Øygarden 28.09-02.10.2026 - New species for the house list / the Nutcrackers are here

A most frustrating week: conditions were perfect and I have full time job. I say it every year but I really have to book holiday for the last week in September....

I managed anything between half an hour and an hour or so out and about with more summer than we had in the summer, easterly winds and so on.

On 28th I managed to spend 15 minutes at Tjeldstø and half an hour an Sæle. Tjeldstø gave a few White-tailed Eagles havørn, a Sparrowhawk spurvehauk and a Wheatear steinskvett along with the usual Wigeon brunnakke and so on.

Sæle was full of birds but nothing remarkable, just a female Blackcap munk, several Chiff-chaff gransanger and four Common Crossbill grankorsnebb.

Sparrowhawk spurvehauk

Male Wheatear steinskvett

On Tuesday 29th it was almost wall to wall Teams meetings and frustratingly I received a call from Bjørnar saying he had found what we had been expecting - a Nutrcracker nøttekråke. I've seen plenty this year, just not here at home where it is something of a rarity. Having suffered through a meeting or two I finally made it out and heard Nutcracker at close range without seeing it. I sat down to wait and soon heard a more distant call and scanning over the treetops I found two gaining height rapidly and heading north.

As this was really a trip to the shop I also stopped very quickly at Husvatnet where a late Lapwing vipe was present.

The photo that could have been something had I not knocked a button on my camera and screwed up the settings. Same thing happened with the Nutcrackers...

After this breif foray out it was back to barracks. Three minutes on the terrace during a break whilst making dinner I picked up a Stonechat svartstrupe. Luckily the bird stayed and a post dinner stroll with my better half and NBB junior #1 provided a photo opportunity.

Stonechat svartstrupe at Nautnes

The next day I found out my "good dad rewards" don't just apply to my daughters. There is also a similar concept called "good boyfriend rewards" where bird karma also kicks in. So, to save my better half some transport time, I offered to drive her half an hour to a bus stop with some more connections to civilisation. This resulted in a Common Buzzard musvåk on the way south and a lovely Grey-headed Woodpecker gråspett on the way home:)

Grey-headed Woodpecker gråspett at Sture

Back home I had Jay notteskrike in the garden along with the much commoner White-tailed Eagles havørn.

Nautnes 02 January 2024 - The terrace strikes back....

A brisk easterly wind made it feel rather cold today.

Back to work again and no birding out of the house but this is not necessarily a bad thing - a random look out of the kitchen window revealed the first "good" bird of 2024 in the form of a Common Buzzard musvåk heading north. Unfortunately it was gone before I could get outside.

Other new birds for the year in the garden were Redwing rødvingetrost, a Mealy Redpoll gråsisik (where were these during the New Year Bird race), two Tree Sparrow pilfink (also not seen the last few days but this is more down to not visiting the right places) and a Chaffinch bokfink.

Mealy Redpoll gråsisik at my feeder

A trip to the shops produced Snipe enkeltbekkasin, Whooper Swans sangsvane, a few Common Crossbill grankorsnebb and a few White-tailed Eagles havørn. Five minutes out of the car on the way home resulted in a Woodcock rugde:)

Snipe enkeltbekkasin

Øygarden 22 October - Uncommon Buzzard

Despite the offshore easterly winds I started the day seawatching. There was plenty moving:)

Hightlights were an adult White-billed Diver gulnebblom, a Great Northern Diver islom and two large divers that could have been either of these two - distance was not really an issue but I got onto them too late:( A Little Auk alkekonge, decent movement of seaduck and a good variety of other species including three White-tailed Eagle havørn, a flock of Purple Sandpiper fjæreplytt and more meant that it was never dull. Marine mammals also featured with a couple of Porpoise and what could only have been a Risso's Dolphin with a long, thin and falcate dorsal fin. 

Common Scoter svartand on the sea at Skogsøy

Purple Sandpipers fjæreplytt heading north

White-tailed Eagle havørn coming in off the sea having bullied a couple of GBBG svartbak

An ongoing military exercise put paid to two of my plans (rare pipits and fishing) so I briefly checked another couple of localities. I was rewarded by a roadside Common Buzzard musvåk at Nautnes. Chiff-chaff gransanger, Blackcap munk, Waxwing sidensvans and Parrot Crossbills furukorsnebb were among the species at Sæle.

Common Buzzard musvåk at Nautnes - lower two pictures through the car window

Chiff-chaff gransanger at Sæle

Goldfinch stillits at Nautnes

Part of a flock of Waxwing sidensvans at Sæle

Engerdal 11-18 June 2023 - Quiet in the hills

A week spent in my inland home away from home:) I managed to cover most of my usual spots in between work and other stuff.

