Twitching Great Skua

I finished yesterday’s guiding with a look over the fjord as with strong southerly winds I had a hope that some seabirds may have been blown. In the rain we saw nothing interesting but later in the afternoon after the rain had stopped a message came in that a Great Skua was off Fornebu.

I made my way down and quite soon found the skua working it’s way along the coast of Bygdøy with a hoard of Black-headed Gulls chasing it. I soon lost sight of it but picked up again later flying right past Huk and then out past the island of Nakkholmen where it landed on the sea. I lost track of it after a while but again picked it up later when it was much closer to me and had clearly just caught something (probably a gull) to eat. It was being mobbed by other gulls and I really regret not having kept tracks on it because I probably missed a good arial battle. It then proceeded to tear into its prey and drifted with the sea for over an hour, ignoring passing boats and kite surfers and the harassment of assorted gulls. It eventually ended up close to the shore at Huk but I didn’t have time to go there and try fr some proper photos.

The skua wasn’t the only good bird and three Knots were together with a flock of 27 Oystercatchers that were trying to migrate and kept flying around at great height. These late migrating flocks of Oystercatchers are apparently on their way to Arctic Russia. A flock of 14 Red-throated Divers was also trying to migrate but got put off my rain clouds to the north and two Arctic Terns went through in addition to local fishing Common Terns. Later in the day an adult Long-tailed Skua must have been an enormous rush for the lucky observer.

Today I was guiding again and we had a good day at Østensjøvannet, Fornebu and Sørkedalen. At Østensjøvannet we saw the first young Great Crested Grebes, Black-headed Gulls and Mute Swans of the year plus an impressive

breeding population. Yesterday’s cold and weather must have made food difficult for them to find although they were only a few Swallows and Martins with them.

The Great Skua (storjo) passing the Nesodden ferry

flapping its wings whilst on top of its prey

these people were clearly unaware of the skua but came very close without the skua even taking off

and here documented in Oslo flying past the tip of Nakkholmen

Knot (polarsnipe) with Oystercatchers (tjeld)

Red-throated Divers (smålom) trying to migrate but eventually turned back

Three Great Crested Grebe (toppdykker) young being protected by mum(?)

and then they vanished

before one pops its head up again

Great Skua

Since I posted last I have NOT seen a Mediterranean Gull despite others seeing one and myself trying hard. A 2cy bird (possibly 2 separate birds and quite possibly the same as I saw in Maridalen) has been seen various places out on the fjord and also in the city so has clearly not settled into a routine making it hard to find but also meaning that one should look at gulls no matter where one is. With luck it will spend the winter and should then become easier to locate.

I have seen a nice male Lesser Spotted Woodpecker and a Kittiwake but the best birding was with Anders BS at Fornebu today. We had a long session there and hoped there would be some interesting passerines but latish Blackcap and Chiffchaff were the best we found. Eating our lunch overlooking the fjord paid dividends though. First a 1cy Arctic Tern flew past and then showed a couple of times later and then a Great Skua flew right over our heads. We picked it up a tad too late but luckily it then circled a bit at some range and allowed some OK photos to be taken. It was flying over land and we lost it possibly heading inland towards Maridalen!

a young Great Skua (storjo)

the back of a 1cy Arctic Tern (rødnebbterne)

this young Kittiwake (krykkje) was much braver than the nearby Herring Gulls (gråmåke) and went down to take the discarded fish inner

but then the brutes came

but he did manage to swallow the food

male Lesser Spotted Woodpecker (dvergspett)

Sunday Morning Twitching!

I awoke just before 9 this morning and a check of my phone revealed a load of bird messages. Andreas was on his boat and seeing lots of nice things. A great Skua eating a Herring Gull off the bow of his boat at least provided the answer to the ID of a skua reported by a number of people over the last couple of days. He also had Gannet and Fulmar in Oslo territorial waters and the King Eider was still present. This was a bit too much as it offered two Oslo ticks, so I headed off (although had to first reassemble all my optics which were already ready for the Værøy trip).

My first destination was the museums at Bygdøy where I was early enough to park where I shouldn’t park and have a very short walk to a good vantage point. A flock of 4 Oystercatchers and a Bar-tailed Godwit was a good start (the godwit being most likely the bird I had on Nakkholmen last week and which has been reported on and off from Bygdøy since) and a scan of the fairly calm fjord revealed the Great Skua on water aside a dead gull. Well that was an easy start! It was a bit distant and soon flew a bit and allowed some poor photos. After this I headed for Huk where a juvenile Gannet, and my second Oslo tick in the course of 10 minutes was sitting on the sea. A further scan revealed that the reported Fulmar was now eating the dead gull that the skua had previously been on and my twitching could be classified as a resounding success!

Things got even better though as Anders BS reported a Yellow-browed Warbler from Fornebu and I discovered that it only takes 10 minutes to drive there. And after a couple of minutes wait I heard and then more importantly saw the bird. I’ve never experienced twitching like this before 😊

Fornebu was very birdy with lots of Linnets, Skylarks, Meadow Pipits and Reed Buntings plus Wheatear, Whinchat and Long-tailed Tits in the course of under a half hour and I’m sure there was more lurking out there.

