Migration is over...

 The first decade of June was quiet. Most birds are flown and the times I was out I took many sound recordings of singing breeding birds. Too much to show here, but feel free to scroll the sound page in the menu...

Otherwise on Herdla the English Yellow Wagtail (flavissima) still present, singing and probably breeding with a flava as partner, a few Gadwalls on Herdla and Husvatn at Tjeldstø,  multiple breeding pairs (with young) European Stonechat and a crow-gathering at Breivik with Rook, Carrion Crow and two Jackdaws worth mentioning...

Rook at Breivik

Common Tern at the colony on Dåvøy

Arctic Tern at the colony on Dåvøy

🎤 Arctic Tern calling adult

worn Common Redshank at Herdla

another Common Redshank at Herdla

male (upper) and female Gadwall at Husvatn

Northern Wheatear

Great Black-backed Gull with chicks at the colony on Dåvøy

northern Øygarden

 Today I did northern Øygarden. I started at Hjelme and Sele and worked my way down. At Husvatn I met Julian Bell and together we birded a few hours at Rotavannet and Breivik.

Goldfinches and Lesser Whitethroats all over the place with birds almost at every stop. But best birds were two Wood Sandpipers at Rotavatnet, behaving secretly and singing a few times. I managed a short, but bad recording. Hear below. At Husvatn the pair of Gadwalls was still present and Breivik was the place to be if one likes crows. A Rook, a Carrion Crow and two Jackdaws there!

🎤 Woodsandpiper displaying (sorry for the bad quality)

Rook

male Gadwall

female Gadwall

🎤 Redpoll calling at Hjelme

More Barnacles at Biologen

Today only a little visit at Biologen, where to my surprise four (two pairs) Barnacle Geese were present. I knew only about one pair so far. The two pairs were quarreling about territory I presume. See and hear below the distant Barnacles and some other birds...

Barnacle Geese at Biologen

🎤 Barnacle Geese quarreling

🎤 Garden Warbler song at Biologen

🎤 Blackbird song at Grimstad

Wood Warbler at Løvstakken

 Wood Warbler is a species that's occurring almost annually in Bergen, but always nice to hear (or see). Last weekend a bird was found on a steep slope on Løvstakken. On Monday it was found back and yesterday we tried for it with a little group (Terje Hansen, Ann Kristin Østgård, Ragnar Vikøren, Liv Meyer, Walter Lemme and me). Ater a rather steep 'climb' in slippery terrain we found it back. We didn't see it, but I got some recordings. Also a Lesser Whitethroat singing here!

🎤 Wood Warbler song

🎤 Wood Warbler call

a short seawatch

 Tuesday morning 20th May was spent at Geitingneset on Herdlevær. Migration was quiet, but entertaining (later on the day the brants came flying by, but I was gone then). First bird was an adult Parasitic Jaeger close by. Further the usual suspects as Northern Gannets, some Red-throated Loons, Black-legged Kittiwakes, Atlantic Puffins, one identifiable Razorbill and a few alcids too far to identify. A flyby Merlin was nice as well as the Common Kestrel there. After one-and-a-half hour I gave up...Further a Lesser Whitethroat on the way back to the car and a Whimbrel flying over on Skogsøy

Short stops at Dåvøy gave four Arctic Terns alongside the Commons in bad light and at Breivik singing Curlews and Golden Plovers.

nice adult light phase Parasitic Jaeger

a little bit of night birding, some other sounds and Willow Grouse in Bergen!!

 In the morning I visited Unneland, Dyngelandsdalen and Kismul. In the evening I did a round at Kalandsvatnet. All quiet, but I managed some nice sound recordings...