My impression was that things were a lot quieter than normal for this time of year. Waders were rather thin on the ground - very small numbers of Whimbrel småspove compared to normal, most tringa waders well down on normal numbers and a some of species of wader were simply not present. Yellow wagtail gulerele, normally extremely common, were present in much lower numbers than usual. Perhaps this is due to the fact that the spring was rather late and there was a long period of cold weather that stopped just a couple of days before I arrived.

That said, a decent variety of species (at least 82) were seen including a couple more new Engerdal species for me - a Hawfinch kjernebiter in the garden and a female Hen Harrier myrhauk. Other highlights including breeding Short-eared Owl jordugle, excellent views of singing Icterine Warbler gulsanger, Common Buzzard musvåk and Great Grey Shrike varsler seemingly holding territory.

Hawfinch kjernebiter - a new species for me in Engerdal. 

This bird was seen in the garden at Heggriset.

Female Hen Harrier myrhauk - another new species for me in Engerdal - one of the first birds seen on my "farewell tour" on the morning I left.

Common Buzzard musvåk, Heggeriset

This shot shows the effect of the light with one pupil much larger than the other one:)

Short-eared Owl jordugle.

There was quite a lot of evidence of rodents in the hills, Kestrels tårnfalk were pretty much everywhere so it seems like not too bad a year for these birds in the mountains

Great Grey Shrike varsler - normally I see this species in the autumn / winter but they also breed in the area. Another pointer towards a reasonable rodent year higher up.

Icterine Warbler gulsanger - this bird at Heggeriset and another at Galten were the only two I saw during the week in Engerdal.

A couple of unseasonal sightings at Drevsjø were a flyover Jackdaw kaie and a Starling stær which looked like it was visiting a nest hole - this is a species I have normally seen as an autumn migrant in Engerdal.

Common Tern makrellterne at Sorken.

Arctic Tern rødnebbterne is the commonest tern in Engerdal

Yellow Wagtail gulerle at Heggeriset

This species was noticeably less numerous than normal this time round

Bullfinches dompap with young were still visiting the garden feeder

Great-spotted Woodpecker flaggspett, Engerdal

Siskin grønnsisik at the feeder

Bullfinch dompap at Heggeriset

Merganser siland, Galten

Raven ravn, near Drevsjø

Brambling bjørkefink - one of the commonest breeding birds in Engerdal

Øygarden 03 October 2020 - New species for the house list

 Another day of cracking weather. I took things rather easy with just a walk at Breivik and a stop at Tjeldstø on the way home but nevertheless had some decent sightings.

Pinkfeet kortnebbgås with two Barnacle Geese hvitkinngås

Pintail stjertand with Wigeon brunnakke

At Breivik / Kollsnes the best bird was the first Pintail stjertand of the year together with some Wigeon brunnakke. A couple of Barnacle Geese hvitkinngås had joined the flock of Pinkfeet kortnebbgås at Breivik. Otherwise flocks of thrushes, finches, Woodpigeons ringdue and Golden Plover heilo on the move.

Yellow-browed Warbler gulbrynsanger at Tjeldstø

A Yellow-browed Warbler gulbrynsanger, two migrating Grey Wagtail vintererle and some flyover Goldfinch stillits were the pick of the sightings at Tjeldstø.

Common Buzzard musvåk from the terrace (it looked a lot better in the bins and scope!)

My terrace produced the best bird of the day in the form of a Common Buzzard musvåk - quite the rarity out here and another addition to the house list:) A late Swift tårnseiler headed south as did a couple of Kestrel tårnfalk. A flock of 12 Goldfinch stillits, singing Chiff-chaff gransanger, Grey-headed Woodpecker gråspett, three White-tailed Eagles havørn, four Swallows låvesvale and a couple of Red-throated Diver smålom were among the other things seen from the house.

My stint on the terrace was interrupted to go and investigate a strange bird seen in the woods nearby. I said it was Jay nøtteskrike before I left and this is what is was. It is always Jay:) Bonus bird was a Treecreeper trekryper. Plus some reports (with proof) of Hawk Owl haukugle back in September 2018 - so an area worth keeping an eye on.

Øygarden 03 November 2019 - (Un)Common Buzzard!

Another bright and sunny morning with winds from the east.

Jackdaw kaie

Starlings stær

I did a short check at Herdlevær where Waxwings sidensvans put in an appearance, a late Woodpigeon ringdue headed south and another typical late autumn migrant - Jackdaw kaie - turned up. Otherwise just the usual Redpolls gråsisik, Brambling bjørkefink etc

Roadside Meadow Pipit heipiplerke at Breivik

The vast majority have left the area now

I then stopped at Tjeldstø and started filling petrol. However, I had to abort, grab my camera and take pictures of a Common Buzzard musvåk that came over chased by Hooded Crows kråke and disappeared to the south....A rare bird out in Øygarden and the first I have seen at Tjeldstø.

Common Buzzard musvåk