It is now...!

Our final day of ringing was a slight improvement on yesterday, but only just.  In all 114 new birds were ringed, with the 'bird of the day' award being taken early on by a stunning juvenile merlin, our second of the trip!

The day was also great for sightings starting with 2 capercaillie and a pair of common crane on the way to the ringing site.  During our ringing session a hawk owl perched on the police house giving brilliant views, before plunging towards one of our nets but narrowly avoiding being caught.  During the excitement a gyr falcon also flew over the compound giving brief views to those who could tear themselves away from the posing owl.  Added to this were several very vocal flypasts by black-throated divers and a pair of osprey fishing along the river.  Just as we were about to leave, a peregrine flew up the river before thermalling to a great height and rocketing away.  On our drive back to the campsite we found 6 black grouse having a dust-bath along the roadside and a great grey shrike perched on the telegraph wires.

27th August (114 new birds)
Merlin 1
Meadow pipit 44
White wagtail 1
Bluethroat 4
Redstart 2
Sedge warbler 1
Willow warbler 40
Reed bunting 21

Is it all over?

Another even slower day today has left us wondering whether migration is over already, or whether the birds we've been encountering are the local breeders and the true migrants are following the coastline to the north, which would also explain why last year at Nesseby we were still catching reasonable numbers of birds in to September.  Only time will tell, and be helped by our ringing.

The main highlight today was a new little bunting caught before one of the local school groups had departed, and allowed a good comparison with a reed bunting we had just caught.  With such a slow day we began packing up to lessen the work load on our final day of ringing tomorrow.  Back at the camp site we stuck up a couple of nets around a feeder and added a few tits to today's totals.

26th August (90 new birds)
Dunnock 1
Meadow pipit 26
Tree pipit 1
White wagtail 2
Bluethroat 2
Willow warbler 31
Great tit 13
Willow tit 1
Common redpoll 1
Brambling 1
Reed bunting 10
Little bunting 1

It's slowing down

Since peaking at nearly 400 birds a day, our totals have gradually declined, along with the temperature.  Things are definitely becoming more autumnal and as every day passes, more and more of the leaves are turning yellow, gold and brown.

The main highlights today included the first fieldfare of the trip, another two tree pipits and our 4th sedge warbler.  Back in the UK sedge warblers are a reasonably common and widespread breeding species in suitable habitat, but this far north local specialties like little bunting far out number them!

25th August (191 new birds)
Meadow pipit 73
Tree pipit 2
White wagtail 5
Bluethroat 7
Redstart 2
Fieldfare 1
Redwing 2
Sedge warbler 1
Willow warbler 59
Great tit 1
Willow tit 1
Common redpoll 1
Brambling 1
Reed bunting 35

Back to school

Today the ringing site was visited by two local school groups as part of the wider community and education element of the project.  Around 50 pupils got the chance to see several species up close and find out more about them, how and why we ring birds, and even have a go at releasing birds once our ringing team had processed them.  We were also treated to the sight of four moose crossing the river to Russia.  Below is a photo taken earlier in the week by Paul of a mother and calf crossing closer to our ringing base.

Otherwise today was similar to yesterday, with the exception of a short burst of sharp showers which reduced our catch whilst we suspended operations by closing down the nets.  Still, the team managed to catch 279 new birds, our lowest total for several days, partly due to a drop in the number of willow warblers caught.

To date, thanks to the work of both teams, the project has now caught and ringed over 3500 birds of 35 species.  With a few more days to go, we should pass 4000 birds before we return to the UK.

24th August (279 new birds)
Meadow pipit 136
Willow warbler 87
Bluethroat 13
Reed bunting 32
White wagtail 7
Redwing 2
Redstart 1
Great tit 1

A wader! We've caught a wader!

OK, so everyone knows that waders are great birds.  Our ringing site in previous years at Nesseby, on the north coast, has allowed us to catch many species of wader including little stint, dunlin and curlew sandpiper.  In 2015, the chance of catching waders is limited, so any species was at the very bottom of our 'likely species' list.

Whilst there is suitable breeding habitat along the valley, most waders have now departed for their wintering grounds.  That said, over the last few days we have noticed a couple of snipe being flushed from the marshy ground along the edge of the river, so with a little change of tactics we managed to catch a single bird.

