Skogsøy 30 April 2025 - Loonatic season

A nice seawatch in good company with one of the Skogsøy regulars. As usual this was our first meeting of the year so we wished each other happy new year:)

The walk out produced the usual suspects and the first Common Sandpipers strandsnipe at Skogsøy this year.

Highlights were the first skuas of the year:)

A decent selection of species without any large numbers were seen in the period 0625-1216:

Red throated Diver smålom N 123, S 1

White Billed Diver gulnebblom N 12

Northern Gannet havsule N 15, S 36

Great Cormorant storskarv N 10, S 3

Eurasian Shag toppskarv N 15, S 95

Grey Heron gråhegre N 1

Greylag Goose grågås N 1

Barnacle Goose hvitkinngås N 288

Teal krikkand N 1

Eider ærfugl N 2

Long tailed duck havelle N 14

Common Scoter svartand N 34, S 38

Velvet Scoter sjøorre N 1

Merganser siland  N 8, S 1

Oystercatcher tjeld N 84

Red Knot  polarsnipe 13

Dunlin myrsnipe N 1

Arctic Skua tyvjo N 1

Great Skua storjo S 1

Common Gull fiskemåke N 28

Black-legged Kittiwake krykkje S 1

Common Guillemot lomvi N 1

Razorbill alke N 2

Black Guillemot teist S 1

Auk N 5

Barnacle Geese hvitkinngås heading north

Southbound Common Scoter svartand

Gannets havsule

The first Knot polarsnipe of the year

Red-throated Divers smålom

White-billed Divers gulnebblom

The Pochard taffeland pair were on Husvatnet on the way home along with a rather late Whooper sangsvaneT

Back at home unseasonal Bullfinches dompap continued to visit the feeder along with good numbers of Siskin grønnsisik and the usual suspects.

One of several Bullfinch dompap currently visiting my garden

Hernar 29 April 2025 - Wet but worth it

A week off provided the first opportunity to make it out to the island of all islands.

Lovely conditions to start with and quite a few birds about without anything too special. Most of the usual breeders back in place but rather concerningly only two Twite bergirisk were seen. Hopefully the rest were at the other end of the island. Migrants included a House Martin taksvale, a Sand Martin sandsvale, a male Blackcap munk, a Brambling bjørkefink and a Tree Pipit trepiplerke.

Only two Twite bergirisk seen on Hernar today...

In the afternoon the wind picked up and rain set in. Thank goodness I had my "Fjellduk" (might translate to bivvy bag?) with me. I sat inside this for a couple of hours without adding very many species to the day's tally - BUT four Orcas spekkhogger headed south down Hjeltefjord - the first I've seen this year and no doubt after the Herring sild that have turned up.

Well over 40 species on the island including continued good numbers of Black Guillemot teist:)

There have been some changes on the island that will have some kind of impact. I didn't take pictures of everything but here are a couple of examples:

The gulley has been almost cleared of trees. Just sitka spruce have been removed (although one can now see where the best sycamore on the island used to be (SO many rarities in that one tree alone!) but there was some shelter here that has now gone - fewer places for the next White's Thrush gultrost to hide in:)

The small copse of asp have been cleared. Nowhere for the nest Blyth's Reed Warber to sing from?

I found this egg - Fieldfare?

This Magpie skjære nest is likely to be unpopular. I haven't seen a Magpie nest on the island before but the lack of trees in the gulley nearby may explain why they have used a house instead....

Øygarden 28 April 2025 - Tringa time!

My first day of actual holiday! The perfect holiday would be to stay at home, not work and not do stuff on the house.

This is not the perfect holiday as I spent some hours shopping for stuff that is long overdue:)

But before I went to hell (a shopping centre) I checked a few places:) From my terrace a Greenshank gluttsnipe turned up during my morning coffee. The feeder is being emptied fast again by a mixed flock of Bullfinch dompap (strange time of year for these in northern Øygarden), Goldfinch stillits (now expected in the breeding season), Siskin grønnsisik and Greenfinch grønnfink.

A stop at Tjeldstø produced a couple more Greenshank gluttsnipe, the Pochard taffeland pair, several Sand Martin sandsvale and 25 Golden Plover heilo. Also found Fieldfare gråtrost on the nest.

Two Greenshank gluttsnipe at Husvatnet, Tjeldstø

At Breivik a Spotted Redshank sotsnipe dropped in but was very flighty, taking to the wing every time a car passed. Not a common spring species around here. Plenty of breeding birds in the area too including Redshank rødstilk, Curlew storspove, Teal krikkand, Skylark sanglerke, Wheatear steinskvett and Common Crossbills grankorsnebb.

Spotted Redshank sotsnipe together with Common Redshank rødstilk at Breivik

I then did my shopping stuff and on the way home I stopped briefly at Breivik again but only a male Merlin dvergfalk and Common Redshank rødstilk were present.

