Hardangervidda 16. June 2024 - Hardangervidda Light II

Heading home to Øygarden I made a few roadside stops on the vidda. Most of them made me want to just keep walking further and spending a LOT more time up on the vidda.

Plenty of Shorelark fjellerke in suitable habitat, but no Lapland Buntings lappspurv. Otherwise many of the usual suspects showed up - Ptarmigan fjellrype, Rough-legged Buzzard fjellvåk and more.

Female Ptarmigan fjellrype at Dyranut

Ringed Plovers sandlo at Dyranut

Shorelark fjellerke on the vidda

At Dyranut there were a few pairs of Ringed Plover sandlo getting started with the breeding season - down at the coast I saw the first young weeks ago!

Also picked up a pair of Hawk Owl haukugle in suitable habitat:)

Hawk Owl haukugle pair

The drive over the vidda and back to Bergen was a timely reminder of how incredibly spectacular this country is. The vidda, måbødalen, Eidfjord, Voss and the road from Voss to Bergen are amazing! Just wonderful and I wish I had had the time to stop and take some photos. Just fantastic to be lucky enough to call this place home:)

Back home at Nautnes a nice Red-throated Diver smålom was waiting for me on the sea outside my terrace.

Second year Red-throated Diver smålom at Nautnes

Nautnes 14-19 January 2024 - Winter / New species for Dåvøy

 Another week chained to a computer and another work trip, this time to Stavanger. Very wintery again with temperatures at or below freezing and full snow cover.

Once again most observations were from the house. Woodcocks rugde flew over on Monday and Friday this week.

On Tuesday a first winter Red-throated Diver smålom turned up on the sea in front of the terrace and a Curlew storspove fed on the rocks - surprisingly few and far between this winter - normally this is quite an easy species to see during the winter months.

Red-throated Diver smålom at Nautnes

I also did a drive-by at Dåvøy on the way home from the shop - resulting in another new for the year in Øygarden and in fact a new species for this locality in the form of a Tufted Duck toppand. Never very common out here in the winter this bird has no doubt been forced off some lake to the sea. Winter can produce some unusual wildfowl so it pays to keep an eye out:)

Tufted Duck toppand at Dåvøy

Some of the 41 Grey Herons gråhegre present at Dåvøy

Two Tree Sparrows pilfink returned to the garden on Wednesday and a Redwing rødvingetrost put in an appearance too. Now up to 13 Blackbirds svarttrost in the garden and the Greenfinch grønnfink flock is now over 30.

On Friday two Guillemots lomvi were on the sea outside the house, one of which was in almost full summer plumage. 

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.

Øygarden 08-10 December 2020 - Fantastic winter weather

 Calm and mild without any rain throughout the last few days.

On 08 December I did my usual round at Herdlevær with the best birds being a Woodcock rugde, 30 Purple Sandpiper fjæreplytt and 22 Starling stær. Plenty of White-tailed Eagles havørn "all over".

A boat trip around northern Øygarden on the 09 December produced the usual winter fare - several Curlew storspove, a Great Northern Diver islom, around 10 Black Guillemots teist, 40-ish Long-tailed Duck havelle, 10 White-tailed Eagles havørn, a few each of Common Scoter svartand and Velvet Scoter sjøorre and a late Red-throated Diver smålom right outside my house.

Black Guillemot teist - now easily the commonest auk during the winter months

Eiders ærfugl

This should probably have some kind of he/she caption with the male hiding behind a wave:)

Long-tailed Ducks havelle

First year Red-throated Diver smålom at Nautnes

A mix of Cormorants storskarv and Shag toppskarv (mostly the latter)

Velvet Scoter sjøorre

Adult White-tailed Eagle havørn

After the boat trip it was time to go to the shops, a slight detour produced a first year Herring Gull gråmåke from Kvamsøy, Møre og Romsdal, some 182km further north.

JNJ15 - a rather more interesting bird than my last colour ringed Herring Gull!

This shows how far the bird has moved since it was ringed as a chick.

Skogsøy 20 March 2020 - A good day's migration

Calm, sunny and frosty on the way out - just how we like it! Warm enough to not have to do my coat up too!

I spent nearly four hours seawatching and notched up the first two Red-throated Diver smålom of the season along with a respectable 655 Oystercatcher tjeld heading north.

Plenty of formation flying from the Oystercatchers tjeld today. 

One of two Red-throated Diver smålom that passed

Some good chances to compare Shags toppskarv with Cormorants storskarv as they came past in mixed flocks

Red throated Diver N	2
Northern Gannet N	10
Northern Gannet S	6
Great Cormorant N	4
Great Cormorant S	6
Eurasian Shag N	16
Eurasian Shag S	46
Greylag Goose N	7
Eider S	2
Long tailed duck S	2
Oystercatcher N	655
Oystercatcher S	1
Eurasian Curlew N	5
Common Gull N	17
Common Gull S	3
Common Guillemot N	1
Razorbill N	1
Auk N	3

On the way home a Meadow Pipit heipiplerke at Breivik and six Lapwing vipe beside Husvatnet, Tjeldstø were other signs of spring.

Øygarden 30-31 May 2019 - Hanging in there for Manx

Birding activity at a virtual standstill but still trying to squeeze in some time here and there.

On 30th May drive-bys at the usual places on the way to and from work provided encouraging signs for the local Common Terns makrellterne and Arctic Terns rødnebbterne 

One of several Arctic Tern rødnebbterne pairs in among the Common Terns

Common Tern makrellterne (though I did look twice given the all dark bill!)

Lapwing vipe chicks at Husvatnet, Tjeldstø

Young Lesser Redpoll brunsisik

Skylark sanglerke - not often I take pictures of this species despite small numbers breeding in the area

Adult White-tailed Eagle havørn

The various breeding waders are starting to hatch with Ringed Plover sandlo, Lapwing vipe and Curlew storspove all with young. The Redshanks rødstilk must be imminent if they don't already have young.

On 31st May I spent a few hours seawatching at Skogsøy. This paid off well with the first Manx Shearwater havlire of the year. Plenty of other stuff passing too, so well worth the effort! In addition to the birds listed below a pair of Arctic Skua tyvjo, one pale phase, the other dark flew overhead as I walked out to the lookout point.

Red throated Diver smålom N 19

Northern Fulmar havhest N 3

Northern Gannet havsule N 170

Northern Gannet havsule S 8

Great Cormorant storskarv N 3

Common Scoter svartand N 27

Turnstone steinvender N 8 (first of the year for me)

Great Skua storjo N 1

Common Gull fiskemåke N 21

Black-legged Kittiwake krykkje N 79

Black-legged Kittiwake krykkje S 13

Arctic Tern rødnebbterne N 3

Common Guillemot lomvi N 43

Razorbill alke N 18

Atlantic Puffin lunde N 2

Guillibill alke/lomvi N 17

Common Scoter svartand

As usual at this time of year non-adult birds start to dominate

Migrating Red-throated Diver smålom

Some Red-throated Diver smålom are not in breeding plumage - younger birds heading north to check out what to do next year?