Other than the addition of the snipe, activity seemed quite and only 286 new birds were ringed, mainly of our most frequently encountered species although a new siskin and 8 brambling were welcome additions.  A single chiffchaff was also caught, justifying the need to check every willow warbler, just in case as many of the adults birds we are encountering have not almost completely moulted and are much paler, whilst individuals of the subspecies acredula look very different again.

23rd August (286 new birds)
Chiffchaff 1
Great tit 4
Tree pipit 2
Willow tit 4
Siskin 1
Common redpoll 5
Redwing 3
Snipe 1
Brambling 8
Reed bunting 22
Redstart 2
Bluethroat 13
Meadow pipit 92
Willow warbler 128

The bunting shrikes back

Today saw 335 new birds caught and ringed at our site along the Pasvik Valley, with the first contender for 'bird of the day' arriving in the form of our third great grey shrike.  This third juvenile had been caught along the river nets as it was hunting the numerous willow warblers and other passerines migrating down the valley.

Then, with the title in its grasp, it was stolen by a stunning addition of a new species to the trip list, a lapland bunting!  The stonking juvenile had great fresh plumage and made a great birthday present for Paul on his first trip to Norway.  Some other great species included 4 little bunting

22nd August (335 new birds)
Siberian tit 2
Spotted flycatcher 1
White wagtail 2
Little bunting 4
Lapland bunting 1
Tree pipit 3
Willow tit 2
Great tit 3
Common redpoll 6
Brambling 3
Great grey shrike 1
Redstart 4
Song thrush 2
Willow warbler 177
Reed bunting 33
Meadow pipit 70

Added extras

The first birds of the day arrived early with at least 6 siberian tits feeding in the woodland edge around our accommodation at around 5am before we'd even left for the day's ringing.  A few nets may pop up around the camp this evening to target them and the many jays and owls that have been seen!

Once we'd set off, the morning was chilly with a patches of dense mist clouding the road as we drove to the ringing site at Nyrud Police Station from our weekend accommodation.  A male capercaillie was seen on the roadside and then, around the next bend in the road, three shapes loomed out of the mist.  MOOSE!  Three individuals of what looked like two adults and a well grown calf stopped in their tracks, looked briefly at the car and then made their way back in to the woodland, instantly melting away.

At the ringing site the morning started with a few busy rounds with numbers breaking the 200 mark within a few hours.  No surprises or new species today, but a new siberian tit was a nice addition, along with another 16 bluethroat and a tree pipit.  By lunchtime, rounds had reduced to just a handful of birds so we've made an early finish for an afternoon of well-earned R+R.  The return journey to our accommodation produced a willow grouse on the roadside, whilst the river valley was a bit busier today during our ringing session with an osprey, hen harrier, two whooper swans, a muskrat and several black-throated divers seen.  Some of the group also had another brilliant view of moose when a mother and calf crossed the river just a few hundred yards from the ringing station.  We'll upload the photo soon!

After our break this afternoon we'll back at it first thing tomorrow, hopefully for another big catch and preparing for a public open day on Sunday, and several visiting school groups on Monday and Tuesday.  Its going to be a busy week!

21st August (281 new birds)
Redwing 1
Siberian tit 1
Great tit 1
Common redpoll 2
Redstart 3
Willow tit 1
Tree pipit 1
Bluethroat 16
Reed bunting 25
Meadow pipit 38
Willow warbler 192

Team Two 'shrike' twice

BOOM!  Another great day passes in the Pasvik Valley with some great birds being caught.  Another gloriously sunny day resulted in 387 new birds being added to the totals for the project in 2015, with highlights including another great grey shrike, two more siberian jays, five little bunting, three siberian tits, two three-toed woodpeckers and our first rustic bunting of the year.  If that isn't a list to make your mouth water then we don't know what is!

Don't forget that you can experience all these great species and many many more thanks to the great work being undertaken by our friends, Tormod and Elin at Biotope.  Check out some of the area's highlights here.

Back to today, and it was a bizarrely slow start, something we've not been used to over the last few days.  Very few birds were moving first thing once the nets were open.  After the first few rounds we'd reached about 50 birds, much lower than the 150-200 we'd been getting.  As the morning turned to the afternoon we needed to sort out some logistics of accommodation, so the team split and begun moving base camp for the weekend to a new lake-side location.  No sooner had the first half of the team left and the nets were dripping with birds including a great double of two three-toed woodpeckers in the same net!  The young male and young female bring our total to three so far for the trip, with another week still to go!

