24th May

A lovely, flat calm start with most of the interest on the sea with the day’s highlight coming fairly early on when I picked up a 1^st summer LAUGHING GULL sat on the sea with a group of Common Gulls, it was on view for five minutes or so before taking off and flying NW up the coast – somewhat strangely much rarer than Franklin’s Gull in Norway and the first record for Lista!   Other birds seen included my first 2 Puffins of the year north, 2 Arctic Skuas, a Sanderling and a Great-northern Diver; the nets were quiet with 10 Redpolls, a Garden Warbler and 2 Chiffchaffs but it was all cut short by heavy rain which started at 09:00 and continued pretty much constantly until 17:00!

                A Bonxie flew low over Seviksmarka while in Lebeltet there were 2 Spotted Flycatchers and a Tree Pipit just as the rain stopped; the evening was rather pleasant and there were a few birds around including the 1^st summer Mediterranean Gull which reappeared on Vågsvollvåien where there were also 2 Bar-tailed Godwits and a flavissima Yellow Wagtail with 10 Dotterel at Vågsvoll and 37 Dunlin, a Turnstone and 9 Ringed Plover in Vågsvollvika.

 

A slightly better picture of the Mediterranean Gull