Friday, 17 April 2015

17th April


Another beautiful, sunny day but the NW wind (albeit much reduced) was still very cold and cutting through the morning; there were a few birds on the sea with a steady passage of 130 Red-throated Divers and 720 more Common Gulls along with two Great-northern Divers, two Goosanders, a pair of Tufted Ducks and a Bar-tailed Godwit with a flock of Oystercatchers.   As the morning warmed up there was a good movement of Meadow Pipits overhead and out at sea as well as 15+ Lesser Redpolls, a few Goldfinches, Yellowhammers and Siskins and good numbers of Linnets while a Rook, 2 Carrion Crows and 30+ Curlews came in across the sea from the south.

                The area was pretty quiet in the afternoon with the exception of a flock of 5 Cranes which went NW just after lunchtime; other birds included an immature White-tailed Eagle over, 7 Redshank in Vågsvollvika, a Great-spotted Woodpecker and a Merlin.   The adult male Marsh Harrier was cruising around Seviksmarka in the evening.
 


Cranes

Redshank

Lapwing


A Woodpecker - this bird was ringed here last autumn as a White-backed Woodpecker after much discussion, some people believing it was a White-backed x Great-spotted Woodpecker hybrid.   I'm still a bit unsure as its hardly a classic White-backed but people in the know have said its within the acceptable range of features for White-backed but those big white shoulder patches are a bit upsetting....
 

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