On a day of many highlights and great species, the best was saved to the end in the form of a rustic bunting!  The stonking juvenile was great to see, with a fantastic rusty rump and flank pattern.  We hope to catch a few more in the coming days!

20th August (387 new birds)
Rustic bunting 1
Brambling 1
Three-toed woodpecker 2
Siskin 2
Great grey shrike 1
Tree pipit 1
Willow tit 3
Siberian tit 3
Reed bunting 15
Little bunting 5
Common redpoll 34
Redstart 10
Bluethroat 24
Meadow pipit 82
Willow warbler 203

For more pictures don't forget to check out one of our ringer's blog's.  Charlie's bird ringing blog can be found here.  You can also check out tweets from another of our ringers, Scott Petrek, here.

With our new accommodation arrangements we'll have limited internet access until Monday.  We'll try and update the blog as frequently as we can, but failing that come back on Monday for a bumper post, hopefully full of some great totals and species!

To be continued...? (updated post)

An evening attempt to catch wagtails ended with no birds being caught, but that was far outweighed by yet another great day in the Pasvik Valley.  In all, 360 new birds were caught including our first merlin, several siberian jay and a few red-throated pipit, including one stonking individual still with a hint of red on the throat.

The weather continues to be very un-Arctic like, with day temperatures reaching 25oC under clear blue, virtually cloudless skies.  Back in the UK we'd usually avoid strong sunlight as the birds can see the nets, but here in Norway they just keep on coming all morning, followed by a steady trickle through the afternoon.  We start each day in great anticipation as to the next star species...

19th August (360 new birds)
Pied flycatcher 1
Little bunting 1
Red-throated pipit 4
Redwing 3
Brambling 1
Great tit 2
Redstart 4
Siberian jay 3
Siberian tit 1
Sedge warbler 1
Song thrush 1
Yellow wagtail 1
Common redpoll 13
Merlin 1
Tree pipit 1
Lesser spotted woodpecker 1
Willow tit 2
Bluethroat 27
Reed bunting 30
Meadow pipit 80
Willow warbler 182

A hat-trick of newbies

What a day!  By the second round we were already fast approaching 150 new birds.  As usual, willow warblers made up the bulk of the catch, but from the rest of the day one thing was clear...  the meadow pipits are on the move!  In all, 95 were caught along with a few tree pipit and a single red-throated pipit.

As the morning progressed and the afternoon begun, we'd smashed the 200 mark and were well on our way to over 300 new birds, with numbers of willow warbler and meadow pipit continuing to climb ever higher.  Some nice additions came in the form of 4 new siberian tits, 2 brambling and a little bunting and a retrapped siberian jay from earlier in the first team's trip.  Also of interest were three very different yellow wagtails, with one bird possibly being from the thundergi subspecies, see photos below.

A change in approach from mid afternoon saw the very welcome addition of not one, not two but three new species for the team's work in Norway over the last four years in the form of spotted flycatcher, lesser spotted woodpecker and siskin.  Along with a few additions from Ferg's team before they departed, we came perilously close to ringing over 400 new birds.  Once again, what a day!


18th August (393 new birds)
Willow warbler 198
Lesser spotted woodpecker 1
Dunnock 1
Meadow pipit 95
Red-throated pipit 1
Tree pipit 2
Yellow wagtail 3
Spotted flycatcher 1
Bluethroat 19
Redstart 5
Redwing 1
Great tit 18
Willow tit 3
Siberian tit 4
Common redpoll 8
Brambling 2
Siskin 1
Reed bunting 29
Little bunting 1

The Pasvik Valley 2015 - Ferg's Team's final entry

Today saw the first team depart back for the UK, but before leaving Ferg's team wrote the following summary...

Continuing on from our now distant blog entry on the 8th, it's time for us to leave, but not before we fill in the gaping hole between then and now.

Sunday 9th
It rained! .... All day! We therefore decided a chill out day at camp, on the cabin verandas was called for.  Not much was seen but, as the weather cleared later, we were treated to on osprey fishing on the river and later, a waxwing calling as it flew over the camp site.

