another new one for Bergen: Red-backed Shrike

 There was reported a fine male Red-backed Shrike at Tausamyrene, Gullfjellet in Bergen on Tuesday by Walter Lemme. I tried it this morning (had to hire a car, because Anne needs it for a week in Sweden😏). To my astonishment, I found a female before I saw the male (a pair!!). I was joined by Frode Falkenberg shortly after. Together we watched the birds for a while. Unfotunately the battery of my camera was dead before they came closer (the other one not with me…).

The birds seemed stable in the area and the area seems good for a breeding pair. Let's hope they stay and succeed in breeding and raising young! Anyhow, bird species nr 195 for my Bergen List😊

male Red-backed Shrike

male and female together (photo Frode Falkenberg)

Common Rosefinch in Bergen

 Twitched the Common Rosefinch at Kalandsviken yesterday. A new species for Bergen for a long time. It was a 2nd year male and was singing quite well every now and then.

🎤Common Rosefinch

Quick twitch on wednesday, beautiful White-backed Woodpecker on friday

Warm and nice weather, but also working. On Wednesday Eirik Adolfsen found a subalpine warbler on Herdlevær. It was skulky, but steady. I had only a couple of hours before work and drove from Bergen. At the spot the bird was still difficult, but after some 20 minutes it showed itself. It was a pale, female bird. I studied it for some ten minutes, before I had to go home again, not knowing which species it was, but later on the day pictures showed the tail pattern with a lot of white on T5 nailing the bird to be a Eastern Subalpine Warbler Curruca cantillans. Good work , Eirik!

foto's by Stein Rune Risa

On friday I made an easy walk at Kismul, resulting in the usual suspects as Garden Warbler and Icterine Warbler, but also a showy male White-backed Woodpecker. Not often this species is showing itself like this to me!

male White-backed Woodpecker

🎤White-backed Woodpecker call

Grasshopper Warbler on Herdla

 Today after a busy work weekend, I made a trip to Herdla. It was nice spring weather with lots of singing birds. In the south west corner of the reserve I found a singing Grasshopper Warbler. Always nice to hear (and see) this species. I found out that it was only the second record for the island (one in September 2014). I made a sound recording and a record shot...

Further two Icelandic Black-tailed Godwits, a group of about hundred Golden Plovers, displaying Dunlin, noisy Long-tailed Ducks and a singing Lesser Whitethroat among others.

record shot of the Grasshopper Warbler

male Northern Wheatear

🎤 Grasshopper Warbler

🎤Long-tailed Duck

🎤Lesser Whitethroat