150308 Varanger Second day in hide

Varanger, Norway 150305-150311 

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© NF Photos 150308

150308 Sunday

Woke up at 4.30 and met the gang at 5.20 to go to the hide. Spent the morning there. We had the breakfast pack with us so everyone was free to eat as they wanted. Or when a break was needed for back ache :) The second woman on the tour only had a small camera so she sat comfortably on a chair at the higher up openings. I, of course, had to check out every free opening there was. It was fun having the birds so close. Especially the male King Eiders, they were curious and several of them came looking into the hide openings, checking us out. :) 

The ducks were eating ice. I guess it was to get sweet water into the system. Not only salty sea water. 

King Eider and Steller´s Eider

Long-tailed Duck ( alfågel)

Two images from inside the hide. As you can see it was not an easy task to get used to shot the birds outside.
 Especially if they came too close as the King Eider males used to do. It´s me to the left.

At ten the morning shift was over and we had some free time before lunch at 11.  After that we met at 12 for another boat ride. Gorgeous weather and great number of birds. 

Black-legged Kittiwake (tretåig mås) to the left

After the boat ride I and Andreas decided to take a walk down to the water to try to find the Purple Sandpiper ( Skärsnäppa). It was not far but we still managed to take the wrong road down to the beach. We did find it and we also saw a pair of Black Guillemot (Tobisgrissla) and two seals. Some ugly ones IMO. 

 Slept an h in the afternoon and took a shower. I could borrow a cable from A and then uploaded my images to the laptop. Feels good to have a backup. Dinner at 18.00 and then we met to look at some images and maybe share some technique in image manipulation.

But then the woman in charge this evening came and told us there were an aurora in the sky. We closed the meeting and went out hunting aurora. Sadly we did not see much, It was a weak aurora and also clouds moving over. But we did see it!  Back at 21.00 and went online, packed most of my things as we are leaving tomorrow and wrote the diary. To bed at 22.45 and then up at 4.45 for the last visit to the hide. 

A PR video from the hide:

The KING's HARBOUR photo hide at Båtsfjord, Varanger, Arctic Norway

King Eider male having fun

Lots of light everywhere in these shots

NF Catching light

Our World Tuesday
Wild Bird Wednesday

Varanger on NF Photo  NF Birds around the world   

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140530 Friday Whale Watching at Husavik additional images

ISLAND 2014-05-28--06-04
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Mostly Puffins and Arctic terns
Whale Watching tour at Husavik
© NF Photos 140530

The trip report for this day HERE

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130818 Diamond Head and birding hike

Honolulu 130811-130902
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© NF Photos 130818 Wednesday

130818 Sunday

Today I´m off to Plan B, that is, without the family who goes shopping as usual. My plan was to walk up to Diamond Head, an old volcano crater close to Honolulu. I´will be birding along the way. Then I was about to continue along the coast by bus to Waimanalo. But as you will see later on, buses wanted otherwise.

I started the day by birding during breakfast, some doves lives a dangerous life. There IS a Warning sign on the toaster.

I was ready to leave for my hike just after breakfast. Walked along the shore and into some parks. I had studied the path I would take on the maps of Honolulu. Internet provides great tools for trip plans. Then I photograph the maps so I have them in the camera. Easy to deal with that way.

 

I was passing a rather nice fountain and then continued into a park or recreation area. Some nice birds in there. A green parrot a Rose-ringed Parakeet, among others. The area continued on the other side of the street on Diamond Head side. And there I found them, the Cattle Egret! I have seen them in several countries but never did I come close to them. In this park they walked around and did not seem to care much about people. That was fun.

I continued along the base of Diamond Head until I found the way up to the park entrance. I had to go through a tunnel through the volcano wall to get into the park. Here I really needed the shaved ice they sold in a bus at the side of the area. I sat down and rested and was amused by a couple of Mungos running around.  I think they were brought to the island in order to keep the population of rats down a  minimum.