Monday 10th 
Much improved weather allowed us to get the nets open and catch some birds.  As it turned out, it was the best day's ringing for my team with 179 birds processed, including our star bird, a young hawk owl, caught in the woodland net.  The day proved to be very fruitful for what we consider to be Pasvik specialities, with the very first bird caught a siberian jay, 8 siberian tits and 2 little buntings also ringed.  Sightings included a black grouse seen on the way to the ringing site and one of several hawk owls that were seen during our time here.  We set one of the Hi-flier netting systems later in the evening, close to the camp site and bounced a short-eared owl in one of the stacked nets.

Tuesday 11th
A day of variable weather; squally showers and wind, curtailed ringing activities early on but not until 86 birds had been logged for our day total, including 5 new Little Buntings and a very young Robin!  Sightings included a Rough-legged Buzzard, 6 Siberian Jays at the camp site, a tit flock seen by Andy, contained 20 plus Siberian Tits and 10 plus Willow Tits.  Other sightings were a small flock of Crossbills, some House Martins and Sand Martins at the ringing base.

Later in the afternoon, the group went for a jaunt up to some nearby cabins next to a lake which tested our resolve due to thousands of marauding Mosquitos!  We didn't see much but the owner of the cabins told us that he had found a Great Grey Owls nest on the other side of the lake and that he regularly saw the adults flying around.  Mammal sightings included a possible Beaver or Muskrat, seen by Helen.  Earlier in the day, a Moose was seen swimming across the river from the Norwegian side over to the Russian mainland (one of 6 seen during our visit).

Wednesday 12th
Another miserable day greeted us as we looked out of our cabin windows but we ventured out and managed a paltry 25 birds towards the ringing totals.  The weather improved slightly in the afternoon so the group went to Svanvik to do some shopping and get petrol.  We ended up going for a long walk along some nature trails and we saw many migrants in the grounds of one of the nearby buildings - lots of Yellow and White Wagtails, several dozen Swallows and House Martins, lots of Redpolls, including a stonking juvenile Arctic, lots of House Sparrows and a few Tree Sparrows.  Other sightings included 3 Capercaillies seen on the roadside.

Thursday 13th
A better day weather-wise but very quiet on the bird front, only 69 birds added to our totals, including 7 new Yellow Wagtails - a species that has been migrating in substantial numbers since our arrival.  Interestingly, they behave differently here compared to the birds we see in the UK; it is very strange to see them foraging in the trees and mixing with the tit flocks as they move through the site.  Sightings included a White-tailed Eagle, 2 migrating Sparrowhawks, 2 Robins and a few scattered Little Buntings.

In the afternoon, we went to visit the Birk Husky camping site where they have a large feeder in the garden.  One of the staff members told us that a Pine Grosbeak was over-summering and was often seen feeding with the tits and siskins but we were unlucky his time.  Just up the road from here is a wilderness cabin owned by Birk Husky so we were compelled to visit as they too had a feeder that we hoped to find Pine Grosbeak. Again, we were unlucky but many birds were feeding including Siberian and Willow Tit, Mealy and Arctic Redpoll, Siskins and Greenfinch.  A Hawk Owl was seen and later on, a small flock of Bean Geese was watched flying over the river from Russia.  We enjoyed a superb meal, in the Viking long house, of reindeer burgers, pike cakes and crab pasta, followed by home -made ice cream with cloud berries.

Friday 14th 
Today was a much better day, 156 birds ringed of which 111 were Willow Warblers - the commonest species caught so far on this trip.  Sightings included 7 Capercaillies, an Osprey and a Black Woodpecker.
Later, we went off for a drive down some of the local tracks to look for bears as we had been told of several sightings in recent days.  Unfortunately, we didn't find any but it was interesting driving amongst the more remote parts of the taiga forest.  In the evening, we collected Colin's team from Kirkenes.  On the way back, we saw another Hawk Owl and a Short-eared Owl, the former, a lifer for at least one of Colin's team mates.

