Another snapshot from the high north. I have had a few positive
reactions,
so will continue to send these for the time being.
Wim Vader
A TRANSECT THROUGH TROMS COUNTY
This last weekend I had a visitor from England. Suzanne is a birder, so we
combined sightseeing with birdwatching. On Sunday we drove out to the outer
coast (ca 70km from here), and on Monday we made a loop-drive towards the
inner parts of Troms fylke (=province), a trip of ca 300km.
September has been uncommonly mild this year. After 2 days of sleet and
snow 2 weeks ago temperatures veered back up to 8-11*C, and even on the
hill-sides around much of the snow disappeared again; we also had large
amounts of rain, and usually low-lying clouds obscuring most of the scenery.
By a stroke of great good luck Monday was a glorious sunny, though hazy day
(A bright halo round the sun for most of the day), and we probably hit the
peak of the autumn colours. The birches glowed in all shades of yellow and
brown, and the rowans were often as red as red can be; in the inland the
contrasts of these deciduous trees with the dark green of the pines made
for a wonderful checkered tapestry on all the hillsides. Also the ground
vegetation glowed in all shades of fall colours, with the "grouse berries"
Arctostaphylos alpina the deepest red. On such days it is an exquisite
pleasure to be able to show off the countryside that I`ve come to love so
much since moving here 24 years ago.
"Not many birds", Suzanne said after a while, and it is true enough: the
first thing one notes is the paucity of birds, both in actual numbers and
in diversity. Most of the song-birds have already left, although we came
across some laggards here and there, most notably small flocks of
Fieldfares (Compared to the thousands everywhere just 2 weeks ago). On the
shore there were no longer any Oystercatchers, Curlews or Redshanks, and
the Common Gulls had congregated in some large flocks of many hundreds, but
were conspicuously absent most places. The only shorebirds seen were small
flocks of Purple Sandpipers (They will stay all winter) and here and there
a few Lapwings (They will also leave soon). More Mallards in the intertidal
already than in summer, but also still several on the freshwater lakes.
On the large Rostadvannet lake in the inland there still were 6 Arctic
Loons, no doubt the local breeders and their young, but they were silent,
and will probably soon leave: diver migration has picked up along the
Norwegian west coast these last weeks.(We looked in vain for the first of
the wintering Yellow-billed Loons). We also still found a few pairs of
Horned grebes on the nesting lakes. The most common ducks on the lakes were
small groups of Red-breasted Mergansers; many of those winter locally, but
at sea. We also saw "the last" Tufted Ducks, Goldeneyes, and Teals, and at
sea the first flocks of Common Scoters. On the coast the local Greylag
Geese (with a single Barnacle Goose) did not mingle with the migrating
Pinkfooted Geese, that kept in samall flocks of their own.
We had 3 close-by White-tailed Sea Eagles during these 2 days. Very
satisfying, as they have a tendency to hide on the days that you have
visitors. There were also still a few Rough-legged Buzzards around (We had
lemmings in the inland, so a very good breeding season), and Suzanne spied
at least 2 Merlins, also soon gone.
the autumn hunting season has started for full, so the only Willow Grouse
we found, were hanging under porches; I surprised a single Blackcock along
the road in the inland. Songbirds (except the ubiquitous crows and magpies)
were thin on the ground, and we just found some late stragglers of many
common summering species, plus tits, Greenfinches and Bullfinches, that
will be with us all winter.
I`ll give a species list for once. It may give an idea of the common birds
aroun here at this season. (Our hard-core birders found no less than 5
Yellow-browed Warblers in Troms this self-same weekend, so less sightseeing
and driving, and more concentrated birding, would probably have lengthened
this list appreciably)
Black-throated Diver ((Arctic Loon) Gavia arctica
Horned (Slavonian) Grebe Podiceps auritus
Cormorant Phalacrocorax carbo
?Shag Ph. aristotelis
Pink-footed Goose Anser brachyrhynchos
Greylag Goose A. anser
Barnacle Goose Branta leucopsis
Mallard Anas platyrhynchos
Teal A. crecca
Tufted Duck Aythya fuligula
Common Eider Somateria mollissima
Common Scoter Melanitta nigra
Goldeneye Bucephala clangula
Red-breasted Merganser Mergus serrator
Rough-legged Buzzard Buteo lagopus
White-tailed eagle Haliaeetus albicilla
Merlin Falco columbarius
Willow Grouse Lagopus lagopus
Black Grouse Tetrao tetrix
Lapwing Vanellus vanellus
Purple Sandpiper Calidris maritima
Common Gull Larus canus
Kittiwake Rissa tridactyla
Herring Gull Larus argentatus
Great Black-backed Gull L. marinus
Lesser Black-backed Gull L.f.fuscus (1 late bird)
Arctic tern Sterna paradisaea
(very few left)
Feral Pigeon Columba livia
Meadow Pipit Anthus pratensis
Pied Wagtail Motacilla alba (1)
Dunnock Prunella modularis (1)
Fieldfare Turdus pilaris
Redwing T. iliacus
Willow Tit Parus montanus
Great Tit P. major
Starling Sturnus vulgaris
Magpie Pica pica
Raven Corvus corax
Hooded Crow C. corone cornix
House Sparrow Passer domesticus
Brambling Fringilla montifringilla
Greenfinch Carduelis chloris
Bullfinch Pyrrhula pyrrhula
Redpoll Carduelis flammea
?Twite C. flavirostris
As you see, a pretty basic crop of birds, and even many of these will leave
us for the winter. But the scenery was spectacular, the colours fantastic,
and the company most pleasant. So all in all, two good days of
birding-sightseeing!
Wim Vader, Tromsoe Museum
9037 Tromsoe, Norway
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