Diamond Head Crater overlook

Now I was aiming for the crater rim to get an overlook of Honolulu. Going up and up on dirt tracks and stairs and tunnels about 2,2 km. That was pretty hard work but well worth it. Going down again was easier and gave you a better chance to see the views. On my way out of the park close to the tunnel I stopped. I spotted a Golden Plower. That beautiful bird so hard to find at home. Here just in front of my nose.  A taxi driver was wondering what I was doing so I talked to him for a while. Asking him about my next move. Turned out my plan was not soo good. A Botanical Garden I would be looking for probably did not exist. Hmmmm. Strange but later on I realised it did exist but was not known as a Botanical Garden by locals.  lol. Anyway it did not matter really that day as the bus I was about to take was not coming. It was as it was Sunday! And I did not find a bus back either so I found myself walking back.

Coming back close to the beaches I heard music from the park and lots of activity going on. That had to be investigated of course. There was entertainment by two gentlemen playing Hawaii music and a market going on. Seemed to be a Sunday activity. After a while I headed back to the hostel for my swimming stuff and went down for a swim. After sunset I went to Subway to buy something to eat. And sat at the beach to eat it. Listening to the waves and soft music from a hotel across the street.

After taking a shower I logged on Skype and talked to my daughter about plans for tomorrow. Skype is a great thing!

Honolulu from Diamond head

Our World Tuesday     Water World    Travel Photo Monday

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Hornborga Lake 130406 day two Trandansen

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Hornborga Lake with Rapphönorna day 2
 



Herrtorp Qvarn

After a chilly night we got up at 5.30 to have breakfast and to gather a little food to bring with us. I had a few minutes to spare so I checked out the little waterfall at the side of the building. No birds but a glorious sunrise, mist and all.

 



At 6.45 the bus picked us up and we headed for what we call the Trandans which means "Crane dance". The place is located at the south point of the lake. They built a center for visitors and have a great view over the birds. The birds always stop at that location as they are being fed. It is good both for visitors/tourists and for the locals. The birds are not feeding on farmers land.

 

 

Whooper Swan with breeding colors

We spend all morning at the location watching Cranes, geese and mostly Whopper Swans. A few ducks here and there and two lapwings. After making an overall check of the area I went back the road we came as I had seen there was a very nice morning back light. I stayed put until the sun had raised so the glory was gone. There was also Tundra Swan. They said those are easy to spot. 4 was obviously seen. But I´m not sure I really saw any.

 

 



Trandansen

The "dancing" of the cranes happened occasionally. They merely jumped up and down flapping their wings.

At lunchtime we headed a bit north to

Löfwings Ateljé. An artist has a restaurant and are showcasing his artwork. Lovely nature art displayed both in separate rooms and on the walls. Seeing the nice art and enjoying a very good meal was a hit. And so was the company at the table. Especially Lotta and Hanna. Our guide and her daughter.   :)

Blue Tit being ringed

After lunch we headed for the lake and was divided into two groups. One group had free time to stroll alongside the lake looking for the Mute swans on the ice. Those I watched yesterday. Or trying to find some smaller ones in the bushes. But not many of these this time of year. The other group went to join a ringing session. After a while we changed groups. The little Blue Tit did not appreciate the procedure at all. Looking angry and tried to hurt the guys fingers. :)




Later on we change the original plans and headed to the other side of the lake as there was a little open water. The place called Utloppet (the outflow), so named as this is where the water exits the lake. Now we could see that actually some ducks and gulls has arrived to our frozen country. (This was the beginning of April.)

 

 

After a long day in the fields we went back to the Hostel for an evening meal. We call it pyttipanna. You can put whatever you like in a frying pan. The food disappeared more quickly then the staff had estimated from a bunch of woman. But adding some extra bread that problem was solved.

But the day was not over yet. We had a lecture to attend at the Trandansen so we headed out again. Alf and Clas had been counting the cranes for decades and that was what the lecture was about. But, honestly, the place now bathed in glorious evening light and it was hard to stay put and listen. At least for me as first and foremost is a photographer.

When we came back to the Hostel we were all tired. After a short session on what birds we had seen most of us went to bed.

