BRUSHANE

Patricia Maria Thorbergsen May 14, 2023

The ruff (Calidris pugnax) is a medium-sized wading bird that breeds in marshes and wet meadows across northern Eurasia. The male is much larger than the female (the reeve), and has a breeding plumage that includes brightly coloured head tufts, bare orange facial skin, extensive black on the breast, and the large collar of ornamental feathers that inspired this bird's English name. The female and the non-breeding male have grey-brown upperparts and mainly white underparts. Three differently plumaged types of male, including a rare form that mimics the female, use a variety of strategies to obtain mating opportunities at a lek, and the colourful head and neck feathers are erected as part of the elaborate main courting display.

Text & more info :WIKIPEDIA

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Previous post : May 23rd, 2018, May 24th, 2020

THE LEUCISTIC BARNACLE GOOSE/BRANTA LEUCOPSIS/HVITKINNGÅS

Patricia Maria Thorbergsen May 14, 2023

Individual white barnacle geese have been occasionally visiting northern of Norway with the flocks for years now. They are characterised by pale feathers, but are not true albinos, as they have black eyes, beaks and legs.

These peculiar birds are the result of a genetic hiccup, called leucism. The standard black, grey and white gene is dominant in barnacle geese. An abnormality results in the white (or leucistic) gene which is double recessive. Of the three distinct breeding populations, we think that it’s only the Svalbard population that has ever thrown up this morph.

The barnacle goose is a medium-sized goose, 55–70 cm (22–28 in) long, with a wingspan of 130–145 cm (51–57 in) and a body mass of 1.21–2.23 kg (2.7–4.9 lb). It has a white face and black head, neck, and upper breast. Its belly is white. The wings and its back are silver-gray with black-and-white bars that look like they are shining when the light reflects on it. During flight, a V-shaped white rump patch and the silver-gray underwing linings are visible.

Barnacle geese breed mainly on the Arctic islands of the North Atlantic. There are three main populations, with separate breeding and wintering ranges - from west to east:

Breeding in eastern Greenland, wintering on the Hebrides of western Scotland and in western Ireland, population about 40,000
Breeding in southeast and northwest Iceland, population about 1000
Breeding on Svalbard, Norway, wintering on the Solway Firth on the England/Scotland border, population about 24,000
Breeding on Novaya Zemlya, Russia, wintering in the Netherlands, population about 130,000
A recent population, derived from the Novaya Zemlya population, has become established since 1975 breeding on the islands and coasts of the Baltic Sea (Estonia, Finland, Denmark, and Sweden), and wintering in the Netherlands and Germany. Its population numbers about 8,000.

To request such permission or for further enquires, please contact: patty@thorbergsen.com

Previous post : May 15th, 2022

COMMON CRANE / GRUS GRUS / TRANE

Patricia Maria Thorbergsen May 14, 2023

The common crane breeds in Europe and across the Palearctic to Siberia. By far the largest breeding populations can be found in Russia, Finland and Sweden. It is a rare breeder in southern and western Europe, with larger numbers breeding in the central and eastern parts of the continent.

The common crane is a large, stately bird and a medium-sized crane. It is 100–130 cm (39–51 in) long with a 180–240 cm (71–94 in) wingspan. The body weight can range from 3 to 6.1 kg (6.6 to 13.4 lb), with the nominate subspecies averaging around 5.4 kg (12 lb) and the eastern subspecies (G. g. lilfordi) averaging 4.6 kg (10 lb). Among standard measurements, the wing chord is 50.7–60.8 cm (20.0–23.9 in) long, the tarsus is 20.1–25.2 cm (7.9–9.9 in) and the exposed culmen is 9.5–11.6 cm (3.7–4.6 in).

Males are slightly heavier and larger than females, with weight showing the largest sexual size dimorphism, followed by wing, central toe, and head length in adults and juveniles.

