waiting in vain for the vis to clear a bit. I gave up and went back home to work. Elsewhere I had Woodcock rugde roding over the house, Song Thrushes måltrost arriving in bigger numbers now - pretty much everywhere and more Meadow Pipits heipiplerke too.

On 25th I barely left the house but had the first Merlin dvergfalk flying over the road on a trip to the shop. Same story on 27th, although a trip to the shops produced a couple of Barnacle Geese hvitkinngås and two Black-headed Gulls hettemåke at Husvatnet, Tjeldstø.

From the house Otter and White-tailed Eagle havørn still being seen daily - the latter robbing the former more often than not. Also Black Guillemot teist, Rock Pipit skjærpiplerke and most of the usual.

The 28th was most frustrating as I had hoped to get out to do some seawatching but work made sure that didn't happen. I ate my breakfast at Solberg and had a few hundred Common Gull fiskemåke and over 100 Oystercatcher tjeld in just 20 minutes. Also a Turnstone steinvender heading north. This passage continued until at least lunchtime (seen from the kitchen window....). A White wagtail linerle turned up just outside the house.

Herdlevær 14 September 2015 - Politics and Superstition

The fantastic conditions continue....

The perfect conditions seem never-ending - but seem to be too good to ground anything rare. Best birds today were a flock of eight Black-tailed Godwits svarthalespove which passed Herdlevær. Otherwise it was more of the same with smaller raptors dominating the action.

Birds seen from the house included a Peregrine vandrefalk and a Goshawk hønsehauk.

To top it all - and in a strangely prophetic manner - I heard at least one Eagle Owl hubro giving alarm calls from the terrace after dark - at the time I was watching the results of the local elections held today. It seems the Eagle Owl hubro knew it that it is doomed as s viable species out here (and quite possibly in the country as a whole). Most of the political parties seem to be going for putting all of Øygarden  under a THICK layer of concrete and allowing / encouraging everyone to build as much as humanely possible wherever they want to, All in all a very apt sighting.

One party, however, was for keeping farmland, putting high voltage cables in the ground and a number of other commendable ideas. Unfortunately they have little or no chance of achieving their goals, Interesting the environmental party didn't even have a candidate in Øygarden, Says it all really....

Tjeldstø 16 May 2015 - Easy does it / Tragedy

Light southerly winds and sunny

After a long lie-in I took things easy and didn't get out until nearer midday - often a recipe for not much in the way of birds. I've not managed to find the time to check Tjeldstø very much of late and the main priority was to see if the Black-tailed Godwits svarthalespove reported from there yesterday were still around. Thankfully at least one of them was still present - but flew around a fair bit and was rather vocal.

Black-tailed Godwit svarthalespove

The stroll around the reserve also produced a singing Lesser-spotted Woodpecker dvergspett, a hunting Merlin dvergfalk and plenty more besides.

A Collared Dove tykerdue seen from the kitchen window was the first this year at Nautnes and coupled with yesterday's sighting at Breivik may indicate something of an influx of this species.

However, it was not all good news:

Dead Eagle Owl hubro lying under the power lines that killed it

I found this dead Eagle Owl hubro which was apparently killed by flying into overhead power lines - unfortunately not the first I've found killed in this way. Unfortunately planners don't seem to pay any attention to this kind of thing and tragically this will just keep happening over and over again.

Skogsøy+ 05 January 2015 - Regulars still playing hard to get

Not quite what was forecast - southerly winds, steady light rain and dull.

Skogsøy failed to produce the goods today (quite a rare event) with a single Curlew storspove as the best bird and a Common Gull fiskemåke the only new species for the year. Virtually nothing going on over the sea and only small numbers of Eider ærfugl, Shag toppskarv and Cormorant storskarv on the sea.

A drive-by at Herdlevær failed to turn up anything of interest - just a flock of 12 Greenfinch grønnfink.

At Tjeldstø there were the usual thrushes and a couple of Whoopers sangsvane.

