Hjelme Vest 15 January 2013 - Diver headaches

Calm, sunny and freezing.

A quick check at Hjelme Vest rather late in the day was all I could manage today - and the light in the best area was rather challenging. A large Diver lom presented a rather embarassing ID headache - under normal conditions this bird should have been straightforward to identify in the 'scope.

The bill seemed very pale and translucent but this could just have been the light playing tricks. Generally pale faced, seemed to have a slight upcurve on the lower mandible.....all pointers towards Yellow-billed Diver gulnebblom which is an uncommon winter visitor and an absolute possibility.

Some obscenely cropped images below:

Bill good, neck not so good

Head more horizontal here - it was just about to dive

The worrying thing was the neck seemed a bit dark and there was something of the "notch" and thus more like the much commoner Great Northern Diver islom.

In the end I had to leave it for another day....

Other stuff included about 30 Purple Sandpipers fjæreplytt, a Curlew storspove, several Black Guillemot teist and the usual suspects - very few Eiders ærfugl AGAIN.

Solberg 14 January 2013 - Manic!

Still sunny and well below freezing. Fresh southerly winds.

This Golden Eagle kongeørn would appear to be in at least its fourth calender year

An extremely hectic day with work, dentists etc combining to give me a mere 20 minutes at Solberg. However, all was not lost - on the short drive to Solberg I was rewarded with a roadside Water Rail vannrikse.

Solberg seemed relatively quiet with just a Curlew storspove and a Velvet Scoter sjøorre of note whilst I ate my lunch. Turning to leave a raptor caught my eye - and turned out to be a Golden Eagle kongeørn - no doubt the same bird last seen shortly before New Year.

Collared Doves tyrkerdue

On the way back from the dentists a quick social call at Knappen produced the two "resident" Collared Doves tyrkerdue. Normally a scarce but regular late spring migrant these two have been at this locality since last spring.....

The first Jack Snipe kvartbekkasin of the year

Finally the afternoon school run produced a nice roadside Jack Snipe kvartbekkasin.

Not bad going for a non-birding day!

Skogsøy 13 January 2013

SSE winds, bright and sunny and FREEZING.

Great Northern Diver islom

With all the lakes frozen again it was no surprise to see four Whooper Swans sangsvane on the "lagoons".

Very little passing over the sea, not surprising given the conditions. However, a Great Northern Diver islom headed north, a hunting Peregrine vandrefalk, a couple of Black Guillemot teist, several Gannets havsule, a Little Auk alkekonge and the first Razorbill alke of the year meant it was worth the walk.

A long way out in what can only be described as the opposite of a heat haze there was quite a bit of activity - feeding gulls and even a string of 15 "Guillebills" alke/lomvi.

On the way back to the car a Goshawk hønsehauk had a go at the Hooded Crows kråke and gulls.

Also managed to see the Slavonian Grebe horndykker - same bird in more or less the same place as of late.

Tjeldstø 12 January 2013 - First "rarity" of the year...

Calm, sunny and freezing again.

 The first Treecreeper trekryper of 2013 - a rare winter sighting in Øygarden

Still struggling to get out and about but had a very productive hour at Tjeldstø in the afternoon. Highlight was without doubt a Treecreeper trekryper. First for Øygarden this year and the first I've seen here since 2010! This species is very much an irruptive autumn migrant and is very rare in winter.

Treecreeper occurrence in Øygarden (from artsdatabasen)

 Above and below - 2 cy Goshawk hønsehauk

Other good sightings included a second year Goshawk hønsehauk, a Woodcock rugde, a Snipe enkeltbekkasin and a couple of Little Auk alkekonge.

 Above and below - Parrot Crossbills furukorsnebb at Sture

A short stroll at Sture produced a small flock of Parrot Crossbill furukorsnebb.

Dåvøy 11 January 2013 - Slav

Calm, sunny and freezing again.