My next update will be from Værøy. Over & out.

Yellow-browed Warbler (gulbrynsanger) at Fornebu!

Great Skua (storjo)

Some seawatching

Since Sunday there have strong southerly winds blowing up the Oslo Fjord. I had a quick look from Krokstrand yesterday morning without seeing a single sea bird but sightings from further south showed that birds were moving and when the forecast changed and the winds were forecast to continue today I decided to give Hulvik a go. It took a long time to get there due to the rolling programme of tunnel work that is going on in Norway but at 0950 I was in place. The wind was strong and from the south, the light was good and approaching heavy rain clouds were also welcome as they can often bring birds with them. And birds there were. In the distance, I could see lots and lots of Gannets and as the rain clouds approached so did the birds. There were at least 200 out there and I have never seen such numbers here before.

The first good bird I had was an enormous Great Northern Diver that was heading south. Soon after this I got a message from ca.20km south at Brentetangen that lots of birds including Manx Shearwater and Great Skua were heading north. That was good motivation to keep scanning. Before any of those appeared, I had a tick! When, on Friday, I listed the “easy” species that I had yet to see in Norway I forgot to mention Sandwich Tern and that was what I saw today. Long range scope views so no photos of what may well be my 300^th Norwegian species (or 299^th depending on which list I look at).

After this a Great Skua showed and then in front of a rain storm a Manxie showed very briefly but disappeared from view in the rain plus I had to run for cover. Whilst seeking cover under trees I could see that loads of Gannets were heading north in the rain and I hoped that the shearwater had also done the same. After the rain stopped the Gannets came south again but no shearwater unfortunately. About this time Zak turned up and in addition to the Gannets we enjoyed a Great Skua that came through at relatively close range. After this though things really slowed down and even the Gannets evaporated. But what (by local standards) a seawatch I had had! There were very few other birds though, not even commoner gulls. I had two commic terns, a Razorbill and a Hobby so if it wasn’t for the large numbers of Gannets it would have been long and far between birds.

What with the distances and the rain it is amazing I took any pictures but Gannets and one of the Bonxies cames close enough for an attempt at a record shot.

I reckon this just about counts as a record shot. Great Skua/Bonxie/Storjo

some of the Gannets that started heading north ahead of a rain storm

adult Gannet

a younger bird probably a 2cy

Dotterels

A long, long day. Out at 0430 and back just before 2230. A really good day though!

Started with 5 hours of seawatching at Brentetangen where at most we were six people. The winds had died down since yesterday and there was little moving although we all hoped that the Cory’s Shearwater seen further up the fjord yesterday evening might still be around (which it wasn’t). Highlights were a light phase Pomarine Skua heading north and a Great Skua which took about 2 hours to head south with long periods spent sitting on the sea. Eighty odd Kittiwakes and a few Fulmars and Red-throated Divers were all heading south after having been blown in yesterday. Also a handful of Scaup and Black Guillemots and a single Little Gull. Behind us we had a fine Redstart in song.

At Kurefjorden there were few waders to see from the tower with five Dunlin the highlight. The walk to the tower was good for warblers though with three year ticks in the form of singing Icterine, Marsh and Garden Warbler.

Next on the agenda was to find a Dotterel or two and boy did I have luck! In total 37 Dotterel in flocks of 10,13,8 and 5! I also managed a better picture this time.

Dotterel - one of in total 37 around Kurefjorden

Whilst searching for Dotterel I also had two Hobby, a Merlin, a Rough-legged Buzzard, a Sparrowhawk, a Kestrel, six Ospreys and a singing Cuckoo. I was joined by Tommy, Per and Steinar to admire the Dotterelæs and we then went upto Ovenbukta. In the wet horse fields here we had 4 Temminck’s Stints, a Blue-headed (flava) Wagtail along side three Grey-headed (Thunbergi). Also many hirundines feeding here low over the fields.

Thouroughly satisfied with how the day had been I decided to head towards Hellesjøvannet. On the way I had two pairs of Buzzards including this pair. He one of the birds looks to be moulting and has a completely different silhouette to the normal bird.

A pair of Common Buzzards showing very different "jizz"

At Kallaksjøen there were 46 Cranes and on Hærsetsjøen five late Pink-footed Geese.

Driving up the east side of Hemnesjøen there were a lot of birds in Kragtorpvika. A flock of 11 Temminck’s Stints was a very good number, 3 Ospreys including this one which flew low over my head,

Osprey

Over 50 Great Crested Grebes with many breeding within a colony of around 100 Black-headed Gulls, 8 Red-throated and 2 Black-throated Divers and good numbers of hirundines and Swifts. A Cuckoo was also singing here.