This species is slate-grey overall. The forehead and lores are blackish with a bare red crown and a white streak extending from behind the eyes to the upper back. The overall colour is darkest on the back and rump and palest on the breast and wings. The primaries, the tips of secondaries, the alula, the tip of the tail, and the edges of upper tail coverts are all black and the greater coverts droop into explosive plumes.

The juvenile has yellowish-brown tips to its body feathers and lacks the drooping wing feathers and the bright neck pattern of the adult, and has a fully feathered crown. Every two years, before migration, the adult common crane undergoes a complete moult, remaining flightless for six weeks, until the new feathers grow.

It has a loud trumpeting call, given in flight and display. The call is piercing and can be heard from a considerable distance. It has a dancing display, leaping with wings uplifted, described in detail below.

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Text & more information : WIKIPEDIA

COMMON CRANE / GRUS GRUS / TRANE - May 14th, 2023

REDSHANK / TRINGA TOTANUS / RØDSTILK

Patricia Maria Thorbergsen May 29, 2022

The common redshank or simply redshank (Tringa totanus) is a Eurasian wader in the large family Scolopacidae. Common redshanks in breeding plumage are a marbled brown color, slightly lighter below. In winter plumage they become somewhat lighter-toned and less patterned, being rather plain greyish-brown above and whitish below. They have red legs and a black-tipped red bill, and show white up the back and on the wings in flight.

BirdLife Norway wants to focus on the redshank, and has therefore named it the Bird of the Year in 2022.

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BLACK-THROATED LOON / GAVIA ARCTICA / STORLOM

Patricia Maria Thorbergsen May 29, 2022

The black-throated loon (Gavia arctica), also known as the Arctic loon and the black-throated diver, is a migratory aquatic bird found in the northern hemisphere, primarily breeding in freshwater lakes in northern Europe and Asia.

The black-throated loon measures about 70 cm (28 in) in length and can weigh anywhere from 1.3 to 3.4 kilograms (2.9 to 7.5 lb). The adult black-throated loon is 58 to 73 cm (23 to 29 in) in length with a 100 to 130 cm (39 to 51 in) wingspan and a weight of 1.3 to 3.4 kilograms (2.9 to 7.5 lb).

In breeding plumage, the adult of the nominate subspecies has mostly black upperparts, with the exception of some of the mantle and scapulars, which have white squares. The head and hindneck are grey, and the sides white and striped black. Most of the throat is also black, giving this bird the name "black-throated loon".

More about Black-throated loon, click here

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TETRAO TETRIX / BLACK GROUSE / ORRFUGL

Patricia Maria Thorbergsen May 26, 2022

The black grouse is a large game bird in the grouse family. The female is greyish-brown and has a cackling call. She takes all responsibility for nesting and caring for the chicks.

The black grouse is a large bird with males being around 53 centimetres long and weighing 1,000–1,450 g and females approximately 40 cm and weighing 750–1,110 g. The cock is very distinctive, with black plumage, apart from red wattles and a white wingbar, and a lyre-shaped tail, which appears forked in flight.

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BABY REINDEER AT TJELDØYA

Patricia Maria Thorbergsen May 26, 2022

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EURASIAN OYSTERCACTHER / HAEMATOPUS OSTRALEGUS / TJELD

Patricia Maria Thorbergsen May 16, 2022

The Eurasian oystercatcher (Haematopus ostralegus) also known as the common pied oystercatcher, or palaearctic oystercatcher or (in Europe) just oystercatcher, is a wader in the oystercatcher bird family Haematopodidae.

Oystercatcher is the national bird of the Faroe Islands.

The oystercatcher is one of the largest waders in the region. It is 40–45 cm (16–18 in) long, the bill accounting for 8–9 cm (3–3+1⁄2 in), and has a wingspan of 80–85 cm (31–33 in). They are obvious and noisy plover-like birds, with black and white plumage, red legs and strong broad red bills used for smashing or prising open molluscssuch as mussels or for finding earthworms. Despite its name, oysters do not form a large part of its diet. The bird still lives up to its name, as few if any other wading birds are capable of opening oysters at all.

