Skogsøy 31 July 2011 - Manx

Very overcast with light southerly.

Skogsøy back on form again with a typical late July seawatch - highlight was the first Manx Shearwater havlire for the county this year - a single heading north.

Other noteworthy sightings were a flock of 18 Shelduck gravand heading south and a pale phase Arctic Skua tyvjo flying north.

 Common Tern makrellterne at Tjeldstø

 Gannet havsule

 Oystercatcher tjeld

 Part of a flock of 18 Shelduck gravand

Skandi Arctic in action off Kollsnes

Also on the move were small numbers of Common Scoter svartand (38 S), a light passage of adult Common Gulls fiskemåke, a Great Skua storjo and over 200 southbound Oystercatcher tjeld.

Back at Tjeldstø four Ruff brushane were seen from the sitting room.

Øygarden 30 July 2011

Once again sunny with a northerly wind.

Predictably some birders went to Skogsøy but there was little passing at sea and the Two-barred Crossbills båndkorsnebb were not seen again.

 Coal tit svartmeis

Pied Flycatcher svarthvit fluesnapper

For my part I took things easy and saw rather little. Best sighting was a Pied Flycatcher svarthvit fluesnapper at Sture - the first of the year in Øygarden.

Skogsøy 29 July - Two-barred Crossbills

Fresh northerly with sun.

Once again a two hour seawatch produced virtually nothing, small numbers of Gannet havsule, a couple of Fulmar havhest and a lone Guillemot lomvi.

However, a flock of five Two-barred Crossbill båndkorsnebb (an adult male and four females / immatures)made the trip worthwhile. This flock were no doubt a part of the recent influx into Norway. Records started on 22 July with a bird on Utsira and many more have been seen since - with up to 40 seen at various localities, mostly in the south west of the country around Lista. There have been isolated records from further north too.

 Male Two-barred Crossbill båndkorsnebb

Female Two-barred Crossbill båndkorsnebb

During the last two irruptions that reached Øygarden (2002 and 2008) the birds turned up in late July / August and continued to be seen until well into the following new year so it is quite likely the same pattern will be repeated this time too.....

A single Common Crossbill grankorsnebb was amazingly another new for Øygarden this year.

Willow Warbler løvsanger

Raven ravn

Tjeldstø 28 July 2011

Greylag grågås

Sunny with light northerly winds.

Given the conditions it was not surprising there was little in the way of waders out in the reserve. Best bird was a migrating Ringed Plover sandlo - my 100th species at Tjeldstø this year.

Skogsøy 27 July 2011

Crested Tit toppmeis

Overcast with light northerly.

A couple of hours around dawn produced virtually nothing. A single Great Skua storjo on the sea and small numbers of Gannet havsule heading north.

Best of what little there was to be seen was small flock of Twite bergirisk which flew up as a Merlin dvergfalk came over just as I returned to the car.

Just before midnight at least two Green Sandpiper skogsnipe headed south over the house - perhaps having spend the day in the reserve at Tjeldstø.

Tjeldstø 25 July 2011

Dull and wet with southerly winds. In other words good wader weather.

Sure enough the Spotted Red sotsnipe and four Wood sands grønnstilk, presumeable the same birds from yesterday were still present along with a Greenshank gluttsnipe and a few Golden Plover heilo.

Tried my luck breifly at Herdlevær where the only migrants were three Whimbrel småspove.

Tjeldstø 24 July 2011 - Tringa storm

Calm and warm for most of the day but only left the house to go swimming.

Best sightings during the first part of the day were limited to a couple of Swift tårnseiler passing ahead of rain and a couple of rather vocal adult White-tailed Eagle havørn over the garden.

 Spotted Reshank sotsnipe

 Wood Sandpiper grønnstilk

 Above and below Spotted Redshank sotsnipe

Thundery rain set in during the evening - so I went out. The reserve produced a cracking Spotted Redshank sotsnipe, a flock of four Wood Sandpiper grønstilk and a fly-over Green Sandpiper skogsnipe - a great way to round off the day.

