Kick off!

For a while now, I haven’t done much birding. Not because I didn’t feel like it, but because I wanted to save the energy until my Big Year was starting. I had planned the start well, and at midnight I was going to celebrate with some friends and film the spectacular fireworks in my home city going off as a great opening picture on this blog. Some mallards outside where I live usually get a bit spooked from it, so this was going to be my new year’s bird and the opening of Big Year already at 00:01. But…

Day 1 – 01.January

Got a call from a friend yesterday. There was a Hume’s leaf warbler (Blekbrynsanger) seen not far from his house. His house is 650 kilometers away, so my quiet celebration plans had to be changed and the painful truth of what it takes to do a Big Year had already proved itself. So here I was - at first light (actually a bit before) ready at a narrow ditch borderd with reed beds at Klåstadkilen, Larvik in south-eastern Norway. A few friends and myself walking up and down all day looking for the Hume’s leaf warbler. A very rare bird indeed in Norway with less than 20 records of this Siberian gem. Most of them turning up in late October, so this was not only rare, but also a very unusual for the time of the year. I was searching all day, and probably walked the 600m length of the narrow channel at least 10 times. It was said to be skulky – hiding a lot in the grass – so careful searching and focused to find this bird ment that I didn’t see much else this day. I didn’t even see the Siberian guest. Yes – you read the words correctly. My Big Year started off with a dip….First bird of the year was a Blue tit (Blåmeis), but the top bird of the day amongst my 31 bird species seen was a Great grey shrike (Varsler).

Klåstadkilen, Larvik 1st January. Its only so many times you can walk along
 a ditch bordered with reeds, fantasizing about a hume's leaf warbler....

Day 2 – 02. January.

I spent the night at a friend’s place not far from where the Hume’s should have been. I felt my luck had changed a bit, as a message about a Water pipit (Vannpiplerke) came in yesterday evening only 30 minutes drive from my where I stayed. The weather though didn’t exactly look promising with forecast of 30+ mm of rain. Basically it was going to be pouring down all day. Add a little bit of wind on top of it, and you are up for a nice day outing. Again, I was ready at first light, or slightly before. I was carefully scanning all the pipits in the area while I gradually got soaked by the rain and wind. At the end I was so wet, that I could just as well taken a swim in the ocean and not got any wetter (yes I have gore tex and all that fancy shit, but it doesn’t help when you do regular birding at the windy coast of Norway and it get salt spray in it. In my experience, Gore tex and its look alike garment is great and waterproof for the first half year – after that its useless for anything but keeping the wind outside. People that mostly walk in the city and pretend they are “outdoorsy” will tell you its great though….).

3 hrs searching and no Water pipit, a couple of Meadow pipits (Heipiplerke) was the only new birds of the year to be seen. I left the place thinking this year is going to be a lot of fun….Tried a little bit for the Hume’s warbler again. Needless to be said, I didn’t find it. Went further north to look for a real long stayer. An American black duck (Rødfotand), that is somewhat disputed about wether it’s a hybrid or not, (Myself being in favor of the hybrid category I guess, but time will show what the Norwegian Rarity Committee will say as they are currently revising all records of this extreme rarity in Norway) has been wintering for 12 years near Tønsberg. As far as I know, this bird is only the 3^rd ever to be accepted by the committee so far. I got there – rain was still pouring down. Actually even a bit more than earlier, if that is even possible. But there it was – Between 40 or so Mallards (Stokkand) a male American black duck. I actually saw this bird a the day after it turned up the very first time, so it was kind of a déjà vu. My luck had turned and this whole trip wasn’t going to be a vaste of time and money anyway. A big bonus there was a beautiful male Smew (Lappfiskand) – a semi rare bird in Norway that definitely is easiest to see during winter (as with the black duck). Then it was dark. Daylight hours are short this time of the year in Norway, with birding light from about 09:30 – 15:30.  7 new species today. Total 38 species.

Day 3 – 03 January

An overnight stay at a friend that I hadn’t seen for 1,5 years. I already start to see the benefit of catching up with old mates during my Big Year! Today was going to be challenging, as I wanted to try to see a Kingfisher (Isfugl) near the Swedish border in Halden. It is there for its 3^rd winter, but is using a rather long stretch of the river and many people have gone home empty handed trying to see this bird. But to see it now, ment that I would save myself for (probably) several attempts later in winter. I live about 600km away from this site, so to see it already now would mean a big relief. Parked my car, and 5 minutes later the unmistakable calls were heard slightly downstream from where I was standing. I quickly found the bird, beautiful as always. This is one of the more exotic birds in Norway, with iridescent blue back and bright orange underparts. Its breeding population in Norway is 1-3 pairs only – a real rarity. Despite being there for its 3^rd winter in the same river, it hasn’t yet been found breeding in Halden.  

