Yellow-browed Warblers about

Two days in a row to Øygarden. Yesterday the weather was too fine and today lots of wind. Birds few and far between, but on Herdlevær one or two Yellow-browed Warblers and at Sele another one. Some Coal Tits, Goldcrests and thrushes here and there. Further is a flyby Kestrel at Tjedstø worth mentioning. Still no sylvia warblers seen so far this autumn...

 Goldcrest at Herdlevær

Feeding the ducks; Northern Shoveler

Went to Nygårdsparken to look for the northern Shovelers present there (rare in Bergen). Took pics in bad light. Afterwards feeding gulls and ducks with Robin at the Tveitevannet...Here a sinensis Great Cormorant present (see explanation below the picture). Click on the pics!

 Northern Shoveler

Continental Great Cormorant (sinensis). On Great Cormorants the gular pouch has two angles: on this bird the upper is large (more than 70 degrees). Besides that, the lower gular angle falls well behind the eye, which make this bird a sinensis. In Atlantic (carbo) the upper angle would be less than 60 degrees and the lower angle would fall before the eye.

first year Lesser Black-backed Gull

Rose-coloured Starling

Another late afternoon harrier hunt on Øygarden didn't produce any harriers, although at least three ringtails are around the last few days.
However, I came across this Rose-coloured Starling at Straumsundet. No parking opportunities, just parked on the road for about a minute, resulting in this record shot...This could very well be the same bird as the one at Nautnes

Young Rose-coloured Starling

Quiet afternoon on Øygarden

With all the Pallid Harriers reported in south-western Norway, I just had to get out to Øygarden this afternoon. It was quiet, however. Visited Breivik, Herdlevær and Sture. On Herdlevær nine Ruffs and at Sture a Common Kestrel worth mentioning...

Common Kestrel at Sture

one of the nine Ruffs at Herdlevær

Black-headed Bunting and Osprey!

The Black-headed Bunting was still present at Herdlevær. It was difficult to find and I only saw it for one minute, while it was sitting on a wire...It flew off and I couldn't relocate it despite two hours of searching. Also a flyby Yellow Wagtail, hunting Sparrowhawk, some twenty Barn Swallows and two Tree Sparrows.
On the way back I saw an Osprey flying over the car. I couldn't stop, however, so no pics of that one. It was a new bird for Hordaland! On Turøy another hunting Sparrowhawk and a Common Kestrel.