Cyberbirding blog

Grey Heron killing Little Auk

2012-01-09T08:22:00.000+01:00

The Little Auk is still alive and kicking at this moment...

On the Sunday birding trip I was happy to find a Little Auk feeding in brackish water just south of Bergen, Western Norway. This was a new species for the location, bringing the "auk-list" up to three. Great, I thought, and sat in the car waiting for it to come closer. The Little Auk did of course swim to the other side of the narrow bay, and started diving for food in shallow water - out of photo range. A first-year Grey Heron lifted 30 meters away, and landed just beside the Auk. The Little Auk dived, and the Heron followed. The Arctic guest did probably not understand how dangerous the situation was, before it was hit by a long sharp bill in the neck. The heron danced on the water-edge, while stabbing several times.

The auk was below the surface all the time, but on the predators fourth stab, it got struck and was thrown on land. The ten eimes larger heron stood still watching the tiny auk before taking two steps back. Swosh! Two direct hits toward the head of the victim proved this was not a game. The Little Auk was really stressed and tried to escape. The Heron was in full control, and stabbed it a dozen times before the prey became more calm.

The first half of the video below is rather over-exposed, but the brutality is well documented. Note how the Grey Heron makes one step backward before stabbing the Little Auk. Direct link to video

Lesser Scaup

2011-12-23T16:30:00.000+01:00

The first Lesser Scaup for Hordaland county.

On the 19th. of December Øygarden birder Julian "a-nice-cup-of-tea-and-some-delicious-crackers" Bell photographed an interesting Aythya on Skogsøy in Øygarden (Hordaland county). Julian managed to document the birds bill- and headshape, both indicating Lesser Scaup. Julian, Arild Breistøl and me went out the following day with the intention of clinching it. Despite a thorough search in the rugged landscape, we did not manage to relocate it. Bad luck!

Two days later Julian and fellow birder Nigel Goodgame tried, and this time with results! Clue characters like the spread wing and specific bill features were documented. Great work guys! Result: the first female Lesser Scaup for Norway, and only the fifth ever (if accepted).

Today's weather forecast was not very promising, but by noon the clouds were predicted to contain less water than in the morning. I drove out, parked the car, and worked myself towards the site. When arriving a hint of light could be detected in the south, and beside heavy wind, the weather was good. At first I only got frustratingly distant views of the object. Later, when positioning myself for digiscoping a Scoter that was closer, the Scaup suddenly appeared 150-200 meters away. The low winter sun lit it up, and I got excellent views, but only poor digiscoped pictures... A nice new tick on the county list - both for me and the county ;-)

Note the typical head-shape, peaking behind the centre of the crown..

The bird showed a rather fine and slim bill compared to a Greater Scaup.

Only a tiny narrow black spot on the nail of the bill.

The brown color of the iris indicate a first-winter bird. Note also the small tuft.

The Lesser Scaup associated with a Common Scoter.

Arctic challenge

2011-10-12T16:00:00.004+02:00

An early juvenile Glaucous Gull popped up in the city park of Bergen yesterday. Despite offering fresh bread, it was more interested in consuming a Feral Pigeon carcass. It was still hanging around the park today, and we managed to feed it with a little bit of bread. Why all this focus on bread? We want to catch it. Getting close enough to grab it with the hands, it has to like bread...

When Arctic gulls arrive the city park they may never have seen people, and of course have never been fed with bread. They need a little time to learn from the other gulls. We do also have the possibility of using a snare, so we will see what we find most appropriate when we try again tomorrow. See pictures of the bird eating the Feral Pigeon here.

Glaucous Gulls are scarce annual visitors in Hordaland county. They are rare in the city park of Bergen, where the last record was more than five years ago.

Rare Owl and Starling

2011-10-09T22:09:00.002+02:00

Just before midnight we tape-lured a Boreal Owl (Tengmalm's Owl) at Fedje, a small island on the coast of Western Norway. The bird was the first ever for Fedje, and also the first in Hordaland county in 2011. The species is a rarity in this region, but every third year or so they obviously wander a bit, and may show up at isolated places like Fedje. At Lista bird-observatory (Southwestern tip of Norway) lots of Boreal Owls have been ringed this autum. Some of these have been controlled at Revtangen bird-observatory (about 150 km. north of Lista) only days later, showing that birds migrate towards the North after they have met lands end at Lista.

I spent the weekend at Fedje together with colleagues in the board of the Norwegian Ornithological Society, Hordaland. Only Saturday (yesterday) produced weather suitable for birding. Today we experienced a gale and heavy rain. Yesterday was really fruitful despite the windy conditions. The long-staying adult Rose-colored Starling gave excellent views all day. What an incredible bird. The last rarity of the day was a first-winter male Red-breasted Flycatcher - not an annual visitor in the county.

Full species list (in Norwegian)

Amused by a living skull

2011-09-26T12:24:00.002+02:00

I am a birder. Not at all hardcore during the last years, but when the autumn arrives and the sibies call, I call myself a birder. Since 2007 most of my field activity during summer has been focused on nocturnal moths. I don't know why or how moths managed to outdo birds as my main interest, but they did. Anyway, when I was a "full-time" birder I was intrigued to see how some people combined birding with mothing. When diving into the subject I was gradually transformed. By 2008 nothing else mattered during the summer season, and it is still like this. Will I ever revert? Probably not.

I remember a story about a moth that was found in Sweden. It was a day-resting Death's-head Hawkmoth. The ultimate migrant for many moth enthusiasts in Northern Europe. It is a large moth, up to 15 cm. wingspan, with a mark shaped as a skull on it's back. Once the news of it broke, several birders (!) drove long distances to get views of the rarity. Unfortunately, when they arrived an entomologist already had caught it and stabbed a needle through the body. Ornithologists and entomologists are different. It is not too important for the latter to enjoy specimens alive. For an ornithologist and birder it is crucial, even when it comes to moths. The stabbed moth was no longer twitchable, and the disappointed birders cursed the collector appropriately.

After spending lots of time getting to know native Norwegian moths, moth migration and vagrancy has evolved into a favorite subject. In many ways it is similar to birds, but in another scale. Since the start of my moth-career the Death's-head Hawkmoth has been number one on the most wanted-list. It is not interested in light-traps, but prefer to steal honey from beehives. In other words, a hard species to find. When a colleague called me at work a few days ago and uttered that the most wanted was waiting for me in the neighbor office, I got the twitchy feeling I recall my dark past. Joy in a symbol of death - as long as it is alive...

View a photo of the whole animal

The breathtaking stopover

2011-05-21T12:24:00.018+02:00

After a great three day partner-meeting (me representing the Norwegian Ornithological Society) where we want to integrate birding as an offer from the local tourist entities in Finnmark county (arctic Norway), we went to do some of our own birding last night. The target spot was Lille Porsangen, about a 100 kilometers northwest of Lakselv. This is a stopover site for Red Knots on their way to northern Greenland and Canada.

The drive from Lakselv to Lille Porsangen goes through spectacular scenery along the western part of the Porsanger fjord. Birds are numerous at this time of year, with species like Arctic Loon, Bar-tailed Godwit and White-tailed Sea-Eagle being common all the way.