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BARNACLE GOOSE/BRANTA LEUCOPSIS/HVITKINNGÅS

Patricia Maria Thorbergsen May 15, 2022

The barnacle goose (Branta leucopsis) is a species of goose that belongs to the genus Branta of black geese, which contains species with largely black plumage, distinguishing them from the grey Anser species.

Barnacle geese breed mainly on the Arctic islands of the North Atlantic. There are three main populations, with separate breeding and wintering ranges - from west to east:

Breeding in eastern Greenland, wintering on the Hebrides of western Scotland and in western Ireland, population about 40,000
Breeding in southeast and northwest Iceland, population about 1000
Breeding on Svalbard, Norway, wintering on the Solway Firth on the England/Scotland border, population about 24,000
Breeding on Novaya Zemlya, Russia, wintering in the Netherlands, population about 130,000
A recent population, derived from the Novaya Zemlya population, has become established since 1975 breeding on the islands and coasts of the Baltic Sea (Estonia, Finland, Denmark, and Sweden), and wintering in the Netherlands and Germany. Its population numbers about 8,000.

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TETRAO TETRIX / BLACK GROUSE / ORRFUGL

Patricia Maria Thorbergsen May 15, 2022

The black grouse is a large game bird in the grouse family. The female is greyish-brown and has a cackling call. She takes all responsibility for nesting and caring for the chicks.

To request such permission or for further enquires, please contact: patty@thorbergsen.com

SPARROW HAWK / ACCIPITER NISUS / SPURVEHAUK

Patricia Maria Thorbergsen March 17, 2021

The Eurasian sparrowhawk (Accipiter nisus), also known as the northern sparrowhawk or simply the sparrowhawk, is a small bird of prey in the family Accipitridae. Adult male Eurasian sparrowhawks have bluish grey upperparts and orange-barred underparts; females and juveniles are brown above with brown barring below. The female is up to 25% larger than the male – one of the greatest size differences between the sexes in any bird species. Though it is a predator which specialises in catching woodland birds, the Eurasian sparrowhawk can be found in any habitat and often hunts garden birds in towns and cities. Males tend to take smaller birds, including tits, finches, and sparrows; females catch primarily thrushes and starlings, but are capable of killing birds weighing 500 g (18 oz) or more.

LARVAE OF AGLAIS URTICAE/SMALL TORTOISESHELL/NESLESOMMERFUGL

Patricia Maria Thorbergsen July 29, 2020

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LEUCISM LARUS CANUS / COMMON GULL / FISKEMÅKE

Patricia Maria Thorbergsen July 22, 2020

What Is Leucism?

Leucism is a term used to describe a wide variety of conditions which result in the partial loss of pigmentation in an animal—which causes white, pale, or patchy coloration of the skin, hair, feathers, scales or cuticles, but not the eyes.

Leucism, or leukism, is an abnormal plumage condition caused by a genetic mutation that prevents pigment, particularly melanin, from being properly deposited on a bird’s feathers. As a result, the birds do not have the normal, classic plumage colors listed in field guides or seen in most photos. Instead, the plumage may have several color changes, including:

Bold white patches where the bird should not have any
Paler overall plumage that looks faint, diluted, or bleached
Overall white plumage with little or no color visible

The degree of leucism, including the brightness of the white and the extent of pigment loss, will vary depending on the bird’s genetic makeup. Birds that show only white patches or sections of leucistic feathers, often in symmetrical patterns, are often called pied or piebald birds, while birds with fully white plumage are referred to as leucistic birds.

Here are some pictures of a leucistic common gull in north of Norway:

Please visit my other collection of seagulls:

TETRAO TETRIX / BLACK GROUSE / ORRFUGL

Patricia Maria Thorbergsen July 21, 2020

The black grouse is a large game bird in the grouse family. The female is greyish-brown and has a cackling call. She takes all responsibility for nesting and caring for the chicks.

