Tuesday, 19 May 2015

19th May


After a night of pretty much continuous rain it was a surprisingly pleasant morning with just a couple of light showers and a chilly SE wind to dodge; there was a few new waders on Vagsvollvaien at first light including 43 Redshank, 4 Common Sandpipers, 5 Ringed Plover and a Wood Sandpiper but these soon headed off high to the north (with the local Redshank males flying with them a short way displaying loudly until they had reached an appropriate distance from their territories!).   A few bits on the sea then included a Pomarine Skua, an Arctic Skua, 4 Bonxies, 310+ Gannets and 40+ Red-throated Divers while the adult White-tailed Eagle flew north past the lighthouse.

                The battery on my car had gone a bit flat through infrequent use over the last couple of weeks so to charge it I drove up the coast to Spangereid where, after a bit of searching we had brilliant views of a cracking female WOODCHAT SHRIKE which had been present there for the last couple of days; there were a few other migrants here as well with a Wryneck, 2 Spotted Flycatchers, 2 Garden Warblers and a Whinchat the pick.

                A single Knot and a pair of Shoveler were new on Vågsvollvåien late afternoon with the regular pair of Gadwall while there were 10 Common Sandpipers and 23 Dunlin in Vågsvollvika while a beast of a female Peregrine flew through and 10 Dotterel were on the field at Vågsvoll.  

                There were a couple of interesting hybrid things present as well with a presumed ‘Nelson’s’ Gull (Glaucous x Herring Gull hybrid) in Vågsvollvika and a probable ‘Channel’ Wagtail (Blue-headed x Yellow Wagtail hybrid) on Vågsvollvåien.
 


Woodchat Shrike - She's seen something in the last picture!

Presumed Glaucous x Herring Gull hybrid - not sure though if this is within the colour range for a really worn and faded 3K argentatus Herring Gull

Possible 'Channel' Wagtail
 

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