Tjeldstø 23 July 2011

Above - young Swallows låvesvale being fed

Out in the middle of the day under far from ideal conditions - sunny with a brisk northerly.

However, some waders about including the first Ruff brushane of the autumn - an adult male by the look of things. A flock of five adult Golden Plover heilo also out in the reserve. A flock of at least 100 Starling stær were also migrants passing through.

Otherwise very much business as usual with the geese preparing for departure and White Wagtails linerle, Swallows låvesvale etc congregating around Husvatnet to feed on the abundance of insects.

Skogsøy 10 July 2011 - autumn migration

A short and rather wet seawatch around dawn produced some birds of interest including a few Øygarden year ticks. Two Swift tårnseiler flew south well offshore, a small party of Dunlin myrsnipe and a Bar-tailed Godwit lappspove headed the same way. Small numbers of other waders were the only other migrants - the autumn migration is underway...

Other stuff included a couple of Puffins lunde and a few Guillemots lomvi.

Øygarden 07-09 July 2011

Not out much at all and precious little to see. Only migrants at Tjeldstø were a Black-headed Gull hettemåke and an unseasonal male Wigeon brunnakke.

Lots of birds now feeding fledged young including Siskin grønnsisik, Lesser Redpoll brunsisik, Linnet tornirisk and Wheatear steinskvett.

Male Wheatear steinskvett warns its young at Breivik

The Greylags grågås at Tjeldstø seem to have produced in excess of 70 young this year. However, very few Herring Gull gråmåke chicks and almost no terns at all....

June - July 2011

 Avocets at Cresswell ponds, Northumberland

Offshore in the North Sea, no birding at all but had three Manx Shearwater flying past during a muster drill off Montrose and plenty of all the usual seabirds inshore off Aberdeenshire.

Fifteen minutes birding in Northumberland (without binoculars!) produced Avocets, Little Gull, Bar-headed Goose and plenty more besides.

Tjeldstø 07 June 2011

Barely out really but the sinensis Cormorant mellomskarv remains as does one of the Carrion Crows svartkråke. Other than that just an unseasonal Wigeon brunnakke of note.

The first Eider duck ærfugl chicks were seen at Solberg.

A fishing trip in the evening gave some great views of the local gulls...

Common Gull fiskemåke

Herring Gull gråmåke



Tjeldstø 05 June 2011 - sinensis

Took the weekend "off" and didn't do much either in the field or on the computer - the latter at least was a welcome break.

Sinensis type Cormorant mellomskarv on Husvatnet

Only bird of note was a sinensis type Cormorant mellomskarv on Husvatnet - an early date for this race as they normally turn up later in the summer.

Hernar 03 June 2011 - Rosefinches

Rather murky with light rain to start with, clearing later

Highlight of today's trip was without doubt at least two, possibly four Common Rosefinches rosenfink. All seemed to be second year males which sang throughout the morning. The only other migrant was a Spotted Flycatcher gråfluesnapper.

Other visiting birds included a couple of Black-headed Gulls hettemåke, a Golden Plover heilo  and a Red-throated Diver smålom.

 Newly fledged Wheatear steinskvett

 Sedge Warbler sivsanger

 Lesser Redpoll brunsisik

 2cy male Common Rosefinch rosenfink

 Common Rosefinch rosenfink

Common Rosefinch rosenfink

Plenty of activity among the local breeders with Twite bergirisk, Sedge Warbler sivsanger and Lesser Redpoll brunsisik very obvious. Newly fledged Wheatear steinskvett were the first of the year - possibly a little early out of the nest....

Tjeldstø 02 June 2011

Overcast with occasional light drizzle, light SW

A quick stroll around the reserve produced little new with a female Merlin dvergfalk making a pass at some Meadow Pipits heipiplerke as the highlight. A Sand Martin sandsvale or two joined the Swallows låvesvale feeding over Husvatnet and the Reed Bunting sivspurv was singing again after a long period of silence.

White Wagtail linerle with a big beakfull of bugs for its young

Otherwise it was very much business as usual.