Saturday 15th 
We took Colin's team down to the ringing site and showed them round so they could familiarise themselves with the nets and and the ringing area.  By the afternoon, they were in full swing, adding more nets and boosting the ringing totals towards 200.  Sightings included another Capercaillie and our first Willow Grouse.
We took some time to explore the site whilst Colin's team got on with the ringing.  We found quite a lot of recent evidence of bear so we decided to set some trail cams.  We will leave them out until Tuesday morning so watch this space!

Sunday 16th
As Colin's team was now in full ringing mode, we decided to see some more of the local countryside and look for bears and birds.  We had no luck with the former but we we were treated to a brief view of a Gyr Falcon, 3 Rough-legged Buzzards and a family of Willow Grouse.  Helen and Tim found some recent evidence of Pine Marten and more bear scats.

Monday 17th
Our last full day and a home return for Cloe due to work commitments.  Today was the best day so far weather-wise - at least 27oC and wall to wall sunshine!  It was difficult to believe we are inside the arctic circle!  Sightings have included Black Grouse, 5 Whimbrel, a Short-eared Owl and a family party of Common Cranes.


So, that's it folks...  Another year over for the Wychavon Team.  It's been an incredible experience and we have seen so many new things and ringed some nice Pasvik birds.  Hopefully our efforts will continue to contribute to the growing knowledge of birds and wildlife within the Pasvik and the Varanger Peninsula.

A big thank you to Tormod and Elin for facilitating such an amazing trip and for making us so welcome, as they always do.  Thanks to Jonnie Fisk for providing much needed help with the ringing and entertaining us with his humour.  Finally, a huge thanks to Hanna for making us feel so welcome at Ovre Pasvik Camping - I'm sure we will see you again!

Fergus Henderson, John Hodson, Tim Dixon, Cloe Loo, Helen Stace and Jamie Dixon

Its not a number's game, but three is our favourite

Today was the first day that we've managed to break the 200 mark with 212 new birds ringed in the Pasvik Valley as part of this year's annual trip.

After another slow start, numbers quickly built to be pushing over 100 birds from a couple of rounds, with a steady stream of willow warblers topping the totals.  As the afternoon progressed and the temperature reached over 20oC, a bumper catch of redstarts appeared, followed by a few pipits and little buntings.  Then, Dave appeared through the gate with a grin on his face, always a good sign!  Although birdless, Dave knew what Paul was heading back to base camp with... a three-toed woodpecker!  The adult female was a great catch and only the group's second from four trips to the Arctic.

The late addition of two red-throated pipits was sadly not enough to steal the 'bird of the day' title.

17th August (212 new birds)
Willow warbler 158
Robin 2
Bluethroat 8
Reed bunting 15
Redwing 3
Three-toed woodpecker 1
Redstart 7
Little bunting 3
Siberian tit 2
Great tit 4
Pied flycatcher 1
Meadow pipit 1
Common redpoll 1
Tree pipit 2
Song thrush 1
Willow tit 2
Red-throated pipit 2

A sprinkling of quality

After a slow start, and a slow middle, our day ended with the addition of several very welcome additions helping to break up the willow warblers and reed buntings.  First to arrive was an unexpected tree pipit from the river nets, followed by two more and four meadow pipits allowing a great comparison and brushing up on ID features for red-throated pipits.  As the afternoon progressed, next to join in was an adult female redstart, followed later by an adult male.  Then, Dave arrived with news from the south, or at least birds from the 'ridge nets' in the form of two siberian tits.  The final addition came in the form of a great grey shrike, a welcome find considering we had watched at least two birds hunting on an island in the river, as well as 'bouncing' another individual earlier in the day.

What will tomorrow bring?

16th August (196 new birds)
Meadow pipit 4
Tree pipit 3
Robin 1
Bluethroat 4
Redstart 2
Sedge warbler 1
Willow warbler 134
Great tit 1
Willow tit 1
Siberian tit 2
Great grey shrike 1
Common redpoll 6
Arctic redpoll 1
Reed bunting 35

Team Two arrives...

Today's session saw an improvement in the weather, and with the arrival of Team Two we were able to deploy more nets.

15th August (195 new birds)
Bluethroat 7
Willow warbler 106
Reed bunting 21
Common redpoll 43
Arctic redpoll 6
Song thrush 1
Redstart 1
Great tit 4
Robin 2
Greenfinch 2
Pied flycatcher 1
Redwing 1

Back up and online

Thanks to the great hospitality of the Ovre Pasvik camping owners we've managed to get up and running again with internet access, so here is a quick update of the last few days' totals.