Business as usual at Nautnes with White-tailed Eagle havørn, a small flock of Fieldfare gråtrost and most of the usual suspects in the garden.

Above and below: the first Eagle Owl hubro of the year

The day was saved by a sighting of an Eagle Owl hubro.

Skogsøy+ 31 December 2014 - New Year's Bird Race Day 1 - for real this time

Fresh southerly winds, no rain.

It turned out that the dates for the New Year's bird race had changed since I last checked them so today was in fact the first day.

Once again something of a late start so only managed a trip to Skogsøy and a brief check at a few other localities.

At Skogsøy the best birds were a hunting Peregrine vandrefalk, a couple of Woodcock rugde and a single Gannet havsule. Very little on or over the sea.

Breivik held a flock of thrushes and Starlings stær.

At Tjeldstø a stop at the shops produced the Greylag grågås flock that has been around for the last few days.

Bird of the day was an Eagle Owl hubro that gave cracking views at a regular roosting site.

Øygarden 12 May 2014 - Another good morning out and about

Sunny yet again with light northerly winds.

Whinchat buskskvett

Spent a few hours in the morning checking a few localities - something that paid off very well indeed. At Breivik a couple of singing Sedge Warbler sivsanger were the first I've had this year along with a singing Whinchat buskskvett. It is not often one hears the latter species singing in Øygarden.

 

Whimbrel småspove

Herdlevær was relatively quiet with little in the way of migrants. As with "everywhere" else in Øygarden there were Greylags grågås with newly hatched chicks. A couple of singing Blackcap munk, a Whimbrel småspove and a Meadow Pipit heipiplerke nest with four eggs were the best of the other sightings here.

At Tjeldstø just one Black-headed Gull hettemåke present today but the two Barnacle Geese hvitkinngås were still there and a female Wigeon brunnakke put in an appearance.

Solberg produced one of the best birds of the day - a dark phase Arctic Skua tyvjo. A flock of 12 Arctic Terns rødnebberne heading north and a single Twite bergirisk were also noteworthy here.

Eagle Owl hubro

 

Peregrine vandrefalk

 

Elsewhere nice views of an Eagle Owl hubro and a Peregrine vandrefalk provided some extra excitement.

Øygarden 27 October 2013 - decent late autumn birding

Light south westerly winds and sunny.

A casual look at a few localities produced a number of decent birds today.

At Hjelme Vest the highlight was a Pomarine Skua polarjo initially seen sitting on the rocks. Other sightings here included some Øygarden oddities such as Willow Tit granmeis and Treecreeper trekyper. Some movement over the sea with a couple of Great Northern Diver islom, a Little Auk alkekonge and a light passage of Common Gulls fiskemåke. An Oystercatcher tjeld was rather late whilst a small flock of Purple Sandpiper fjæreplytt were the first of the autumn for me. A Woodpigeon ringdue and a few Bullfinch dompap here were obviously migrants.

A couple of flocks of Mealy Redpoll gråsisik, plenty of Common Crossbill grankorsnebb and at least a couple of Two-barred Crossbills båndkorsnebb.

Dipper fossekall - would be nice to know where this ringed bird came from.

From the house a Dipper fossekall was new for the garden - and even turned out to be ringed. Two more new species for the garden were Great Northern Diver islom and a few Common Scoter svartand. More Two-barred Crossbills båndkorsnebb here too.

Heavily cropped record shot of an Eagle Owl hubro

Elsewehere in Øygarden distant views of an Eagle Owl hubro meant that the day was something of a success.

Øygarden 08 August 2012 - new nest, new ring

Today I found a "new" Eagle Owl hubro nest site - though unfortunately it didn't look like it had been used this breeding season. This nest too contained an BTO (British) metal ring from a wader or duck!

Details of the ring have been sent to the BTO so hopefully I'll know more in a couple of months or so. The chances of it being quite as interesting as the previous ring I found in an Eagle Owl nest are slim but one can alway hope...

Øygarden 29 May 2012 - Eagle Owl

Sunny with northerly winds again.

Yet again only a very short time spent at a few localities.