Skogsøy 31 May 2011 - end of spring migration?

Dull and overcast changing to sunny with light northerly

A last minute decision to give Skogsøy a go was not a bad one. A typical late spring seawatch in that there was not much in the way of numbers passing. However, an adult Pomarine Skua polarjo heading north made the trip worthwhile in itself. Bonus birds were around 220 Pale-bellied Brents ringgås, several Great Skua storjo and small numbers of most of the usual species including Whimbrel småspove and Turnstone steinvender. Only a few Red-throated diver smålom.

A flock of 25 Arctic Tern rødnebbterne was the biggest I've seen thus far this year. Not a good sign....

Swallow låvesvale

Migration obviously winding down - time for a break before the autumn migration begins in a couple of weeks....

Øygarden 30 May 2011

Sunny with fresh southerly winds

A quick check at a few localities produced little of interest:

A Carrion Crow svartkråke remains at Tjeldstø where there were also three Golden Plover heilo out in the reserve.

Curlew storspove at Breivik

Herdlevær 27 May 2011 - more Brents

Brisk northerly and sunny.

Took things rather easier today - a lunchtime seawatch from Herdlevær produced well around 400 pale-bellied Brent Geese ringgås en route to Svalbard. Little else passing - just a couple of Great Skua storjo, small numbers of Red-throated Diver smålom, four Velvet Scoter sjøorre and most of the usual suspects.

 A small part of one of the Brent Goose ringgås flocks that passed on their way to Svalbard

 Record shots of Great Skua storjo

Great Black-backed Gull svartbak sees off a White-tailed Eagle havørn - a routine but necessary chore

At Tjeldstø just one Barnacle Goose hvitkinngås remained - more than likely that a bird seen heading south past Skogsøy earlier in the day was the other bird from Tjeldstø. Cuckoo gjøk heard again as well as Lesser Whitethroat møller.

Øygarden 26 May 2011 - Brent Geese

 Male Siskin grønnsisik feeding on dandelion seeds

Twite bergirisk also feeding on dandelions

Weak south easterly with light rain most of the morning.

A few hours on Hernar produced a Yellow Wagtail gulerle and at least three Spotted Flycatcher gråfluesnapper along with the usual Hernar species (White-tailed Eagle havørn, Twite bergirisk, Sedge Warbler sivsanger, Wheatear steinskvett etc). Strangely there were no Fieldfare gråtrost to be seen - very strange as at least three pairs were on eggs during my last visit. Lots of Siskin grønnsisik about - as they are everywhere this year.

After a tip off about migrating Brent Geese ringgås from further south a few observers watched the sea from various places. Well over 1400 had passed by around 18:00. A bonus species in the garden seen whilst looking for the geese was an Icterine Warbler gulsanger - species #162 from the house.

Skogsøy 25 May 2011 - more Poms

Skogsøy was the seawatcher's Pavlovian response to the forecast of onshore winds....fresh westerlies and a few light showers during the course of the morning.

 Gannets havsule entangled in fishing gear

The huge numbers of skuas and other goodies anticipated didn't quite materialise but there were four each of Pomarine Skua polarjo and Arctic Skua tyvjo along with a couple of Great Skua storjo. A very respectable total (for the time of year) of 74 Fulmar havhest headed north as did a very similar number of Gannet havsule. A few auks and terns, 25 Kittiwake krykkje and small numbers of Common Scoter svartand and Velvet Scoter sjøorre also passed.

The only diver seen was a single Great Northern Diver islom heading south.

Unfortunately two of the Gannets havsule were hopelessly entangled in discarded / lost fishing gear. Whilst I took photographs of one struggling on the sea another flew past trailing an enormous length of net and rope. Unfortunately this is not an uncommon sight.

A maniac from Bergen drove out to twitch the Dotterel boltit from yesterday which were still present at Tjeldstø as were the Barnacle Geese hvitkinngås (seen from the living from just now...). Not enough birds about elsewhere or a symtom of something else....?