Tjeldstø and Herdlevær 25 March 2024 - Cheeky pre-work outing

Sunny with a cool northerly wind again.

I was up bright and early and decided to get a couple of hours birding in before work - partly spurred on by the fact the first bird I heard from my terrace was a singing Grey-headed Woodpecker gråspett.

Things went pretty well with the first Pink-foot kortnebbgås of the year on Husvatnet - a very common bird indeed in the east of Norway at the moment but not many move up the west coast of the country. Also singing Meadow Pipit heipiplerke here - the first I've seen locally. My first one was across the fjord last week:)

Pinkfoot kortnebbgås before the sun came up properly.

I was glad I stopped as I didn't see this bird on the way home

I did my usual round at Herdlevær where migrants included a few each of Skylark sanglerke and Song Thrush måltrost and a couple of Snow Bunting snøspurv. Here too Meadow Pipits heipiplerke had arrived.

One of the Meadow Pipits heipiplerke at Herdlevær

A short breakfast break with the scope produced much the same as Skogsøy did yesterday although passage seemed rather more subdued. A couple of Puffin lunde headed south and two Red-throated Diver smålom headed north.

My point and pray had mixed results - in fully automatic mode it tends to opt for a shutter speed too slow for flight photographs

Cormorant storskarv results not as good as yesterday:)

Massively cropped Guillemot lomvi - not to shabby considering the range

My good deed for the day was to show some birders/photographers from town the male Stonechat svartstrupe at Kollsnes.

Home before 10:00 and back to the grindstone.....

Øygarden 01 June - A MOST interesting day

Calm and sunny. There was always a good "feel" about today from the moment I got out of bed.

View from Kollsnes towards Breivik

View looking east from my terrace at 0245

....and view to the west

Today I was up at not just silly o'clock but totally ridiculous o'clock. Hoping that I might not be too late to find some exciting nocturnal birds I visited a few place in the early hours of the morning. This was a magical experience and gave a number of interesting sightings - although not quite the birds I was hoping for / expecting.

Cuckoos gjøk have been very obvious of late but at night they were even more active with many birds all over the place. It is not very often I see bats in the northern part of Øygarden but there was one flying around at Tjeldstø. I also managed to record an interesting call which I hope to find the time to identify....

Pinkfoot kortnebbgås with Greylags grågås

I caught up with a Pinkfoot kortnebbgås that has been seen hanging around with the local Greylags grågås. Although a strange time of year for this species it is not unusual for one or two to turn up like this.

Juvenile Parrot Crossbills furukorsnebb - not normally something I expect to see in the summer months in Øygarden

Male Two-barred Crossbill båndkorsnebb. Another unseasonal occurrence

A seemingly agitated male Two-barred Crossbill båndkorsnebb was very vocal and an unusual find for early June (though I do suspect there have been more about since the winter) and even more unusually it was joined by a few juvenile Parrot Crossbills furukorsnebb. 

The next unusual sighting was of a rather more mundane species in the form of six Collared Dove tyrkerdue migrating north quite high and fast over Sæle.

Golden Plover heilo on Lyngøy

After spending the early morning this was it was time to have a look around some of the islands. Lyngøy proved rather quiet bird-wise with just a few Redshank rødstilk and Golden Plover heilo as migrants. 

This female (or young) Grey Seal havert did not seem to get too excited to be sharing a rock with a new species for the area!

Third year Med Gull svartehavsmåke with Common Gull fiskemåke

The outer islands further south proved rather more exciting with the first Mediterranean Gull svartehavsmåke for Øygarden landing briefly on one of the islands. A third year bird that was a real looker! Probably one of the most anticipated new species for the area - it has been a long time coming.

This is a species that is on the increase and expanding its range. Now a common bird on my home turf - better pics of this species here.

Engerdal 26.09 - 01.10 Heading East instead of West

In the last week of September most birders of a sound mind head to rarity islands off the west coast of Norway. I decided to do the opposite and leave my rarity island off the west coast and head inland instead. Largely to avoid having to write the inevitable rarity descriptions up 😊.