Eagle Owl hubro

Solberg was better for mammals than birds today. In addition to the usual Otter oter there were also several Orcas spekkhogger offshore - difficult to judge an exact number.  Otherwise just a pair of Common Tern makrellterne, several Arctic Tern rødnebbterne and the usual suspects.

Elswhere an Eagle Owl hubro was seen near fresh prey.

Øygarden 30 December 2011 - New Year's Bird Race Day 1

Light northerly with hail / snow showers.

A day that seemed dogged by failure with lots of "no-shows" on species I had expected to see. Such is birding.

Started the day at Skogsøy - somewhat predictably at the "Pollane" but there was no sign of any American ducks there today.

Gannet havsule at Skogsøy

Althought there was a little movement over the sea a number of hoped-for species did not show. Eight Gannets havsule and five Kittiwake krykkje heading north and small numbers of Little Auk alkekonge was all I had to show for my efforts.

Best bird of the day by far was seen on the way back to the car - a rather unseasonal Short-eared Owl jordugle. Also seen on the way back was a flock of seven Greylags grågås heading south. Other species included a Fieldfare gråtrost with 15 Starling stær near the car park.

Eagle Owl hubro - a nice bonus bird

 

I then proceeded to a variety of localities which by and large failed to produce the expected species - with one notable exception: Eagle Owl hubro. You beauty!!

Tjeldstø produced an unusual fresh water Common Scoter svartand, a Velvet Scoter sjøorre on the sea, Whoopers sangsvane and the usual.

Øygarden 09 February 2010 - Eagle Owls

Waiting for the main event....

Stuck inside for most of the day. A large flock of gulls feeding on what was probably herring out over the fjord was the only thing other than the usual Tree Sparrows pilfink etc in the garden.

A drive by at Herdlevær produced two of the Little Grebes dvergdykker that are overwintering there.

In the evening I checked out a second Eagle Owl hubro locality where at least one bird "sang" strongly for several minutes - a fantastic experience. This is the second of two of the regular territories confirmed as active thus far this season......

Øygarden 12 September 2009 - forget the migrants, its not happening today

Eagle Owl hubro

Despite meeting three dejected seawatchers at the Skogsøy car park I still embarked on a futile attempt to see some seabird movement. After an hour or so of mediocre passage I gave up and headed back having seen barely the usual suspects.

Rather than do Herdlevær which was well covered by several other birders I went onto other things - and I'm glad I did.

It is easy to forget there are some good birds about that don't need special weather conditions to bring them within range....

Øygarden 23 March 2009

Eagle Owl hubro killed by power lines

Here is what it should have looked like....

Solberg was rather unproductive with just a couple of newly arrived Meadow pipit heipiplerke of interest and an obvious northward movement of Gannets havsule.

A Grey-headed Woodpecker gråspett sang near Kollsnes.

The Pochard taffeland is still at Tjeldstø - species #153 from the house....

A stroll with the children in the evening resulted in a macabre find - an Eagle Owl hubro killed by either collision with power line or electrocution (or both!). The bird had obviously been dead some time. A perfect example of why power lines should be buried - at least in Eagle Owl hubro country.

Øygarden 02 March 2009

Migrating Great Black-backed Gull svartbak
Whooper Swan sangsvane at Tjeldstø

Eagle Owl hubro

Started off at Skogsøy but the wet and windy weather wasn't conducive to migration - until I was on my home when it turned out nice and around 50 Oystercatcher tjeld headed north almost immediately....

The seawatch itself produced a fly-by Red-throated Diver smålom and not much else at all other than large gulls heading south (relocating after recent southerly gales or actual migration?)

Other noteworthy birds included a flock of at least 30 Purple Sandpiper fjæreplytt and one of the overwintering Curlew storspove.

At Herdlevær a Skylark sanglerke joined thrushes, including a Redwing rødvingetrost. This was probably a migrant bird rather than an overwintering one.

Elsewhere it was obvious that more and more migrants are returning with, among other things, another Lapwing vipe at Kollsnes.