Revtangen BO July 30th

All nets open 06-13, most nets closed because of rain around 13, but a few kept open for playback on Green- and Wood Sandpiper until 16. Netmeter hours approx. 2700. Cloudy and SE breeze, rain from around 13. Playback also on Willow Warbler and Common Linnet. 

Ringed: Green Sandpiper 3, Collared Dove 1, White Wagtail 1, Redwing 2, Willow Warbler 17, Chiffchaff 2, Great Tit 1, Chaffinch 3, Greenfinch 4, Common Linnet 5. Total = 39. Also 15 controls. 

Observations: Marsh Harrier 1 male. Around 200 waders at Revtangen in late morning, including 50 Red Knots, 1 Curlew Sandpiper and 3 Grey Plovers. 

Alf Tore Mjös and Morten Stokke. 1 visitor.

Revtangen BO July 29th

Short session today from 06-09, had to shut because of rain. Cloudy and SE breeze before that. Playback on Green Sandpiper, Wood Sandpiper, Willow Warbler and Common Linnet. Netmeter hours approx. 1000. 

Ringed: Green Sandpiper 2, Common Whitethroat 1, Willow Warbler 11, Common Starling 1, Common Linnet 5. Total = 20. Also 3 controls, including a Wood Sandpiper ringed 3 days ago. It had gained 8,5 grams since then, around 17% of it's body weight when ringed. 

Alf Tore Mjös and Morten Stokke

Revtangen BO July 28th

The weather is turning worse, and there was some really strong rainshowers during the night. A few rainshowers and a bit more windy than the previous days, i total conditions for ringing was not that good and the result was poor. Nets open 05-18, playback on Green Sandpiper, Wood Sandpiper and (for a few hours) Common Linnet.

Ringed: Green Sandpiper 1, Collared Dove 1, Grey Wagtail 1 (first this season), White Wagtail 1, Redwing 1, Willow Warbler 14, Common Starling 1, Chaffinch 1, Greenfinch 3 and Common Linnet 5. Total = 29. 

Observations: A record 24 Grey Seals were bobbing up and down in the waves at Revtangen, but numbers of waders were low. Curlew Sandpiper 1, Little Stint 1.

Alf Tore Mjös and Morten Stokke.

Revtangen BO July 26th

Nets open 06-17, netmeter hours approx. 3900. The wind was light north in the morning and turned west then south, increasing a bit in the afternoon. The catch was much as yesterday but with fewer warblers around, not surprising given the wind direction. 

Ringed: Green Sandpiper 3, Wood Sandpiper 5, Greenshank 1, Barn Swallow 7, Meadow Pipit 1, Fieldfare 1, Sedge Warbler 1, Garden Warbler 1, Common Whitethroat 1, Willow Warbler 22, Chiffchaff 1, Great Tit 1, Common Starling 5, House Sparrow 2, Chaffinch 2, Greenfinch 1, Lesser Redpoll 6, Common Linnet 3. Totral = 64. Also 13 controls, including a 2 cy Greenfinch with a Helgoland-ring and a Great Tit not from Revtangen. 

Alf Tore Mjös 

Revtangen BO July 25th

Light breeze from the north, part cloudy. Nets open 06-20, netmeter hours approx. 4500. Playback on Green Sandpiper and (in the afternoon) also Wood Sandpiper. 

Ringed: Green Sandpiper 3, Wood Sandpiper 2, Greenshank 1, Common Sandpiper 1, Wood Pigeon 1, Collared Dove 3, Barn Swallow 2, White Wagtail 4, European Robin 1, Common Blackbird 2, Fieldfare 11, Sedge Warbler 5, Icterine Warbler 1, Blackcap 1, Garden Warbler 2, Willow Warbler 31, Chiffchaff 1, Great Tit 1, Common Starling 10, House Sparrow 3, Chaffinch 2, Greenfinch 10, Common Linnet 4. Totral = 102. Also 14 controls, including a 1 cy Greenfinch not from Revtangen. 

Greenshank (top) and Wood Sandpiper. Both are juveniles. The Greenshank is only the 3rd ever ringed at Revtangen BO. All the waders were trapped by the new ponds.

Alf Tore Mjös.

Revtangen BO July 24th

Light shifting breeze, some rainshowers in the afternoon. Nets open 06-13, netmeter hours approx. 2500. Playback on Green Sandpiper. Around 2/3 of the waders had left Revtangen, therfore we abandoned the planned session with walk-in traps and put up the mistnets instead. 