Finally, when arriving at the Lille Porsangen, we were met by a red carpet on the shores. Red Knots! They were sitting in a dense flock on the exposed rocks (high tide), and were almost impossible to count. Suddenly something disturbed them, and all the birds lifted. The silence of the fjord was broken by kind of a windy sound, and tens of thousands of Knots were in the air. Breathtaking! I cannot remember the last time I was paralyzed like this by birds. One of my greatest birding moments ever! The flock was estimated to count some 35000 individuals, but it could well be more. When flying they behaved like one single organism. It could not be easy to pick one out for a potential predator I suppose. When the tide withdrew, small parties of birds left to feed, and eventually all the birds dispersed in the area.

Morocco April 2011

2011-04-17T12:13:00.020+02:00

This is a short summary of the travel route on our journey in Morocco 9. - 16. April 2011. You can view the map showing where we went in the bottom of the page. Some pictures are posted below, but I will post more shots from the trip here.

Day 1: Arrival, picking up four cars in Agadir, and spending the night at "the little swede".

Day 2: Morning birding at Oued Souss. After breakfast we travelled to Ansa (just north of Agadir) where we stayed for most of the day reading gull-rings. The last hours of daylight were spent birding from the car. Stayed at a hotel in Essaouira.

Day 3: Started the day with some excellent birding in the river delta south of Essaouria. Slightly random birding until we arrived (?) in the early afternoon. Stayed in the Ramsar area for the rest of the day. Drove to El Jadida to spend the night.

Day 4: El Jadida - Tamri

Day 5-6: Tamri - Ansa - Agadir

Day 7: Oued Massa: birding the delta and the dry flats just north of the river.

Day 8: Oued Souss and Oued Massa (a few kilometers up the river). Flight back to Norway in the afternoon.

Countdown to Morocco

2011-04-08T09:49:00.006+02:00

Tomorrow me and nine other gull-maniacs are off to Morocco! We will spend a week gulling around the coast from Agadir and northwards. Morocco is probably my favorite birding country in the world. Large numbers of birds and species, combined with the unique variation in habitats, great food, rather friendly police and good infrastructure makes the country an excellent destination. I have only been there once before, in December 2005. To refresh my local knowledge, I have posted some shots from that trip today. Click on the Desert Sparrow below to enter tha pictures. Follow the blog, and I will keep you updated during the trip.

Moths in print

2011-03-07T22:53:00.007+01:00

A dozen of my pictures have just been sent off to be featured in a forthcoming Swedish guide on moths and butterflies. Looking forward to that. When the book is printed, I'll blog it. While you are waiting, enjoy one of the featured individuals - a Brindled Beauty:

Remarkable spring-moths

2011-03-04T14:02:00.019+01:00

Some moths have developed some extraordinary strategies as a result of the climatic challenges during early spring. Cold weather and absence of food forces the moths to spend their energy resources with concern. To save energy some species (only females) produce only vestigial wings. Instead they allocate these resources to egg production.

During the dark spring evenings females come out from their day-hides in between leaves on the ground or something, and climb the tree-trunks. Then they release feromones to attract the flying males. A lot of males can be attracted to one female.

This picture show the abdomen of a female March Moth (vintermåler) Alsophila aescularia photographed on the foundation wall of my house in Bergen, western Norway 3 March 2011. In this species the female has no wings at all. This feature, combined with the hairy abdomen, distinguishes it from other flightless females. A stunning looking moth!

Waldrapp

2011-03-02T12:07:00.008+01:00

I just posted some pictures from a Christmas-trip to Morocco back in 2005, including a couple of the stunning Waldrapp, Northern Bald Ibis. It is a critically endangered species on the global red list of threatened species. We visited Tamri, just north of Agadir, and got great views of a flock feeding on a field near a roost. Morocco is a great birding country, with an impressive variation in habitats and bird species.

In April I will go there again. This time it is together with a hurd of gull-maniacs. Looking forward to that!

Norges sommerfugler

2010-03-01T09:41:00.007+01:00

A devil in disguise

Finally, the first book treating all Norwegian macro-moths and butterlies has been published. Almost 1000 species is presented with maps and pictures of prepared specimens. In between the plates there are also random pictures of live animals in natural positions. Four of my lepidoptera pictures were published in the book.

Silver-ground Carpet in Bergen, Hordaland 18.6 2007

Flounced Chestnut in Bergen, Hordaland 22.9 2007

The Brick in Bergen, Hordaland 5.10 2007

American Golden Plover

2009-10-22T01:25:00.008+02:00

This young American Golden Plover (Pluvialis dominica) was photographed at the island Herdla in Hordaland county, western Norway 20 October 2009. The bird stayed at the location until 5 November.

It was the first county record, and only the third first calendar-year bird in Norway. Digiscopet with AT80HD and Nikon coolpix 4500 at a distance of about 100 meters.

Slideshow from Tibet

2008-02-22T10:20:00.016+01:00

Unfortunately I was not able to update my blog during the stay in Tibet this time. Blogspot is for some reason not available in China. I managed to post pictures in Picasa, so you can enjoy a slideshow from the first week in Tibet below. Later,, lots of pictures from the trip will be posted on my Flickr photo-page.

Gonkkar to Lhasa

2008-02-03T00:58:00.004+01:00

The flight from Beijing via Chengdu was great! The weather was perfect, and the eastern parts of the Himalayas gave spectacular views. Tsering Dorge met us at the airport (Gonkkar), and we drove slowly towards Lhasa while birding from the road. There were lots of birds to see, and Ruddy Shelducks, Bar-headed Geese and Goosanders were the most numerous species. Other good birds include a young White-tailed Eagle (!), five different Great Cormorants, two Ibisbills, a Great Grey Shrike (rarity?) and several Spot-billed Ducks.

When arriving in Lhasa in the afternoon we checked in at the Kyichu hotel, and went out to eat dinner. Moving slowly and taking it easy is important the first days in this altitude. I did have any problems with the height during the evening, but living in the fourth floor at the hotel made my breath go fast. The first night was pretty OK, I only woke up a few times to drink water.

Total species list from today: Bar-headed Goose (2600), Ruddy Shelduck (850), Mallard (55), Northern Pintail (4), Eurasian Teal (28), Goosander (250), Hill Pigeon (110), Ibisbill (2), Common Redshank (1), Wood Sandpiper (2), Great Black-headed Gull (12), Brown-headed Gull (10), White-tailed Eagle (1), Himalayan Griffon Vulture (1), Great Cormorant (5), Great Grey Shrike (1), Black-billed Magpie (25), Great Tit (5), Winter Wren (2), Tree Sparrow (250), White Wagtail ssp. alboides (15), Great/Streaked Rosefinch (35).

Coming to China

2008-02-01T23:00:00.001+01:00

After a long flight (Bergen-Copenhagen-Beijing) with little sleep, we were met at the airport by representatives from the Beijing Normal University. They guided us to the hotel near the airport. We checked in and washed off the jetlag, before leaving for Beijing and the university. At the university we were invited to a banquette, but before eating we managed to do some birdwatching. About 20 Azure-winged Magpies, five Common Magpies, a Thick-billed Crow, about a hundred Tree Sparrows, a single Eurasian Collared Dove, and a Great-spotted Woodpecker made the hour worthwhile. We had a marvelous meal at the university in the afternoon, and went back to the hotel around 20:00. The jetlag had made itself present, so we all went to bed... Tomorrow we will take a flight to Lhasa early in the morning. so we better have a good night sleep.

