The final curtain is red one

So already we've reached the end of our trip here to Nesseby, and what a final day its ended up being.  The weather allowed us our 'usual' 3am start and other than a bit of a strong breeze, all looked good.  Sadly the birds were reluctant to get going this morning so our nets were notably quiet until the temperature rose a few more degrees.  During the first quiet few hours it was very much quality over quantity with a notable increase in the number of Reed Bunting being caught.  Another bunting species also increased, the Lapland Bunting are moving!  In all four birds were caught, more than doubling our total for the rest of the week before today.

Lapland Bunting

Along with the Lapland Bunting were two Red-throated Pipits, including one unquestionable bird with the classic field guide plumage.  One of the final birds before the nets got very busy was a stunning juvenile male Merlin.  Then began the busy period with Redpoll making up the bulk of the catch yet again with 450 new birds caught today, again with few retraps.  This now brings our trip total for Redpoll to an insane 1,744 birds.  We're in touch with the Norwegian Ringing Scheme to see if this is a record.  The scheme also has a very useful website showing the recoveries of many species ringed in Norway and found across the country and the rest of the world.  Check out the online maps here - http://must.ringmerking.no/

Red-throated Pipit

We also had more success with our homemade walk in trap during the high tide, although unfortunately the high tide wasn't as high as expected and allowed birds to filter past the trap entrance.  Despite this we still managed to add a new species for the trip, a juvenile Ringed Plover along with five Dunlin.

Ringed Plover

So our trip is now over and aside from packing at getting to the airport tomorrow morning, we have little to do but update the blogs and reflect on a great week.  The curtain has closed, and with so many Redpoll and a brilliant Red-throated Pipit, the curtain is a red one...

When we're back in the UK we'll post a final blog for our trip with a round up of all the cumulative species totals for the trip, but as a sneak preview we can reveal that we have finished the week on exactly 3,300 new birds!  But don't forget that another team will be back in Arctic Norway in September, further south at our 2015 trip location of Pasvik in the Ovre Pasvik National Park at Nyrud.  They'll be updating the blog as internet access allows, so check back later in the year to see how they're doing too.


Total (New Birds): Sunday 14th August 2016
Dunlin 5
Ringed Plover 1
Merlin 1
Fieldfare 2
Greenfinch 3
Great Tit 1
Redwing 1
Sedge Warbler 1
Garden Warbler 1
Lapland Bunting 4
Red-throated Pipit 2
Reed Bunting 20
Brambling 8
Bluethroat 20
Willow Warbler 29
Meadow Pipit 80
Redpoll 450
Total 629

A. flammea-ing good day

Despite another rain delayed start its been a great day here in Nesseby, if a tad windy and cold at times.  Early on it was clear we were on for another Redpoll day.  Formerly of the Carduelis genus, the three Redpoll species that we are familiar with in the UK have now been moved back into the genus Acanthis: Common Redpoll Acanthis flammea, Lesser Redpoll Acanthis carbaret and Arctic Redpoll Acanthis hornemanni.

Whether you are in the camp that acknowledges the three species or you're more for the 'one Redpoll to rule them all' approach, today it didn't matter as they came in the droves.  Our day ended on an incredible 491 new birds.  Yes, new birds!  In all very few retraps were caught so these birds are clearly moving through the area in big numbers and have a great breeding season.  A quick look online and Redpoll ringed in Norway have been found in Germany, Czech Republic, Estonia and the UK, so these birds really could turn up anywhere!

Redpoll

In amongst the Redpoll was a single Arctic, attempting to hide with his newly named Acanthis  friends.  Otherwise there was a distinct lack of larger passerines with only 96 other birds caught including another 12 Bluethroat and 23 Meadow Pipit.  A small flock of 7 Fieldfare added some extra interest to the session along with another two retraps from previous year's trips; another Redwing from 2012 ringed as a juvenile and another Willow Tit also ringed as a juvenile on our 2013 trip to Nesseby.  In other news, the great Dunnock migration continues with another three birds caught today!