Today I learned the difference in size and appearance between the Whooper swan and the Crane. I never realized before how big the swan really is. The two birds are almost the same in height but the body stays on completely different levels. Long legs on the crane the body stays high and the bird seems slender. Short legs on the swan makes the body close to the ground and gives a very heavy appearance. :) 

We are to be early birds again tomorrow.



Whooper swan in morning light

 And in evening light

Our World Tuesday     Outdoor Wednesday

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Oxelösund looking for Ring-Necked duck 130329

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Outdoor Wednesday  Our World Tuesday  Ein Stuck Himmel
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NF Photo 130229, Oxelösund

 

I met one of the birders in my area on the library and he said there was a Ring-necked duck in Oxelösund. He seemed frustrated as he has no car. Well, we decided to go on Good Friday. The city is on the coast 1,5h drive east of where I live. We headed for the harbor where it had been seen.

 

This duck is very similar to the Tufted duck. So, at arrival, I immediately understood there will be a problem. How do you find ONE specific bird among thousands?

 

Well, the benefit of company is that you can do a little of other things while this guy checked out one Tufted duck after another. We also met a pair of my travel companions to CostaRica two years ago. They exchanged phone no so they could alert one another if they spotted the ringed one.

 

Lighthouse at Old Oxelösund

I had hoped to see some Eiders but I only found one. We changed location now and then and visited three places I had not been to before. I love that. First I check out the birds on the new location, then I left it to my companion and started to take shots instead. We visited 6 or 7 locations during the day without seeing the one we came for. Finally we had to leave.

 

You know what happened? Half way home his phone rang. They spotted the bird. lol, my friend wanted to turn back. Even considered abandon his family for Easter. But to turn back was no guarantee the bird would be there so we said we try again on Monday.

 

But there was no trip on Monday. All ducks had left, heading north and the ringed one was not seen again.

Harbour at Old Oxelösund

 

 

Oxelösund Horbour with lots of ducks where there is open water.

 

This is the Travel blog, to see the birds jump to my European Bird blog and for scenary to my Memes

 

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Birding at Hävringe

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Our World Tuesday   Water World   Outdoor Wednesday
 

 Hävringe 120825,  NF Photo 120825, click to enlarge all photos

Last saturday I attended a trip to Hävringe. Hävringe is a small island, about 40 min by small boat, outside Oxelösund in the middle part of Sweden. It is located at the coast of The Baltic Sea. I aded a link to a map so you can see where it is. Haevringe Lighthouse We did not visit the island of the lighthouse but the island close to that is an old pilotage site.

 

Well, to start from the beginning. Alarmclock was set to 04.05. When I woke up after a lousy sleep I was wondering what the h-k I was doing. I got up, fixed my lunch pack and at 4.50 I was ready to leave. I thought I had lots of time. But... as always. :)

 

It started out with early morning mist. Did not slow me down too much though but I wished I had more time so I could have stoped to take some pics. But i didn´t. I had to save that for another morning.

Next problem was a lot of work on the road. For a long time I had to drive slow because the road was only loose gravel. Not fun to drive on. Arriving at Nyköping the main road I shoult have been driving was closed so I had to make a detour. Now I was bothered, would I make it in time? Our guides had warned us they would not wait for late people. Well, I made it with 10 min to spare. It was a nice morning, a bit chilly but so calm the water was glassy. At 6.20 we left the harbour for a 40 min trip to the island of Hävringe.



It was really nice to see all islets in the low morning sun. Glowing with a warm yellow color. It is a sight I am not used to. And the birds starting to wake. A few roaming the skies already.

We were 17 woman on the trip. Most of us came from Nyköping and Tärnans Birders.   They took the opportunity to start a new group of female birders belonging to a group we call Rapphönan (Grey Partridge). That will be nice for the future.

House Martins - Hussvalor

The island was not big. There was a few summer houses and the larger building earlier used by the pilotage workers. We put our gear close to it and started to look around on ground, water and sky. Some emediately set up their tubes. Myself I started to walk around to check the surroundings. Then joined the group. It was not that easy to see anything as there was buildings below and trees and bushes. But we did see some interesting waterfowl like a family of Velvet Scoter (Svärta). And swallows of course.