To request such permission or for further enquires, please contact: patty@thorbergsen.com

For earlier photo collection : TETRAO TETRIX / BLACK GROUSE / ORRFUGL #1

LAGOPUS / WILLOW PTARMIGAN /LIRYPE

Patricia Maria Thorbergsen June 11, 2020

The willow ptarmigan is a bird in the grouse subfamily Tetraoninae of the pheasant family Phasianidae. It is also known as the willow grouse and in Ireland and Britain, where it was previously considered to be a separate species, as the red grouse. It is a sedentary species, breeding in birch and other forests and moorlands in northern Europe, the tundra of Scandinavia, Siberia, Alaska and Canada. It is the state bird of Alaska. In the summer the birds are largely brown, with dappled plumage, but in the winter they are white with some black feathers in their tails (British populations do not adopt a winter plumage).

For more pictures of Lagopus:

FEMALE WILLOW PTARMIGAN

YOUNG WILLOW PTARMIGAN

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RUFF / CALIDRIS PUGNAX / BRUSHANE

Patricia Maria Thorbergsen May 24, 2020

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THE FEMALE RUFF - Vesterålen, 23.05.2020

THE MALE & FEMALE RUFF - Vesterålen, 23.05.2020

CHECK THE EARLIER PICTURES in here

STRANDED SPERM WHALES

Patricia Maria Thorbergsen April 23, 2020

Several sperm whales have stranded within just a couple of weeks in northern Norway. One of them was found a couple days a go in Tjeldøya, an island in Troms og Finnmark county, Norway.

Causes of death are still unclear !

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SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST

Patricia Maria Thorbergsen April 19, 2020

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LARUS CANUS / COMMON GULL / FISKEMÅKE

Patricia Maria Thorbergsen April 19, 2020

The common gull (Larus canus) or sea mew is a medium-sized gull that breeds in the Palearctic, northern Europe, and northwestern North America. Many common gulls migrate further south in winter. Adult common gulls are 40–46 cm long, the body is grey above and white below. The legs are greenish-yellow. They have black wingtips with large white "mirrors"

Text : Wikipedia

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LARUS MARINUS / GREAT BLACK-BACKED GULL / SVARTBAK

Patricia Maria Thorbergsen April 18, 2020

The great black-backed gull (Larus marinus), mistakenly called greater black-backed gull by some, is the largest member of the gull family. It breeds on the European and North American coasts and islands of the North Atlantic and is fairly sedentary, though some move farther south or inland to large lakes or reservoirs. The adult great black-backed gull has a white head, neck and underparts, dark grey wings and back, pink legs and yellow bill. (text : Wikipedia)

The young Black-backed gull - Melbu, 18.04.2020

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RUFF / CALIDRIS PUGNAX / BRUSHANE

THE LEUCISTIC BARNACLE GOOSE/BRANTA LEUCOPSIS/HVITKINNGÅS

COMMON CRANE / GRUS GRUS / TRANE

REDSHANK / TRINGA TOTANUS / RØDSTILK

BLACK-THROATED LOON / GAVIA ARCTICA / STORLOM

TETRAO TETRIX / BLACK GROUSE / ORRFUGL

BABY REINDEER AT TJELDØYA

EURASIAN OYSTERCACTHER / HAEMATOPUS OSTRALEGUS / TJELD

BARNACLE GOOSE/BRANTA LEUCOPSIS/HVITKINNGÅS

TETRAO TETRIX / BLACK GROUSE / ORRFUGL

SPARROW HAWK / ACCIPITER NISUS / SPURVEHAUK

LARVAE OF AGLAIS URTICAE/SMALL TORTOISESHELL/NESLESOMMERFUGL

LEUCISM LARUS CANUS / COMMON GULL / FISKEMÅKE

TETRAO TETRIX / BLACK GROUSE / ORRFUGL

LAGOPUS / WILLOW PTARMIGAN /LIRYPE

RUFF / CALIDRIS PUGNAX / BRUSHANE

STRANDED SPERM WHALES

SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST

LARUS CANUS / COMMON GULL / FISKEMÅKE

LARUS MARINUS / GREAT BLACK-BACKED GULL / SVARTBAK

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