Back home a flock of 200 Barnacle Geese hvitkinngås headed north:)

Herdlevær & Tjeldstø 27 April 2025 - More goodies

Having promised my better half breakfast in bed I had a bit of a late and lazy start. Still managed to see quite a bit of interest:)

On my way to Herdlevær I had the first Sand Martins sandsvale of the year at Husvatnet along with the lone Barnacle Goose hvitkinngås. At Breivik a nice Mistle Thrush duetrost and an obvious arrival of thrushes, White wagtails linerle and Meadow Pipits heipiplerke.

Fieldfare gråtrost at Breivik

Mistle Thrush duetrost at Breivik

Herdlevær produced my first Common Sandpiper strandsnipe of the year and several other new species for this locality for the year - including several flocks of Barnacle Geese hvitkingås heading north. A couple of White-tailed Eagle havørn and at least three Otters oter were also seen here. A noticeable increase in the numbers of White Wags and Meadow Pipits heipiplerke here too.

Otter with catch

White-tailed Eagle havørn eyeing up the Otter with catch

A rather dark White Wagtail linerle, probably the same dark individual I saw in the same place a week ago

A quick check at Husvatnet on the way home was well worth it with a pair of Pochard taffeland present, predictably popular with year listers. It's been a while since this species last turned up in northern Øygarden.

Pochard taffeland on Husvatnet, Tjeldstø

Sand Martin sandsvale - pictures taken with point and pray whilst waiting for the main attraction to come a bit closer

Similarly tried for flight shots of Swallow låvesvale with the point and pray.

Øygarden 25-26.04.2025 - BACK IN BUSINESS!!

 Around 1730 on Friday evening I logged off from work:) It didn't take long to start seeing some birds - a trip to the shop provided an opportunity to see a pair of Shoveler skjeand found earlier in the day. A Golden Eagle kongeørn came past mobbed by Ravens ravn and there were at least eight Swallows låvesvale feeding over the lake. The first Greylag grågås chicks of the year turned up too. Not a bad start to a week off:)

The first Grelag grågås chicks of 2025

Lapwing vipe

Meadow Pipit heipiplerke - always surprising to see how fast this species is "everywhere" in the spring

Shoveler skjeand pair on Husvatnet, Tjeldstø

The next morning I was up bright and early for a seawatch at Skogsøy. Calm and sunny conditions meant that I was not very optimistic but by 1200 I had "suddenly" seen quite a bit of interest.  A flock of four Gadwall snadderand and a flock of 10 (!!) Pintail stjertand were the undoubted hightlights in a SW Norway context, well into triple figures of Red-throated Diver smålom, 10 White-billed Diver gulnebblom, the first Whimbrel småspove of the year, several Black-headed Gulls hettemåke and a good selection of other seabirds and migrants meant that this was a very good day indeed.

Oystercatcher tjeld are still on the move

The second biggest flock of Pintail stjertand ever recorded in the wider Vestland county! Six females and four males passed together with three Wigeon brunnakke and 10 Oystercatcher tjeld

Six Teal krikkand passed north at close range

Adult White-billed Diver gulnebblom were an expected feature today:)

Red throated Diver smålom  N 130, S 3

White Billed Diver gulnebblom N 10

Northern Gannet havsule N ,13, S 18

Great Cormorant storskarv N 14, S 4

Eurasian Shag toppskarv N 47, S 53

Greylag Goose grågås N 1

Wigeon brunnakke N 3

Ga,dwall snadderand N 4

Teal krikkand N 7

Pintail stjertand  ,N 10

Tufted Duck toppand N 3

Eider ærfugl N 3, S 1

Long tailed duck havelle N 15, S 4

Common Scoter svartand N 113,  S 6

Velvet Scoter sjøorre N 3

Merganser siland N 37, S 4

Oystercatcher tjeld N 113, S 2

Whimbrel småspove N 4

Black headed Gull hettemåke N 4

Common Gull fiskemåke N 165

Herring Gull gråmåke N 3

Razorbill alke N 5

Black Guillemot teist N 1

Auk N 8

Auk S 2

A Ringed Plover sandlo, a White tailed Eagle havørn heading south well out to sea, Twite bergirisk, Willow Warbler løvsanger and the usual were also noted.

On the way home a female Stonechat svartstrupe at Kollsnes, a Barnacle Goose hvitkinngås at Tjeldstø and 25 Golden Plover heilo at Breivik were the best of the rest.

Female Stonechat svatstrupe at Kollsnes

A lone Barnacle hvitkinngås joined the Greylags grågås during an eagle attack

One of around 25 Golden Plover heilo present at Breivik

A week off will undoubtedly give me a painfull backlog but right now I just don't care....