Studying Black-necked Cranes in Tibet

2008-01-16T17:51:00.004+01:00

Then it is finally settled! I will once again go to Tibet to study birds, and the plane tickets were ordered today. I am leaving Norway 31 January, and entering Tibet 2 February. This time there will only be a few target species, where the main aim is to study the Black-necked Crane Grus nigricollis. This species is treated as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List for birds (read more). We hope this project will shed more light on the species situation on the wintering grounds, when the number of conflicts are more present than during summer. Hopefully the results can provide information for future conservation and managemet of this endangered species. The study area is marked on the map below.

View Larger Map

Blue Damselfly

2007-06-16T19:34:00.003+02:00

This small blue damselfly was photographed in a wetland outside Bergen yesterday. It is a member of the family Coenagrionidae, but there are several similar species.

Eastern Orphean Warbler

2006-09-03T20:52:00.003+02:00

This first-summer male Eastern Orphean Warbler was found and ringed at the small and remote island of Halten on the coast of middle Norway 12 August 2006. It was first identified as a Western Orphean Warbler Sylvia hortensis, mainly based on the length of the bill-tip to the skull. The following discussion revealed that the measurement was slightly short due to the method that was used (thick end of a slide caliper), and new data was necessary. These pictures are from 3 September, when we caught it and made some new measurements. If accepted as an Eastern Orphean Warbler, this will be the second Norwegian record, following a first-winter bird in October 2004 at an island only about 50 kilometers south of Halten!

Plumage
It was a "colourless" bird as Eastern Orphean Warblers should be, with white, black and grey tones combined. No obvious warm tones to flanks, and the upperparts were grey (with subtle a hint of brown). The cap was blackish, fading into the mantle shade of grey in the neck region. In flight the cap and tail were the darkest parts of the bird. The undertail coverts did all have darker bases with brighter tips, a clue character when identifying this species in the field.

Moult
When first caught on 12 August no accurate notes were made on primary moult (and the moult is hard to judge from the images available), but the central tail feathers were shed (only the four outer feathers were retained). On 3 September we could note that the central feathers were fully grown, but the outer feathers were still first generation. The three outer primaries were short and growing, p4 to p7 were fresh fully grown and the inner three primaries were an older generation, probably shed at the wintering site of the bird. According to Svensson (see measurements below) this arrested moult is not rare in immature Eastern Orphean Warblers. A picture of the wing (dorsal view) can be seen here.

Sound
It uttered a discrete call when we approached it. Despite being lower in both volume and frequency, it reminded me of an odd short version of the Common Whitethroats Sylvia communis "terr".

Measurements
Three weeks after the bird initially was ringed, we caught it to make new measurements (according to Svensson 1992 "ID guide to European Passerines"), and they were: length of bill to skull 19.9 mm (average of six measurements), Bill + skull 39.9 mm (only one measurement) and tarsus 23.2 mm (average of two measurements). These measurements all point towards Eastern Orphean Warbler. We did not measure the wing length, since the longest primaries were growing. When caught 12 August, before dropping the outer primaries, the wing was measured to 80 mm.

Note that the birds plumage seem a little shabby because of heavy moult and some wet feathers.

Brown Shrike

2005-10-03T08:06:00.005+02:00

This first-winter Brown Shrike was found at the island of Utsira in western Norway on 2 October 2005. These photos were taken the following day, when it was hunting for beetles in a calm corner of a coniferous forest. The first record in Norway.

Two other digiscoped photos here and here.

Firecrest

2005-10-02T08:11:00.003+02:00

The second Firecrest for Hordaland county was this female found in a spruce forest at the island of Fedje on 1 October 2005. It was present until the 9th. The previous county record dates back to 4 October 1987, when a bird was caught on the mainland. This was actually the first Firecrest to be found in Norway in 2005, and there are about 50 previous records in the country.

Arctic Norway

2005-06-06T23:39:00.016+02:00

The last days of May and the first week of June 2005 (28 May - 6 June) was spent in northernmost Norway this spring. The main aim was to do some pre-breeding studies of the Red-Throated Pipit at the tundra on the Varangerhalvøya near Vadsø in Finnmark county. However, we (Professor Göran Högsted and myself) were able to fit in a few days at the start in the Pasvik valley taiga forest.

The Pasvik valley is placed at the crosspoint of Norway, Russia and Finland. The valley is an unique habitat in Norway, with regular breeding birds such as Great Grey Owl, Broad-billed Sandpiper, Spotted Redshank, Little Gull, Arctic Warbler and Little Bunting. All these species are rarities in all other Norwegian counties. We were to early for most of them, but did at least witness the fligh-courtship of Spotted Redshanks, as well as seeing great numbers of birds that usually are not annual on my species lists. On the last day, we ran across a subadult Lesser White-fronted Goose that was resting on some ploved fields. A really great and unexpeced experience with the most threatened bird in Norway.

Our drive out to the Varanger peninsula was done in two days, with lots of birding from the car. Huge numbers of Red-necked Phalaropes along the shores and in small ponds inside the shores was the most stunning appearance birdwise. There were lots of birds around, both on land and at sea, and it was strange to experience that the spring was in such an early phase compared to southern Norway.

Then followed six days at Svartnes near Vardö at the Varanger peninsula. The pipit-studies were carried out with extreme accuracy of course, and several adults were color-ringed. Göran will give these individuals further attention later this summer. If you want to see more pictures from the Finnmark trip, have a look here.

Leaving Cyprus

2005-05-03T00:30:00.003+02:00

Our stay at Cyprus headed towards an end, and we had to drive off to get our plain in Larnaca. We followed the road B8 to Limassol, and from there straight to the airport. Birds along the trail include: a singing Black-headed Bunting, a Great-Spotted Cuckoo and of course some Cyprus Warblers and Cyprus Wheatears. A stop by the salt lake near Larnaca airport revealed our first Little Ringed Plover and a total of 260 Greater Flamingos. Well, that was it for Cyprus this time. It was time to return to seven degrees celsius and rain...

Heading for the Trodos mountains

2005-05-02T00:30:00.003+02:00

After a good night sleep, with a new Scoops Owl singing nearby, we enjoyed a long and satiating breakfast. Our aim today was to reach the Troodos mountains, and sleep there before heading back to Larnaca tomorrow. First we went for the famous Paphos lighthouse with lots of expectations. It turned out to be closed due to easter holidays i Greece, and we could not enter. The whole area was closed for entries. A real pity! There was nothing else to do, than to take off and head for the next spot on the trip; Kouklia. At Kouklia we kind of immediately found what we were after, namely the Stone Curlew. Two birds were sitting close to the road, and gave great views while feeding between oranges being sun-ripened on the fields. Here we did also see a beautiful male Golden Oriole.

Some minutes later we spotted a Roller being harassed by an unidentified small falcon. It turned out to be two female Lesser Kestrels chasing away the Roller from their nest-entrances. The falcons were breeding in holes in a sand cliff. Nearby we did also find our first Black-eared Wheatear of the trip, and several Spotted Flycatchers, Cetti's Warblers and Black Francolins were present.

