SWEDEN - 5th November

 The strong winds continued, this time a blasting, almost straight westerly; I went back out to the point as always but this time focusing on taking pictures of any close stuff going past the rocks and not looking out to sea very much.   There were plenty of Auks passing close in but unusually the vast majority were Guillemots (Razorbills have been much commoner recently) and they were all going north which they aren’t supposed to do, the only bits of note comprised single Little Auk and Velvet Scoter.   

The weather closed in during the afternoon so nothing else of note was seen.

Guillemots

and Razorbills

26th February

Very windy and cold but some good spells of bright sunshine; spent some time at Cemlyn Bay but it was difficult in the strong winds although a stream of Kittiwakes and Auks were moving close in to the headland as a result.   Other birds included an adult Mediterranean Gull on the lagoon along with 2 Long-tailed Ducks, a Greenshank, 11 Shoveler, 4 Red-breasted Mergansers, 9 Goldeneye, 3 Grey Plover and a Little Egret.

Kittiwake

Auks

Shag

More Auks

23rd February

Still very windy with frequent, nasty showers sweeping through; walked round Penmon Point in the morning, there was nothing too startling but there were loads of birds off the point with hundreds of Guillemots and Razorbills along with Kittiwakes, Shags, Red-throated Divers and blizzards of Herring Gulls starting to think about the upcoming breeding season, 4 Purple Sandpipers on the beach with Turnstone and the peculiar highlight of two Bullfinches coming in off, across the sea (separately, with about 20 minutes between them), they were only coming from Puffin Island but still, it was rough weather for a sea crossing, even a short one!   Two Chough in fields along the approach road were a year tick.

Turnstone coming in

Turnstone and Purple Sandpipers

Summer and winter Guillemot comparison

Guillemot and Razorbill comparison

Bullfinch in off (looking forward to some proper spring migration!)

Lesser Black-backed Gull

NORTH RONALDSAY - 10th October

Predominantly another rough day with a strong westerly wind and quite a few showers whipping through but it began to ease off through the afternoon, leading up to a (hopefully) calmer few days ahead.   Highlights through the day included the Shorelark again around Kirbest and the Great Grey Shrike still zooming all over the place.   Totals comprised 9 Red-throated Divers, 2 Great-northern Divers, 4 Herons, a family party of 4 Whooper Swans, 167 Wigeon, 13 Shoveler, single Long-tailed Duck, Goldeneye and Red-breasted Merganser, 2 Hen Harriers, a Merlin, 3 Grey Plover, a single Black-tailed Godwit with 22 Bar-tailed Godwits, a Puffin past the Lighthouse, a Woodpigeon, a Swallow, 8 Robins, a Stonechat, 6 Wheatears, a Ring Ouzel, 7 Fieldfare, 9 Song Thrush, 78 Redwing, a Mistle Thrush, single Eastern Lesser Whitethroat, Blackcap, Chiffchaff and Goldcrest, 3 Chaffinches, 3 Brambling and 12 Snow Buntings.

Shag

Razorbill

Red-throated Diver

SKOMER ISLAND - Razorbills

and a colour ringed Kittiwake with chick

12th November

A bright day but with a blazing westerly force 7 wind it was always going to be difficult; an hour’s seawatch from first thing produced a Leach’s Petrel heading south along with small numbers of Auks and Kittiwakes.   The watch was cut short however as I had to dash down the road to Vågsvoll where I got good views of an adult RING-BILLED GULL feeding in the fields with a big flock of Common Gulls, it disappeared over the houses just as I got there with the main flock but luckily it came back for five minutes with a much smaller group of Common Gulls before disappearing again, this time for good – another first for Lista!

                The coast was then windswept and largely birdless apart from 2 Great-northern Divers in Verevågen and at least 3 White-tailed Eagles floating around – two 1^st winters and an adult; the only other birds to mention were 4 Great Grey Shrikes in the area with the Vågsvollvika bird still, one at Vatnemarka and two together at Vågsvollmarka.

Ring-billed Gull

Razorbill and Common Scoter passing Steinodden

Goldeneye and Tufted Duck

Heron

8th November

After a crazy, rough night with severe gale force winds and lashing rain it was a surprisingly nice day; a little look at the sea until the wind died down enough to open some nets produced single Great-northern Diver and Black Guillemot in amongst the usual Razorbills, Kittiwakes and Little Auks etc. while a ringtail Hen Harrier also went south out at sea.   There was pretty much nothing else through the morning with a few hours of netting drawing a blank even in the now sunny, pleasant conditions.

                The coast itself was very quiet but there was a trickle of birds passing Steinodden including a White-billed Diver, a Great-northern Diver (plus another at the entrance to Verevågen), 35+ Little Auks and a juvenile Puffin which appeared in the surf briefly but soon disappeared; a few birds also headed NW overhead with 3 Waxwings, a Sparrowhawk, 40+ Siskins and a couple of Redpolls and Bramblings.

                Three Black Woodpeckers showed very well in Lebeltet Nord where there was also 3 Bullfinches and a Great-spotted Woodpecker but there was little else inland.

 

 

Kittiwake

White-billed Diver

Razorbills and Guillemots

Sparrowhawk