🎤 Common Snipe at kalandsviken

🎤 Common Sandpiper displaying at Unneland

🎤 Common Grasshopper Warbler at Hamre

🎤 Whinchat at Dyngelandsdalen

🎤 Common Starling alarming at nestbox at Kalandsviken

🎤 Eurasian Siskin at Grimseid

🎤 House Martin at Langedalen

🎤 European Goldfinch at Flesland on 04.05

In the morning I saw this Viper at Kismul

On the 18th of May I went up on Austefjell together with my Anne. Lots of wind. After half an hour around one of the ridges on the fjell I saw the Willow Grouse that was reported there before. It was a bit too far to get decent pictures. Besides it disappeared. We couldn't find it back later. Strong winds made the circumstances a bit difficult, especially hearing birds. During searching we saw two Ring Ouzels, five or so displaying Golden Plovers, many Meadow Piptis, two Ravens and a few Northern Wheatears. The Willow Grouse was bird number 200 for Bergen for me. Nice one!!

Øygarden 150525

Tried Øygarden today. Sunshine and too much wind from the north. Not the best migration circumstances may be, but I saw some nice birds. The Stonechats at Kollsnes had their young around them and there I also heard my first Common Cuckoo of the year. 

At Herdlevær a Carrion Crow was present as well as a singing Lesser Whitethroat, a European Goldfinch, Tree Sparrows, Twites and a good deal Common Starlings. I checked Husavatnet at Tjeldstø, where the male Gadwall gave distant views. And at Dåvøy only one (may be the first?) Arctic tern was trying to hide between the Common terns...On the way back I had a Carrion Crow at Breivik. That must have been the same bird as on Herdlevær, I believe.

female European Stonechat at Kollsnes, Breivik

Eurasian Curlew (adult male) at Kollsnes, Breivik

Carrion Crow at Herdlevær. An hour later it was at Breivik

Lapwing at Kollsnes, Breivik

Saudi Arabia april 2025

 Here a blog about my trip to Saudi Arabia in April 2025. I went with Gregory Askew, Ibrahim Al Shwamin and a small group of interested birders. It was a nine day trip concentrating on the south western part of the country (the Asir mountains) where most endemic birds are found. In Jazan we did some lowland and coastal birding with a one-day trip to the Farasan islands. 

We found all the endemics of the Arabian peninsula that can be seen in Saudi Arabia, including the only endemic for the country, Asir Magpie (may be no more than 200 breeding pairs). Besides that we saw a lot of afro-tropical species, that are unique for the Western Palearctic. We also saw many migrating birds with tens of Barred Warblers, Red-backed, Isabelline and Turkestan Shrikes. White-throated bee-eaters with groups of ten or more flying over, migrating Blue-cheecked and European Bee-eaters, redstarts, Thrush Nightingale, eastern Nightingale (se below) and much more...

Below an overview of the trip with some pictures and sound recordings. The sound recordings are best with headphones!!

We began at Riyadh though to find Arabian Lark...

Arabian Lark around Riyadh

🎤Arabian Lark 

🎤Arabian Lark

eastern Common nightingale africana/golzii photo by Arthur Geilvoet

After the first day around Riyadh we took a flight to the south west and began at Abha and worked our way down to the coast in Jazan...

Around Abha we had our first day with typical Asir species, such as Yemen Thrush, Little Rock Thrush, Philby's Patridge, Arabian Tchagra, Gambaga Flycatcher, Arabian Serin, Yemen Linnet, Arabian Waxbill and Cinnamon-breasted Bunting. But the best bird here was undoubtedly Arabian Golden-winged Grosbeak. It took some effort, but after about five hours we succeeded.

male Arabian Golden-winged Grosbeak

🎤Arabian Golden-winged Grosbeak

 

🎤Arabian Golden-winged Grosbeak

female Cinnamon-breasted Bunting

🎤Cinnamon-breasted Bunting

On our first night session we had this Arabian Scops Owl. Further quiet with a singing Montane Nightjar...

