The fall season started of well when a young Rosy Starling (rosenstær) was found in a flock of starlings on the last day of August. The following days it turned up on a feeder southwest on the island, where it was seen all week.

Another highlight was a photogenic young male Peregrine (vandrefalk) that landed in our garden and posed willingly. 

A huge young female was also seen the following days, at one occasion it managed to kill and eat a Merlin (dvergfalk)!

Ringing in the garden has been rewarding as always. Low numbers, but great diversity! Among the highlights was:

two different Common Rosefinch (rosenfink)

a Marsh Warbler (myrsanger)

and the first Yellow-browed Warbler (gulbrynsanger) for the autumn.

The wader migration has been rather low, but a few nice Curlew Sandpipers (tundrasniper) has been around.

A couple of young Red-necked Phalaropes (svømmesniper) was seen at the start of the week.

A single Temminck’s Stint (temmincksnipe) was seen at the end of the week.

A Brant (ringgås) have been hanging with a group of Greylag Geese (grågås) trough the week.

The two male Mandarine Ducks (mandarinand) – still in eclipse plumage – are back. These are probably the same birds that have been seen frequently on the island the last years.

Calm weather at the end of the week gave an opportunity to take a boat trip out Skomvær lighthouse. A good number of young Shags (toppskarv) indicates they have had a good breeding season.

An adult Arctic Tern (rødnebbterne) with two young birds made a show off Skomvær.

Not many birds present at Skomvær, but a Merlin (dvergfalk) had a feast on its prey.