I saw the Woodchat Shrike (discovered by Eirik Adolfsen) on monday late afternoon. He found the first calender year bird at Herdlevær on friday, but I didn't have the chance before.
I saw it after some ten minutes searching in a few trees between two houses. After maybe five seconds it flew away, probably to the ground. After that it began to rain hard...not the best twitch ever, but a new bird for Norway and thus Hordaland (Vestland). No pictures, off course
Between painting and packing stuff for our movement to another house I twitched the Caspian Gull at Tveitevannet, found yesterday by Arild Breistøl. Obvious juvenile, already worn and replacing some shoulder feathers, characteristic for it's first-winter plumage. Otherwise rather white-headed with a long and thin bill. It was ringed this morning...
In July we had a family visit to Thailand. My father-in-law had his 80th birthday, so we visited him in a few weeks. No birding, but kept binoculars with me all the time. Most birding in the garden, around the hotel and on tourist spots...
We stayed one week around Chiang Mai in the north, where my father-in-law lives and one week at Khao Lak on the peninsula. Not the best time of the year; it was wet season and breeding season. We had a good deal rain, mostly short, strong showers. I managed to see 31 new species, all common ones😊
I went two nights out this week for a Nightjar and a Common Reed Warbler in the northern parts of the county. Both would be new for the county for me, but alas.
I recorded some other species though mostly in Bergen. Listen below (headphones best)
🎤 Woodcock
The Sedge Warbler had two different acts. One full song, but otherwise a slow (sub)song most of the time
Today I wanted to visit the Pallas's Bunting on Utsira. As I drove from Bergen I didn't get any updates from Utsira. After a while it became cleat that IT WAS GONE👿
But yesterday a Serin was discovered at Vågedalen on Sveio in Vestland. New species for me for Norway and of course the county. As it was along the road to Haugesund, I twitched it today and took some sound recordings. Afterwards I waited in the harbour of Haugesund for news about the bunting, but it was really gone...alas
The song has clearly two parts, the first being a high pitched 'sisisisisi', directly followed by the even higher pitched second part, the more well known jangling or crackling, rapid notes.
Due to work and some personal things not much time to go out. Recorded these birds lately. A Pied Flycatcher at Christieparken (first time for me there) and a Garden Warbler at the Marinbiological Station. Also a pair of Grey Wagtails having a nest at Christieparken, as in other years. Very noisy alarming bird...
Hope to get out a bit more soon!
From 12th-16th of April I made a short trip to Spain with Enno Ebels and Eric Koops. The goals were some typical Iberian species, such as Lilford's Woodpecker, Iberian Dunnock, Dupont's Lark and Spanish Imperial Eagle. We hired a car at the Madrid airport and had three full days and two half days. Lots of driving, birding from dawn to dusk and very successful.
We visited the area around Ablitas for larks. Still dark (and cold) we listened to a morning chorus of ca ten Dupont's Larks (we saw only one). In the Pyrenees White-backed Woodpecker lilfordi was the target. In cold weather and rain (not unlike Bergen during winter) we found a male (already) after two hours. The same bird was still present in the same part of the area the next day. The other target in the Pyrenees was Iberian Dunnock Prunella mabotti, a recent split by the CSNA. We saw a pair which behaved secretly, suggesting breeding (also singing, listen below). The next few days were spent around Madrid. El Pardo is a good spot for raptors and vultures. We were there twice and saw lots of Griffons, some four or five Cinereous Vultures and four or five Spanish Imperial Eagles, of which one was calling (listen below).
At El Escorial the target was Iberian Pied Flycatcher. In bosque de Herreria we saw five singing males. A very easy spot for this taxon with several nesting boxes. Further we visited some other sites around Madrid for Great Bustard, Iberian Green Woodpecker, Iberian Magpie and Southern Grey Shrike (the last one we saw only at a great distance without finding it back)
Common species during the trip were both Red- and Black Kite, Booted Eagle, Calandra Lark, Serin and White Stork among others.
Sound recordings best with headphones of course.
🎤 Dupont's Lark dawn chorus
🎤 Dupont's Lark song
🎤 Calandra Lark song
Common Moorhen is really a rare bird in Bergen (or even in this county). So I went to see this one....further cold and lots of snow...have to wait for spring...
After a period of family visits and working I really needed to go out and look for the first birds of 2023. First I had a stroll with Hickman at the biological station (which produced a Black Guillemot). After that I wanted to check kviturspollen for Little Grebes. Just before I arrived there I saw a large, slender raptor flying over the area. I saw without binoculars that it was a kite. I had to park and check the bird. Still in the car I saw through my bins it was a Red Kite, but it was gliding and flying fast with deep wingbeats. I choosed to take pictures while still in the car, before the bird disappeared behind the trees. It all took about 15 seconds I guess, but I had pictures!! Sorry for the quality, but you can see it is a Red Kite😀. I searched a little while afterwards, but it had gone...