The next stop on our way towards the heights were the small wetland in front of the Aspokremmos dam. Highlights were about 20 Alpine Swifts, a White-winged Black Tern hunting in the pond for a short while, seven Wood Sandpipers, six Squacco Herons, two Little Grebe pairs, a pair of Lesser Kestrels, and some Cyprus Pied Wheatears and Cyprus Warblers. Just half a hour before we had arrived some British birders saw a Little Bittern in the vegetation along the pond. Unfortunantely it did not pose for us :-(

Our journey continued along the road 616 towards Troodos via Fasoula. Some of the birds recorded from the car and during some short breaks include: three Black Francolins, five Fan-tailed Warblers, a male Woodchat Shrike, a Roller, several Cyprus Pied Wheatears and Cyprus Warblers, three Serins, Cetti's Warbler and three singing Nightingales. We did also record endemic subspecies of both Eurasian Jay and Winter Wren.

An afternoon birding session around Platres gave even more endemic subspecies, this time Short-toed Treecreepers and Coal Tits. Both were recorded with some individuals. These mountains had a more familiar ring to Norwegian ears, with singing Chaffinches as the most common sound. More Eurasian Jays were around, and both Serins and Nightingale seemed to be common. During our climb by car we lost several species. When the more heavily agricultivated areas disappeared, so did the Fan-tailed Warblers. Cetti's and Cyprus Warblers followed us to the beginning of the Pine forest. It was kind of unexpected that the Cyprus Pied Wheatears went all the way up to the top (1900 masl).

Eleonoras!

2005-05-01T00:35:00.001+02:00

At six o'clock we drove off to Cape Grecco. The weather was very (too) nice, and the air started to heat up pretty early. At the Cape there were not many birds to watch. Almost no passerines at all! Good numbers of Yellow-legged Gulls and some Chukars were the only noteworthy birds out there. We ended our session here in favour of the wetlands near Paralimni. The pond was almost dried out, but a few waterbirds showed anyway. At least five Spur-winged Plovers were present, in addition to two Wood Sandpipers (the first on the trip). An adult Great Spotted Cuckoo gave good views only 40 meters away from us. Unfortunantely empty shotgun cartridges outnumbered birds by 1:10 when we visited the spot.

A little past two p.m. we reached Acrotiri peninsula. At the large salt-lake we could enjoy at least 600 Greater Flamingos at several hundred meters distance - in the heat haze... Highlights from this lake were a hundred Little Egrets, an immature Purple Heron, ten Gull-billed Terns (picture), a first-summer Little Gull, 30 Black-winged Stilts, five Wood Sandpipers and four adult Slender-billed Gulls. From our watchpoint we also recorded seven Bee-eaters, a mixed group of 10 Yellow Wagtails and a Red-throated Pipit.

After a couple of hours we drove off to Passouri, near a citrus plantation. A splendid male Golden Oriole showed very well as we arrived. Our first Nightingale called nearby, and some Olivaceous Warblers, Serins, and our first Chaffinch made the stop worthwhile.

It started to get late, and we had to head for Kourion and the Kensington cliffs (photo below). Both Eleonora's Falcon and Griffon Vultures were supposed to be in the area. We saw one intermediate phased Eleonora's Falcon almost at once when we arrived, but there was no sign of any Vultures. Jackdaws were numerous in these cliffs, and we recorded (in addition to the commoner species) eight Scuacco Herons, two Chukars, quite a few Alpine Swifts, six more Eleonora's Falcons (a bit west of our first stop. All plumage phases were seen; light, intermediate and dark), a Peregrine Falcon, and a female Red-footed Falcon.

Despite some slight problems in finding a hotel, we settled at Kissos hotel and fell to sleep with the sounds of a Little Owl outside.

Yenierenköy - Ayia Napa

2005-04-30T00:30:00.000+02:00

After having had some breakfast and a little birdwatching around the hotel, we drove off towards Yenierenköy at 9.30. An excellent female Lesser Grey Shrike showed very well at a stop near Cayrova. On our way back to Farmagusta we encountered several Cyprus Warblers, Cetti's Warblers, Fan-tailed Warblers, Black-headed Bintings, Cyprus Pied Wheatears, Rollers and a Little Owl.

We stopped for about 1 1/2 hours at Ergazi Reservoar. We immediately noticed a small Crake in the reedbed along the dirt track. Unfortunantely it didn't show again, but it quietly responded to the playback sound of a Little Crake. In the surroundings of the reservoar we had a.o. two Great Reed Warblers, six Alpine Swifts, five Bee-eaters, five Cyprus Warblers, five Cyprus Pied Wheatears, a flock of 15 Ortolan Buntings (photo above), another Little Owl and three Lesser Kestrels playing above a cliff nearby.

We left the car in Farmagusta, and got very good help from the guys at the rental service to get back to the Greek-Cypriotic border. From here we ordered a new taxi that took us to the airport, where we hired a new car (expensive!). We headed for Agia Napa to spend the night. Tomorrow we will visit Cape Grecco, and work our way through Acrotiri to Paphos in the southwest. A Kentish Plover near the airport was the only new addition to our species list during the afternoon and evening.

Zafer Burnu - day 2

2005-04-28T23:30:00.004+02:00

Today we went all the way out to Zafer Burnu, the northeastern end of Cyprus.

Highlights of the day: We woke up early this morning and did some birding outside the Theresa hotel. The first Purple Heron and Green Sandpiper of the trip flew past along the coast.

Herons were plentiful near the Blue Sea Hotel: 22 Little Egrets, 13 Squacco Herons and two Cattle Egrets. On the island outside Zafer Burnu, Klidhes island, 10 Great White Egrets rested in a colony of 100+ Yellow-legged Gulls. One Glossy Ibis was also seen.

The trip out to Zafer Burnu produced good numbers of resting raptors: One Imperial Eagle (2cy), one Booted Eagle (light phase), one Black Kite, six Marsh Harriers (5 2cy and 1 ad.), one Pallied Harrier (F), one “ringtail”, 25+ Kestrels, and two Red-footed Falcons (2M).

Chukars and Black Francolins were common and several specimens were seen.

Two Greenshanks, another Green Sandpiper and two Spur-winged Plovers were added to our shorebird list.

15 Rollers, 20 Beeters and one Hoopoes were also seen.

Tawny Pipit (5), one Isabelline Wheatear, one Masked Shrike, three Woodchat Shrikes and one Crezschmar’s Bunting were new to the trip list. Otherwise the species and numbers were similar to yesterday.

Zafer Burnu - day 1

2005-04-28T00:30:00.003+02:00

Today we concentrated our efforts between Dipkarpaz and Yenierenköy. One of our main problems today was getting money, because the northeastern part of Cyprus do not have ATM’s (minibank). We managed to find a petrol station and a hotel (Theresas hotel) accepting credit-cards.

Highlights of the day: The first observation today was several Pallid Swifts. It was a good migration day for Bee-eaters, Rollers and birds of prey. Up to 150 Bee-eaters, 15 Rollers and 15 Kestrels were seen. Furthermore one female Pallid Harrier, one Long-legged Buzzard, one Black Kite and one Honey Buzzard were on high-altitude migration.

Small birds were obviously also on migration, 75 Yellow Wagtails (mostly flava and at least five feldegg) plenty of Blackcaps, three Ortolan Buntings and some Cyprus Wheatears.

Surprisingly high numbers of local species, five Great Spotted Cuckoos, 10 Black-headed Buntings, numerous Eastern Olivacious Warblers (one nest with four eggs was found) and Cetti’s Warblers (ubiquitous in all habitas, including pine forests).

However, bird life over the sea and at shores was apparently non-existent.

