Turdus atrogularis

Sci: Turdus atrogularis, No: Svartstrupetrost, Eng: Black-throated thrush, It: Tordo golanera

Dear All,

The bird of this month is very rare! It has only been seen 30 times in Norway since 1886. It belongs to the taiga east of Ural, and this female bird suddenly became a celebrity in Bergen when it navigated completely wrong and appeared in a garden two weeks ago (Bergens Tidende). 

Thanks a lot to Ellen Sophie Thobro and Lars Atle Lauvås for their great hospitality, and thanks to Harald T. for accompanying me on this highly adventurous excursion. A rather unusual birding trip to sit in a warm living room with a cup of  coffee and wait for a 3-star rare bird to appear outside the window!

Best regards,

Hans

PS: This is a female and therefore doesn't have a black throat.

Falco peregrinus

Sci: Falco peregrinus, No: Vandrefalk, Eng: Peregrine Falcon, It: Falco pellegrino

Dear All,

The bird of this month is a 'well known character' (byoriginal?) in Bergen. In the winter, it often sits on the top of the tall City Hall and hunts pigeons. My challenge this month was to get a good photo from top of the roof. First attempt, Jan. 15 with camouflage tent, was not successful. I scared it and it didn't return in an hour. However, second attempt, Jan. 22, was much better!

Enjoy!

Hans

A killer with the dagger hidden under the coat ...

Seen from the street below:

Lanius meridionalis

Sci: Lanius meridionalis, No: Krattvarsler, Eng: Southern Grey Shrike, It: Averla meridionale

Dear All,

This bird is very similar to the Great Grey Shrike (Varsler) which is seen in Norway and Europe except Spain. However, this photo was taken in Madrid on Dec. 12, 2013, and the Iberian version is classified as a separate species. Compared to the Great Grey Shrike, this has a stronger white eyebrow line, it is darker and has a pinkish chest. This is a bird of Spain, North Africa and the Middle East.

This is my christmas card for all of you. Merry Christmas!

-Hans

Picoides tridactilus

Sci: Picoides tridactilus,  No: Tretåspett,  Eng: Three-toed Woodpecker, It: Picchio tridattilo

Dear All,
The name of this bird is obvious! It is a woodpecker and it has three toes. However, it is easier to recognise the (male) bird by the yellow spot on the head than by counting toes! Since it has only one back toe, it uses the strong tail to support itself on the tree as seen in second photo.

The three-toed woodpecker is a siberian taiga bird, distributed over most of the taiga belt of Russia and into Fennoscandia. In Norway it is hardly ever seen west of the continental divide, so for us "Bergensere", it is exciting. This one was outside our cabin at Ustaoset sitting on our hammock-tree on November 3, 2013. It was spotted by Aurora!

There are many dead trees near our cabin. We have been doing some work to remove these old trees. The visit of this woodpecker shows that we should not do this job too well. It needs old dead trees to survive, and is threatened by modern forestry management practices where all the old trees are removed.

Best regards,
Hans