Redwing

With catching so many passerines we've always seemingly run out of time to have a real go at catching the waders on the high tide.  The tide here is awkward, first inundating the mudflats in a few minutes until reaching nearly to the tide line, after which is takes another hour or two to reach its highest point.  Today we deployed our homemade walk in trap above the tide line and with patience the birds were queuing up to get in.  Sadly our catch was reduced by the return of a Merlin to the shoreline, spooking off the waiting flock before they could enter the trap.  Before this however we'd managed to catch 8 Dunlin, all juveniles, which made for a very welcome addition to the bumper crop of Redpolls.

Dunlin

 Tomorrow is our final day for catching - how time flies!  Currently the weather is looking great so we'll see what 3am brings.

Totals (New Birds): Saturday 13th August 2016
Dunlin 8
Bluethroat 12
Meadow Pipit 23
Arctic Redpoll 1
Sedge Warbler 1
Redwing 4
Fieldfare 7
Willow Warbler 15
Dunnock 3
House Sparrow 2
Reed Bunting 7
Brambling 10
Greenfinch 2
Great Tit 1
Redpoll 491
Total 587

It's a wash out

Doesn't the title say it all?  With rain overnight not clearing until 7am followed by strong winds and more rain from lunchtime for the rest of the day, today has by far been the worst of our trip.  In the period of dry weather some of our more sheltered net sites managed a respectable 88 new birds including another 21 Bluethroat and 33 Redpoll.

Whilst having breakfast and getting ready this morning the local gardens were full of Fieldfare and a few Redwing, so our hopes were raised for another good thrush day following on from yesterdays bumper catch.  Sadly the ringing site just half a mile of less away from our accommodation (as the Hooded Crow would fly at least) was a very different scenario.  I don't think I actually saw a thrush whilst we were on site.  Generally bird seemed thin on the ground.  Usually whilst ringing we can see birds moving through the vegetation around us but today the was a distinct lack of movement.  Even the Merlin didn't put in an appearance.

Rather than sit around the house for the day we headed out to see some of the local sights including the Samiske Museum at Varangerbotn.  For a visitor attraction in what can seem like the middle of nowhere, the exhibits were a fantastic quality worthy of a place in the British Natural History Museum.  If you're ever up this way it is worth calling in to see for yourself - http://www.varjjat.org/

A traditional boat in the Museum crossing a 'lake'

On the 'lake' some typical wildfowl including King, Common and Steller's Eiders

Tomorrow is looking like another wet start so we're probably going to have a later start.  Hopefully the birds will join us.  We also plan to have our biggest attempt for catching waders this trip, so fingers are once again crossed!

Totals (New Birds): Friday 12th August 2016

Meadow Pipit 11

Willow Warbler 7

Brambling 7

Bluethroat 21

Reed Bunting 5

Redpoll 33

House Sparrow 1

Sedge Warbler 1

Great Tit 1

Greenfinch 1

Total 88

What a difference a day makes!

As 3am came and we started our day, clouds peppered a blue sky and there wasn't a breath of wind to be found.  Almost perfect ringing conditions, and we certainly made the most of it.  Having managed to catch a surprising 172 new birds yesterday despite the weather, we were perhaps caught a little off guard when the nets began to fill from the word go, and the birds just kept coming!  Rain and wind did eventually call a halt to proceedings, but not before we'd racked up an astonishing 751 new birds!

Redpoll made up more than half of our catch today with flocks seemingly passing through the reserve and being caught on their way.  Compared to the number of birds caught, the number of same day retraps for the species was relatively low.  Unlike the species commonly seen in the UK, the Lesser Redpoll, the birds we are catching are the Common Redpoll, sometimes called the Mealy Redpoll.  As mentioned on Sunday's blog, the taxonomy of the species group is debated but we currently treat them as different species.  Common Redpoll are found right across the Northern Hemisphere, but the birds we're catching here in Norway will head south as the winter sets in so we hope to get some interesting recoveries from the birds we've ringed this year, and in previous trips, to find out exactly where they go.

Common Redpoll (number 387 ringed today)

It has been a day when its been very easy to be blinded by the sheer numbers, collectively and amongst the individual species.  Meadow Pipit topped the 100 mark for the first time with 139 caught, clearly a movement of the species through the area.  Also impressive were 23 Fieldfare, of which 17 were caught in a single area at the same time, presumably a flock also moving through the area.

