After a few days illness and being inside, I had to do some errands and took the opportunity to check Nesttunvannet for ducks. Two Common Mergansers (difficult to photograph) showed well, as well as some 15 Whooper Swans and a few Tufted Ducks and Wigeons. Nothing out of the ordinary though...
Today northern Øygarden in beautiful winter weather again. I began at Hellesøy, where Terje Hansen Stein Rune Risa and Kåre Skarsvaag already were present. Together we checked the sea between the islands for birds. There some 8 Long-tailed Ducks, a few Velvet Scoters, Purple Sandpipers, Black Guillemots, a Common Loon and a Red-throated Loon were present. Via Svellingen (Rook still present) we checked Sjåneset. Much the same there with some more Common Loons, more Long-tailed Ducks and more Black Guillemot's. A few Eurasian Curlews present there and a large group of Purple Sandpipers flying around.
Thereafter I checked Tjeldstø where the first Greylag Geese were on the breeding grounds, I presume. A Goldfinch and a few Redwings present at the back of the reserve.
At Herdlevær I came across Cecilie Hansen and Daniel Taranger. Not many birds there, but I saw a Common Snipe and some Crested Tits were very noisy, probably in spring mood...
Yesterday Anita Rude (who else) found a Caspian Gull. She did that before! It was a second year bird. Today it was seen before 12:00. The little group of birders that were too late had to wait until 15:00 before it appeared again. At the same moment Arild Breistøl og Sindre Molværsmyr had come to try to ring the bird. They succeeded immediately. Large bird with large bill, so probably a male! Also a Black-headed Gull present, which is a scarce bird in Bergen...
On Sunday the 2nd of February I birded the area around Manger in Nord-Hordaland. I do not visit that part of Hordaland very often (only on summer nights for nightbirds), but I should do that more often...The weather was dark grey, making photographing difficult...Anyhow, at Byrkelandsvannet a Great Grey Shrike was present. It was a difficult bird to see, hiding most of the time. At Byrkelandsvågen a Slavonian Grebe was showing itself only shortly and at Manger a small group of geese (three Barnacles and a Greater White-fronted)was flying around. Further birds like singing Common Crossbills, a lone Parrot Crossbill and a Green Woodpecker made the day good. I tried for Greater Scaups at Eikangervåg without luck, but here a group of about 1000 Common Eiders was present. Don't see those numbers very often...
Today a round at Herdla, which was quite good. 'Lots of waders' with best bird Sanderling in pristine (first) winter plumage. It is a scarce bird on migration here with only a few each year during the summer months. In winter it is very rare!! It is in fact the first winter record for Herdla and the third for Vestland as a whole.
Further a touch-and-go Lapwing, some ten Purple Sandpipers, a Ruddy Turnstone and five Eurasian Curlews. Out on the water a Red-necked Grebe, calling Long-tailed Ducks, two Common Scoters and 14 Velvet Scoters.
Nice day in quiet weather😊
I had the Wednesday off, so I decided to visit northern Øygarden. Started at Hellesøy, where I met Roald Hatten and Terje Hansen. After we saw the Rook at Svellingen we spent a few hours at Sjåneset, Sele. Calm conditions made it very worthwhile. Most bird were very distant but with a scope and patience one can see good numbers. Best bird was an adult White-billed Loon. Further three or four Common Loons, Black Guillemots, Shags, some 50 beautiful Long-tailed Ducks, 25 or so Purple Sandpipers, Curlews, Oystercatchers, three White-tailed Eagles and a Peregrine. Special were also two flyby White-fronted Geese.
On the way back I saw the two Little Grebes at Dåvøy and at Breivik I found a group of seven White-fronted Geese. Today there were reported more than usual of this goose-species in other parts of Hordaland, even a few in Bergen (see below). Finished the day at Lyreneset at Nygårdsviken in Bergen, where both the first-winter Iceland Gull and Black-headed Gull were present.
Lots of snow the first days of January, which meant birding in the neighborhood. Bird variety is not high, but a group of about 20 Hawfinches and a Common Moorhen are worth mentioning.
On Saturday the 21st of December I finally saw the first year female Hen Harrier at Kalandsvatnet. It had been present since the Sunday before, but daytime working made it impossible to visit due to short daylight. Anyhow, it flew a few times over the reedbeds there. I managed to get a record shot. Bad light and distance made good shots impossible. The same for the male Smew there...
Anyhow, bird number 197 for my Bergen list. 200 next year?
Julian Bell found a Hume's Leaf Warbler at Herdlevær on Saturday. But I was in the Netherlands...
But God was in a good mood, it was still present today. We had to wait one-and-a-half hour, but then it came. It was easier to hear the bird than to get decent pictures. But I could make a few records shots. Listen below to my sound recordings. I recorded two call types. The typical two-toned one and a 'heet'-type, somehow recalling a tristis. Afterwards I tried for the Firecrest at Sele. That one gave quick views. It started raining, so I gave up n that one. Maybe Wednesday for another try.
🎤Hume's Leaf Warbler ('heet'-call)
🎤Hume's Leaf Warbler (miscellaneous)
Today I twitched the Black Redstart (only my second for Hordaland), that is present since Sunday at Golten on Øygarden. Nils Fredriksen helped me finding the bird in a barren rocky area. I didn't know about this place, but it seemes to have a lot of potential for rare chats, or worse...may be the corps of a whale that lies there, will attract something else than the usual gulls. We flushed a Woodcock there as well...