Larnaka - Dipkarpaz

2005-04-27T00:50:00.003+02:00

We arrived at Larnaca 01:30 on 26 April and spend the night at a hotel in the city centre. The first bird observed were some Barn Swallows at the airport.

This moring we woke up to the sounds of Swifts. We first claimed them as Pallid Swifts together with Common Swifts. However, more identification research needs to be done to be shure.

The plans for the day were to take a taxi to Famagusta to hire a car there. We did not manage to hire the car in Larnaca due to insurance complications when we want to go to the Turish part of the island.

Today we went from Larnaca via Famagusta and north on the Karpaz peninsula. To get from Larnaca to Famagusta we had to take a taxi to the Turkish border and another to Famagusta. Here we hired a car and started our journey towards the north-eastern part of Cyprus, the Karpaz peninsula.

The bird species observed today were not a lot when it comes to quantity, only 35 species observed, but huge in quality. One reason for this low species number is probably that we visited only one habitat during the day, dry costal areas with bushes. We were lucky to get all the endemic bird-species on the island today, Cyprus Pied Weather, Cyprus Warbler, and the Cypriotic subspecies of Scops Owl.

Larnaca – Famagusta: Unfortunately we did not have time to do more identification on the Pallid/Common Swifts, but we hope get better views of the Pallid Swifts north on Zarfer Burnu. During our taxi trip we spotted the first Crested Larks, some Collared Doves and Turtle Doves in addition to the soemmerringii subspecies of Jackdaw. On our way north from Famagusta we spotted two Black-winged Stilts.

Yesilköy: A short stop at a site with agricultural habitat gave us some quality species. Three Black-headed Buntings (one singing male shown in the photo that was digiscoped by Frode). One Cetti’s Warbler, Two Eastern Olivaceous Warblers and one male Spanish Sparrow.

Yenierenköy: The first bird that exposed itself to us was one of our main target species, the Cyprus Warbler. All together we found eight different individuals on this locality. Five singing Corn Buntings were also nice. When we approached the sea three beautiful Cyprus Pied Weather were both seen and heard. The first Black Francolin was also heard on this spot. In addition a Tawny Pipit, a Cetti’s Warbler, an adult Yellow-legged Gull, two Black-headed Buntings and a Yellow Wagtail with feldegg sound.

Yenierenköy – Dipkarpaz: The most exclusive species seen along the road was a Roller. All three of us agreed that this bird was the observation of the day. This picture digiscoped by Frode illustrate why. Two Red-rumped Swallows were also seen.

In Dipkarpaz we booked in to the Karpaz arch house, just outside it we discovered a owl sitting on a wire and we identified it as a Little Owl which we also heard on three different localities after dawn. Later this evening we also heard another owl, the Scops Owl, and since we are on Cyprus this is the endemic subspecies.

When it comes to mammals we got good views of a Long-eared Hedgehog.

Nam Tso and Dam Chong

2004-10-08T17:24:00.000+02:00

The Reting monastery was left in the afternoon on 6 October, and we headed for the city of Dam Chong. The night was spent there, a really cold night in fact, and we turned our noses towards the famous Nam Tso ("Sky Lake") in the morning. A really nice and cooperative adult Lammergeier posed just 50 meters from the road some kilometers west of Dam Chong. Once again we had to experience a rather bumpy road, but with stunning scenery when driving over a mountain pass reaching 5120 masl. On these elevations we saw lots of snowfinches, including both the Tibetan and White-winged Snowfinch. Also very present were Horned Larks, being common all through the day.

When closing up to the Nam Tso there was a huge wetland along the road. I really had good hopes of spotting the Black-necked Crane, but intense binocular scanning did not give any positive results. The lake Nam Tso did not really offer any numbers of birds, but several Great Crested Grebes were feeding outside the shoreline. However, on land there were more feathered animals to watch. The most numerous were Horned Larks, Tibetan Snowfinches and Plain Mountain Finches. We tried hard to identify some eastern larks within the parties of Greater Short-toed Larks, but unfortunately with no luck. While watching four soaring Upland Buzzards above the hills, a female plumaged Rufous-tailed Rock Thrush showed well - a nice addition to the list. Also more common than before on this trip were White-winged Redstarts (picture), being common all over the Nam Tso area.

On our return from Nam Tso we checked the large wetaland again. Ruddy Shelducks were common, and we also spotted our first group of Bar-headed Geese. Further scanning produced the awaited Black-necked Crane. Five birds were feeding in the middle of the wetland, on a distance of several kilometers from us. When closing up a bit one of the cranes turned out to be a Common Crane - a good bird in this area. Our forth species of snowfinch was also identified here, the Rufous-necked Snowfinch.

Today was mainly spent in the car, travelling back to Lhasa. We counted the birds at the wetlands outside Dam Chong before the return in the morning. There were lots of nomads here, and thousands of Yaks. Ruddy Shelducks were the most common species, but several Common Buzzards and Common Kestrels were hunting for Pikas. A nice male Hen Harrier hunting near the marshes was our only new species today. A total of 19 Black-necked Cranes were feeding among the Yaks, and a couple of family groups of the Hume's Groundpecker were around.

Total list from these days: Bar-headed Goose (8), Ruddy Shelduck (150), Hill Pigeon (common), Oriental Turtle Dove (20), Black-necked Crane (23), Common Crane (1), Great Black-headed Gull (12), Lammergeier (15), Himalayan Griffon Vulture (25), Hen Harrier (1), Eurasian Sparrow Hawk (1), Common Buzzard (10), Upland Buzzard (5), Common Kestrel (common), Great-crested Grebe (15), Black-billed Magpie (20), Humes Groundpecker (13+), Red-billed Chough (50), Common Raven (6), Rufous-tailed Rock Thrush (1), White-winged Redstart (30), Black Redstart (3), Common Stonechat (5), Eurasian Crag Martin (20), Winter Wren (2), Greater Short-toed Lark (30), Oriental Skylark (25), Horned Lark (150+), Eurasian Tree Sparrow (common), White-winged Snowfinch (25), Tibetan Snowfinch (100+), Rufous-necked Snowfinch (10), White Wagtail (45), Robin Accentor (45), Brown Accentor (15), Twite (50), Plain Mountain Finch (55), White-browed Rosefinch (2), Beautiful Rosefinch (10) and Great Rosefinch (20).

Reting monastery

2004-10-06T07:40:00.002+02:00

The day started up pretty early, with the enchanting sounds from a Giant Babax (picture) group. When looking through my window I saw at least five birds running around in the open outside. While watching these birds a Tickell's Warbler sat down in the shrub outside my room, and gave views down to half a meter! Anyway, I was really eager to get some shots of this skylky endemic, and the photo equipment was prepared. I went out and got my share of Babax photos. Surprisingly, they were slightly confiding birds, in opposition to the experience from the Garma valley.

When working in the forest of tall junipers we had lots of passerines. Different Finches and Accentors were the most numerous. Finally we managed to ID an adult male White-browed Rosefinch, the age making identification quite easy. The first Rufous-breasted Accentor of the trip gave brief views while flying back and forth between some of the lower vegetation. Good numbers of the enormous White-winged Grosbeak were seen feeding on on the ground. Eating seeds from juniper, together with several species of Rosefinches. Also more numerous then ever before on this trip were the Red-billed Choughs, with at least 80 birds keeping close to the monastery. The Yellow-billed Chough (first of the trip) was also present, with about twenty individuals recorded.