Slavonian Grebe horndykker

A Slavonian (Horned) Grebe horndykker was the best sighting and no doubt the same bird as seen from Herdlevær on 02 January. It kept its distance but allowed some like a record shot to be taken. Whilst doing this the dog either caught, or very nearly caught a mink judging by the smell of him.

 Cormorant storskarv

Other than the grebe only small numbers of the usual suspects.

Solberg 10 January 2013

Calm, sunny and frozen.

Back to cold weather again. An extrememly hectic day with barely even time for a very quick check at Solberg. Very quiet indeed, just a flock of 25 Purple Sandpipers fjæreplytt of any interest.

Hjelme Vest 09 January 2013 - Frustration mounts

Calm and clear. Ideal conditions

Work piling up so it was painful to look outside and see the good weather - most frustrating. A quick dash to Hjelme West produced most of the usual but no divers. A Curlew storspove was the best bird here.

Eider ærfugl numbers worryingly low almost everywhere at the moment.

Herdlevær 08 Janaury 2014 - Dull in every way

Calm, dull and foggy.

 Goldeneyes kvinand

Not really any time to be out and about but had what must have been the most birdless stroll ever at Herdlevær. Best bird (and one of less than 10 species seen!) was a Rock Pipit skjærpiplerke. Says it all really....

Back in the garden Tree Sparrow pilfink numbers back up to six. A morning ringing session in the garden that netted 17 new birds along with several retraps.

Tjeldstø 07 January 2013

Very strong southerly wind, low cloud and rain.

A combination of work, car in for service and weather meant that a quick stroll around the reserve was pretty much the only option today.

Decidedly uneventful but a few new species for the year for Tjeldstø - White-tailed Eagle havørn, Raven ravn and Goldcrest fuglekonge. Four adult Whoopers sangsvane on the now thawed out Rotevatnet.

Øygarden 06 January 2013 - Spring

Calm and mild again, very misty early on but clearing later.

Concentrated on the south of Øygarden today with very limited results. A singing Blackbird svarttrost gave the morning a feeling of Spring for a little while at least.

Covered several localities without anything special - plenty of White-tailed Eagles havørn, a Sparrowhawk spurvehauk, a couple of Rock Pipit skjærpiplerke, all the usual seaduck and a few flocks of unidentified Crossbills korsnebber.

A lone Fieldfare gråtrost at Oen was the first of the year and a Lesser Spotted Woodpecker dvergspett reported from Skjold was probably the bird of the day in Øygarden.

Hjelme West 05 January 2013 - Year Listing

Calm and very mild but rather dull.

Common Scoter svartand at Hjelme West

Took a walk out to Hjelme West where I predictably I met the county's year listers out and about.

Hjelme West was on form today - the calm seas making it easier to pick stuff up on the sea. Highlight was without doubt a couple of Turnstone steinvender - a very unpredictable species in Øygarden during the winter months.

A Great Northern Diver islom, a Curlew storspove, 80 Long-tailed Duck havelle, several Black Guillemot teist, a Velvet Scoter sjøorre and most of the usual suspects meant this was quite a productive trip.

Male Brambling bjørkefink in the garden

Back in the garden a Brambling bjørkefink was predictably joined by two twitchers - who thus managed three year ticks just in my garden as the male Blackcap munk and a Tree Sparrow pilfink were still about.

A Red-throated Diver smålom was seen at Hellesøy - another new species for the year in Øygarden (and Hordaland for that matter).

Year Listers may be interested in watching this video:

Skogsøy 04 January 2013 - Peregrine

Light westerly winds, low cloud and reduced visibility.

First trip of the year to Skogsøy was slightly disappointing - best bird was a nice Peregrine vandrefalk which was present the whole time I was out there - albeit distant for the vast majority of the time.

Second year Peregrine vandrefalk

Otherwise just a couple of White-tailed Eagles havørn, a few each of Gannet havsule, Kittiwake krykkje and Little Auk alkekonge along with small numbers of the usual seaduck.

Herdlevær 02 January 2013 - Typical!