11th August (87 new birds)
Willow warbler 44
Little bunting 5
Great tit 5
Reed bunting 15
Sedge warbler 1
Redstart 5
Common redpoll 2
Bluethroat 1
Willow tit 3
Meadow pipit 4
Siberian tit 1
Robin 1

12th August (25 new birds)
Willow warbler 23
Reed bunting 2

13th August (69 new birds)
Willow warbler 46
Reed bunting 6
Common redpoll 5
Siberian tit 3
Great tit 1
Redwing 1
Yellow wagtail 7

14th August (156 new birds)
Willow warbler 111
Great tit 1
Reed bunting 23
Bluethroat 1
Redstart 2
Little bunting 1
Siberian tit 4
Common redpoll 6
Yellow wagtail 2
Brambling 2
White wagtail 2
Willow tit 1

Some of the sessions have been affected by the weather, hence the reduced totals.  Now we have internet access we hope to update with daily totals and a catch up on how we're getting on as well as a resume of the first group's experience before they head home in the next few days.

Encountering of the Siberian jay and tit

7th August 2015. Day 1

Leaving Kirkenes at at around 10pm, we headed south along the Pasvik Valley, towards our base at Ovre Pasvik campsite at Vaggatem. Birdlife was extremely elusive for the majority of the drive, but things improve as we approached Vaggatem, with sightings of Hawk Owl, Short-eared Owl and the star bird of the day, a Ural Owl, which flew along the road in front of the cars, before vanishing in to dense woodland. We finally arrived at base camp at around midnight and we're treated to further flight views of three Hawk Owl, being quite common this year in Norway, due to an explosion in the Vole population over the past couple of years.

8th August 2015. Day 2

Rising at 4am, we drove another 11 miles south to our ringing base at Nyrud, a police compound very close to the Russian boarder. The first couple of hours were spent exploring the area in search of suitable ringing sights. Once a flew net rides were located, three lines of nets were erected and catching commenced. Willow Warblers were calling all around us and soon began to drop into the nets. By mid afternoon, 66 birds had been trapped and ringed, comprising 11 species, the highlights being Siberian Jay, Siberian Tit and Little Bunting. Other birds observed in the area included Whinchat, Bluethroat, Red-throated and Black-throated Diver, Goosander and over 100 Yellow Wagtails moved through during the session, but only four individuals were ringed.

Ringing totals
Siberian Jay 1
Willow Warbler 37
Chiffchaff 3
Willow Tit 3
Great Tit 4
White Wagtail 1
Reed Bunting 9
Little Bunting 1
Siberian Tit 1
Yellow Wagtail 4
Redstart 2

Pioneering bird ringing project in Pasvik taiga 2015

A pioneering new Arctic Norway bird ringing project is on! For the first time we are doing an autumn migration ringing scheme in the Pasvik Valley in south Varanger. We expect this to be a major migration route for birds breeding in eastern Finnmark and nearby Russian regions. Pasvik is the northeasternmost part of Norway. In fact it is further east then Istanbul. Pasvik is a sparsely populated and a the westernmost  part of the vast northern taiga forest. 

We have for the past 3 years been running an autumn bird ringing project in Nesseby, Varanger. This year we decided to expand the project and research new areas. We are very thankful for all the help and contributions from our partners. In particular we would like to mention the Øvre PAsvik Natioanl Park board, with Rolf Kollstrøm for local fixing and contributions to the project. Also Bjørn at the local one man police station deserves our gratitude for letting us use the police station area for at Nyrud as a base for this project.  Contributions from Stavanger Museum,  Bess Jahres fund and the Finnmark county environment department makes this years ringing scheme possible. Big thanks!  We have organised this years ringing scheme as previous years in Nesseby, with two groups of birders and bird ringers from UK. The Brewood Ringers and Wychavon Rigning Group, led by Fergus Henderson and Colin McShane.

Follow this blog to stay up to date with the findings of this pioneering project! 

Best wishes from 

Tormod Amundsen, Elin Taranger, Jonnie Fisk, Fergus Henderson, John Hodson, Andy Warr,  Cloe Loo, Tim Dixon, Helen and Jamie Dixon