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Location of Øygarden
This image comes from NASA's superb collection of images which can
 be found on the Visible Earth site here. It actually shows a Saharan dust
storm over the North Sea - perhaps bringing rarities with it.

If you haven't seen this film, you should! Now when people ask what I do I show them this...



For Øygarden weather see bottom of this page

 For latest seawatching results from Skogsøy and bird news from Øygarden click here

Intro

I have been birding almost as long as I can remember; with bird mad parents and growing up where I did I never had a chance to develop normal interests....Migration is my main interest and seawatching is THE form of birding I enjoy most.

This site is covers a variety of topics, with the emphasis on seawatching. The Skogsøy sides detail, among other things, the spring migration of divers past SW Norway. Main species of interest in spring here are White-billed Diver, Red-throated Diver and all the Skuas. A wide variety of seaduck and waders also pass in large numbers - passage of some species beats better known birding locations such as Utsira and Fair Isle hands down.

There are also some tips and hints on seawatching, covering the do's and don'ts of the various types of this kind of birding on the Seawatching Essentials page.  Seawatching gone wrong is covered on the Seawatching Nightmares page and some of the crazy (and not so crazy) ideas that go through a seawatchers head are presented on the Seawatch Junky page. A collection of seawatching lookout points and shelters can also be found on this site.


During the spring of 2006 I seawatched every for two and a half months making systematic counts of migrating seabirds heading up the Norwegian coast; the place where this happened is Skogsøy in Øygarden (north west of Bergen, Norway). More details about the 2006 season and seawatching in general can be found here .

For seawatching results from the spring of 2006 click here
For seawatching results from the spring of 2007 click here
For seawatching results from the spring of 2008 click here




However, birding to some people may be more than sitting on a remote headland until hypothermia sets in so this site also covers some of the other  birding I do whilst not seawatching.

Zino's Petrel
Zino's Petrel, Madeira, August 2011



I currently live in Øygarden kommune, NW of Bergen. Øygarden is widely considered to be the best place for birding in Hordaland county. This is the reason I live there. Perhaps unsurprisingly I lived on the edge of a nature reserve and my local patch is covered on the Tjeldstø pages. It isn't exactly going to appear in any RAMSAR listings, but it certainly provides enough birding interest at a local level. A garden list of over 167 species in eight years gives an indication of the potential of the place.

There is a good island in Øygarden for finding migrant passerines and which regularly turns up rarities. This is the island of Hernar and more details about this fantastic place can be found here.
 
Øygarden  The  Øygarden pages give a brief description of a selection of localities in one of the best areas for birding in Hordaland. The area was affected by an oil spill from the shipwreck of the "Server" on the neighbouring island of Fedje in January 2007. The effects of this are documented here

Latest news and pictures can be viewed here:Latest news from Øygarden


If you consider yourself a Natural Born Birder (or you know someone who is) there may be something of interest in the Webshop for you. 


Broad-billed Sandpiper, Engerdal
Broad-billed Sandpiper - one of the target species in Engerdal, Norway



A camera is usually in my bag such that I can do some opportunist photography;  a selection of pictures taken from around the world can be found in the Gallery section. All pictures were taken in the wild and care was taken not to disturb the birds at all times. Additional information about photography inckuding articles on digiscoping and reviews of compact superzoom cameras can be found on the articles pages.

I occasionally film a video or two using what I call my "point and pray" superzoom. The results are often rather better than I expect them to be and a selection of films can be seen on my You Tube channel.



Some information about the equipment I use and some tips for keeping warm during protracted seawatches can be found on the Equipment page. Many birders have a number of books, I have a small library of them and some recommendations can be found on the books page. My latest acquisitions are shown below.






When I first moved to Norway I lived east of Bergen and developed a taste for birding in the mountains. Here too visible migration was an important part of the birding. For more details of birding in the hills of western Norway, see the Gullfjell pages. The Hardangervidda is within easy driving distance of Bergen so I have also included some information on the unique birding opportunities it offers.

Pallid Harrier, Nautnes, Øygarden, September 2015
Pallid Harrier, the latest addition to my garden list at Nautnes in Øygarden


Some birders still have families and I fall into this category - I have therefore added some trip reports from family holidays which show that it is quite possible to get some decent birding in even if you do have the family or other non-birders with you. Some hints can be found on the Travelpages. Destinations covered include Madeira, Mallorca, IcelandCrete, LanzaroteThailand, Laos and Falsterbo (Sweden).

Crossbill guides are a brilliant concept - giving a comprehensive backgound, as well as description of the wildlife and include a section on suggested walks.
Highly recommended!



Pilot Whales
Pilot Whales, Aasta Hansteen, Norwegian Sector, September 2015

I grew up in north Northumberland in NE England and it is here I really started birding. Some information on this wonderful area is included on the U.K. side.

My work as an offshore surveyor has taken me all around the coasts and seas of Europe and beyond. Some of the birding opportunities and experiences can be found on the Offshore pages.





Latest bird news from Hordaland:








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