Calm and sort of clear. Excellent conditions.

 Otter coming ashore

Common Scoter svartand and Black Guillemot teist

Common Crossbill grankorsnebb

Purple Sandpiper fjæreplytt

Goshawk hønsehauk

A superb couple of hours birding at Herdlevær today with several new species for the year - and a few that would have been nice to get during the Bird Race.

Highlight was a cracking adult Iceland Gull grønlandsmåke - unfortunately only telescope views. A Slavonian (Horned) Grebe horndykker was a close runner up.

Other birds inlcuded a massive Goshawk hønsehauk, a Sparrowhawk spurvehauk, a single Purple Sandpiper fjæreplytt (where were these for three days!) and a Snipe enkeltbekkasin.

A Woodpigeon ringdue, three Starling stær and a Tree Sparrow pilfink were the best birds seen at Breivik on the way home.

Blackcap munk still in the garden at Tjeldstø

Øygarden 01 January 2013 - New Year Bird Race Day 3

Fresh southerly with regular showers.

A rather better day in most respects than yesterday but still managed to miss a number of regular species.

Started the day at Dåvøy where I had superb views of an Otter. Best bird here was a Common Snipe enkeltbekkasin.

Solberg produced several Kittiwake krykkje, a couple of Gannets havsule and a Velvet Scoter sjøorre - but no new species for the Bird Race. A couple of Otter fishing here too - again with White-tailed Eagles havørn in attendance.

Alvheim was virtually dead but a Curlew storspove was a new species.

Hjelme West was still not up to its usual standards but at least produced the anticipated Black Guillemots teist, a Woodcock rugde and a Rock Pipit skjærpiplerke. And more Otters.

Little Auk alkekonge at Kollsnes næringspark

A tramp through the heaths at Ljøsneset produced a male Black Grouse orrfugl - a species that often requires some effort to see at this time of year.

Woodpigeon ringdue at Harkestad - surprise bird of the day

At Harkestad the bird of the day was a Woodpigeon ringdue - seems like the first January record of this species in Øygarden. No doubt scared out here by last nights fireworks.

Parrot Crossbill furukorsnebb

Tjeldstø produced at least one flock of Parrot Crossbills furukorsnebb, the two Blackcap munk in my garden and nine Whoopers sangsvane.

A total of 49 species in Øygarden during three days of birding in difficult conditions must be considered reasonable - but the potential is a lot higher than this......

Øygarden 31 December 2012 - Disappointing

Slightly less wind and a lot more rain today.

Hard going to get much new in - failed for the vast majority of things I tried for.

Starting in the south of Øygargen I covered a few localities on Toftøy but only added Crested Tit toppmeis, Wren gjerdesmett, Goldcrest fuglekonge and Common Crossbill grankorsnebb here - in other words nothing special.

Things continued in the same vein at several other localities. I gave up my plan and headed to Hjelme West in order to save the day. This turned out to also be a dismal failure but I did add Sparrowhawk spurvehauk here.

A last ditch effort to save the day at Solberg proved successful - a nice Great Northern Diver islom on the sea here may have been the only one seen in Hordaland during the three day bird race. A couple of Velvet Scoter sjøorre were also present here.

So after two days 41 species is pretty disappointing -  hope for a better day tomorrow.

Øygarden 30 December 2012 - New Year Bird Race Day 1

Southerly gales, heavy showers at times.

Woken up by heavy thunder and a heavier hail storm my sanity was questioned as I left for Skogsøy. Given the conditions it was no surprise that passerines and raptors (with the exception of White-tailed Eagle havørn) were virtually absent.

Luckily there was some passage over the sea with around 10 Gannets havsule, 10 Kittiwake krykkje, several Little Auks alkekonge, a Razorbill alke and some other unidentified auks. Just singles of Common Scoter svartand and Velvet Scoter sjøorre.

After Skogsøy I popped in very briefly at a number of localities picking up a Common Snipe enkeltbekkasin at Herdlevær, a Fieldfare gråtrost, two Blackcap munk, Tree Sparrow pilfink etc at Tjeldstø.

