Broad-billed Sandpiper, Lista Fyr

Abowe: Dunlin (left) and Broad-billed Sandpiper (right)
I took this pictures in Sevika, Lista Fyr, last spring (23.05.14). Broad-billed Sandpiper is an uncommon migrant in our Department.  Lista Fyr is an excellent place to watch birds, and the area has the largest species list in Norway.

Broad-billed Sandpiper.

Along the Southern Coast during the winter

Last weekend Finn and I decided to look at bird around Hille, one of the southernmost Islands here in Norway. There are not many birds around during the winter, but some birds are only found in the area at this time of the year. Here are some of the best birds seen during the trip.

 Purple Sandpiper, only present during the winter. Three flocks seen, the biggest flock counted 21 individuals.

 Purple Sandpiper

 White-tailed Eagle, third year (3K)

 Golden Eagle, second year (2K) This i a young bird. The species is only present during the winter, but also then seldom seen in the area.

 Little Auk

Yes, it is winter

This Eurasian Woodcock planed to stay for the winter. It might regrets, but now its too late. Its impossible to escape from the snow. I observed the bird at Toftenes some days ago.

Late Ruff

Ruff is not a common shorebird in Mandal. In May Claus and Thomas had two observations at Ryvingen. I have to say that  I was quite surprised when one Ruff landed just in front of me at Sjøsanden 25 September.

Rare birds alert

Several rare shorebirds have visited Norway this autumn. I managed to see a couple of them. First we had a Buff-breasted Sandpiper at Revetangen, Jaeren (02.08.12) . This one of the hotspots for shorebirds in Norway. One month later an American Golden Plover was observed at Lista. In october one of the other hotspots at Jaeren produced two Semipalmated Sandpipers. The birds were photographed at Nerland 22. October during cloudy and rainy weather.

Klåstadkilen, Larvik

Klåstadkilen is an important stopover for many migrating shorebirds and ducks. You can find the area along the road 303 from Larvik to Sandefjord. The tide makes it possible for the shorebirds to find food here. Some birds also breed here like the Common Shelduck and Common Redshank.

Here are some photos from the area:

Broad-billed Sandpiper during migration 23. May 2010. This rare bird is seen almost each year in the area. 

Temminck's Stints during migration 26. May 2012 at 21:38 PM. They were photographed with a handheld Nikon D90 with Nikkor 300 mm. I had to adjust the shutter speed from 1/100 to 1/250. Aperture 4 and ISO 320. 

Short-eared Owl (May 2012 at 21:58 PM) hunting after dusk. I did not use tripod but managed to take some acceptable photos of the bird while it was "scanning" the area for food. I adjusted the shutter speed from 1/100 to 1/250. 

Dunlin at Kviljoodden - Myrsnipe

Kviljoodden is one of the best places to observe shorebirds in Vest-Agder. The list of birds seen contains several rare species. Yesterday I only observed more common species, and among them two Dunlins (myrsniper) in their summer plumage.

Dunlins from Kviljoodden.

Shorbirds from Tregde - Vaderfugler på Tregde

The small beaches at Tregde is one of the best places to see shorebirds in Mandal. It is also possible to go offshore to see more shorebirds during the migration. Here are some of the shorebirds seen during my visits to Tregde this year.

From the top to the bottom: Grey Plover (Tundralo), 12 February 2012, Common Ringed Plover (Sandlo), 10 March 2012 and Common Redshank (Rødstilk), 18 May 2012. 

Boltit - Eurasian Dotterel

female

male

Two early Eurasian Dotterels from Jaeren, Southern Norway, 01. may 2012. This bird normally arrives around mid May, and these are among the first to bee seen this year.