Getting to Hellesjøvannet at 1915 it was virtually windless and there were around 300 hirundines feeding over the lake alongside eight Common Terns and three Hobbies which were hawking insects amongst the hirundines. At least three Marsh Harriers, the pair of Pochard, male Gadwall, calling Water Rail, two singing Reed Warblers, two calling Buzzards, the nesting Whooper Swans were all quality birds. A single “boom” sounded very much like a Bittern but could also have been a man made sound from a nearby farm. I waited 45 minutes but didn’t hear it again so believe it was a man made noise.

At Haugrim 19 Cranes and at Mellom Hanneborg 3 Cranes.

A great day and now it's time for bed!

Male Marsh Harrier

Male Redstart

15 minutes too late

Time to take the parents back to Rygge airport and a safe flight home and also an opportunity for another go at seawatching this time from Brentetangen. I had pulled out of the airport car park for the 15minute drive there when the Bird Alert went... Ivory Gull Brentetangen!! The foot went a little closer to the floor and then the Alert went again.. Pom Skua Brentetangen. Obviously my choice of birding venue for the day was a good one but would the birds still be there when I arrived? Well, by the time I got there which was around 10am (so only an hour after dawn) the gull and skua were long gone on their way south. There were 3 other birders present and I gave it a go with them for a little over an hour but obviously the action was best very early on. Best bird whilst I was there was an adult Great Skua heading south plus a steady stream of Kittiwakes and the odd Fulmar. On the way back to Oslo I stopped to look for an Iceland Gull that was found yesterday near Drøbak but without luck so was a bit gutted to find out it had been seen half an hour after I left.
Oh I di have one other good bird today..a Great Grey Shrike in Vestby. Probably a bird I have already seen a couple of times earlier in the autumn it was good to see that it is still hanging on.

There’s always time for another…

..seawatch! Today myself and Rune Z decided on a tour of Vestfold.  Due to a rather shortened day the tour became more of a single destination with a couple of stops on the way. Driving down the E18 we had an obligatory Great Grey Shrike (my 20^th sighting this autumn) by the road just north of the turning to Horten. We made a detour to Horten as  I persuaded Rune that a little seawatch from Møringa would be a good idea. Even though there was practically no wind there would surely still be birds left over from the last few days (and who knows maybe I would still have a chance for Leach’s..).

Arriving at Møringa we immediately saw some Oystercatchers (6 in total) which must be the first I’ve seen for a couple of months and looking out to sea began to see Kittiwakes in all directions with at least 100 being counted. Most were just feeding but a few were also heading south back to open sea. A handful of Fulmars with most going south but one also feeding close inshore. Then it started to get interesting. I picked up a skua sitting on the water at some distance feeding on a dead Kittiwake with a Great Black-backed Gull in close attendance. My first thoughts turned to Pomarine but I was hesitant because it looked pretty large and fairly uniform in colour. I needed to wait for it to flap its wings which it did when the gull came too close and there were big white flashes on the upper and under wings – an immature Great Skua! Rune then decided to get in on the act and found another imm. Great Skua feeding on a (presumed) Kittiwake with its size and wing flashes very evident even though it was at quite a range. We then noticed another, smaller, skua on the water nearby which took off and chased the Kittiwakes – an immature Pomarine Skua (a fairly light bird) with its double white underwing flash and pale rump being very visible. Quite a skuafest!

Aware of the time we had to leave after only 45 minutes although I felt sure that a whole day’s seawatching would have paid dividends.

Our destination for the day was Moutmarka at the end of Tjøme. We were hoping that there might be some storm driven birds here (Grey Phalarope or maybe a large diver) and a hope of finding Water Pipit. The wind was really blowing when we got out of the car (see picture below) which made viewing a bit difficult but we put some effort in.

Unfortunately there was nothing particularly interesting to see. We went through the Rock Pipit flock but found only 16 Rock and 3 Meadow Pipits although for this time of year this was a reasonable sighting. It was very difficult to make anything out on the sea but there were 20 or so Kittiwakes and a couple of Little Auks of note.

With time now against us we headed back towards Oslo with a quick stop at Rosanes. This is home to a long staying Black Duck. On our first scan of the area (a marina!) we saw it sitting with 15 Mallards on a jetty. On the assumption that they were waiting for some bread I headed briskly towards them with camera in hand (ignoring Rune’s requests to not be “so offensive”). Well, I should have been less offensive because they all jumped into the water and headed away. I managed a couple of very poor shots of the Black Duck but rued my haste.

Male Black Duck (right) with Mallard

Male Black Duck in flight

I have some nagging doubts about the purity of this bird as I can detect green on the head and on a previous trip thought I saw a hint of a white neck collar â la Mallard but it has been officially accepted as a pure Black Duck (with I believe the blessing of American experts)

Otherwise here a fine female Smew, a pair of Goosander, 14 Teal and a couple of Kittiwakes.

On the way home the anticipated message came through... Stormsvale (Leach’s Petrel) seen going south on the other side of the fjord from Møringa. Can’t win them all!