The destination was somewhat predicatably Engerdal in Hedmark, eastern Norway

I managed a fair bit of time out and about and enjoyed quite a bit of quality birding in what were, for the most part, fantastic conditions. Vast numbers of thrushes and finches were seen pretty much everywhere - obviously on the move and preparing to go. Waxwings sidensvans, a variety of wildfowl and some of the eastern specialities such as Siberian Jay lavskrike, Three-toed Woodpecker tretåspett and Black Woodpecker svartspett were also noted.

This Black Redstart svartrødstjert was the second record for Engerdal and arguably the best bird I saw up there. It turned up immediately after a brief flurry of snow and was still present the next day. It was incredibly restless and the flight shots were taken as it seemed to want to join some of the many flocks of passing thrushes and finches.

Siberian Jays lavskrike were as cooperative as they usually are - once one has actually found them!

This one is in the process of swallowing a blueberry.

This Three-toed Woodpecker tretåspett flew over the road in front of me seemingly with a flock of thrushes. Always a nice sighting for a birder from the west of Norway....

Adult Black-throated Diver storlom

First year Black-throated Diver storlom

Several lakes in the area still held Black-throated Divers storlom. Largely this was a case of a lone adult together with a young one. Many were vocal.

Dunnock jernspurv

A rather distant Great Grey Shrike varsler

Jays nøtteskrike were very much in evidence as they frantically gathered their winter food supplies

Long-tailed Tit stjertmeis

Red-breasted Merganser siland

Pinkfeet kortnebbgås

Ring Ousels ringtrost were seen up towards the treeline

Crippling view of Snipe enkeltbekkasin (not even cropped!)

Willow Tit granmeis are very common in Engerdal

Hernar 04 April - A very birdy welcome home

Finally back home - to AMAZING weather and lots of migrants.

I spent the morning on Hernar where the best sighting was the first spring record for the island of Water Rail vannrikse - running over a path rather than in the usual boggy area.

Brambling bjørkefink

Pied Wagtail svartryggerle

There were plenty of new for the year for Øygarden - a couple of singing Chiff-chaff gransanger, a Wheatear steinskvett, Brambling bjørkefink, Siskin grønnsisik, Ringed Plover sandlo, Reed Bunting sivspurv and Dunnock jernspurv.

A couple of Snipe enkeltbakkasin may have been overwintering birds but Redwing rødvingetrost, Goldcrest fuglekonge and others were migrants. Loads of Meadow Pipits heipiplerke busy setting up territories, a few White-tailed Eagles havørn and plenty more. Both White Wagtail linerle and Pied Wagtail svartryggerle were also local firsts for the year for me here.

Five of the six Pinkfeet kortnebbgås

Two Rook kornkråke

After working for a few hours I headed out again, this time to Kollsnes/Breivik where the highlight was a Lapland Bunting lappsurv - first for the county this year. Other good sightings were six Pinkfeet kortnebbgås and a couple of Rook kornkråke. A few more Wheatear steinskvett here too - these ones singing!

Tjeldstø / Nautnes 21-27 July 2018 - No birding

Apart from an hour of impromtu guiding on 24th there has been little or no birding this week.

Best bird was a Green Sandpiper skogsnipe from the house early in the morning of 27th - first of the autumn here in Øygarden. Next best was a Collared Dove tyrkerdue at Tjeldstø on 24th.

The unusual summer Pinkfoot kortnebbgås remained at Husvatnet until at least 25th.

Otherwise some indication of Common Gull fiskemåke and Black-headed Gull hettemåke migration and the usual White-tailed Eagle havørn trying to catch geese.

Animals seen from the house this week have included Porpoise nise, Red Deer hjørt and a bat flaggermus (not often I see the latter in Øygarden!). A fishing trip on 24th produced six species of fish....should probably start reporting these too.....

Tjeldstø 20 July 2018 - Summer wildfowl

Calm and sunny.

A short stroll around Tjeldstø produced a very unseasonal Pink-footed Goose kortnebbgås as the best bird.  This is the first July record for Øygarden. A second Tufted Duck toppand had joined the bird from the other day.

Pink-footed Goose kortnebbgås at Tjeldstø

Pink-footed Goose occurrence in Øygarden (from artsobs)

Other than this just the usual breeding waders.

Chaffinch bokfink

Finches such as Linnets tornirisk and Chaffinch bokfink are starting to form flocks now.

A couple of Swift tårnseiler and a Black-headed Gull hettemåke were signs of migration from the terrace later in the day.