Tjeldstø 30 April 2009 - Gargany

Greeland Whitefront tundragås with Greylags

Best birds by far were a pair of rather flighty Gargany knekkand which moved around the various lakes in the reserve. A singing Lesser Whitethroat møller was another first for the year. Another highlight was a male Merlin dvergfalk which made several passes over the reserve. No sign of the Whitefront tundragås seen yesterday but this long staying bird may well still be in the area.

Five Tufted Duck toppand on Rotevatnet were probably migrating birds.

Other than that it was pretty much business as usual with plenty of breeding waders, gulls and geese.

Hernar 15 April 2009 - Great Egret - great day!

Great (White) Egret egretthegre, Hellesøy

One of the many Chiff-chaff gransanger present on Hernar today

Meadow Pipit heipiplerke

Twite bergirisk

Decided to opt for Hernar today and was very pleased I did so - whilst waiting for the boat to leave a Great Egret egretthegre came flying over from the north and disappeared southwards. This represents only the second record for Øygarden.

Hernar itself was lifting with migrants -although none could compete with the egret. A minimum of six Chiff-chaff gransanger, a Willow Warbler løvsanger, two Blackcap munk and at least eight Wheatear steinskvett were seen.

Good numbers of Twite bergirisk, Linnet tornirisk, a Pied Wagtail svartryggerle and several White Wagtail linerle meant that there was always something to see.

Back home at Tjeldstø the Greenland Whitefront tundragås fed beside Husvatnet and a juvenile Golden Eagle kongeørn flew over the reserve - a long awaited new species for my garden list which now stands at 154.

Distant record shot of Golden Eagle kongeørn - from the garden...

Skogsøy 14 April 2009

Male Long-tailed Duck havelle
Male Wheatear steinskvett at Kollsnes

Cormorant storskarv

A late and lazy seawatch was too late to catch the early morning movement but had 19 Red-throated Diver smålom in a couple of hours seawatching. A Shelduck gravand and small numbers of Common Scoter svartand and Cormorant storskarv also on the move.

Highlight was a second year Glaucous Gull polarmåke feeding with other gulls offshore.

A few Twite bergirisk and a host of other migrants seen and heard on the way out.

A male Wheatear steinskvett at Kollsnes and another heard singing from my garden were signs of new arrivals.

Tjeldstø 13 April 2009

Colour ringed White-tailed Eagle havørn
Second year Rook kornkråke

Jackdaw kaie

After a week away in Northumberland I came back to find I'd missed out on a Smew lappfiskand that would have been a new species for my house list....however, the birds "back home" were well worth it.

Plenty more new arrivals today in the form of Linnets tornirisk, Reed bunting sivspurv, a Rook kornkråke, 10 Jackdaw kaie, Hedge Accentor jernspurv and a singing Chiff-chaff gransanger.

Lots of activity in the reserve with various species of wildfowl and wader obviously well established and possibly even on eggs.

In the evening a Redshank rødstilk was another new arrival at Tjeldstø and the long staying Greenland Whitefront tundragås turned up again.

Øygarden 03 April 2009

Redwing rødvingetrost at Tjeldstø

Fieldfare gråtrost at Tjeldstø

Migration fairly obvious today - in common with the last few days there have been flocks of thrushes and Starlings stær in many of the fields. At Tjeldstø there was a flock of 30 Fieldfare gråtrost. The Pochard taffeland and the the Greenland Whitefront tundragås also remain on Husvatnet.

Woodpigeon ringdue

A small flock (25) of Purple Sandpiper fjæreplytt were at Solberg but visibility was severely restricted by fog.

Tjeldstø 02 April 2009

Male Yellowhammer gulspurv

Female Yellowhammer gulspurv

Barely out today and it was thus the garden that once again provided most of the action today - three Yellowhammer gulspurv being the best birds - and another first for the year. This species is a scarce (just about annual) early spring and late autumn migrant in Øygarden.

A Brambling bjørkefink also joined the usual visitors and fed alongside the Lesser Redpolls brunsisk.

Øygarden 01 April 2009

Comparison between Mealy gråsisik and Lesser Redpolls brunsisik

Lesser Redpoll brunsisik


Mealy Redpoll gråsisik

Herring gull gråmåke with yellow legs

Herring Gull gråmåke with yellow legs

Gannet havsule at Skogsøy

Spent the morning at Skogsøy where there was a reasonable amount of passage with 104 Curlew storspove and seven Red-throated Diver smålom as the best birds. A Puffin lunde was the first of the year and rather alarmingly was one of only two auks today.

Back at Tjeldstø some interesting Herring Gulls gråmåke with yellow legs were an unusual find and got the hopes up briefly. The Mealy Redpoll gråsisik was joined by at least one more Mealy and two Lesser Redpoll brunsisk - it is not often I see these species together like this. A flock of over 200 Starling stær fed in the fields beside the house.

Sanden 31 March 2009

Whitefront tundragås at Tjeldstø
Black Guillemot teist

Rather wet and windy, although it cleared up nicely after I got home.....

New birds continue to turn up - today's additions being a hunting Merlin dvergfalk and at least one Twite bergirisk.

Several each of Meadow Pipit heipiplerke and Rock Pipit skjærpiplerke, a Snipe enkeltbekkasin, a pair of Black Guillemot teist and most of the usual suspects.

Iceland Gull grønlandsmåke seen at Tjeldstø whilst buying dinner....and the Whitefront tundragås turned up again on Husvatnet.