There had also been reports of an Iceland gull (Grønlandsmåke) in Halden the last day. A rare bird on this side of the country, and a scarce winter visitor to my home area in western Norway. I went to the nearby supermarket to buy bread, and before long, a very nice 1^st winter Iceland gull was feeding only a few meters in front of me. Today – everything was going ridiculously easy and my spirit for the remaining Big Year is again as high as ever. It is going to be a fun year!

Halden is very near one of a handful places in Norway that regularly hosts Bearded tits (Skjeggmeis), so as I was in the area I did the half an hour drive to Øra. A walk along the channel yielded at least 20+ bearded tits heard, but only one male seen flying over the vast reed bed vegetation. A stunning bird, but unfortunately very difficult to see well at this locality. Nevertheless, another of the birds best seen in winter added to my list. After watching a male Goshawk (Hønsehauk) hunting feral pigeons during an impressive acrobatic flights from the both of them the daylight was yet again gone and it was time for me to head back home.

9 new species today. Total 47 species.

If you look long and hard on this very cropped picture, you might be lucky
to spot the amazingly colourful kingfisher I saw in Halden (Tip: look just to
 the left of the big pole in the water).

1st winter Iceland gull braging about his wingspan.

White like an angel.

-EG-

Big Year Norway 2014!

Soon, it's kick off time! The last years I have been so absorbed in my photography, that I almost lost touch of the birder in me. In 2014, this will all change.

I decided to do a BIG YEAR. That means trying to see as many bird species as possible within one year in Norway. It has never been done (officially at least) in Norway before. For one year, I will travel here and there to all the far flung corners of this beautiful country to attempt to see every species - breeding or not - that decide to pay Norway a visit. Within ethical limits, I will also try to document as many of the species as possible with my camera. My goal for the year is 320 species, a number higher than anyone ever before has managed to reach, but to manage that I need more than hard effort. As there are "only" about 242 regular breeding bird species in Norway, I need also to have a bit of luck with the different rarities that might turn up. The area covered in this project is Norway and Svalbard.

Through Big Year Norway 2014, I also try to raise some money - not for myself, but to facilitate birding in a suitable locality somewhere in Norway. This will hopefully include boardwalks, bird hides and whatever the locality needs to make birds available to people and at the same time not disturbing the birds. The idea is to increase the birding interest amongst the public in that area, and through that making more people want to protect our birds. As I have been out in the field, with almost no time in front of computers or within phone reach since early May, I must admit that the planning of Big Year Norway 2014 has suffered a tiny bit. So if you reading this works in a company that might be willing to contribute, or you know someone that does, please don't hesitate to contact me. The money raised will not go to sponsor any of my birding trips - but everything will go into making a nice birding locality for the public. Since I am little behind with the planning, there are still some details left to settle on the exact choice of birding area.

There are already a few collaboration partners in Big Year Norway 2014 - but there are still room for more! Don't hesitate to contact if you want to contribute to this bird saving project!

Updates on Big Year Norway 2014 will happen on a regular basis on this blog and in other media, so be sure to visit often.

This will be an interesting year - full of birds and stories. Kick off time is 1st of January 2014!

This buff-bellied pipit I found in Svalbard in June 2011. It was only the 4th for
 Norway, and the first one to be seen in breeding plumage. Will this species
be included in my Big Year?

-EG-

Searching for years....

I remember the very first time I came to Svalbard. It was 6th June 2001. As many of the other people visiting Svalbard, one of my biggest hope was to see the Ross’s gull. After all Svalbard is part of the Arctic, and the ross’s gull is an Arctic species.

Many years have passed since 2001, and I have visited Svalbard virtually in every one of them. I have searched the flocks of kittiwakes, I have searched south of Svalbard, east of Svalbard, west of Svalbard, north of Svalbard, in the sea ice, outside the sea ice. In summer and winter, in autumn and spring. I have even searched some of the remote eastern shores of Greenland, but I’ve never seen a ross’s gull (apart from the one bird I saw in southern Sweden in 2002). Every year, herds of tourists are visiting Svalbard, many of them birders, and apparantly many of them see the ross’s gull on their brief visit. Why not. After all, they are visiting the Arctic, and ross’s gull is an Arctic species. What I have always found very strange, is that despite more cameras than ever before are coming with these human visitors there has as far as I know not been a single one of these ross’s gulls that have been documented since 2001. You have probably guessed already, since I have bothered to write this blog that this has now changed.

Frankly, I started to think that ross’s gull was one of those species that only exists in bird books. I’ve almost given up my hopes for this species, when I suddenly saw a very peculiar marked bird flying along side our research vessel. The flight was actually not very much different from a kittiwake, but the markings were a give away. A beautiful juvenile ross’s gull! Outside the window I have so many times before looked through in the hope of seeing one. Here it was, alone but not lonely. The gull was soon joined by a kittiwake, and then I could appreciate the size difference between the two. A few minutes went by, and as it left us into the horison westwards I couldn’t help thinking that this was nothing like I imagined the jizz of a ross’s gull. The plumage I just had seen is actually not illustrated in any bird book – not mine at least. So I had to look at my images carefully to double check. Yes indeed – a juvenile ross’s gull.