But in amongst the numbers lay some new species, and some very nice ones to say the least.  A Red-throated Pipit tried to hide amongst the Meadow Pipits.  Careful checking of the juvenile including biometrics and wing formula confirmed the ID of the less than classic looking individual, although some pink wash could be seen on the throat.  Also new for the trip were a Yellow Wagtail, Chiffchaff and a Willow Tit, the great looking white-washed birds found here in the north.  As for the Chiffchaff, although we check all our Willow Warblers just in case, we have been catching some small juveniles so this find was thanks to the eagle eyes of Charlie.  His blog features lots of additional photos and commentary of the day's activities.  Check it out here - http://birdringers.blogspot.no/

Also trying to hide in amongst more common species was a lovely Lapland Bunting, no doubt pretending to be a Reed Bunting.  Another few Sedge Warblers were a welcome addition, along with another three Dunnock.  Still seems strange to say that these are migrating!

Red-throated Pipit

 

Willow Tit

Lapland Bunting

Currently the weather forecast is giving overnight rain, clearing for when we get started and not returning until early afternoon so we're hopefully that any birds moving tonight will drop in to the reserve and be waiting for us in the morning.  Fingers crossed, but surely we can't top our new Arctic Norway trips day record of 751 new birds?  We'll find out in the morning...


Totals (New Birds): Thursday 11th August 2016
Reed Bunting 28
Meadow Pipit 139
Bluethroat 43
Redpoll 387
Brambling 31
Willow Warbler 77
Fieldfare 23
Redwing 5
Sedge Warbler 3
Great Tit 5
Lapland Bunting 1
Chiffchaff 1
Greenfinch 1
Red-throated Pipit 1
Dunnock 3
Yellow Wagtail 1
Wheatear 1
Willow Tit 1
Total 751

Raptors steal the show

Well for once the weather forecasts were reasonably accurate with rain delaying our start until 7am.  Unfortunately the wind refused to drop so it was a difficult session with birds thin on the ground.  Despite the conditions we still managed to catch a respectable 172 new birds, including this fantastic Merlin.

Merlin

Having escaped the twice already this morning, the bird was eventually caught on her third attempt, much to our appreciation.  We've seen at least four birds hunting around the reserve it was an absolute privilege to see this individual up close.  Our normal ringing activities saw a shift in the species composition once again, although the number of Redpoll remained high.  There was a notable lack of Reed Bunting in today's catch having averaged 30 birds a day since we started.  We caught just seven today, perhaps the wind has kept them low and avoiding or nets.

Along with new birds being caught, we also occasionally re-catch birds that we have ringed on this trip.  Its interesting to see how long some of the migrants are staying around in the area but we've also recaught two birds from previous trips to Nesseby.  Thanks to Alf Tore at the Norweigan Ringing Scheme we've now got all the data from our trips since 2012 so we can check back to find out more about these birds.

	Redwing 8C06706 Ringed: 12th August 2012 Age when ringed: Adult (Age Code 4) Recaught: 9th August 2016 We know that this bird is now at least five years old and presumably a local breeder.
The oldest known Redwing was 11 years, 10 months, 7 days so this bird has still got a way to go, although as it was ringed as an adult it may already have been a few years old when first caught.  Redwing from Scandinavia arrive in the UK in Autumn but will continue south and west into Ireland or mainland Europe if the weather is particularly harsh.  Studies have shown that Scandinavian birds can also be quite nomadic, with individuals taking different migration routes in different years, when leaving their breeding areas. A bird that wintered in the UK may have been in Portugal, Greece, or even Iran the previous year!
	White Wagtail EJ41004 Caught: 23rd August 2014 Age when ringed: Juvenile (Age code 3) Recaught: 9th August 2016 We know that this bird is now two years old.
Although White Wagtails do occur in the UK, the vast majority of bird are the subspecies and more familiar Pied Wagtail.  The oldest known bird of this UK subspecies was 11 years, 3 months, 21 days old, so its reasonable to assume a White Wagtail could reach the same ripe old age.  White Wagtail breed across Europe and Asia with populations wintering in southern Asia and Africa.