Arabian Scops Owl

 

🎤Arabian Scops Owl

The next days we worked our way through the mountains further south, finding a lot of fine birds, among others the first Hamerkop 

African Paradise Flycatcher

Asir Magpie, the sole endemic of Saudi Arabia

Gambaga Flycatcher, an afro-tropical breeder of the Asir Mountains

🎤 Gambaga Flycatcher song

🎤 Gambaga flycatcher call

The night sessions were good for the owls, although the Arabian Eagle Owl took some effort. The nightjars in the mountains were not very cooperative. As mentioned, we heard only one Mountain Nightjar and saw and heard some Plain Nightjars, but no sound recording or photo's of them...

distant views of Arabian Eagle Owl

not so distant views of Desert Owl

🎤 Desert Owl

Further a wide variety of Asir specialities

Arabian Sunbird

🎤 Arabian Sunbird

Arabian Wheatear

🎤 Arabian Wheatear

Buff-breasted Wheatear

Isabelline Shrike

Common Kestrel

African Grey Hornbill

🎤African Grey Hornbill

Cucumiau

Little Rock Thrush

Shikra

Rufous-capped Lark

Purple-backed Starling

Tristram's Starling

🎤 Tristram's Starling

White-browed Coucal

Abyssianian White-eyes

Yemen Thrush

🎤 Yemen Thrush song

🎤 Yemen Thrush call

Yemen Warbler

Great Spotted Cuckoo 

Laughing Dove

🎤 Philby's Partridge

🎤 Arabian Woodpecker

🎤 Arabian Tchagra

🎤 Brown Woodland Warbler

🎤 African Stonechat felix

🎤 Rüppell's Weaver

🎤 African Pipit call

🎤  Long-billed Pipit song

🎤 Yemen Linnet

In the lowlands in the Jazan province things went well. We saw the Arabian Golden Sparrows rather quick. Harlequin Quail and Common Buttonquail were not very difficult to flush.

Even Greater Painted Snipe and Black-headed Heron showed, albeit at a distance.

Below some pictures and sound recordings...

Arabian Golden Sparrow, photo by Arthur Geilvoet

Mangrove Reed Warbler avicennae

🎤 Mangrove Reed Warbler

Black-winged Stilt

Clamorous Reed Warbler

🎤 Clamorous Reed Warbler

Crab-plover

🎤 Crab-plover

'Arabian' Helmeted Guineafowl

🎤 Helmeted Guineafowl

Nile Valley Sunbird

🎤 Nile Valley Sunbird

Nubian Nightjar

Crested Honeybuzzard

Pink-backed Pelican

🎤 Harlequin Quail

🎤 Singing Bush Lark

🎤 Black-crowned Sparrow-lark

We visited the Farasan Islands (2 Red-billed Tropicbirds on the way) and took a boat trip there to get closer to all the rock islands. Loads of birds there. The Sooty Falcons were back with a total of 14 birds. Further there the local Egyptian Vultures, Ospreys, Gracefull Prinias, White-eyed Gulls, Sooty Gulls, Bridled terns, Greater and Lesser Crested Terns, Brown Noddies and Brown Boobies. One of the targets in the mangroves was Goliath Heron...On the way back we saw a European Nightjar land on the boat and had both Arctic and Pomarine Skua!

Goliath Heron

Arabian terns

Brown Booby

Bridled Tern

Greater Crested Terns

White-eyed Gull, a Red Sea endemic

Sooty Falcon

African Collared Dove

Lesser Crested Terns

Striated/Little Heron

female Greater painted Snipe at Al Sadd-lake

"mangrove" white-eye", photo's by Arthus Geilvoet

Coastal birding around Jazan was good. We saw two Saunder's Terns, a few Little Terns, a variety of waders with among others Tibetan Sand Plovers, Greater Sand Plovers, Crab-plovers, Terek Sandpipers and Broad-billed Sandpipers. In the mangroves the white-eyes (a cryptic 'form' of Abyssinian?) were difficult to find, but we saw two on the last morning. The Abdim's Storks were still on their nest, so they were easy.