Ringed: Green Sandpiper 1, Common Sandpiper 1, Barn Swallow 2, Meadow Pipit 2, White Wagtail 1, European Robin 1, Fieldfare 3, Sedge Warbler 1, Icterine Warbler 1, Willow Warbler 37, Chiffchaff 1, House Sparrow 2, Chaffinch 1, Greenfinch 7, Common Linnet 3. Total = 64. 

Adult Common Sandpiper, a surprise catch in the trapping area at the station. Strandsnipe 2K+. 

Icterine Warblers. Adult (top) and 1cy. Notice the worn plumage on the adult. Gulsanger 2K+ (øverst) og 1K.

Observations Revtangen: Turnstone 50, Curlew Sandpiper 5, Common Redshank 31. A colourringed Sanderling was read.

Alf Tore Mjös and Morten Stokke.

Revtangen BO July 23rd

Light NE - shifting breeze, part cloudy. Nets open 06.30-15.30, netmeter hours approx. 2800. Playback on Green Sandpiper. 

Ringed: Green Sandpiper 2, White Wagtail 1, Barn Swallow 7, Northern Wheatear 1, Fieldfare 1, Common Whitethroat 2, Willow Warbler 18, Chiffchaff 1, Common Starling 3, House Sparrow 12, Chaffinch 5, Greenfinch 4, Common Linnet 1, Yellowhammer 1. Total = 59. Also 7 controls. 

The first two juvenile Green Sandpipers of the summer was ringed today. Norwegian birds have a red marker on the left tibia and a yellow flag with 3-letter inscription on the right tibia. Skogsnipe 1K.

Observations: 
Bird Observatory: Common Quail 1 singing. 
Revtangen: 3-400 waders, including 13 Little Stint, 90 Red Knot, 80 Dunlin, 35 Turnstone and 80 Sanderling.

Alf Tore Mjös and Morten Stokke.

Revtangen BO July 16-17th

Too windy for trapping, westerlies. We sat down seawatching at Revtangen for 3-4 hours both days, but no sensations and there are few waders in the area (we need easterlies to receive any numbers of adult waders in July). The highlights were 2 Manx Shearwaters migrating north on the 17th, 118 Fulmars on the 17th, 13 Great Skuas on the 16th and 160 adult Sanderlings on the beach to the south on the 16th. 

Alf Tore Mjös and Morten Stokke.

Revtangen BO July 15th

Light winds but mainly from the west. Nets open 07-13, netmeter hours approw. 1900. 

Ringed: Collared Dove 1, Barn Swallow 1, Redwing 2, Sedge Warbler 2, Blackcap 1, Willow Warbler 8, Great Tit 1, Common Starling 2, House Sparrow 21, Tree Sparrow 1, Chaffinch 5, Greenfinch 12, Common Linnet 1, Lesser Redpoll 1, Yellowhammer 3. Total = 62. Also 8 controls.

Ringmerket: Tyrkerdue 1, låvesvale 1, rødvingetrost 2, sivsanger 2, munk 1, løvsanger 8, kjøttmeis 1, stær 2, gråspurv 21, pilfink 1, bokfink 5, grønnfink 12, tornirisk 1, brunsisik 1, gulspurv 3. 

There hasn't been too much nice weather in western Norway so far this summer, so we took the opportunity to present a few common insects from the garden when the sun appeared today:

Young male Sympetrum danae. This species has esteblished a population in the pools we've created in the trapping garden, and they are just hatching now. Svart høstlibelle, hann.

Acleris bergmanniana, very common among the Rosa rugosa in the trapping garden. Roseflatvikler.

The fruit fly Rhagoletis alternata is also common in the roses. Nypeflue. 

Haematopota plivialis. These ones feed on ringers..... Regnklegg. 

Alf Tore Mjös

Revtangen BO July 14th

Today we've been working to prepare the bird observatory for the autumn season, "officially" starting in mid-July. One more net was set up around the main pond and extended a little compared to last year. Now we just have to hope that there will be some Green Sandpipers and later Grey Wagtails. Two more of the most worn large nets were replaced with new ones, in addition to some minor repair jobs on a few other nets.

We put up the nets around the feeder for a short while, but there were too many sparrows getting caught so we closed them again so that we could finish with the nets. 

Ringed: Barn Swallow 1, Willow Warbler 2, Great Tit 4, House Sparrow 8, Tree Sparrow 5, Yellowhammer 2. Total = 22. Also 5 controls. 

Observations: Common Quail 1 singing in the fields to the west. 

Haavard Husebö and Alf Tore Mjös