Øygarden 18-21.03.2025 - Back in the game

 Work continues to be as relentless as ever, gone it seems are the days of a few hours out midweek:(

Nevertheless this is Øygarden and my home office can produce as does a trip to the shops. I was out each morning briefly before work (thank goodness the days are significantly lighter now!).

I returned home on the afternoon of 18.03 and a grocery run gave several Lapwing vipe at Breivik.

Lapwing vipe at Breivik

On 19.03 a Grey-headed Woodpecker gråspett, a nice flock of Teal krikkand and just being outside listening to displaying Lapwing vipe and Oystercatcher tjeld meant that half an hour at Tjeldstø were absolutely worth it. After work I managed a couple of drive-bys and caught up with two Rook kornkråke and two Jackdaw kaie at Breivik. 

The last two winters have been used to remove the sitka plantation in the middle of the reserve at Tjeldstø. This will undoubtedly benefit waders and wildfowl in the area.

More trees have disappeared at Husvatnet too - as has the bird hide bus stop which vanished during some work on the footpath. This is a shame as this bus stop / hide was better than the one beside Rotevatnet

Teal krikkand at Tjeldstø

Rook kornkråke with two Jackdaw kaie at Breivik

Robin rødstrupe at Dåvey

Lapwing vipe at Kollnes

Jackdaws kaie at Breivik

Up to three Otters and three White-tailed Eagles havørn provided entertainment even when I was stuck at home:)

On 20.03 I checked Hjelme briefly before work, turning up a nice White-tailed Eagle havørn, a pair of Bullfinch dompap, singing Chaffinches bokfink, a couple of Great-spotted Woodpecker flaggspett, Common Crossbills grankorsnebb and more.

Bullfinches dompap 

Although I do like my point and pray it is somewhat slower than the DSLR at getting going. This could have been a good picture if the camera was quicker at starting up.

From the terrace a few Teal krikkand, a couple of White-tailed Eagle havørn, two Rock Pipit skjærpiplerke, a couple of Gannet havsule and plenty more besides kept interest levels up.

After work I did a quick walk at Breivk which produced a Rook kornkråke, 120 Starling stær, a few Snipe enkeltbakkasin and several Lapwing vipe among other things.

A pre-work check at Tjeldstø on 21.03 gave more views of the Grey-headed Woodpecker gråspett. A Little Grebe dvergdykker at Dåveøy and a male Stonechat svartstrupe at Kollsnes were among the other sightings.

Little Grebe dvergdykker

Male Stonechat svartstrupe

Herdlevær 27 March 2023 - Rooks beat WBD

I did my usual round at Herdlevær before work in sunny but cold conditions. Overnight snow was melting fast but the fresh northerly breeze made it feel pretty cool.

Highlight was a flock of three Rooks kornkråke - a massive number for these parts:) - actually a better sighting round here than the White-billed Diver gulnebblom seen half an hour later. Other migrants on land were thin on the ground but included a Woodpigeon ringdue and an increase in the number of Blackbirds svarttrost.

Only shot with all three Rooks kornkråke in the same frame

Rooks kornkråke

Looked more like spring that it felt today...

A short look at the sea whilst I ate my sandwiches showed migration was continuing with a steady movement of Common Gull fskemåke, small numbers of auks (including Black Guillemot teist) and the usual suspects. Pretty much the first bird that flew past was a nice White-billed Diver gunebblom.

Common Gull fiskemåke

Although generally very happy with the point and pray I still need to figure out how to stop in overexposing and how to keep the shutter speed I want - I think that this and the following pictures would actually have been quite sharp had it not been for the slow shutter speeds...

2cy Cormorant storskarv

Massively cropped pictures of the White-billed Diver gulnebblom.

I think my trusty old DSLR would have managed slightly better but these are certainly fit for purpose:)

Skogsøy 12 February 2023 - Purple Sandpiper uncropped

 Very similar weather to yesterday with a light SW wind and some occasional light drizzle.

I opted for Skogsøy in the hope that the movement from yesterday would continue. It didn't and the sea itself was rather quiet with just a couple of Razorbill alke, a few Gannets havsule and a Kittiwake krykkje passing.

Ir was nice to have some company and I was joined by a Purple Sandpiper fjæreplytt who flew up to land beside me when it heard my thermos fall over. Although reasonably alert for 15 minutes or so it quickly lost interest in the passage and went to sleep. I should probably have done the same:)

I was joined by a Purple Sandpiper fjæreplytt today:)

Other birds at Skogøy included a couple of White-tailed Eagle havørn and a Great Northern Diver islom feeding inshore.

The long-staying Rook kornkråke at Oen showed itself on the way home as did a Fieldfare gråtrost - a species that has been very thin on the ground the last couple of weeks.

Fieldfare gråtrost

The Greylag grågås flock at Tjeldstø increased to five (the two from yesterday joined by the birds from Breivik?). Back home a flock of three flew over the house where I also had a few more Gannets havsule, a Peregrine vandrefalk and a couple of Long-tailed Duck havelle.

Tjeldstø 10 March 2015 - Short but sweet

Gale force onshore winds with occasional short showers.

Rook kornkråke at Harkestad

No time to be out and about once again so it was the trip to the shops that saved the day - a Rook kornkråke was the bird of the day at Harkestad where there was also a flock of around 60 Starling stær. The Rook was the first I've seen in Øygarden this year and although this species is pretty much annual here and the majority of records are spring sightings this bird was rather early.

A brief walk at Tjeldstø produced a Gannet havsule over Hjeltefjord and a further increase in Greylag grågås numbers - now at least 45 present.

View at Solberg today

A quick stop at Solberg produced nothing much out of the ordinary but 50 Eider ærfugl had been forced into this (relatively!) sheltered bay, there was a flock of approximately 40 Long-tailed Duck havelle and 12 Fieldfare gråtrost here too.

A ridiculous crop of 440 pixels from DSLR + 400mm telephoto lens

440 pixels from the centre of a shot taken with a compact superzoom.

Although the contrast may not be as good as the DSLR the image is pretty impressive.

With my DSLR probably on its last legs this may soon be my main camera - and it certainly does the job regarding stuff that is not moving too quickly....

This image is itself heavily cropped from a landscape image taken with the compact superzoom. I cropped it because otherwise the circle around the bird would have been meaningless - these were very distant shots indeed!

I stopped at the most regular and accessible breeding site for Ringed Plover sandlo on the way home and found one bird present - another first for the year.