After having something to eat we moved away from the buildings closer to the shore. Looking for birds on the water as well as the islets outside. We did see a Cuckoo on a nearby islet. A bird I did not expect to see there. But that is one of the fun thing about birds. You never know what to find. After an hour or two it started to warm up and we could take some clothes of. Getting a nice feeling of summer again. It was great walking around on the cliffs, then birding again. I did not get many bird shots as they were to far out. But I got a lot of other things in my camera.

At 13.30 we left the island and headed back to Oxelösund. On one island I spotted a Velvet Scoter and actually got a shot of it.

It was a great day and I say thanks to everybody who organized it and to all who attended.

 

 

 

 I was back home at 17.00h. If I was tired? You can guess. :)

I got a mail with a short report. As a group we saw/heard 53 different spieces. Myself I had one new lifer and two new species for the blog. Not bad for one day, right? :)

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120626, tisdag och dag 3 på vår resa till skottland. Farne Islands

120626, tisdag och dag 3 på vår resa till skottland.  

Huvudinlägget på engelska finns H Ä R.   Main entry HERE

Alla bilder NF Photo 120626. Klicka för förstoring.

Idag var vi på Farne Islands på öar i havet. Vi befinner oss just nu i England.

Staple Island, den första ön för vårt besök, är ett riktigt fågelparadis mitt ute havet utanför Englands nordöstra kust.

Sillgrissla - Common Guillemot

Turen började med att vi åkte båt och först förevisades en del sälar som låg och solade på klippor.  Sedan började havet sakta men säkert fyllas med fågel. Både på vattenytan och i lufthavet. De flesta var nya för mig men Lunnefåglarna kände jag igen. Inte utan att man började fyllas av förväntan när vi närmade oss ön.

Att gå upp på klipporna och fågelberget kan knappt beskrivas. Det var översållat av fåglar. Fåglar som flög, fåglar som satt, fåglar som ruvade. Och så en del folk förståss. Ivrig som man var tyckte man ju att det var för mycket folk. J



Tretåig mås - Black-legged Kittywake

Så småningom lugnade man ner sig efter den värsta adrenalinkicken och började så sakteliga vandra runt på de gula klipporna.  Nu började man hinna titta också och inte bara plåta. Med hjälp av folket runt omkring började jag kunna identifiera fåglarna. Lunnefåglar i mängder med sin färgglada näbb. Tretåig mås med jättesöta ungar på minimala klippor. Sillgrisslor med sin grafiska dräkt, också med fina ungar. Några Stormfåglar låg och ruvade. Toppskarvar fanns överallt. Både ruvande och med ungar i olika åldrar. En av favoriterna blev de vackra Tordmularna som till synes kärvänligt tog hand om varann.

Tordmule - Razorbill

Jag hade kunnat stanna hela dagen bara där. Men vi for vidare till Silvertärnornas land, Inner Farne. Här fick man verkligen hålla i hatten. Silvertärnorna attackerar allt för att försvara sina små. De kraschar hårt mot ens huvud så stadig huvudbonad är att rekommendera. Dock gick de aldrig på ögon och sådant.

Silvertärna - Arctic Tern

När vi kom till ön hade vi tärnorna i motljus. Ett eldorado för en sån som jag. Så jag plåtade ett bra tag innan jag gick vidare. Försiktigt för att inte trampa på några små.

Kentsk Tärna

Ön hade också ett stort bestånd av Kentsk tärna. Och en del av arterna vi sett tidigare. Det var en upplevelse och inte ville man tillbaka till hotellet. Men på vägen tillbaka började det blåsa kraftigt så det var nog dags. Vi fick sedan veta att det varit så dåligt väder tidigare att många turer varit inställda. Det var nog därför det var såå mycket folk med den här dagen.

Lunnefågel - Puffin

Inner Farne

Mer om Skottland på NF Photo  Fågelarter

More about Scotland on NF Photo  Bird species
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