Øygarden 09.04-12.04.2024 - Spring

Home but not out birding at all.

A trip to the shops to fill up my empty fridge after I returned on 09 April produced a Jackdaw kaie / Rook kornkråke combo at Dåvøy as the best sighting.

Jackdaw kaie

Rook kornkråke

White Wagtail linerle, Dunnock jernspurv and the usual White-tailed Eagles havørn were seen from the terrace.

On Wednesday 10.04 more White Wags linerle here and there and a Guillemot lomvi on the sea in front of my house were all that I managed.

Twenty minutes sitting in the sun at Hatten the following day was very nice with a pair of Siskin grønnsisik, several Brambling bjørefink, a couple of Great-spotted Woodpecker flaggspett and the usual suspects.

Brambling bjørkefink

Female Great-spotted Woodpecker flaggspett

Siskin grønnsisik

Mergansers siland on the sea in front of my house

On Friday I heard my first singing Chiff-chaff gransanger of the year from my terrace, Gannet havsule and a bridled Guillemot ringvi were also seen here.

Female Pied Wagtail svartryggerle

Gannet havsule from the terrace

Bridled Guillemot ringvi from the terrace

Redshank rødstilk at Husvatnet, Tjeldstø

Male Wheatear steinskvett at Breivik

Other stuff included the first Redshank rødstilk of the year at Husvatnet, a smart male Wheatear steinskvett at Breivik, a female Pied Wagtail svartryggerle at Tjeldstø and a (the?) Carrion Crow svartkråke at Oen.

Øygarden 18.03-23.03.2024 - Arrivals

I returned to Øygarden as the light went on 18 March to find the fields were FULL of migrants - big flocks of Redwing rødvingetrost, Fieldfare gråtrost, Blackbird svarttrost and Starling stær were EVERYWHERE. A new species for the year were a couple of Golden Plover heilo with them.

Golden Plover heilo with Fieldfare gråtrost at Breivik

The following day I had a guiding trip and given the forecast of fresh southerly winds and rain I actually left Øygarden and did Herdla along and a quick look at my old haunts near Gullfjell. Just under 50 species noted during the course of the day. At Herdla a cracking 2cy White-billed Diver gulnebblom vied for top spot with a lovely male Lapland Bunting lappspurv. Four albifrons White-fronted Geese tundragås, a maleShelduck gravand, a flocks of Dunlin myrsnipe, Ringed Plover sandlo, Golden Plover heilo, Curlew storspove, all the usual seaduck, huge numbers of Skylark sanglerke, Rock Pipit skjærpiplerke and more meant this locality was a great success. Elsewhere Dipper fossekall, small numbers of Whoopers sangsvane, Goosander laksand and even a couple of "inland" Long-tailed Ducks havelle meant there was always something to see.

A business trip saw me leave Øygarden again on Wednesday morning but I did pick up the first local Black-headed Gull hettemåke of the year and a flock of around 20 Lapwing vipe on my way. Before I left a couple of Tree Sparrow pilfink turned up in my garden and a Sparrowhawk spurvehauk flew over.

It was long after dark on Thursday before I returned and Friday was spent largely confined to the home office where a couple of Goldfinch stillits and a Rock Pipit skjærpiplerke turned up in the garden. A trip to the shops produced the Stonechat svartstrupe pair at Kollsnes among other things.

Curlew storspove now back on their breeding grounds (up to now just coastal overwintering birds have been seen)

Goldfinces stillits on my feeder

On Saturday 23 March I took the morning off and did my usual round at Herdlevær and visited both Breivik and Tjeldstø. 

Other than a Rook kornkråke Herdlevær did not produce any surprises. Breivik produced two Rook kornkråke and two Jackdaw kaie. Nearby at Kollsnes a flock of 23 Skylark sanglerke was a good number for these parts. Tjeldstø held couple of pairs of Teal krikkand, singing Song Thrush måltrost, displaying Curlew storspove and more.

Rook kornkråke #1

Rook kornkråke #2

Øygarden 24-25 March 2023 - Back west again

A trip to the shops after arriving home in the afternoon produced the first Teal krikkand of the year on Husvatnet, Tjeldstø and a couple of Jackdaw kaie at Breivik where there was a flock of 85 Starling stær. At Kollsnes two White Wagtails linerle had joined the two Pied Wagtails svartryggerle that turned up just before I left.

Jackdaw kaie at Breivik

White Wagtail linerle, the other bird was noticably paler

On 25 March it was predictably back to seawatching at Skogsøy again. Another day of decent movement although passage did drop off as the northerly wind increased. Best sightings today were the first two Lesser Black-backed Gulls sildemåke of the year heading north and the first Song Thrush måltrost of the year singing on the way out to the lookout point.

