The Flickr Færevik Image Generatr

A male common whitethroat (Curruca communis) from the archive, that use to sing all day outside our house during late spring and summer.

Yesterday I heard its lovely song again for the first time this year, on the birdwatching trip on Lista with my Birdlife Dalane group.

And - on my way out to look for birds again this morning, I heard it outside our house again as well

It was my species number 169 for the year yesterday, and then I got three lovely wood warblers (bøksangere in Norwegian) as number 170. I have only heard wood warblers sing other years, but yesterday I got to see them as well for the first time, right above my head.

The common whitethroat is a common and widespread typical warbler, which breeds throughout Europe and across much of temperate western Asia. It is strongly migratory, and winters in tropical Africa, Arabia, and Pakistan.

(Tornsanger hann, in Norwegian)

My album of birds here.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Feel free to follow my facebook photo page:
www.facebook.com/ranveigmariephotography/

Or my Instagram:
www.instagram.com/ranveigmariephotograp

Today I heard and saw some lovely Eurasian blackcaps (Sylvia atricapilla) for the first time this year.

This is a male on a visit outside our house, from the archive. (The female has a brown cap.)

They belong to the warbler family, and breed in most of Europe, western Asia and northwestern Africa.

They are partial migrant; birds from the colder areas of its range winter in northwestern Europe, around the Mediterranean and in tropical Africa.

(Munk hann (i sangerfamilien), in Norwegian)

My album of birds here.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Feel free to follow my facebook photo page:
www.facebook.com/ranveigmariephotography/

Or my Instagram:
www.instagram.com/ranveigmariephotograp

One of the beautiful (male) common linnets (Linaria cannabina), that stayed by our bird feeders for a long time last spring.

Yesterday I saw them in our neighbourhood for the first time this year. And I have just been out on my bike again today, listening to them an very many other birds singing in the nice spring weather.

(Tornirisk-hann, in Norwegian)

My album of birds here.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Feel free to follow my facebook photo page:
www.facebook.com/ranveigmariephotography/

Or my Instagram:
www.instagram.com/ranveigmariephotograp

Female common goldeneyes (Bucephala clangula) in our neighbourhood, from the archive.

The female has a brown head and grey back, while the male has a dark green head, with a large white spot below the yellow eye, and a white and black back.

They are widespread across much of North America, Europe and Asia, and are found in a variety of wetland habitats.

(Kvinand-hunner, in Norwegian)

I have some photos of the males as well in the links below the line!

-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Feel free to follow my facebook photo page:
www.facebook.com/ranveigmariephotography/

Or my Instagram:
www.instagram.com/ranveigmariephotograp

We rarely see bramblings (Fringilla montifringilla) by our feeders anymore. But one autumn, before they built a new road and removed lots of our trees and shrubs, we had them here for a month. I got many nice photos of them, like this one.

Here it is in its winter plumage. During breeding, the males have a shiny black head and back.

(Bjørkefink in Norwegian)

Check out more photos of them in the links below the line!

-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Feel free to follow my facebook photo page:
www.facebook.com/ranveigmariephotography/

Or my Instagram:
www.instagram.com/ranveigmariephotography/

A blue tit (Cyanistes caeruleus) meeting the guard on our bird bath ツ

It actually won the third place and a bird book in the annual Garden Birdwatch's photo competition in January another year.

(Blåmeis in Norwegian)

My album of birds here.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Feel free to follow my facebook photo page:
www.facebook.com/ranveigmariephotography/

Or my Instagram:
www.instagram.com/ranveigmariephotography/

January ends in the same beautiful way as it started. In between the nice weather, cold and snow, we have had lots of rain and storms as well. But today we just have to enjoy the lovely last day.

This is from my birthday earlier this month. While talking on the phone, I saw that a sparrowhawk (Accipiter nisus) chased a crow and a magpie outside our house. It was hard to get good photos since I was on the phone, but it's a fun story.

(Spurvehauk som terget en kråke og en skjære, in Norwegian)

Check out more photos of their action in the links below the line!

-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Feel free to follow my facebook photo page:
www.facebook.com/ranveigmariephotography/

Or my Instagram:
www.instagram.com/ranveigmariephotography/

The view we've seen from our livingroom all day.

The remains of the storm called Éowyn in Great Britain hit us yesterday and still rages outside.

It is not as bad here as it was in Great Britain, and while we had rain yesterday we have had mostly sunshine today, so that we could go out and enjoy the large waves.

Last night, the waves went even higher than during daytime, and there have been many rocks (heavy ones as well) and seaweed on the roads and around boathouses today.

My album of seascapes here.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Feel free to follow my facebook photo page:
www.facebook.com/ranveigmariephotography/

Or my Instagram:
www.instagram.com/ranveigmariephotography/

The sunrise seen from our terrace six days ago. The spots on the sun are sunspots.

The number of sunspots increases and decreases over time in a regular, approximately 11-year cycle, called the sunspot cycle or solar cycle. (The exact length of the cycle can vary. It has been as short as eight years and as long as fourteen.)

The sunspot activity affects the northern lights, which will have a corresponding increase in activity - as predicted now.

My album of sunsets and sunrises here.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Feel free to follow my facebook photo page:
www.facebook.com/ranveigmariephotography/

Or my Instagram:
www.instagram.com/ranveigmariephotography/

One week ago I took this photo of my latest Christmas tree ornaments, before I hung them on the tree together with the older ones.

Although I love the old ornaments that I've inherited from my grandparents and received from friends, colleagues and family through the years, I also love buying new ones that I just love.