Although the ringing activity was reasonably quiet, the mudflats continued to be hive of activity.  An Arctic Skua made a very low fly past of our ringing station, thousands of waders were busy feeding, but it was the raptors that stole the show.  Today's Merlin activity was mainly concentrated around the marshy areas and in the associated scrub, hence the bird being caught as this is where our nets are.  Previously we've seen the bird in the scrub and over the mudflats but perhaps they were a little put off hunting waders with a Peregrine around.  An adult female came hurtling past at full speed on the hunt but failed to catch and was complimented by regular fly overs of at least three White-tailed Eagles, all followed by several gulls constantly mobbing them.  Sometimes it must be really annoying to be a White-tailed Eagle.

White-tailed Eagle (Photo Credit: Dr Colin Hewitt)

The wader flocks showed well but continued to be a little on edge with the number of predators around.  A Mink was also seen hunting along the tide line and seawall rocks - a not so welcome sight.  The wind left it impossible to catch waders, so fingers crossed for improved fortunes on that front in the coming days.  After high tide several jellyfish were stranded on the mudflats including this colourful individual with purple stripes.

Jellyfish (species unknown)

Totals (New Birds): Wednesday 10th August 2016
Bluethroat 35
Reed Bunting 7
Meadow Pipit 30
Redpoll 74
Willow Warbler 14
Brambling 9
Great Tit 1
Merlin 1
Redwing 1
Total 172

They've all falcon'ed off

What a turn around!  From the struggle with the weather yesterday, the forecast of dry weather and warmer temperatures came true and as soon as we opened the nets it was clear it could be a big day.  Starting at 3:30am we'd surpassed 250 birds by 6am.  Thankfully the activity began to subside allowing us time to catch up and enjoy a well earned and much appreciated cup of tea courtesy of our visitors Frank & Petra and Lee & Bernadette.

Redpoll continued to come in thick and fast with the day total eventually coming to an impressive 147, our biggest catch for this species so far.  Bluethroat numbers were up again with 42 caught whilst the notable absence of Meadow Pipit yesterday was rectified with 89 caught today.  A single Sedge Warbler was only our sixth of the trip but a reminder that this species breeds much further north than people realise.  A single Pied Flycatcher also added some extra interest.

We also managed to add two new species to the tally, one in the form of a beautiful Wheatear.  Having seen several birds flitting along the tide line over the last few days it was a nice surprise to find this adult female in the net.  Our second new species was a Dunnock, not a particularly notable species back home but this far north this bird is also one of the migrants heading south before the winter sets in.

Wheatear

The waders on the mudflats were very restless today, with large groups almost continually flying back and forth, but then why wouldn't you try and get away when up to four Merlin are busy hunting you!  The birds were keeping the wader flocks busy and away from our nets.  Having seen the bird patrolling the reserve, taking small passerines and even a vole from the tide line we were treated to an incredible view of an adult female catching a Meadow Pipit before perching on a rock next to the access track to pluck and eat her meal.  Fortunately we were in the car ready to leave site, so the car made an excellent hide and allowed up to get to within 10ft of the bird.  She wasn't in the slightest bit bothered by our presence and continue to feed and eat the entire kill before going on the hunt again.  A stunning bird to see so close.  Take a look at the video below or see more photos on Charlie Sargent's blog here - http://birdringers.blogspot.no/

At present the forecast for tomorrow is for rain until 8am, so our day may well be delayed.  If so we'll head out for some sightseeing and some birding until the weather clears and we can get catching again.

Totals (New Birds): Tuesday 9th August 2016

Reed Bunting 49

Bluethroat 42

Meadow Pipit 89

Willow Warbler 79

Redpoll 147

Brambling 9

Sedge Warbler 1

Fieldfare 8

Redwing 10

Greenfinch 5

Great Tit 6

Redstart 1

Arctic Redpoll 1

Pied Flycatcher 1

White Wagtail 1

Dunnock 1

Wheatear 1

Total 451

Blame it on the weather men

Today has been an testing day with the weather, with no forecasting service seemingly able to get anything near accurate for what actually occurs, so maybe we can't blame it on the weatherman.  Perhaps the topography of the Varangerfjord around Nesseby complicates things.  A combination of strong winds and drizzle turning in to heavy rain has greatly reduced our catching efforts today.  Its only day three and already the lack of sleep, long days and almost constant daylight make it feel as though we've been here for over a week, but at least the birds are great.  As well as the species caught in the nets, Hooded Crows, Arctic Skuas and Merlin are seen regularly throughout the day.

