22nd March

The wind had switched round to the SW but it was still very cold and there was no hint of any spring in the air; the nets were yet again empty but today the sea was very empty as well with an almost summer plumaged Great-northern Diver off Vågsvollvika the only thing of note with a single Pied Wagtail on the beach.   There was a general increase in Gulls in the area with the first two Lesser Black-backed Gulls of the spring along with 140+ Herring Gulls and 30 Great Black-backed Gulls.

Bit of a slow day today!  So here's a drake Eider diving from many different angles!

This Slavonian Grebe in Borhaug Harbour was nearly in breeding plumage

Long-tailed Duck also diving

And this scruffy 1st winter drake Common Scoter

21st March

Back to the lovely conditions after yesterday’s blip with bright sunshine throughout but with a very cold NE breeze; the nets were pretty much empty while offshore the only feature was a northward passage of 225 Oystercatchers along with 8 Curlews and 4 Black-headed Gulls with 4 Great-northern Divers on the sea.   A Peregrine came in carrying a Woodcock after a successful hunting foray offshore.

                Despite the nice, sunny weather it was pretty quiet in the greater area with 7+ Pied Wagtails and 2 White Wagtails the only migrants of note with a slight increase to 53 Goldeneye also of note.

 

Some of the Oystercatchers having a break from their northward migration

Colour ringed Rock Pipit - I couldn't read the letters no matter how much I zoom in but its at least two years old as none were colour ringed last year (assuming its from here of course)

Crested Tit

 

20th March

A dreadful day with fog, mist and murk giving very poor visibility and drizzle of varying strength pretty much all the way through (I think I did detect a slight darkening from the solar eclipse but I could have just squinted against the drizzle for a minute, it was hard to tell!).   There was a Woodcock and a Grey Wagtail by Verevågen and 2 Great-northern Divers off Vågsvollvika.

Lapwing - A couple of pairs seem to be setting up territory

Wren in the rain

19th March

Another lovely, sunny, calm morning produced a few birds in nets including 4 Robins (which were very light indicating newly arrived migrants) and 3 Goldcrests; there was also some light passage overhead in the fine conditions as birds moving north included 43 Rock Pipits, a Yellowhammer, a Goldfinch, 5 Greenfinches, 5 Siskin, a Grey Wagtail, 4 Skylarks and a good total of 246 Greylag Geese.

                Birds offshore included the White-billed Diver again close in, 3 Great-northern Divers, 12 Wigeon, 20 Teal, a drake Goosander south, 40+ Oystercatchers and 2 Curlew.   Unfortunately fog rolled in late morning and the wind (now NW) picked up through the afternoon which meant the only things I saw were a female Goosander and another 4 Curlew in Vågsvollvika.

A slightly better picture of the White-billed Diver

Long-tailed Duck

18th March

It was a brilliant, pretty much flat calm morning which produced a few birds in the nets including another young female Sparrowhawk, the first Chiffchaff of the year and a Song Thrush; there was very little over the sea but the still water allowed 2 Great-northern Divers, 2 Red-throated Divers and 39+ Long-tailed Ducks to be counted while 2 Whooper Swans (an adult and an immature) flew south inland, the regular pair of Cranes were feeding in the fields and at least two Pied Wagtails were on the rocks.

                Despite the continuing good conditions through the day a Grey Wagtail and another Pied Wagtail in Sevika were the only other birds of note.

 

Sparrowhawk

Chiffchaff

Goldcrest out on the point - probably a migrant

 

17th March

Cloudy with a much stronger, cold, easterly wind than yesterday; 4 Great-northern Divers, two Velvet Scoters and the Tystie were again offshore while there were a few vague hints of some migration with 19 Oystercatchers, a Curlew and 47 Greylag Geese moving past while a single Skylark came in off, low across the sea – it was struggling at one point, I thought it was going to ditch into the water but luckily it made it in!

                On the land 4 Mistle Thrushes through and 3 Pied Wagtails in Vågsvollvika which headed off south also hinted at some movement while the Slavonian Grebe was still in Verevågen.

 

Hoodie

Long-tailed Duck

 

16th March

Not a bad day really with the chilly easterly wind picking up in the afternoon; the ringing only produced one bird – a smart young female Sparrowhawk.  Most of the other birds of note were on the sea with the White-billed Diver again close in but this time there were also at least 5 Great-northern Divers as well along with a Red-necked Grebe, a Razorbill, a Tystie, two Curlews heading north, a Red-breasted Merganser and a few Long-tailed Ducks and Common Scoter.   The Slavonian Grebe was still in Verevågen and a couple of Peregrines were cruising around.

Plenty of Skylarks were displaying and chasing each other

Ending up in this fight - it would have been an ace picture if it had been in focus but I suppose you could say that about any photo!

Peregrines