Total list from today: Tibetan Partridge (1), Hoopoe (common), Hill Pigeon (70+), Oriental Turtle Dove (8), Great Black-headed Gull (2), Himalayan Griffon Vulture (20), Common Buzzard (5), Common Kestrel (10), Black-billed Magpie (10), Hume?s Groundpecker (5), Red-billed Chough (80), Yellow-billed Chough (20), Common Raven (5), White-throated Dipper (1), Eurasian Blackbird (35), Hodgson?s Redstart (3), White-throated Redstart (10), White-winged Redstart (10), White-capped Water Redstart (5), Common Stonechat (3), Great Tit (15), Eurasian Crag Martin (5), Tickell?s Leaf Warbler (5), Goldcrest (3), Brown-cheeked Laughingthrush (10), Giant Babax (15), Eurasian Tree Sparrow (common), White Wagtail (15), Olive-backed Pipit (5), Robin Accentor (31), Rofous-breasted Accentor (1), Brown Accentor (9), Twite (25), Common Rosefinch (3), Beautiful Rosefinch (10), White-browed Rosefinch (1), Great and Streaked Rosefinch (20) and White-winged Grosbeak (35).

Lundroop

2004-10-05T13:00:00.003+02:00

A new 4-wheel drive car was rented for our next trip. We left Lhasa early in the morning and headed for Kartse in Lundroop. This is an artificial lake with good amounts of waterbirds. Many familiar species of ducks were around, with the Eurasian Teal as the most numerous. Six Spot-billed Ducks mixing with a party of Ruddy Shelducks were actually new on my life list. A single Ruff feeding along the water-edge was the first record in the lake for Tsering. We spent several hours at the lake, and did also experience the heaviest hail-storm I ever witnessed. The landscape was suddenly all white of large hails, but went back to normal after a couple of hours of sunshine. The fields around Kartse were filled with larks and wagtails. We got our first Greater Short-toed Larks of the trip, a party of sixteen birds, but they only gave brief views. The Oriental Skylark (picture) was really common, as was the Citrine Wagtail. On our way further north, towards the Reting monastery, we also found two individuals of the stunning Tibetan Lark and a huge group of more than 50 Himalayan Griffon Vultures. We entered the monastery during the late evening, had a chat with the monks, ate dinner, drank butter tea and went to sleep (with dreams of many good birds in this new habitat, which is filled with fifteen meter high juniper).

Total list from today: Ruddy Shelduck (50), Mallard (10), Spot-billed Duck (6), Northern Shoveler (10), Northern Pintail (20), Gadwall (50), Eurasian Wigeon (5), Garganey (10), Common Teal (450), Common Pochard (2), Goosander (7), Hoopoe (common), Hill Pigeon (common), Oriental Turtle Dove (10), Common Moorhen (1), Northern Lapwing (6), Ruff (1), Common Redshank (3), Common Geenshank (20), Wood Sandpiper (2), Great Black-headed Gull (5), Brown-headed Gull (2), Himalayan Griffon Vulture (65+), Lammergeier (4), Common Buzzard (4), Common Kestrel (25), Great Crested Grebe (15), Black-necked Grebe (1), Grey-backed Shrike (3), Black-billed Magpie (10), Hume?s Groundpecker (5), Common Raven (6), White-throated Dipper (2), Black Redstart (4), White-winged Redstart (10), White-capped Water Redstart (4), Common Stonechat (5), Great Tit (5), Eurasian Crag Martin (25), Barn Swallow (1), Asian House Martin (5), Tibetan Lark (2), Greater Short-toed Lark (16), Oriental Skylark (150+), Horned Lark (50), Eurasian Tree Sparrow (common), White Wagtail (45), Citrine Wagtail (90+), Brown Accentor (5), Twite (300+) and unidentified small and large Rosefinches (many?).

Garma valley

2004-10-03T08:20:00.013+02:00

Spotted Great Rosefinch

29. September to 2. October 2004: Finally! We went up to the Garma valley in the afternoon, and spend several hours driving to our destination. The last 15 km. or so is really not a road for cars, so a good four wheel drive is essential. This valley consists of several small villages, and we were headed for the upper and inner one called Tugcha, about 80 km. northeast of Lhasa. The Zoological institute of the University of Tibet made a field-station up here last year, and this was our home for the next days. The station is at an altitude of 4300 m.a.s.l. We arrived pretty late, so there was no time for birding. On our way up the valley we managed to get views of a stunning White-capped Water Redstart.

Tugcha, the innermost village in the not very accessible
Garma valley. The field station is close to the village.

Immature Lammergeier

The morning after we woke up to calls of Great Rosefinches, Tibetan Snowcock and Robin Accentors (picture). Good numbers of several species of rosefinches, Twites and Common Stonechats (all white rumped) were roving around the station. Tibetan Partridges were calling nearby and the first Lammergeiers of the trip flew around in the light fog. This was an eldorado! However, the rosefinches were hard to identify. Almost all birds were in female plumage, and they were in mixed groups and always restless. I photographed some, so post-identification may be possible. We identified at least some Great and Streaked Rosefinches (the larger species), and some Beautiful Rosefinches. But there were lots of ?aberrant? beautiful ones, so hopefully we?ll manage to identify some more later on.

Rosy Pipit

Day number two we ascended about 350 meters on foot (puh!) to get views of two of our target species, namely the Tibetan Eared Pheasant and Giant Babax. In a small valley filled with dense juniper we managed to get both. This was also the only place we saw White-winged Grosbeaks, Blue-fronted and White-fronted Redstarts. Evenly distributed in the slopes was the Brown-cheeked Laughingthrush, singing from inside these dense bushes. On our way up we had a flock of 43 soaring Himalayan Griffon Vultures. What a sight!

Total list from these days: Tibetan Snowcock (1), Tibetan Partridge (15), Tibetan Eared Pheasant (5), Hill Pigeon (100+), Oriental Turtle Dove (10), Black-eared Kite (1), Lammergeier (5), Himalayan Griffon Vulture (50), Common Buzzard (2), Common Kestrel (4), Saker Falcon (1), Grey-backed Shrike (5), Black-billed Magpie (15), Hume?s Groundpecker (5), Red-billed Chough (6+), Common Raven (4), White-throated Dipper (4), Eurasian Blackbird (5), White-throated Redstart (3), White-winged Redstart (4), Blue-fronted Redstart (1), White-capped Water Redstart (2), Common Stonechat (40+), Great Tit (10), Eurasian Crag Martin (50), Asian House Martin (40), Dusky Warbler (3), Tickell?s Leaf Warbler (10), Brown-cheeked Laughingthrush (15), Giant Babax (4), Oriental Skylark (5), Horned Lark (15), Eurasian Tree Sparrow (common near villages), White Wagtail (35), Citrine Wagtail (3), Olive-backed Pipit (10), Rosy Pipit (45), Water Pipit (3), Robin Accentor (50+), Brown Accentor (5), Twite (150+), Beautiful Rosefinch (apparently common), Streaked Rosefinch (just a few identified), Great Rosefinch (common), Collared Grosbeak (5) and Godlewski?s Bunting (15).