Tjeldstø 30 March 2009

Mealy Redpoll gråsisik
House Sparrow gråspurv

Greenfinch grønnfink

Not really out today either. From the house I had the first Lesser Black-backed Gull sildemåke of the year, the Iceland Gull grønlandsmåke, the Pochard taffeland and the first Mealy Redpoll gråsisik for some time in the garden along with four Tree Sparrow pilfink.

Tjeldstø 29 March 2009

Not really out today but from the house I managed to pick up the second or third year Iceland Gull grønlandsmåke, the Pochard taffeland and the Greenland Whitefront tundraågås.

Skogsøy 28 March 2009 - Water Rail!

Jackdaw kaie at Herdlevær

Early morning Gannets havsule

Bird of the day was without doubt a Water Rail vannrikse seen all the way out at Skogsøy - only the second time I've had this species out there and also the first spring record. This bird was obviously a migrant relocating after spending the winter elsewhere.

Seawatching produced the usual suspects including a half decent movement of Oystercatcher tjeld (680 heading north), three Shelduck gravand, a Red-throated Diver smålom and small numbers of Common Gull fiskemåke and Black-headed Gull hettemåke. The only real southbound movement was 120 Shags toppskarv- no doubt birds returning to Rogaland to breed.

A "drive-by" at Herdlevær produced a Jackdaw kaie feeding among the sheep there - not a common species in Øygarden at all and the first record this year.

Øygarden 27 March 2009

Record shot of a Mistle Thrush duetrost at Sture

Black Grouse orrfugl at Hjelme

Highlight today was a rather flighty Mistle Thrush duetrost at Sture. At the same place another new bird was the first Brambling bjørkefink of the year.

At Hjelme a male Black Grouse orrfugl fed out in a field and a Woodcock rugde was seen in the woods.

Øygarden 26 March 2009

Lapwing vipe at Tjeldstø

A pair of Teal krikkand showing their excellent camoflauge

Didn't do too much today, the only birds of note were a Woodcock rugde in the woods at Hjelme West and the female Pochard taffeland at Tjeldstø.

Hernar 25 March 2009

The first Chiff-chaff gransanger at Tjeldstø
The Herring gull gråmåke colony is already established at Tjeldstø

Spent the morning on Hernar but nothing very exciting to see. A Perergrine vandrefalk was one of the better birds and a couple of Black-headed Gulls hettemåke were the first I've seen there. A Song Thrush måltrost may have been the overwintering bird.

Other than that just a selection of the usual early spring migrants - Skylark sanglerke, Woodpigeon ringdue, several Meadow Pipits heipiplerke, a couple of Ringed Plover sandlo and most of the usual suspects.

I returned home to find the first Chiff-chaff gransanger of the year feeding in my garden....

Skogsøy 24 March 2009

Raven ravn with sheeps wool for its nest.

A late start meant that I probably missed most of the migration. However, I did get the one species I'd hoped for - a nortbound Shelduck gravand. Small numbers of Curlew storspove and over 100 Common Gulls fiskemåke also on the move. Gannets havsule were obvious too with at least 40 moving north along with a few Red-throated Diver smålom.

The Ravens ravn were busy with their nest and with the Rock Pipits skjærpiplerke singing it certainly felt very springlike.

Øygarden 23 March 2009

Eagle Owl hubro killed by power lines

Here is what it should have looked like....

Solberg was rather unproductive with just a couple of newly arrived Meadow pipit heipiplerke of interest and an obvious northward movement of Gannets havsule.

A Grey-headed Woodpecker gråspett sang near Kollsnes.

The Pochard taffeland is still at Tjeldstø - species #153 from the house....

A stroll with the children in the evening resulted in a macabre find - an Eagle Owl hubro killed by either collision with power line or electrocution (or both!). The bird had obviously been dead some time. A perfect example of why power lines should be buried - at least in Eagle Owl hubro country.

Tjeldstø 22 March 2009

Goshawk hønsehauk
Greylags grågås

Desparately trying to stay awake after a few days on night shift I took a walk around the reserve at Tjeldstø. A White-tailed Eagle havørn, a Goshwak hønsehauk and a Sparrowhawk spurvehauk were all hunting the many birds in the reserve.

Among well over 100 Greylags grågås the Greenland Whitefront tundragås is getting easier to pick out from the crowd as it develops breeding plumage. The female Pochard taffeland remains and numbers of other migrants continue to increase with 14 Lapwing vipe and several Teal krikkand present.

Passerines of interest included a male Pied Wagtail svartryggerle and the first Meadow Pipit heipiplerke of the year.

Øygarden 19 March 2009

Purple Sandpiper fjæreplytt flock

Basically just half an hour at Solberg where the best birds were three Ringed Plover sandlo - the first I've seen in Øygarden this year. A flock of at least 60 Purple Sandpiper fjæreplytt were also present here.

Migration was also obvious with a flock of 65 Oystercatcher tjeld flying north as well as Skylark sanglerke heard overhead.

The Greenland Whitefront tundragås and the Pochard taffeland were both still at Tjeldstø.

Tjeldstø 18 March 2009

Female Pochard taffeland
Goldeneye kvinand

Great Black-backed Gulls svartbak fighting

Spring in full swing now with at least a couple of Curlew storspove displaying, several Lapwing vipe, 40 Starling stær, a few pairs of Oystercatcher tjeld and at least 50 Greylags grågås.

Best birds were a female Pochard taffeland and the Greenland Whitefront tundragås.