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.

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Previous post : May 15th, 2022

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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Hvitkinng%C3%A5s+%C2%A9+Patty+Thorbergsen--2.jpg

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.

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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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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# 3 TADORNA / SHELDUCK / GRAVAND

Patricia Maria Thorbergsen April 18, 2020

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# 1 TADORNA / SHELDUCK / GRAVAND

# 2 TADORNA / SHELDUCK / GRAVAND

NUMENIUS ARQUATA / EURASIAN CURLEW / STORSPOVE

Patricia Maria Thorbergsen April 17, 2020

The Eurasian curlew or common curlew (Numenius arquata) is a wader in the large family Scolopacidae. It is one of the most widespread of the curlews, breeding across temperate Europe and Asia. In Europe, this species is often referred to just as the "curlew". This is the largest wader in its range, at 50–60 cm in length, with an 89–106 cm wingspan and a body weight of 410–1,360 g. It is mainly greyish brown, with a white back, greyish-blue legs and a very long curved bill. Males and females look identical, but the bill is longest in the adult female. It is generally not possible to recognize the sex of a single Eurasian curlew, or even several ones, as there is much variation; telling male and female of a mated pair apart is usually possible however.

(Text - Wikipedia)