31st March

The predicted all-day rain didn’t materialise and it was a pleasant, if cloudy day; birds offshore included another trickle of northbound Common Gulls, 2 Red-necked Grebes south, 40 Wigeon south and the reappearing White-billed Diver sat on the sea while 6 Kittiwakes and a Fulmar heading north may have been moving ahead of tomorrow’s forecasted gale force winds.   A single Chiffchaff was the only bird caught through the morning.

                There were a few random things around the area in the afternoon including a Jack Snipe, a Stock Dove, a Kestrel, two young White-tailed Eagles out on Steinodden, a Great-spotted Woodpecker, a Rook and at least 75 Fieldfares at Groda.

 

Hoodie playing in the rotting seaweed

 

30th March

Nice and sunny but with an increasingly brisk and cold NW wind produced a trickle of northbound Gulls but not much else offshore; the first Wheatear of the year appeared in front of the bunker in the morning, the drake Garganey was again on Vågsvollvåien and the Black Redstart was still around.   The regular young female Peregrine again came in off the sea carrying prey (probably a Snipe) and a few hours later had a swipe at a Black Guillemot forcing it to crash dive into the sea – obviously a repeated technique by this individual and the three or four piles of Woodcock feathers out on the point over the last couple of weeks can be attributed to this bird!

                Not much else was seen through the day in the now strong and still cold NW wind although a flock of 25 Curlews dropped in to Vågsvollvåien late afternoon where there was also 60+ Common Gulls.

 

Red-breasted Merganser having a wash

Eider

Long-tailed Duck

Velvet Scoter

Rock Pipit

Lapwing

 

29th March

The heavy rain from yesterday lasted all night and finally stopped just after first light; the only things it brought was a small arrival of c15 Goldcrests around the lighthouse and a drake Garganey on Vågsvollvåien.   The sea was also fairly quiet with a steady northward movement of 400+ Common Gulls, a Red-necked Grebe and a handful of Red-throated Divers of note while the Black Redstart was still around the lighthouse.

               A walk in the sunny and warm afternoon produced a Short-eared Owl on the tip of Skarvodden, the young White-tailed Eagle again, a distant soaring Goshawk, 2 Rooks and a little influx of 32+ Chaffinches which seemed to come in off the sea just after lunch.   A Greenfinch was starting to nest-build in Lebeltet mid-afternoon – not seen Greenfinches nesting in Pine trees before!

 

Garganey

Short-eared Owl glaring at me for disturbing him

Hooded Crow 'singing'

 

28th March

A lovely, sunny, calm start to the day however the nets were frozen closed indicating how cold it was – there was nothing to catch anyway!   Four Great-northern Divers and a pair of Goosander were the only birds on the sea but a few Passerines headed north from mid-morning when it had warmed up a bit including a Grey Wagtail, 2 Crossbills, 12+ Chaffinches, a Siskin, 3 Rooks and a couple of Skylarks and Rock Pipits.  

                Birds in the early afternoon before heavy rain moved put an end to the day included a Jack Snipe in Verevågen, a drake Shoveler with 12 Wigeon in Sevika, a Woodcock in Lebeltet, the Black Redstart still, 5 Herons and my first Reed Bunting of the spring.

 

Black Redstart

Lesser Black-backed Gull

Standing up for a better view of me

 

27th March

A nice, sunny day with the White-billed Diver reappearing offshore along with 6 Great-northern Divers, a drake Garganey north (a Norwegian tick!) and two Goosanders while yesterday’s Black Redstart was still around the lighthouse.   I then popped out to a woodland site near Apta and managed to hear a calling White-backed Woodpecker but was unable to get a glimpse!

                There wasn’t much in the afternoon with 2 Golden Plovers and 15 Curlew in Vågsvollvika and a small male Sparrowhawk over the fields.

 

 

No pics today so here's another Rock Pipit

 

EAGLES!

Not going to write anything here (apart from this) its just pictures of a White-tailed Eagle from today!

26th March

After an horrendous night there was a covering of snow at dawn but by mid-morning it had stopped snowing and the gale force winds had rapidly dropped off to basically nothing leaving a pleasant, if cold day.   Birds around in the morning included the White-tailed Eagle playing with a Raven and a Peregrine over Steinodden, a male Goshawk flashing past Vågsvollvika where there was also 11 Curlew, a Grey Wagtail and 2 Pied Wagtails and 2 Great-northern Divers, 5 Red-necked Grebes, a pair of Goosander and 58 Goldeneye around the coast on very flat seas.

                There were a few birds in Lebeltet in the afternoon including 40+ Blackbirds, 8 Song Thrushes, a Mistle Thrush and c10 Goldcrests which encouraged me to open a few nets which produced a smart Black Redstart amongst a few Blackbirds and Goldcrests.

 

Scandinavian Rock Pipit (funny that...being in Scandinavia!)

Lapwing in the snow

Black Redstart

Tree Sparrow

Deer O Deer

 

25th March

A pleasant, if cold start to the day but this didn’t last long as it clouded over and the freezing cold easterly wind built up to around force 6; the nets were quiet as was the sea with 4 Great-northern Divers the highlight while a young White-tailed Eagle gave good views as it landed out on Steinodden and an adult male Merlin flashed across Gunnarsmyra – nothing else really was seen through the day!

A few pictures of birds on or over grey, cold seas with only the Goldeneye pretending its spring by chasing females around and displaying!

24th March

A lovely, sunny, calm, warm(er) day but there was still very little in the way of spring in evidence with a trickle of Gulls still heading north first thing with Great Black-backs the most obvious; a few passerines were also going north including a few Siskins, a Grey Wagtail, some Rock Pipits and a couple of Chaffinches, Yellowhammers and Skylarks.   A walk round in the afternoon produced a few new bits with the first Golden Plover of the spring with a much increased 89 Lapwings, a Little Grebe in Verevågen, 3 Rooks, another Grey Wagtail, 6 Herons, a Mistle Thrush and at least 6 Pied Wagtails.

A migrant Yellowhammer stopping off at the lighthouse before continuing north

Crested Tit

An unfortunately backlit Great-northern Diver

Goldeneye on my now daily check of Borhaug Harbour

23rd March

With overnight rain and the wind in the SW I was expecting an arrival of Blackbirds or Robins at dawn but it was a bit disappointing with only 12 new Blackbirds trapped; the sea was much more interesting with a good passage of Gulls heading north pretty much throughout the day with a 2^nd year Glaucous Gull the highlight amongst totals of 710+ Common Gulls, 55 Black-headed Gulls, 400+ Herring Gulls, 165+ Great Black-backed Gulls and 75 Lesser Black-backed Gulls.   Other birds heading north included 59 Curlew, a few flocks of Oystercatchers, 2 Goosander and 4 Red-throated Divers while the White-billed Diver, 2 Great-northern Divers and a Red-necked Grebe were on the sea.

                There was little around the coast with another Red-necked Grebe off Verevågen the only thing of note before a brief spell of rain in the afternoon produced a sudden arrival of 90+ Blackbirds at the afternoon which hung around for less than five minutes before they all headed off back inland!

 

There wasn't much to photograph around the area, so half an hour in Borhaug Harbour late afternoon when the sun came out produced this Long-tailed Duck, Little Grebe and Velvet Scoter