In four hours the following passed:

Red throated Diver smålom N 7, S 1

Northern Gannet havsule N 38, S 9

Great Cormorant storskarv N 2, S 6

Eurasian Shag toppskarv N 8, S 148

Shelduck gravand N 1

Eider ærfugl S 15

Common Scoter svartand N 2, S 2

Merganser siland N 2, S 20

Oystercatcher tjeld N 368

Eurasian Curlew storspove N 1

Common Gull fiskemåke N 71, S 7

Lesser black backed Gull sildemåke N 2

Herring Gull gråmåke N 9

Black-legged Kittiwake krykkje N 14

Common Guillemot lomvi N 3

Razorbill alke N 11

Auk N 5, S 1

At least three White-tailed Eagle havørn and a Sparrowhawk spurvehauk were also present at Skogsøy.

A Rook kornkråke was present at Breivik on the way home. A Hawfinch kjernebiter turned up at feeder at Hatten and another Song Thrush måltrost fed at Nautnes. 

Rook kornkråke at Breivik

Song Thrush måltrost at Nautnes

Øygarden 06-11 November 2022 - November:)

November is one of my favourite months as although the main migration may be over there is always something to see and it often a time for things that may be common elsewhere to turn up.

I arrived home as the light was going on 06 November and just had to pop across to Sæle, just in case "something" might have lingered on. This was not the case but a couple of Bullfinch dompap (never common here but a typical early November migrant), some Blackcaps munk, a few Chiff-chaff gransanger and a Rook kornkråke along with the usual thrushes, Robins rødstrupe etc meant that it wasn't waste of time.

Chiff-chaff gransanger - this one was calling like a normal one

Rook kornkråke, a scarce but annual visitor in early spring and late autumn

The following day I was back there again for an hour or so - hoping to turn one of the Chiff-chaff into a tristis. This was also not the case but a Long-tailed Tit stjertmeis and a Willow Tit granmeis put in an appearance amongst the Blackcaps munk, Chiff-chaffs gransanger, Goldcrests fuglekonge and other migrants present. Plenty going on so it was most enjoyable.

Chiff-chaffs gransanger at Sæle

Long-tailed Tit stjertmeis

A very short visit to Herdlevær on 08 November produced a very vocal tristis Chiff-chaff sibirgransanger, a Woodcock rugde, a Willow Tit granmeis, a flock of six Waxwing sidensvans, a Goldfinch stillits and plenty of commoner migrants.

On the way home I picked up a couple of lateish Meadow Pipits heipiplerke at Breivik and a Lapwing vipe at Tjeldstø.

Crested Tit toppmeis at Herdlevær

Lapwing vipe at Tjeldstø

Three of six Waxwing sidensvans at Herdlevær

A morning visit to Hellesøy on 09 November gave a Waxwing sidensvans and a Merlin dvergfalk as highlights.

On the way home a couple each of Goldfinch stillits and Goldcrest fuglekonge were the only things of interest but plenty of Redwing rødvingetrost and Blackbird svarttrost about. Sæle gave up the same as the previous visits with Long-tailed Tit stjertmeis, Blackcaps munk and Chiff-chaffs gransanger still around. 

It was here disaster struck - my trusty DSLR gave up the ghost. I thought it was my lens that was on the way out but the camera itself refused to take pictures. Yet another one bites the dust and puts me in a predicament....

Next up was a female Scaup bergand at Husvatnet, without a camera there were no pictures...

Back home a Redpoll gråsisik and a couple of Tree Sparrow pilfink joined the more usual selection of species in the garden

There was no time to get out of the house on 10 November, though a trip to the shops in the late afternoon produced an unusual sighting in the form of a Fulmar havhest swimming amongst the boats at Rong and the Lapwing vipe a Tjeldstø was still present along with the Scaup bergand.

Fulmar havhest, either sick or exhausted at Rong.

Unusual place and time of year, this bird swam in among the small boats tied up along the quayside

On 11 November I did no birding at all, but drove into Bergen for a lovely couple of hours with my youngest and a quick visit to a camera shop. More about the latter later....

Herdlevær 18 March 2022 - Big fall

Back west with good timing 😊 Light Southerly winds and sunny after some showers during the night.

The very small amount of rain did what was necessary - there were flocks of thrushes all over and a number of other migrants turned up.

On my way to Herdlevær over 100 Fieldfare gråtrost fed in the fields at Breivik along with Redwings rødvingetrost and Starlings stær.

Herdlevær was pretty good with a minimum of 40 Redwing rødvingetrost present. Three Chiff-chaff gransanger fed together - first of the year for me but the first for Øygarden this year turned up whilst I was away. Four Woodpigeon ringdue were new arrivals there too but there was only one Song Thrush måltrost. The first lamb I've seen this year was also teetering about on wobbly legs.

One of the Chiff-chaffs gransanger at Herdlevær - typically these birds fed on the ground a lot

Cormorant storskarv

Guillemot lomvi

Red-throated Diver smålom

Tree Sparrow pilfink

My usual breakfast / coffee break showed that Oystercatcher tjeld and Common Gulls fiskemåke were heading north. Guillemot lomvi and Red-throated Diver smålom fed close inshore.

On my way home the customary stop at Husvatnet produced at least eight Lapwing vipe and a Rook kornkråke fought off Hooded Crows kråke to defend whatever it was it had found to eat:) 

The first Rook kornkråke of the year in Øygarden

Later on I headed to a garden at Hellesøy where a nice male Black Grouse orrfugl showed well.