Tag Archives: Oystercatcher

Shelducks return

Nice to see a pair of shelduck (gravand) back in the bay this morning, the first time I’ve seen them in the bay since spring 2015. Before that they appeared most years and probably bred locally (there are spread breeding pairs along the fjord). Oystercatchers (tjeld) have also been back for about a week now. A bad long distance (on the other side of the bay) picture of the shelducks to illustrate:




Spring song

Spring can’t be stopped and this woodpigeon (ringdue) could be heard singing from the house today and I was woken at 6am (was 5am) by a robin (rødstrupe) singing in the garden (no complaints, always a beautiful moment to hear a returning Robin) ;) A black-headed gull (hettemåke) was also my first of the year and 4 pairs of Oystercatcher (tjeld) were feeding in the bay!!
I also heard singing siskin, great tit, blue tit, greenfinch and coal tit today!
Reports are also coming in of starlings (stær) arriving!

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Birds seen from the house today 11th March 2017

Oystercatchers (tjeld) are one of the first spring migrants to arrive here and early March is the normal time. I was woken up by the characteristic piping call of these birds this morning!
An eagle also suddenly appeared right outside the window where I sit, no more than 30m away…but it was all over in a flash and it was gone……

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Here’s a distant shot of the newly arrived Oystercatcher lovers ready for the excitement ahead!

 

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Velvet scoter (sjøorre) numbers are building up as the herring are beginning to spawn in the fjord (the spawn is an important food source in spring) and one of the biggest flocks in the country with up to a thousand birds gather for the annual feast gather in the part of the fjord I see from my house, before departing for the breeding grounds. A small flock of 8 birds were feeding below the house today.

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Treecreeper (trekryper) in the garden

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A fieldfare (gråtrost) getting more and more brave as I move the apples gradually closer to the house!