goose invasion

[Tony Kennelly]

Been too busy at work to get out recently but have been checking other websites for the sightings from the lucky birders whom managed to get out. Today lots of geese have been flying up the Thames from Rainham to the LWC. Mainly brent geese but also bean goose & pink-footed geese too. When this happens more geese (& hopefully more species) fly in too. I'm guessing the bad weather in the east & europe to is pushing them this way. I hope they can hang around until sunday pm, after my WEBS count.

At Rainham there are also 2-3 juvenile glaucous gulls, several caspian & about a dozen yellow-legged gulls there too. Also a bittern is now in residence. Several raptor species can be found here too. More interesting news - a bull grey seal hauled itself out onto the foreshore last weekend. I was away on a Northern Lights cruise in the arctic circle between Tromso & Kirkenes then. Saw 6 white-tailed eagles, many corvids, eider & 1 willow grouse but that's another entry.

Good birding

Tony

[Tony Kennelly]

I spent 5 days in Norway last week with my girlfriend on a Northern Lights cruise. Not on a luxurious liner but a Hurtigruten ferry from Tromso to Kirkenes. Facilities good but expensive. Good weather for the lights, only 6-7 hours of daylight (the sun never got above the horizon) so not too good for birding. However I saw 6 white-tailed eagles (including a family of 4 at Havoysund), many ravens, hooded crows, magpies, house sparrows, herring gulls, great black-backed gulls, common eiders, long-tailed ducks, mallards, shags, with the odd feral pigeon & guillemot too. A visit to the snow hotel at Kirkenes produced a willow grouse. Also 80 jackdaw heading to roost at Oslo airport. Also possible great tit & grey heron but no definitive IDs.

We managed to see the Northern Lights for a good display but I couldn't manage to change my camera settings to photograph them!! Lovely snow clad scenery all around the fjords but the bird life is obviously much better in summer but still as expensive. More holiday entries (much) later & (much) much closer to home.

Good birding

Tony