The Flickr Jorde Image Generatr

I went early out to our lighthouse this morning, to count birds for the Eigerøy bird-watching station, by myself for the first time.

I didn't get any new species for the year but there were some flocks of some nice species, like 10 northern gannets coming together.

I heard that many barnacle geese (Branta leucopsis) had been passing places nearby yesterday, on their migration. But it wasn't until I was about to go back after 4 hours today, that a flock of 48 of them passed over me as well.

It's so interesting that they probably are on their long way to Svalbard in the Arctic, where I have seen them nest.

This photo is from when they and other Arctic geese came on an unexpected visit in our neighbourhood in January. Today was the first time having them back in the municipality after that.

(Hvitkinngås in Norwegian)

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

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Earth Day was born in the United States in 1970 as a result of social, activist and student movements.

Today marks the 55th Earth Day, a day to highlight the importance of our planet and the conservation of its ecosystems on all continents and oceans.

(Jordens dag, som markeres idag, in Norwegian)

My album of reflections here.

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Right after having a flock of 51 common curlews (Numenius arquata) above me on our island today, I was told that today is the international World Curlew Day.

World Curlew Day was established by the English environmentalist, author and producer Mary Colwell in 2017 to raise awareness of the curlews' plight. It is commemorated each year on 21st April, the date Mary began her 500-mile walk for curlews in 2016.

We have had large flocks of common curlews in our neighbourhood the last days, having a break in their migration on our skerries and fields.

This is the first common curlew I met this year, already on January 10th on Jæren. It must have wintered here. I felt a little sorry for it there in the snow.

(Storspove, i anledning spovens dag idag, in Norwegian)

Check out one more photo of it in the links below!

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An oystercatcher (Haematopus ostralegus) from Jæren, from a previous spring.

I've seen them, and other species, mating in our neighbourhood already.

And I really hope that it will go even better with their nesting this year, since hunters have killed many blacklisted American minks here recently, who use to raid the bird nests.

(Tjeld in Norwegian)

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

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A twite (Linaria flavirostris) from the archive.

In Norway, this species breeds mostly along the coast. It builds its nest as soon as it arrives at the breeding site. The nest is often placed directly on the ground. The eggs are laid in May.

It is a partially migratory species (many winter along our coast), found in northern Europe and across the Palearctic to China.

It mainly feeds on small seeds but occasionally also insects.

(Bergirisk in Norwegian)

My album of birds here.

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One of two roe deer I met in the winter sun, by the beach on our island.

(Rådyr i vinterpels, in Norwegian)

My album of mammals here.

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Finally I got some better photos of this Arctic goose species as well.

The tundra bean goose (Anser serrirostris) is one of the four Arctic goose species in the large flock of nearly 200 birds in our neighbourhood this week. They must have arrived here and along western and southern Norway now due to the bad weather in the countries where they use to winter.

The tundra bean goose breeds in tundra areas from Fennoscandia through northern Russia to the Pacific Ocean. In Norway, the species occurs mainly in Finnmark county, but a few pairs breed in Troms and on the Hardangervidda plateau.

Here, one of the two tundra bean geese we have here now are together with greater white-fronted geese (tundragås in Norwegian). I also have photos of them together with barnacle geese (hvitkinngås), which I haved shown on recent uploads, from their last visit. (The pink-footed geese also present kept more to themselves.)

Yesterday they all were close to the road, so I could lie down to get my first good photos of them this week.

It is only my second time seeing tundra bean geese. These two are the first for our county this year, and the second for the whole country!

My first time seeing them was on Jæren two years ago. Then they were 21 individuals, together with whooper swans (sangsvaner).

(Tundrasædgås in Norwegian)

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

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Since I showed two rare goose species yesterday, I can show the last that I have good photos of from our neighbourhood today - the pink-footed goose (Anser brachyrhynchus).

Today eight of them added to the large flock of geese in our neighbourhood now, but these photos are from the same spot in 2020.

This species breeds in eastern Greenland, Iceland, Svalbard, and recently Novaya Zemlya. It winters in Ireland, Great Britain, the Netherlands, and western Denmark.

(Kortnebbgås in Norwegian)

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

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