I first saw these on sale on my recent weekend in Stavanger, but they didn't have as many left as I wanted, and I wondered if I had enough. But I regretted it when I got home, and ordered them online 😉

When it comes to Christmas trees, more is more to me 😊

My album of Christmas here.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Feel free to follow my facebook photo page:
www.facebook.com/ranveigmariephotography/

Or my Instagram:
www.instagram.com/ranveigmariephotography/

We rarely see bramblings (Fringilla montifringilla) by our feeders, but during autumn four years ago- before they built a new road and removed lots of our trees and shrubs, we had up to 8 of them here for a month.

They also came to walk around my feet when I sat outside, and it was easy to get nice photos of them.

I have seen them several other places later on, but I have never got as good photos as I did here right outside our house four years ago.

This is their winter plumage. During breeding, the males have a shiny black head and back.

(Bjørkefink in Norwegian)

Check out more photos of them in the links below the line!

-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Feel free to follow my facebook photo page:
www.facebook.com/ranveigmariephotography/

Or my Instagram:
www.instagram.com/ranveigmariephotography/

One of two roe deer right outside our house one autumn afternoon.

(Rådyr in Norwegian)

My album of mammals here.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Feel free to follow my facebook photo page:
www.facebook.com/ranveigmariephotography/

Or my Instagram:
www.instagram.com/ranveigmariephotography/

As I've written before, we have many roe deer around our house and on our part of the island, and I almost see them every day that I'm outside.

They don't pose up close every time, but here it was right outside our front door.

(Rådyr in Norwegian)

Check out many more photos of many roe deer around our house in the links below the line!

-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Feel free to follow my facebook photo page:
www.facebook.com/ranveigmariephotography/

Or my Instagram:
www.instagram.com/ranveigmariephotography/

The beautiful peacock butterfly (Aglais io) on lesser knapweed (Centaurea nigra), outside our house two weeks ago today.

I've met and photographed it surprisingly many times this summer - both outside our house, other places on our island and on the island I'm from while visiting my parents. Until this year, I had barely seen it once- almost 9 years ago.

It's an unusually late upload today, since I've been busier than in a long time most of the day:

It has been the first day at work after the school holiday today. I joined the others for some hours, moving our stuff from the old school to the brand new one that's built next to it, photographed our new colleagues for the school's homepage, and then I had a doctor's appointment. I'm still on sick leave after 9.5 months, but will still try to show up some more and try some stronger medicines, to get a more normal everyday.

After work, I cycled to my favourite spot in the forest in town for the first time this year (!) Normally I go to that lovely spot right by a little lake lots of times after work during spring and summer.

Today I found hundreds of dragonflies to photograph there in the warming sunshine, and some butterflies and other bugs as well. I also saw a grey wagtail that I don't see that often (vintererle in Norwegian).

(Dagpåfugløye (på svartknoppurt) in Norwegian)

My album of insects here.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Feel free to follow my facebook photo page:
www.facebook.com/ranveigmariephotography/

Or my Instagram:
www.instagram.com/ranveigmariephotography/

A young house sparrow (Passer domesticus) close to our house.

It's nice to see how many birds that have had a successful breeding season this year. On a little bike ride this evening, I met at least 40 young lesser black-backed gulls, cleaning themselves in a little lake together with some adults as well.

(Gråspurv in Norwegian)

My album of birds here.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Feel free to follow my Facebook photo page:
www.facebook.com/ranveigmariephotography/

Or my Instagram:
www.instagram.com/ranveigmariephotography/

One of two little great black-backed gulls (Larus marinus) that I found by the sea below our house earlier this month.

(Svartbak-unge, in Norwegian)

My album of birds here.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Feel free to follow my Facebook photo page:
www.facebook.com/ranveigmariephotography/

Or my Instagram:
www.instagram.com/ranveigmariephotography/

Common tern (Sterna hirundo) courtship below our house five weeks ago.

The male here brought several fish for his lady, but this time he was unlucky and dropped the fish when he was about to give it to her.

I have a fun and long session of photos showing it all, that I have to make a slideshow of sometime ツ Of when the fish drops into the sea, he dives down to find it, the female watching it all curiously, he hits her in the head with his wings while trying to find the fishッ, and how he finds it to serve her one more time.

(Makrellterne-kurtise in Norwegian)

My album of birds here.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Feel free to follow my facebook photo page:
www.facebook.com/ranveigmariephotography/

Or my Instagram:
www.instagram.com/ranveigmariephotography/

One of several beautiful (male) linnets (Linaria cannabina) that keep coming to our bird feeder every day now.

They sing their lovely song a lot as well, both from branches and while eating. I've also photographed them flirting by feeding each other ツ

It's lovely to sit hidden in the car right outside the house, to enjoy and photograph them. Both since I haven't taken good photos of them before, and to get another focus when my health is crappy like today ♡

(Tornirisk-hann, in Norwegian)

My album of birds here.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Feel free to follow my facebook photo page:
www.facebook.com/ranveigmariephotography/

Or my Instagram:
www.instagram.com/ranveigmariephotography/

Another roe deer photographed from our front door this past autumn, when they regularly came to visit.

(Rådyr in Norwegian)

My album of mammals here.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Feel free to follow my facebook photo page:
www.facebook.com/ranveigmariephotography/

Or my Instagram:
www.instagram.com/ranveigmariephotography/

The redwing (Turdus iliacus) showing why it got its name, in the snow by our bird feeders.

(Rødvingetrost in Norwegian)

My album of birds here.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Feel free to follow my facebook photo page:
www.facebook.com/ranveigmariephotography/

Or my Instagram:
www.instagram.com/ranveigmariephotography/