Fana late November

 On Sunday I birded with Stein Rune Risa and Terje Hansen around Fana. It was just late November easy-going birding in very nice weather. We visited Lysekloster, Kalandsvannet, Hordamuseet and Espeland.

We had a good daylist with two Nutcrackers at Lysekloster and three White-tailed Eagles, three Common Buzzards and a Sparrowhawk that killed a pigeon at Kalandsvannet. Nice bonus was that I could record a singing White-throated Dipper and calling Common Mergansers...

second calender-year White-tailed Eagle

🎤 White-throated Dipper

🎤 Common Merganser

Ducks still present

 While feeding birds with my daughter at Tveitevannet I keep my eyes open of course. There are the Gadwall and some Wigeons still present, now in pristine plumage. Otherwise the usual birds there...

male Eurasian Wigeon

Western Jackdaw of the monedula race

the handsome Gadwall still present

late autumn northern Øygarden

 I visited northern Øygarden today, that is Herdlevær, Breivik, Hellesøy, Sele and Sture.

Nice birding with some nice birds. On Herdlevær I had two Waxwings, a flyby Snow Bunting and a flyby Yellowhammer, all scarce birds. Further, a Common Chiffchaff and a pair of Common Crossbills, of which one was begging. Listen below. A new species for Herdlevær for me was Long-tailed Tit!

At Hellesøy I couldn't find the Black Redstart back. Here Long-tailed Tits as well. At Sele I had a Common Chiffchaff and some Long-tailed Tits, as I did at Sture. Great Spotted Woodpecker at all places. Not that many thrushes and fewer Robins and Blue Tits...

🎤 Bohemian Waxwing call

sonogram of the call

🎤 Common Crossbill begging

Siberian Chiffchaff

Found today a Siberian Chiffchaff during a walk in the neighborhood. I heard it first and saw it quite well, though it was moving a lot. Didn't carry my camera, but I took a recording, that should do it...May be not the most typical call, but still quite plaintive. It had the looks, khaki bird without green tones, white underside and black bill, legs and feet...

🎤 Siberian Chiffchaff

sonogram of the call

The day before I visited Radøy together with Terje Hansen and Jørn Opsal. Lots of potential there. We had a nice day without finding any rarities, but there were lots of thrushes and the like about. We had otherwise four Chiffchaffs (one possible Siberian), four Water Rails, a Little Grebe and Bothe Green and Grey-headed Woodpecker.

🎤 Water Rail

On Sunday I was on Øygarden with Stein Rune. Same, same. Nice birding, nothing special, although a late Willow Warbler and a calling Reed Bunting at Herdlevær made the visit worthwhile.

🎤 Reed Bunting call

🎤 Common Starling chattering group

still bad weather

 The weather kept me home the last couple of days. Most birding is behind the computer and staring at the feeder. The feeder attracts mostly House Sparrows, Great and Blue Tits, a few Chaffinches and a Brambling...Kalandsvannet produced a Pink-footed Goose on the tenth...

nice Blue Tit at the feeder

Pink-footed Goose at Åkerneset, Kalandsvannet

bad weather

The "best week of the year" is the wettest so far with storm Amy and otherwise very much rain.

I tried Herdlevær with Stein Rune Risa on Sunday. Although it was not raining for a few hours, it was windy and we didn't find good birds after the storm. A migrating Grey Plover was probably the best bird. Further many Blue Tits, a few Treecreepers, nine Common Crossbills, only one Chiffchaff and 20+ Blackbirds, as well as the Taiga Bean Geese still present at Breivik...

On Monday before shopping a quick check at Tveitevannet produced three Hawfinches, the Gadwall still present, at least two lesser Black-backed Gulls and some 75 Starlings.

Hopefully next week is going to be better....

first autumn lesse Black-backed Gull

first autumn Common Gull with has only recently startet mould to first winter plumage. Could it be a northerly breeder?

pristine Gadwall

some of the Taiga Bean Geese

Hummingbird Hawk-moth at Herdlevær

 

day of the ducks

 I had the morning on Herdlevær, but it was the afternoon in Bergen that produced the scarce birds. At herdleværsvegen it was nice with migrants, with among others two Blackcaps, some 15 Goldcrests, five Chiffchaffs, three Treecreepers and a group og 40 Blue Tits. But I had a meeting in bergen, so I had to leave already at 11:30. After the meeting I went with my daughter to Tveitevannet to feed the birds there. The Gadwall was still present, now in full plumage and it was together with a Green-winged Teal, which is rare there.

Lateron I twitched the Shoveler at Kristianborgsvannet and at the feeders at home a Chaffinch took a quick visit...

drake Gadwall

Green-winged Teal

Northern Shoveler

northern Øygarden 27 September

 Saturday the 27th of September was spent all day in northern Øygarden together with Stein Runa Risa.  Kjetil Salomonsen joined on Herdlevær. Very nice weather with sunshine and little wind from the south east.

Best birds were a group of 21 Taiga Bean Geese at Breivik. Otherwise 13 Willow Tits, with a group of 6 coming flying in at Buknappen north on Herdlevær. Otherwise some Treecreepers, Chiffchafs, many Blue Tits, five Grey Wagtails, two Nuthatches, a Blackcap, the first Bramblings and the first Grey-headed Woodpecker of the autumn...

