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

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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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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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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# 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)