Øygarden 31 December 2011 - Bird Race Day 2

Fresh and chilly SE wind, snow showers later Another day marred by species missed - once again many of the regular species failed to show wh...

Øygarden 30 December 2011 - New Year's Bird Race Day 1

Light northerly with hail / snow showers. A day that seemed dogged by failure with lots of "no-shows" on species I had expected to...

Øygarden 28 December 2011

Strong southerly gale and rain. Challenging conditions to put it mildly. With very little light and a lot of water scanning the sea at Dåvøy...

December 27 December 2011 - Herdlevær

Very strong westerlies, hail showers but generally quite pleasant. A few scarce winter visitors made the trip worthwhile - two Lapwing vipe ...

Øygarden 24 December 2011

At least one birder attempted to see the Lesser Scaup purpurhodeand but without success. I pottered about several localities seeing rather...

Øygarden 23 December 2011 - Lesser Scaup still present!

Reasonable weather. Predictably a number of birders found time out of the run-up to Christmas to twitch the Lesser Scaup purpurhodehand . M...

Skogsøy 22 December 2011 - LESSER SCAUP CONFIRMED!

Southerly, dull and overcast.  The first flap confirmed suspicions about the identity of this bird - grey on all primaries!  Getting slightl...

Øygarden 21 December 2011

Calm and sunny, light covering of snow. Fog rolled in off the sea in the afternoon.  Above and below: Jay nøtteskrike Just about a record sh...

Skogsøy 20 December 2011

Clear and sunny cold SE wind. A Woodcock rugde flew over the garden before I left the house. I was out at Skogsøy before the sun came up bu...

Skogsøy 19 December 2011 - Small Scaup?

Cold north-westerly wind but nice day in shelter....  Interesting head profile and small compared to Common Scoter svartand  Here the size o...

Hjelme Vest 18 December 2011 - White-billed Diver

Calm and relatively mild, some light rain.  Above and below: Heavily cropped shots of White-billed Diver gulnebblom at Hjelme Vest. Hjelme ...

Øygarden 17 December 2011 - Moorehen

Relatively calm and mild. Light rain in the afternoon. Whooper Swans sangsvane at Tjeldstø An unforgivable camera battery mix-up meant that...

Tjeldstø 16 December 2011 - Tundra Bean Geese

Another day of good weather - and another spent not birding. In rapidly failing light a short stroll at Tjeldstø really produced the goods i...

Øygarden 15 December 2011

Calm and mild. Velvet Scoter sjøorre Excellent weather so I was predictably stuck inside all day. A run to the shops produced a couple of Gr...

Øygarden 14 December 2011

Southerly strong gale force winds. At Solberg just a couple of White-tailed Eagle havørn and an Otter. Duck numbers increased as mountainou...

Tjeldstø 11 December 2011

Fresh SSE, mildish. Highlight was an unseasonal Turnstone steinvender . Late migrants / overwintering birds included a Common Snipe enkeltbe...

Herdlevær 10 December 2011

Calm and mild again.  Purple Sandpiper fjæreplytt Song Thrush måltrost Soon spring......?!   Pleasant conditions but a short stroll produced...

Hjelme West & Sæle 09 December 2011

Calm and relatively mild. Best sighthing was probably Woodcock rugde in the woods at Hjelme West where there were also at least five White-...