Despite the challenges we still managed a respectable 112 new birds.  During a short dry period we had a test run with a wader catching attempt resulting in two Dunlin being caught along with several Meadow Pipit and Bluethroat that were also feeding along the tide line.  For the latter species it proved to be another productive day with 32 new birds caught.  Many of the birds we are catching are juveniles, some of which almost look as though they've not long left the nest!  We're still catching a few adults, including a few stunning adult males with their full blue throat feathers that look even more vibrant up here in the north.  The same goes for some of the adult Redpoll too.  On the flip side to the Bluethroats increasing, today saw a notable lack of Meadow Pipit despite the same level of effort to catch them as our previous two days which saw a total of 68 birds caught.  By comparison, today we caught just four.

Bluethroat

Out on the mudflat, thousands of waders continue to feed busily with a mixture of Dunlin, Ruff, Redshank, Little Stint, Curlew Sandpiper and Oystercatcher all present.  Venture out on to the mudflats and the evidence of their feeding is obvious as the surface is littered with prints.  Harder to find is the evidence of the Merlin that is making the most of the all you can eat buffet, at least once they've caught a bird!

Nesseby Church

Dunlin

Wader prints in the mud

Tomorrow's weather is looking much better with most of the day being dry and pleasantly warm at around 20oC.  Hopefully today's weather will have held up a few birds for us tomorrow.



Totals (New Birds): Monday 8th August 2016
Reed Bunting 17
Bluethroat 32
Meadow Pipit 4
Willow Warbler 19
Redpoll 19
Brambling 8
Fieldfare 2
Greenfinch 1
Great Tit 3
House Sparrow 3
Dunlin 2
White Wagtail 2
Total 112

Reds take poll position

I'd say dawn was breaking as we rose at 3am, but I'd be lying as it doesn't really get dark this far north.  We were on site and ready to ring by 4am with birds arriving steadily in the nets from the word go and it was soon apparent it was going to be a Redpoll day, as well as one where we'd need to watch the weather.  Eventually we ran two sessions during the drier parts of the day.

Our morning session ended with 268 new birds including a whopping 97 Common Redpoll, increasing to 128 new birds by the end of the day from our afternoon session.  Amongst the expected collection of juveniles were a few strikingly red adult males (photo below).  Also in the haul of these Carduelis species were two Arctic Redpoll.  The taxonomy of Redpoll is a complex and divides opinion with the British Ornithologists Union (BOU) currently recognising several species whilst across the pond in North America there is a push for a single species.  Read more about the opinions here - http://www.audubon.org/news/one-redpoll-rule-them-all

Common Redpoll

Despite the shorter sessions to dodge the weather, we managed to add six new species to the trip; Great Tit, Pied Flycatcher, Arctic Redpoll, Redstart, House Sparrow and Lapland Bunting.

Lapland Bunting (aka Lapland Longspur)

Out on the mudflats the number of waders seemed to have grown further with large flocks flitting across the water as the tide rose and fell.  A pair of Arctic Skuas were seen several times throughout the day including when they pursued an adult White-tailed Eagle across the Varangerfjord joined later by a few gulls.  Since arriving we've seen a Merlin hunting the passerines on the nature reserve, and today we watching with baited breath as it head towards nets before using its great agility to swerve right and off in the wrong direction.  Surely its only a matter of time until it finds a net to stop in.

The Varangerfjord is a great place for birds throughout the year; from the wintering gulls and sea-ducks such as Steller's Eider and Long-tailed Duck to the passage of wading birds and the local speciality breeders including Little Bunting and Siberian Tit.  The best birding sites are detailed in the great book Birding Varanger available from our friends at Biotope here - https://biotope.myshopify.com/

Totals (New Birds): Sunday 7th August 2016
Reed Bunting 28
Bluethroat 21
Meadow Pipit 26
Willow Warbler 64
Redpoll 128
Brambling 22
Sedge Warbler 4
Fieldfare 11
Redwing 10
Greenfinch 4
Great Tit 5
Redstart 4
Arctic Redpoll 2
Lapland Bunting 1
House Sparrow 1
Pied Flycatcher 1
Total 332

Swede like some more of that please...