On Sunday a short visit to Turøy paid off with the first Yellow-browed Warbler of the autumn!

Taiga Bean Goose (upper picture by Stein Rune Risa)

🎤 Treecreeper

september Herdlevær

 I have begun to check Herdlevær now again. Have been there so far this autumn three times. Although migration is not at its peak, it has been nice birding so far. On different visits I saw an Icterine Warbler, a Common Redstart and today (together with Stein Rune Risa, Roald Hatten, Kjetil Salomonsen and Petter Thornes) a Pied Flycatcher and a Wryneck. Further are the first Blue Tits coming in and there was a gathering of about 250 Common Starling...

The friendly temperatures resulted in a (late) Large Wall Brown, Painted Lady, a few Admirals and two Moorland Hawkers.

Below some pictures and sound recordings😊

Large Wall Brown/Klipperingvinge 

Painted Lady/Tistelsommerfugl

Moorland Hawker/Starrlibelle

🎤 European Pied Flycatcher

🎤 Grey Heron

🎤 European Goldfinch

Waders

 After mostly northerly winds the second half of august, the winds are from the south east now and after a bit of rain I decided to go to Herdla. A good choice. Loads of waders and good circumstances when I was there. I met Terje Hansen and Stein Rune Risa. 

No pictures, but we saw five Curlew Sandpipers, five Little Stints, many Common Ringed Plovers and Dunlins, a Sanderling, three Greenshanks, a Wood Sandpipers, more than 100 Golden Plovers, six Ruddy Turnstones and a migrating Merlin among others...

another day for the insects

 Took another day out to search for insects with more or less the same route as two weeks ago. And it was another good day. Best spot today also at Lysekloster with comma butterfly, a few peacocks, a small copper and lots of brimstone butterflies. A bit further to the south I saw my first small tortoiseshell since a very long time. Further some more peacocks here and there and a very worn dark-green fritillary at nordviksvatnet. There some black and common darters as well...

at lysekloster and nordviksvatnet I saw and heard some northern nutcrackers as well as a flyby Grey Wagtail and a Raven.

Hoverflies are keeping me busy, but they are difficult to identify, but I had one stripe-faced drone fly at least...

comma butterfly (note the white c)

common darter

dark-green fritillary

common darter. This one looks quite red and seems to have all dark legs, reminiscent of ruddy darter. But the characters seem to fit better on common of the Atlantic form nigrescens

Nice insect day

Saturday 0208 would be 24 degrees and sunshine. So no hesitations to go out and look after butterflies, dragonflies etc,

Beginning at Os, I worked my way north and checked Lysekloster and Nordviksvatnet. It was above expectations. Especially Lysekloster delivered with many Brimstones, Peacocks and Green-veined Whites. Here also a Golden-ringed Dragonfly, a Northern Viper drinking and two Nutcrackers. At Nordviksvatnet two species of darter were present, Black and Common, the latter probably of the Atlantic form nigrescens...

Admiral

Dark-green Fritillary

Peacock

Arran brown

Hoggorm

Common Bluets

Meadow Brown

Common Darter (probably nigriscens)

Black Darter

Brimstone

Golden-ringed Dragonfly/Common Goldenring

Roseate tern

 I twitched the Roseate Tern on Karmøy today. It was already present for three weeks, but I was in the Netherlands when it was discovered. 

Roseate Tern is a nice species and not easy seen on trips abroad if not planned. I saw it in the Netherlands before in 1987 and one on Key Marathon in Florida in 2013...On arrival I saw it only fly distantly, but after half an hour of waiting it settled on the holm where it was discovered. I digiscoped it💪, because it was too far for my lens.

Also 4 beautiful Black-throated Loons present, even calling!

July 25 the Netherlands: birds and butterflies

 I had the usual family-trip to the Netherlands in July, that means a few weeks on the island og Schiermonnikoog with some birding on the mainland with my brother and some friends as well.  I tried for the Spectacled Eider on Texel, but that one was not present, at least we didn't find it. Lots of birds there though with thousands of Eiders, many Sandwich Terns, Little terns and waders...

Otherwise the usual suspects with loads of waders and egrets. Worth mentioning is a Zitting Cisticola that was found near Groningen. Distant bird, but nice anyhow.

Further I rediscovered butterflying. I went with a friend to the Weerribben and other nice spots in the north. We saw and photographed quite a lot of species. See below...

But it was sadness that predominated feelings. Our dog Hickman became ill. He was suffering too much. We have set him free on the eternal playing grounds as we came home. I'll miss you, my good friend💔

Hickman on the beach at Schiermonnikoog

Brant

Egyptian Goose

Common Chiffchaff

Willow Warbler

Barn Swallow

newly fledged Spotted Flycatchers

White Storks

Ring-necked Pheasant

Meadow Brown

Nioby Fritillary

Alcon Blue

Large Copper batava (endemic to the Netherlands)

Greyling

Common Blue

Silver-whashed Fritillary

Queen of Spain Fritillary

Ringlet

Southern Small White