A couple of blue whales later and a few days had passed – north of Svalbard somewhere I was still smiling from the nice ross’s gull observation when I again looked out the window. Two ross’s gulls! This time, they behaved much more like I’ve always pictured them in my head. Very swift, elegant, and throwing themselves from side to side rapidly changing directions. They reminded me not at all about kittiwakes, but much more of pratincoles hunting for insects. Even though these birds where exactly similar patterned as my first one, they gave a very different appearance and experience. Best of all – I managed to document them all J

It seems to be an exceptional good year for the species in Svalbard this year as two other obersvations have also been reported and documented. One from June and another from August - both concerning single adult bird.

-EG-

The show is over

Summer has finally arrived, and as always here up north, it has been a very hectic spring. Especially so for the frogs at the lake in my local forest - one of the biggest dramas that take place in Norwegian nature each year. For only a few days each year, they gather to fight for the future existence of their genes. If you take your time, it is a true spectacle to watch. If you dont mind getting wet, it is very nice to photograph them as well.

- EG -

Swarovski EL 10x42 Swarovision

Since February, WildNature.no has been sponsored by Swarovski Optik. High quality has always been a trade mark of WildNature, and one of the most important piece of my gear when out doing photography or guiding other photographers is my pair of binoculars. I use binoculars virtually every day, so trust me when I say that I have tried quite a few over the years. I have now had the time to test one of the top models of Swarovski's binoculars for some months. I have been in very different climates and habitats, from the hot and humid rain forest of Soth East Asia, to blizzards and minus 15 degrees celsius in winterly northern Norway.

I am not going to bore you with technicals details, as this you can read on Swarovski's own website.
But, as a keen birder and wildlife photographer, quality in my optical "instruments" are a great part of my success or not success when out in nature. Especially many photographers tend to forget taking a pair of binoculars when going out in the field, but for me, it is just as important as the camera itself. To photograph an animal or bird, you need to find it first. Knowledge about the species is of course important so you know what general area to search in, but after that, to spot the bird in the forest, in the kelp or in the thick grass or on a mountain ridge far away can sometimes be demanding. With a good pair of binoculars, your chances will improve a lot. How much, you will understand the day you change your "medium" binoculars with a pair of one the top models out on the market.

EL 10x42 Swarovision is one of the very finest top model binoculars out on the market from Swarovski. First impression is a light, compact and easy to hold pair of binos. It is resting very well in my hands, fitting to my grip - something which makes it easy to hold still, even for longer period for instance when studying an eagle soaring over my head. The light weight and easy grip also helps a lot when using them from a boat platform, where waves make some rocking and shaking impossible to avoid.

Sharpness. This pair of binos is razor sharp. I have never tried any binos before with such sharpness. It is pin sharp all the way out to the edges of the field of view. Together with the neutral colours, this makes it a joy to look through. Contrast and sharpness are very important parts in how comfortable a pair of binos is to look through. In the EL 10x42 Swarovision, the contrast is very good. Looking for birds in late evenings in kelp and seaweed or getting minor details in colours inside a dark rain forest makes you understand how good the contrast really is. The easyness of seeing small details crucial for identification of look alike partidges in the rain forest or to actually discover the brown wader against the brown kelp washed up on the beach convinces me about the quality of these binos. Another important part, especially when birding in forest or thick bush, is that the EL 10x42 Swarovision is able to focus as close as 1.5 meters!

I dont want to make my review too long, but just want to mention one last thing which often is very important  when out in the field. With these pair of binoculars, you can look at birds with light almost directly against you and still get details of the birds. No flares or reflections. This is however a trait that often decreseases in quality with wear and tear of the coating on the lenses, so it will be interesting to see if it is still as good after some more time out in the field.

In short, the contrast, sharpness and colour reflections make it a joy to use these binoculars. You get a real high definitions view, where details of plumage, colours of fur or just shapes against other shapes stands out very nicely. The high quality of this pair of binoculars will, undoubtly, help me discover birds and other wildlife that I otherwise would have missed. The only negative thing I have to say about this binoculars is that the price (about EUR2000) might be a bit too steep for enthusiasts. But for those that use binoculars often, or professionally like myself, I am in no doubt that putting a little bit extra money into good quality optics will be well worth it. For photographers, these binoculars will without doubt lead you to photography oppurtunities that you otherwise will miss.

This review might seem a bit biased, where no negative things are shown. The fact is, that the EL 10x42 Swarovision is the very best pair of binoculars I have ever tried, and so far I havent found one single negative  thing to say about it. If I do in the future, I will certainly tell you about it.

-EG-