So, we're finally here!  A team of five is back at Nesseby for the first time since 2014 having made the trip to ring at Pasvik further south last year.

After a long day travelling and a delayed flight, this morning began at a very leisurely 8.00am with the item on the agenda being to check the equipment which was delivered by the team at Biotope, as ever our thanks for this! Nets, poles, guys, table, chairs and the all important rings present and correct.  Once loaded into our rather snazzy VW Passat (a super posh model) we headed for the ringing site using the expert driving skills of Dr Colin.  Then came the real work, cutting the 16 new rides and then erecting the nets.  With all the work needed for setting the site up it was 11.45am before we were ready to start catching birds.

The late start would usually count against us but we still managed a respectable 206 new birds of 11 species.  A breakdown can be seen below.  Another noticeable occurrence on our arrival to the ringing site at Nesseby Nature Reserve was the large number of waders feeding along the high tide.  The several hundred birds were made up of a great mix of Dunlin, Ruff, Little Stint, Curlew Sandpiper, Redshank, Oystercatcher and Ringed Plover all of which showed very well down to just a few feet (see the video below).

A few Whimbrel could be seen further out into the Varangerfjord and several Snipe flew between the marshy areas.  Waders certainly don't appear to be in short supply here and as our time progresses we'll test various methods to catch these fantastic birds.  If more even more enjoyment was needed on the wader-front, a small pool behind the church yielded three Red-necked Phalaropes busily feeding and showing very well.  Cracking birds that are getting ready for their migration south to the Arabian Sea or the Persian Gulf.

Despite all this wader action, star of the show was a foreign control, a stunning male Brambling from Sweden.  The bird, wearing a Stokholm Museum ring is our first ever foreign control for the project!  We've had 'our' birds turn up in France, Belgium and even Lithuania but never have we found caught a bird from another country.  We wait to hear from the ringing scheme over the border for more details of this bird.

Brambling (Swedish control

The weather forecasts seems to be a little unpredictable but currently tomorrow is looking like a wet one from 9am onwards, although with a 3am start beckoning we should still get a few hours in.

Don't forget that you can get a more indepth look at some of our daily highlights and more photographs on Charlie Sargent's bird ringing blog here - http://birdringers.blogspot.no/


Totals (New Birds): Saturday 6th August 2016
Reed Bunting 30
Bluethroat 58
Meadow Pipit 42
Willow Warbler 34
Redpoll 15
Brambling 6
Sedge Warbler 1
Fieldfare 9
Whinchat 1
Redwing 7
Greenfinch 3
Total 206

The next Varanger adventure

This Friday 5th August five of us will be flying out from Manchester for the first leg of our long journey to Arctic Norway. We will be bird ringing on our site at Nesseby on the North bank of the Varanger Fjord for 10 days. The team of 5 this year are Dave, big Col (little Col could not make it), Charlie and two virgins Scott and Paul who have ringed in the Pasvik Valley bordering Russia last year but never at Nesseby. The makings of an excellent experienced team.

The whole purpose of our expeditions is to help our sponsor Tormod Amundsen of http://www.biotope.no promote Varanger as a birding destination. Without his help and generosity this project would never have got off the ground.

In previous years we have caught small numbers of waders and our Norwegian friends have always intimated an earlier visit to Varanger would be beneficial because our normal visit times sees the start of wader migration and the number of birds start to reduce very quickly. The unknown quantity for us is we might be a little early for the start of migration of breeding passerines, in past years we have timed it perfectly and 350 birds in one day was not unusual.

The team this year as mentioned above is the motley crew pictured below. We would love to see anyone who is in the area for a chat as to what we do and why. Our ringing site is just near Nesseby church.

Dave Clifton

Paul Ashworth

Charlie Sargent

Colin Hewitt

Scott Petrik

As in all ringing situations the weather conditions play a big part.Too much rain and wind often means we cannot ring at all. The weather forecast for our visit at the moment is looking good so fingers crossed and if you are in the area we hope to see you on the banks of the Varangur Fjord at Nesseby.

Further information is also available at: 

http://birdringers.blogspot.co.uk/2016/08/varanger-arctic-norway_2.html