Revtangen BO March 31st

Still cold and clear, minus 3 degrees celcius at dawn. Light easterlies. Nets open 06-12, netmeter hours approx. 1600. Despite the cold weather, birds are arriving. Two European Robins just after dawn were a surprise given the cold front over Norway at present. 

Ringed: European Robin 2, Common Blackbird 29, MISTLE THRUSH 1, Blue Tit 1, Common Starling 5, Greenfinch 2. Total = 40. Also 16 controls. 

Mistle Thrush 3cy+. Aged by lack of contrast in the greater coverts (all feathers of adult type). Only the 9th ever ringed at Revtangen BO, and only the 3rd in spring. A group of 3 landet in the trapping area today and one was trapped. Duetrost 3K+.

Observations: Eurasian Curlew 45, Long-eared Owl 1, Song Thrush 10, Mistle Thrush 3. 

Arild Breistøl and Alf Tore Mjøs

Revtangen BO March 30th

A day much like yesterday, easterlies but cold. Sunny, minus 2 in the morning. The wind increased and the nets were closed around 10. Netmeter hours approx. 1100. A decent arrival of Blackbirds around dawn, otherwise very quiet.

Ringed: Common Blackbird 35, Yellowhammer 1. Total = 36. 

Observations: Eurasian Woodcock 1, Common Linnet 1 (first sighting in 2018). 

Renate Berg, Arild Breistøl, Espen Helgesen, Alf Tore Mjøs.

Revtangen BO March 29th

We've had a few very cold and windy days on the 26th-28, too windy for trapping. Today it was still cold with minus 1 degrees celcius in the morning, but the wind had settled somewhat. Nets open 06.30-12.30, netmeter hours approx. 1600. 

Ringed: Eurasian Woodcock 1, European Robin 1, Redwing 1, Song Thrush 1 (first this season), Fieldfare 2, Common Blackbird 20, Common Starling 1, Tree Sparrow 1, Greenfinch 1, Yellowhammer 3. Total = 32. Also 14 controls. 

Male Yellowhammer with chestnut eyering and mustache. Gulspurv hann.

Renate Berg, Espen Helgesen and Alf Tore Mjøs. 3 visitors.

Revtangen BO March 25th

Cloudy and S 4-6 m/s. Nets open 07-11, Netmeter hours approx. 1200. Very little migration going on. 

Ringed: Eurasian Collared Dove 1, Common Blackbird 4, Fieldfare 1, Chaffinch 1, Yellowhammer 1, Reed Bunting 1. Also 6 controls, including a female Yellowhammer ringed in 2012.

This 3cy+ male Reed Bunting was a small surprise today. This is the earliest ever spring catch at revtangen, and the first Reed Bunting ever ringed in March at Revtangen BO. Sivspurv 3K+ M.

Observations: A few Curlews have turned up, and a European Golden Plover flew over. One Eurasian Woodcock (probably arriving from the sea) flew low over the road at Reve kai at dawn.

Alf Tore Mjøs

Revtangen BO March 24th

Nets open 07-11.30, netmeter hours approx. 1200. Cloudy and SW light breeze. 

Ringed: Common Blackbird 9, House Sparrow 5, Tree Sparrow 2, Greenfinch 2, Yellowhammer 3. Total = 21. Also 12 controls. 

Observations: Eurasian Woocock 1

Jon Andreas Antonsen, Jone Antonsen and Alf Tore Mjøs

Revtangen BO March 22nd

Work day at Revtangen today. Haavard is digging the foundations for a new tool-shed next to the ringing barrack. The nets were open between 10-15, netmeter hours approx. 1300. 

Ringed: Common Blackbird 2, House Sparrow 3, Tree Sparrow 3, Chaffinch 1, Yellowhammer 1. Total = 10.

Eilef Herikstad, Haavard Husebö and Alf Tore Mjøs

Summary of the 2017 season

The 2017 season was a wet and windy one, and this had a negative impact on the season total on the Bird Observatory. The spring total was decent and there were 3 days with more than 100 birds in the catch, unusual in spring. Autumn came, as many times before, with wind and rain and there was not a single period with stable nice weather for more than a few days. In particular, the latter half of October and all of November was dominated by wet and windy weather. This was unfortunate, since there were some interesting irruptions of woodpeckers and redpolls that went under-recorded. A big thanks to everyone who participated and all our visitors!