Tibetan Woolly Hare

Birding Gonggar

2004-09-28T02:50:00.004+02:00

Oriental Turtle Dove

Our plan to leave for the mountains northeast of Lhasa has been delayed one day. Today we had to pick up Chitra from Nepal at the airport. He is going to join us the coming days. Delays and bad communication made us spend the day whole on the road back and fourth to Gonggar, as well as six hours waiting at the airport. Anyway, birding around Lhasa airport (Gonkar) was not bad at all. Finally I got to study the Oriental Turtle Dove well in the telescope (see the tailshot below: the characteristic dark smudging on the outer web of the outer tailfeather). Despite being common this species usually hide in dense trees, or just fly by. We also found a Grey Wagtail in a small waterdike along the fence of the airport - the first of the trip. The ride back to Lhasa did also give several new trip-species along the river. A nice group of about forty Ruddy Shelducks was an appreciated sight. When stopping to have a piss we flushed a flock of fifty White-rumped Snowfinches. The first snowfinches of the trip.

Oriental Turtle Dove

Total list from today: Ruddy Shelduck (40), Mallard (20), Goosander (25), Hoopoe (common), Hill Pigeon (40+), Oriental Turtle Dove (20), Green Sandpiper (2), Common Sandpiper (1), Great Black-headed Gull (25+), Brown-headed Gull (5), Common Buzzard (3), Common Kestrel (5), Greay-backed Shrike (15), Black-billed Magpie (10), Black Redstart (5), Great Tit (5), Eurasian Crag Martin (30), Dusky Warbler (2), Tickell’s Leaf Warbler (3), Oriental Skylark (4), Eurasian Tree Sparrow (common), White-rumped Snowfinch (50), Grey Wagtail (1), White Wagtail (50), Olive-backed Pipit (5) and Twite (25).

Shanga and Pagar

2004-09-26T06:41:00.006+02:00

Brown Accentor

We started the day by spending a few hours at Shanga, five km. east of Lhasa. This was Tserings study area for his master thesis. His master dealt with the breeding ecology of the Grey-backed Shrike (also referred to as Tibetan Shrike - see photo of a first-winter bird below). There were still lots of them around, both adults and first winter birds. Normally the Grey-backed Shrike migrates to the Indian subcontinent during September and October, with some late youngsters lingering in November. The shrikes spent lots of time on the ground, searching for beetles and other insects. The location is forested (planted) with different species reaching up to ten meters above ground level. Other good species in the woods were amongst others Dusky Warblers and Tickell?s Leaf Warblers, with about thirty of each. Both species were calling a lot, and the Tickell's did actually also sing quite a bit. Two Olive-backed Pipits gave brief views in the woods. At the southern part of the area, the dried out river came in. Some water pits made a good habitat for wagtails, and both Citrine and White Wagtails were present. I also got my first views of the only natural rodent here, the hyperactive Pica. The Pica is a small animal, looking like something in between a mouse and rabbit.

Godlewski's Bunting

The rest of the day was spent at the foothills of Pagar, 35 km. east of Lhasa. The area has lots of canyon-like formations which ends up in agricultural land. Many of passerines were present here. Mixed parties of the stunning Brown Accentor (photo above), Godlewski's Buntings (photo above), Twites, Russet Sparrows and some Common Rosefinches fed on seeds from some kind of plant. We were sitting behind some rocks, and got excellent views of the birds. Nearby we came over two family-groups of Hume's Groundpeckers (also called Tibetan Ground-jay). This is a small passerine, about the size of a Wheatear, with an amusing behaviour and look. It is mostly sandy grey with a brownish cap, and has a quite long decurved bill. Looking like nothing I've ever seen before. See a picture of this amuzing species and its habitat here. When we were about to leave we flushed a Little Owl in front of us. Tsering could tell me that it was a rare bird in the Lhasa valley, and he had never encountered the species before here. The area was filled with Picas running around, and we got excellent views of an Himalayan agama lizard (which is the largest of three different lizard species in this part of Tibet).

Gray-backed Shrike

Total list from today: Common Hoopoe (30+), Little Owl (1), Hill Pigeon (30), Oriental Turtle Dove (5), Redshank (1), Great Black-headed Gull (1), Eurasian Sparrowhawk (1), Common Buzzard (1), Eurasian Kestrel (3), Grey-backed Shrike (30), Black-billed Magpie (2), Hume?s Groundpecker (10), Red-billed Chough (2), Eurasian Blackbird (10), Black Redstart (8), Common Stonechat (1), Great Tit (5), Eurasian Crag Martin (4), Dusky Warbler (30), Tickell's Leaf Warbler (30), Yellow-browed Warbler (2), Oriental Skylark (10), Russet Sparrow (10), Citrine Wagtail (10), White Wagtail (10), Olive-backed Pipit (2), Brown Accentor (25), Twite (40), Common Rosefinch (2) and Godlewski's Bunting (15).

Himalayan agama

Lalou Dhamra

2004-09-25T06:00:00.004+02:00

Hoopoe

Just outside the centre of Lhasa lies the wetland Lalou Dhamra. Today we carried out a census in parts of this 6.4 square km area. Just before entering the site we had two Grey-backed Shrikes along the road. When parking the car on the northern side of the wetland, several Citrine Wagtails and Hoopoes (photos) welcomed us. Citrine Wagtails and Oriental Skylarks were the most typical and numerous species today. Also very rewarding was three Himalayan Griffon Vultures soaring above the hills. This is the species that the Tibetan people use for their sky burials. Apparently there was a dead Yak in the mountains, and I guess the Vultures were dribbling for a bite of that one. Two Red-billed Choughs were also a new experience for me, as were some Russet Sparrows in a group of Eurasian Tree Sparrows. The local varieties of birds include Black Redstarts of the subspecies rufiventris (photo) and Twites (subspecies rufostrigata). The White Wagtails are a fine mixture of the subspecies leucopsis and alboides.

Citrine Wagtail

Lalou Dhamra

Black Redstart (rufiventris)

Total list from Lalou Dhamra: Common Hoopoe (25+), Hill Pigeon (20), Oriental Turtle Dove (5), Redshank (3), Great Black-headed Gull (5), Brown-headed Gull (5), Himalayan Griffon Vulture (3), Common Kestrel (2), Grey-backed Shrike (2), Red-billed Chough (2), Black Redstart (3), Asian House Martin (4), Oriental Skylark (35+), Russet Sparrow (3), Eurasian Tree Sparrow (10), Citrine Wagtail (30), White Wagtail (20) and Twite (15).

Finally - Tibet!

2004-09-24T16:30:00.004+02:00

The Potala

The flight from Beijing to Lhasa went well, and Tsering from the Tibet University met me at the airport. The drive from the airport to Lhasa took about an hour, and we did see several good birds on the trip. The cracking Ibisbill was the ultimate one (about ten birds seen), but several Great Black-headed Gulls, Brown-headed Gulls, Hill Pigeons and Oriental Turtle Doves made the drive even more noteworthy.

Tsering

When we arrived at the hotel in Lhasa I finally could say hello to the altitude. Suddenly all the blood from my head felt like it was drained out, my heart was pounding like hell, and I had to sit down. My body felt totally exhasted... We calmed down over a cup of tea before going out to eat at a restaurant. I had read that the extraordinary butter tea was good for altitude sickness, and drank at least a litre of it. Butter tea is made out of Yak butter, tea, water and salt. A special taste for a Norwegian, but not bad at all. Despite consuming lots of it, I had great problems sleeping during the night. I didn't have any headache, but I felt an intense pressure inside the head. Nevertheless, during the next day I felt fine again.

