9th June

A glorious, sunny, calm morning produced a profitable ringing session with 80 new birds caught unfortunately 30 of those were baby Starlings with the rest being made up of 32 Siskins, 3 Chiffchaffs and single Willow Warbler and Sedge Warbler.   The morning’s highlight was flushing a male Serin from the carpark from where it lingered a while around the lighthouse before disappearing out towards Lebeltet.

                Despite the entire area being covered through the afternoon there was very little to mention with no new migrants around and just the breeding birds to see.

 

Blue-headed Wagtail

Whinchat

Adder sneaking off into the woods

 

8th June

After some early morning murk, fog and drizzle cleared, it was another beautiful sunny day but inevitably the force 7-8 NW wind remained making things difficult; there was little on the sea in the first few hours with the first Long-tailed Duck for weeks flying south the highlight along with another 30+ Red-throated Divers and more Gannets, Fulmars and Auks.

                There was little change in the area with the usual pair of Red-backed Shrikes in the same place although they didn’t seem to be doing much and several Spotted Flycatchers being noisy and very active while a couple of Crossbills were heard over Lebeltet.

 

Fledgling Song Thrush

Red Admiral

 

7th June

Still nice and sunny but the blazing strong westerly wind returned producing a few things on the sea first thing including 2 Sandwich Terns – a scarce bird here, only the second record this year and a Manx Shearwater in amongst a few Gannets, Fulmars, Auks and Kittiwakes while the adult White-tailed Eagle did another close fly-by.   There was not much through the rest of the day (although I didn’t put that much effort in!) with the Woodchat Shrike still on the northern side of Lebeltet (it seems likely that it is the same bird seen at Spangereid a few weeks ago which was ringed towards the end of its stay and this bird is also ringed), the usual Red-backed Shrikes, Wryneck, Spotted Flycatchers and Whinchats still dotted about the place and the male Marsh Harrier again cruising over the fields.

6th June

Misty, murky, foggy and wet for the first few hours of the day but this cleared to leave a very nice day and with the wind in the east it was very promising conditions after the murk had disappeared; the potential wasn’t realised in the morning however which was quiet with 50+ Siskins still around but 3 Chiffchaffs were the only other birds of note around the lighthouse.

                The afternoon though, certainly did live up to the potential as a walk inland produced the highlights (in chronological order) of a Hobby which flew low over Lebeltet and out to Skarvodden, a cracking female WOODCHAT SHRIKE which I found on the northern edge of Lebeltet and a very high BEE-EATER which was calling above Lebeltet Nord.   It was all about the quality however as other birds were limited to 9 Spotted Flycatchers including a pair nest building in Lebeltet, 2 Red-backed Shrikes, 3 Cuckoos together at Vatnemarka and the adult male Marsh Harrier out over the area for the first time in weeks.

                There was also more insect activity with a small influx of Painted Ladies, Red Admirals and Silver Y’s while the first Small Heath and Green Hairstreaks were on the wing.   Three Barnacle Geese were on Vågsvollvåien early evening along with a Greenshank and a drake Teal.

 

Record shot of the Woodchat Shrike which wouldn't let me get very close

Green Hairstreak

Painted Lady

One of our local Wheatears, many of which now have a lovely yellow colour ring!

 

5th June

A lovely, flat calm start again but this time within a few hours a brisk easterly wind became a bit annoying especially as it kept increasing through the day reaching force 7 by the afternoon; the main feature of the day was an excellent influx of 200+ Siskins out to the lighthouse – there were no juveniles with them and all the females caught had old brood patches indicating that they were all failed breeders.   A total of 46 were caught through the morning including another Swiss ringed bird, this time a male.   A few other late migrants were caught including a Spotted Flycatcher, a Sedge Warbler (both the only ones to have been ringed this spring), 2 Blackcaps and a Lesser Whitethroat.

                There wasn’t much on the sea but Red-throated Divers continued to pass in reasonable numbers – unusual for them to continue into June while there was a Temminck’s Stint on Vågsvollvåien.   The coast was quiet again with the Greenshank and 4 Curlews in Sevika and a pair of Shoveler on Fuglejønna while a few birds were on the sheltered side of Lebeltet including 6+ Spotted Flycatchers and a Cuckoo. 

 

Spotted Flycatcher

Sedge Warbler

The latest Swiss Siskin

Common Redpoll

The House Martins are taking their time to rebuild

 

4th June

A gorgeous, calm, sunny and warm day made it a pleasure to be out and about; there was a Grasshopper Warbler reeling just behind the Labyrinth at dawn – an overdue first for the year before the nets produced a respectable 20 birds including a 1^st summer Common Rosefinch, a House Martin and 2 Swallows in amongst the usual Redpolls and Siskins.   A Great-northern Diver and a Puffin were the highlights on the sea along with a few Terns, Red-breasted Mergansers and Auks.

                The coast was predictably quiet with the first Greenshank for weeks in Sevika along with 5 Whimbrel and 20+ Swifts while I colour ringed a big brood of 6 White Wagtails at Karveneset with the usual Cuckoo, Red-backed Shrike, Wryneck and Whinchats seen inland.   Also of note was a long dead and stinking female Killer Whale washed up on the shore between the lighthouse and Skarvodden in the rough weather of the last few days.

 

Common Rosefinch

House Martin

Snake in the grass

Skylark pulling some shapes while having a dust bath

Teeth!

 

3rd June

Bright and sunny but with a blazing force 8 westerly which meant not a lot could be done through the day but birds on the sea first thing included an excellent passage of 260+ Sanderlings heading north, 3 Bonxies, an Arctic Skua, 3 Goosanders south, 200 Gannets and smaller numbers of Red-throated Divers, Auks, Kittiwakes and Terns.   There were 2 Red-backed Shrikes, 2 Cuckoos and 2 Spotted Flycatchers along the sheltered sides of the plantations but that was about it!

 

Spotted Flycatcher

Bit rough for ducklings!