A few adult Whoopers sangsvane at Storavatnet were the last new of the day - taking the number of species to 35.

Bird of the day was without doubt an Eagle Owl hubro.

Breivik 29 December 2012 - Strange gull?

Southerly gales, some light rain. Mild.

Thawing fast. Only bird of note was a single Woodcock rugde.

 Smaller, darker gull (top left) with Herring gulls gråmåke.

A drive-by at Herdlevær produced a strange looking gull - smaller and darker than the Herring Gulls gråmåke and with less white on the wing-tips.

The two Blackcaps munk remain in the garden.

Herdlevær 28 December 2012 - Goldie again

Strong southerly winds slowly increasing. Mainly dry, some thawing.

Golden Eagle kongeørn mobbed by Raven ravn. The split in the white wing patches on the underwing indicate that this bird is at least in its fourth year.

Curlew storspove

Herdlevær seemed rather quiet to start with but things picked up nicely in the end. Highlight was an immature Golden Eagle kongeørn, probably the same bird seen from my house several days ago. Views were not brilliant but better than last time - seems like it may be a fourth year bird or thereabouts.

Other birds of note were a fly-by Curlew storspove and at least two Woodcock rugde. A lone Starling stær was the first for a while.

The two Blackcaps munk remain in the garden.

Tjeldstø 27 December 2012 - More Blackcap

Fresh north westerly wind with snow showers.

 Female Blackcap munk on one of the feeders

Amazingly yesterday's female Blackcap munk was joined by a male in the garden today.

A flock of five Waxwing sidensvans flying past were the best birds during a short stroll at Solberg. As usual a couple of Otters were present too.

Tjeldstø 26 December 2012 - Blackcap

Calm and mild.

A walk around the reserve produced little of interest although the family of five Whoopers sangsvane flew over - obviously hoping for some open fresh water.

Female Blackcap munk in the garden

Best birds today were both in the garden - a female Blackcap munk and a lone Fieldfare gråtrost.

Tjeldstø 25 December 2012

Calm, mild and raining all day.

Took things very easy today. A stroll around the reserve produced a Snipe enkeltbekkasin and a Woodcock rugde - both of which should be having an easier time of things if the weather forecast holds.

Still plenty of birds feeding in the garden with around 120-130 in most days. Tree Sparrow pilfink numbers seem to have suddenly dropped though.

Dåvøy 24 December 2012

Fresh south easterly with snow. Nice.

 Cormorant storskarv

 Mallard stokkand

Wren gjerdesmett

Only bird of any note at Dåvøy was a Snipe enkeltbekkasin - with the weather forecast to turn milder soon this bird should have an easier time of things for a while at least.

A quick look at Solberg produced little - just a Velvet Scoter sjøorre and a couple of Otters.

Hjelme West 23 December 2012

Strong SE wind, cold

A quick trip to Hjelme West produced a Goshawk hønsehauk chasing a Woodcock rugde out over the sea as the best sighting. The Woodock escaped at great height a fair way out to sea.

Otherwise a Great Northern Diver islom, several Black Guillemots teist and at least two Otters present.

The best bird of the day, however, was picked up from my living room window - a juvenile Golden Eagle kongeørn. Also of note in the garden was the House Sparrow gråspurv flock is now up to at least 45 birds - this flock just gets bigger and bigger - wonder where they are coming from.....

Tjeldstø 22 December 2012 - Parrots?

Another cold and sunny day, well below freezing.

 Large billed Common Crossbills grankorsnebb?

Not much about today, though a flock of Crossbills korsnebb in the woods proved interesting. I have to admit I don't find Crossbills easy. These looked rather large billed but somehow didn't feel quite right for Parrot Crossbill furukorsnebb. I see that I will have to start with sound recording....

A couple of Great-spotted Woodpecker flaggspett, a few White-tailed Eagles havørn and not a whole lot else.