Lhasa

Day number two in Lhasa was spend for shopping and watching attractions in this extremely nice city, including the huge Potala Palace (where the Dalai Lama used to live). Not many birds in the middle of Lhasa, but several White Wagtails and some Asian House Martins were present.

Entering China

2004-09-22T18:00:00.003+02:00

The Forbidden City

Coming from Norway you have to stop over in Beijing before entering Tibet. I have been in Beijing for three days now, but the birding activity has been put aside so far. Lots of planning and logistics had to be arranged here, before ascending to the heights. Finally, today all the paperwork and permissions were all right, and I could bird for some hours.

Recommendations from other Norwegian birders sent me to The Forbidden City and the surrounding parks. The Forbidden City was built in the 14th century, and consists of nearly 1000 buildings. The City is worth many hours of visit. This was probably the most impressive architecture work I ever saw. The parks were also really nice. At least 25 Azure-winged Magpies roamed about in small groups. The first lifer on the trip! Other birds included the numerous Tree Sparrow, some Russet Sparrows four Yellow-browed Warblers, a Great-spotted Woodpecker (female - but I was confused by the bird. It looked like a hybrid between White-backed and Great-spotted... I guess it is the subspecies that show this much white and aberrant features in the face. I'll check it when I get back to some real literature). Furthermore, two Magpies (of another subspecies than ours), and a Thick-billed Crow.

So folks! Tomorrow morning I'm heading for the mountains. See you there ;-)

Hoopoe

2004-09-13T11:04:00.003+02:00

Hoopoe experiencing the harsh weather in Western Norway at Telavåg near Bergen 13 September 2004. This was about the 40th. county record. The bird was discovered by non-birdwatchers on 31 August, and it stayed until 19 September. About 15 Hoopoes are recorded annually in Norway.

Red-rumped Swallow

2004-05-14T08:16:00.003+02:00

Red-rumped Swallows are true rarities in Norway with only 21 records up to and including 2001. However, during the last years, there have been about five annual records. This individual, photographed outside Bergen in Hordaland county, was the sixth in Norway during the spring of 2004. Here it is resting during a shower of rain on 14 May 2004.

More photos

Black and white elegancy

2004-05-09T20:36:00.005+02:00

Pied Avocet

The Pied Avocet is a rare bird in Norway. Previously there was a few couples breeding at Jæren, but they disappeared during the late nineties. This spring has been good for the species, with more than 20 individuals seen since mid April. This bird was accompanied with another in Orreosen in Rogaland county 9 May 2004.

The odd Wagtail

2004-03-07T10:42:00.007+01:00

Masked Wagtail

This stunning first winter male Masked Wagtail was found at Lista at the southwestern tip of Norway in November 2003. It wintered at the site, and disappeared eventually during early April 2004. The personata subspecies (Masked Wagtail) breeds in Central-Asia, and normally winters at the Indian Peninsula. There is only one previous European record, from Cyprus in September 1966.

When these photos were taken, on 7 March 2004, it was feeding together with three Grey Wagtails, some Rock Pipits and one Water Pipit. They fed on insects at islands of sea tangle washed ashore on the sandy beaches. The most welcomed vagrant was acting aggressive towards Grey Wagtails, and did with several occations chase them away from its favourite patch.

Masked Wagtail

Danish and Norwegian visitors

Wintering Little Gull

2004-02-04T20:18:00.001+01:00

This adult Little Gull was the first winter record of the species in Hordaland county. It was photographed in the city park of Bergen (lower picture), where more than a thousand Mew Gulls often gather in the afternoons during winter. The pictures were taken on the 4th of February 2004.

Ovenbird

2003-10-26T08:02:00.001+01:00

This stunning Ovenbird, a first for Norway, was discovered by Frank Steinkjellå on October 25th. 2003, at Karmøy in Rogaland county. Being found during a week-end, the news initiated one of the largest twitches ever in Norway. The pointed tail feathers indicate a first-year bird. It was extremely confiding, probably because of poor condition. Anyway, it fed on the ground and gave breathtaking views when these photos were taken on the 26th.

Digiscoping galley on Flickr

2003-10-15T15:26:00.001+02:00

Lanceolated Warbler

2003-10-15T14:44:00.003+02:00

Lanceolated Warbler at Fedje, a small island on the west coast of Norway, 15 October 2003. It was only the seventh Norwegian record, and the first for Hordaland county. Full story about the record and more on identification here (in Norwegian).

Identification tips
Note the sharp contrast between the narrow pale borders and the black centred tertials. A field mark for identification compared to Grasshopper Warbler Locustella naevia which has more diffuse borders. The lower picture show the habitat where it stayed. And after having been found in the field it was caught and ringed.

Turtle Dove

2003-10-13T20:24:00.000+02:00

Juvenile Turtle Dove in Øygarden, Hordaland county October 13th. 2003. Note that it has only moulted a few wing-coverts, scapulars and mantle feathers. Turtle Doves are annual vagrants in low numbers in Norway.

Great Bittern in Bergen

2003-03-16T00:30:00.002+01:00

The most calm, patient and still-standing rarity I ever have seen was this Great Bittern from Bergen, Western Norway in March 2003. It had previously been seen by a single observer several times during January and February. When relocated at this new spot today, it stayed exposed long enough for the local birders to tick it off. Despite of six birds recorded in Norway this winter, it is a great rarity with only 65 records until 2001. This bird was only the second county record.

Lesser Sand Plover

2002-07-16T20:56:00.003+02:00

This superb first for Norway showed up at Jæren in Rogaland county (western Norway) on 15 July 2002. It stayed until the 17th, and these photos are from the 16th. Less than a week before, a Greater Sand Plover Charadrius leschenaultii was seen only a few kilometers away from this spot.

European Bee-eater

2002-06-02T08:25:00.003+02:00

This colorful beauty showed up at the island of Fedje in Hordaland county (western Norway) 2 June 2002. It rested on a telephone wire for a minute or so, before totally wanishing from the island. Despite extensive search for the bird the next hours, we it could not be relocated.

There are only two previous records of European Bee-eater in Hordaland county, both from the eighties. There are about 45 Norwegian records (involving more than 80 individuals).

Pied-billed Grebe

2002-05-09T07:55:00.005+02:00

This Pied-billed Grebe was found near Haugesund in Rogaland county (western Norway) on 5 May 2002. When photographed four days later, we observed it feeding on Three-spined Sticlebacks Gasterosteus aculeatus. Getting satisfactory digiscoping pictures was hard due to hazy weather conditions. This Nearctic vagrant made out the second Norwegian record. The first was a long-staying bird further north, in Nordland county in 2000.

Urban Eagle Owl

2001-12-30T20:28:00.003+01:00

Despite breeding in the surrounding municipalities, Eagle Owls extremely rare visitors in the centre of Bergen city (western Norway). This unexpected bird showed very well during the whole day on the 30 December 2001.

Olive-backed Pipit

2001-10-05T08:19:00.008+02:00

At the same time (5 October 2001) as there was an Olive-backed Pipit at the center of the island Fedje in Hordaland (western Norway), this new bird showed up in a garden east on the island. Both birds were of the subspecies yunnanensis. The depicted bird constitutes the 7th. county record. There are 39 records of the species in Norway up to and including 2001.