Tuesday, 18 August 2015

18th August


Bright and sunny with a strong NE wind but due to the wind direction it was possible to get a few nets open where there were a few signs of life with single Reed Warbler, Whitethroat, Garden Warbler and Pied Flycatcher with 16 new Willow Warblers while two juvenile Bramblings were also caught – quite young birds which hadn’t started their post-juvenile body moult yet, I wonder how far they have come?

                Another 1,629 Greylag Geese went south through the morning along with a few waders including 120 Knot while a flyover Temminck’s Stint and 2 Spotted Redshanks were the highlights around Vågsvollvåien in amongst many Dunlin, Knot, Redshank, Snipe etc. flying backwards and forwards between Vågsvollvika and Sevika as they were systematically attacked by a succession of Peregrines, Sparrowhawks, Merlins and Kestrels which appeared to be moving along the coast.    There seemed to be little change in the numbers round the coast with the exception of 40 Knot in Verevågen but with the raptors and the now howling NE wind it was extremely difficult to get any meaningful counts (in fact after the first Peregrine blazed through Sevika the 350+ waders which were feeding there disappeared completely before I had a chance to go through them and never came back!).

                There were a few migrants inland as well concentrated in the few sheltered spots with a juvenile Cuckoo in Verevågen (the first one of the autumn), 4 Spotted Flycatchers, 2 Pied Flycatchers, 30+ Willow Warblers, a Whinchat and a Wryneck; 4 Yellow Wagtails and 3 Tree Pipits were also seen as well as a big female Goshawk in Lebeltet. 
 
Juvenile Brambling



A few grabbed shots of the Goshawk

This Ruff was looking a bit ruffled!   Judging from the wound on his belly he's been nicked by a Peregrine

Red-backed Shrike juveniles still going

Spotted Flycatcher

Black Darter

Its been a hard summer!
 

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