10th November

Pretty much flat calm at first light but the very poor visibility and persistent drizzle did an equally good job at preventing much being done; standing in the rain though looking over Vågsvollvåien produced a few birds highlighted by a redhead Smew (typical after seeing my first one yesterday!) – a very scarce bird in the recording area, not seen since 2008 and two Shorelarks feeding on the short grass while other counts included 157 Mallard, 46 Wigeon and 28 Teal. 

                As soon as the drizzle cleared up a brisk force 6 NW wind sprang up almost immediately but birds around the coast included the 1^st winter White-tailed Eagle, a Wheatear, a Purple Sandpiper in Sevika, single Slavonian Grebe and Great-northern Diver in Verevågen, a few Little Auks buzzing around and a depredated Water Rail at Fuglejønna.  

                Elsewhere a Merlin was hunting across the fields where there were small numbers of Meadow Pipits, Skylarks, Yellowhammers and Starlings, the Great Grey Shrike was again in Vågsvollvika and single Chiffchaff and Sparrowhawk around the lighthouse.

 

Shorelarks

White-tailed Eagle

Twite

 

9th November

Like yesterday the evening turned into a crazy windy and wet night but unlike yesterday the gale force wind persisted throughout the day; the sea was unremarkable with a single Great-northern Diver and a good 55 Common Gulls with small numbers of Auks, Kittiwakes etc.   Heavy rain moved in late morning but there was a very good November count of 130 Common Gulls resting in the fields at Vågsvoll.

                A little drive round at lunchtime produced a redhead Smew on Hanangervann (an overdue Norwegian tick!) and 4 Slavonian Grebes and 3 Little Grebes sheltering in the harbour.   The rain cleared by mid-afternoon to leave the rest of the day bright but with a now force 8 westerly gale; not much was seen in the difficult conditions with two drake Goosanders on Vågsvollvåien, a Great Grey Shrike really struggling in the wind in Vågsvollvika and 2 Woodcock flushed from the sheltered side of Lebeltet. 

 

A bunch of record shots in the horrible conditions, never going to win any prizes but here they are anyway - Slavonian Grebes, Goosander, Great Grey Shrike and Wigeon

 

Svartspett

A couple of Black Woodpeckers today in Lebeltet Nord showed really well; feeding by chipping off big chunks of bark off fallen trees and stumps and despite [slightly annoying] people wandering by every five minutes (weekends are great!) they were very approachable, feeding unconcerned by me under 5m away.

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

 

7th November

A nice morning with a light NW wind and the sun making several appearances; there were 20 new birds in the nets including a Chiffchaff while on the sea a few bits included 2 Great-northern Divers, 2 Purple Sandpipers, a Curlew, a Black Guillemot and 105 Little Auks.   Other highlights through the morning were a single Shorelark which went south, 2 Peregrines which were trying to catch Little Auks over the sea, the 1^st winter White-tailed Eagle past the lighthouse, 14 Crossbills and 3 Bullfinches.

                The coast was similar to yesterday with 6 Snow Buntings still, 2 Wheatears, 2 Slavonian Grebes in Verevågen and a Short-eared Owl while inland there was a Black Woodpecker in Lebeltet Nord and a flock of 14 Twite feeding in a stubble field.

 

Snow Buntings

 

6th November

Same again with a brisk, cold easterly and overcast skies; there were a handful of new Blackbirds in the few nets I could open while on the sea an adult White-billed Diver went south along with single Black Guillemot and Great-northern Diver and slightly improved numbers of Red-throated Divers and Kittiwakes (there have been really low numbers of 1^st winter Kittiwakes indicating a poor breeding season).

                Birds round the coast then included 6 Snow Buntings on Skarvodden with another couple over to the NW, a female Goshawk which came in low over the sea (as did several Redwings and Fieldfares), 2 Wheatears, 2 Short-eared Owls on Steinodden and a big, slightly interesting looking 1^st winter female Peregrine which soon disappeared.   Rain then moved in mid-afternoon putting an end to anything else!

 

Fieldfare and Redwing in amongst this morning's Blackbirds

I watched this Fieldfare come in across the sea

 

5th November

Similar conditions to yesterday apart from the easterly wind had picked up to at least force 6; I managed to get a couple of nets open which produced 4 Blackcaps and a Redwing while the sea was unremarkable with small numbers of Red-throated Divers, Razorbills, Kittiwakes and Little Auks, a few Ducks and a group of 4 Sparrowhawks which came in together, low over the water.

                After a couple of hours of rain at lunchtime the coast was quiet but what was there was good quality with a juvenile Iceland Gull in Verevågen (seen from Karveneset over by the pier but when I got round there it had disappeared!), a single Shorelark which flew south over Sevika, 4 Short-eared Owls out on Steinodden, 3 Snow Buntings on Skarvodden, 3 Greenland Wheatears by the lighthouse, 2 Purple Sandpipers and a Peregrine.

 

Short-eared Owls doing some good fly-bys

Iceland Gull - only the second I've seen here