Revtangen BO February 21st - the first migrants

The nets were open from around 10-17, but trapping was slow and only 5 tree sparrows were new birds. Also 15 controls (robin, blue tit, great tit, tree sparrow). February has been warmer than usual, and spring is already here, it seems. Small flocks of skylarks were heading north over the station today, a flock of 35 lapwings were nearby at Ergavatnet and a male shelduck had arrived at Revtangen. The first of the wild flowers, coltsfoot (Tussilago farfara), were already in bloom in the sanddunes at Revtangen.  

Alf Tore Mjös

Late winter ringing

A pleasant day with very little wind, nice and sunny most of the time. Put up all the "winter nets" from around 10-16, but very quiet around the feeding station. Only five new birds ringed: Sparrowhawk 1 (adult female), redwing 1, song thrush 1 and tree sparrow 2. 

A redwing is always a good catch in winter, but....

...this song thrush was the bird of the day. A fairly scarce winter bird in SW Norway, this one was the first ever ringed at Revtangen BO in winter (although a late migrant(?) was trapped on December 1st 2003).

Redwing upper wing details. This one is easily aged as a first-winter by the white notches on the tertials and six juvenile outer greater coverts with similar white triangles.

Observations: Sparrowhawk 2, woodpigeon 1, collared dove 2,  skylark 1, meadow pipit 1.

Alf Tore Mjös

More treecutting

Finished treecutting around the southern nets today. A little more windy than two days ago, and not so much ringing. Probably the sound of the chainsaw didn't lure to many birds into the trapping area either. Some birs were ringed though:

Winter wren 1, blackbird 1, redwing 1, tree sparrow 4, chaffinch 1, brambling 1. Total = 9. Also 10 controls. 

Observations: Hen harrier 1 male, sparrowhawk 1, peregrine 2. 

Håvard Husebø and Alf Tore Mjøs

Decent winter catch

Finally some nice winter weather! Minus 3 degrees celcius in the early morning, but quite pleasant in the sun around midday. Most of the day was spent cutting off 3-4 meters of the spruce tops in the southern parts of the trapping area. But we managed to do some ringing also, with the nets around the feeding station open from around 9.30-16.30.

Some of the spruce trees in the southern parts of the trapping area are now considerably shorter than this morning.

Total ringed: Fieldfare 29, redwing 1, blue tit 1, tree sparrow 8, house sparrow 4, starling 3, chaffinch 5, brambling 7. Total = 58. Also 16 controls. Most of the action was just before dark, when suddenly 27 thrushes were caught at once. We got a thorough reminder of why a common local name for fieldfare in rural Norway is "Shit-thrush". It was a dirty job, and somebody had to do it........

Fieldfare, in Norway also known as "Shit-thrush".......

We usually don't catch starlings in the winter, even though there are huge flocks wintering at Jaeren. 

This one should be a female because of the pale iris.

Observations: Pink-footed goose 500, white-tailed eagle 1, woodcock 1, meadow pipit 4, grey wagtail 1. Also some small flocks of fieldfares with some redwings in between.  

Pink-footed geese and whooper swans. Lake Orrevatnet in the background, undoubtedly the best birdlake in Norway.

Håvard Husebø and Alf Tore Mjøs