Species	Revtangen BO	Other sites	Total
Greylag Goose		1	1
Pink-footed Goose		1	1
Brent Goose (B.b.bernicla)	1		1
Mute Swan		3	3
Mallard		76	76
Pintail		1	1
Tufted Duck		29	29
Coot		7	7
Moorhen		5	5
Water Rail	1		1
Herring gull		154	154
Lesser Black-backed Gull		323	323
Great Black-backed Gull		53	53
Common Gull		186	186
Black-headed Gull		22	22
Glaucous Gull		2	2
Sparrowhawk	1	2	3
Bar-tailed Godwit	60		60
Dunlin	1007		1007
Purple Sandpiper	2		2
Curlew Sandpiper	3		3
Little Stint	8		8
Red Knot	58		58
Sanderling	113		113
Turnstone	38		38
Common Redshank	46		46
Spotted Redshank	2		2
Greenshank	5		5
Wood Sandpiper	15		15
Green Sandpiper	46		46
Common Sandpiper	5		5
Common Ringed Plover	33		33
Woodcock	1		1
Common Snipe	5		5
Wood Pigeon	9		9
Collared Dove	19		19
Common Cuckoo	1		1
Black Woodpecker	1		1
Green Woodpecker		3	3
Grey-headed Woodpecker	4	2	6
Great Spotted woodpecker	33	11	44
Lesser Spotted Woodpecker	12	1	13
Three-toed Woodpecker		1	1
Wryneck	3	7	10
Skylark	1		1
Sand Martin	7		7
Barn Swallow	47	5	52
Tree Pipit	52	10	62
Olive-backed Pipit	1	1	2
Meadow Pipit	502		502
Pechora Pipit	1		1
Rock Pipit	4		4
White Wagtail	34	3	37
Pied Wagtail	1		1
Grey Wagtail	74		74
Wren	116	20	136
Bohemian Waxwing	3		3
Dunnock	21	10	31
Robin	228	101	329
Redstart	58	1	59
Black Redstart	2		2
Bluethroat		1	1
Whinchat	3		3
Northern Wheatear	11		11
Greenland Wheatear	4		4
Song Thrush	100	7	107
Redwing	303	26	329
Redwing (T.i.coburni)	3		3
Fieldfare	140	4	144
Blackbird	250	38	288
Ring Ouzel	2		2
Mistle Thrush	1		1
Icterine Warbler	3		3
Blackcap	251	55	306
Common Whitethroat	63	1	64
Lesser Whitethroat	21	2	23
Garden Warbler	152	34	186
Barred Warbler	3		3
Grasshopper Warbler	16		16
Reed Warbler	25		25
Blyth's Reed Warbler	1		1
Marsh Warbler	1		1
Sedge Warbler	30		30
Wood Warbler	1		1
Willow Warbler	706	167	873
Chiffchaff	124	7	131
Siberian Chiffchaff	2		2
Yellow-browed Warbler	2		2
Goldcrest	78	12	90
Spotted Flycatcher	11	1	12
Pied Flycatcher	28	26	54
Long-taild Tit	23	20	43
Great Tit	109	416	525
Coal Tit	39	8	47
Crested Tit	1	3	4
Willow Tit	61	22	83
Marsh Tit		3	3
Blue Tit	841	247	1088
Eurasian Nuthatch	22	45	67
Tree Creeper	7	13	20
Starling	177	7	184
House Sparrow	189	79	268
Tree Sparrow	109	15	124
Eurasian Jay		2	2
Magpie	1	3	4
Hooded Crow	1	1	2
Chaffinch	82	156	238
Brambling	87	61	148
Greenfinch	199	408	607
Siskin	7	108	115
Linnet	80		80
Lesser Redpoll	100	41	141
Mealy Redpoll	569	33	602
Arctic Redpoll	7		7
Common Rosefinch	2	1	3
Parrot Crossbill	2		2
Bullfinch		13	13
Hawfinch	1	2	3
Goldfinch	23	1	24
Reed Bunting	13	1	14
Little Bunting	2		2
Yellowhammer	75	10	85
Total	7848	3141	10989

Revtangen BO March 10th

SE - SSE winds 5-7 m/s, a bit too windy at times. Cloudy, 2-4 degrees, later a bit of sun. Nets open 07-13, netmeter hours approx. 1600. 

Ringed: Collared Dove 1, Winter Wren 1, Common Blackbird 2, Fieldfare 12, Common Starling 1, Yellowhammer 1. Total = 18. Also 5 controls. 

Two new Common Blackbirds today, both were adult males. Probably the first migrants?

Observations: Eurasian Woodcock 2, Sparrowhawk 1. 

Renate Berg, Espen Helgesen and Alf Tore Mjös. 3 visitors.

Revtangen BO March 7th

Spring is here according to the calendar, but we are just coming out of the coldest week-and-a-half we've had this winter. The lakes and ground is still frozen, but today saw temperatures of 3-4 degrees and cloudy. The wind was in the SE-SSE, a bit variable and a little too much for efficient trapping at times. Nets open 07-15, netmeter hours approx. 2000. No indication of any migration, the catch is still made up exclusively of wintering birds. 

Ringed: Eurasian Woodcock 2, Collared Dove 1, Common Blackbird 2, Fieldfare 8, Redwing 3, Tree Sparrow 1, Greenfinch 2, Chaffinch 1, Yellowhammer 3. Total = 23. Also 19 controls. 

Observations: Eurasian Woodcock 5+. Also, a White-Tailed Eagle ringed as a chick in Suldal in 2014 was read (coded black ring with white inscription) sitting on the ice at lake Orrevatnet. 

Alf Tore Mjös