Jæren day 3

The last day on Jæren was a day filled with strong south easterly winds – surely the sort of weather to turn up lots of scarce/rarities? Well seemingly not and definitely not us.

An inland Red-necked Grebe (gråstrupedykker) that we found was the first record at the site for 31 years so must count as something exceptional or maybe that’s just me trying to think positive – I have been accused of being negative towards Jæren…. ;-)

Jæren and especially the area around Orrevatnet is the only remaining breeding area for Black-tailed Godwits (svarthodespove) of the race limosa and the small number of pairs (< 15?) are quite noticeable. One bird was quite angry as we walked along a road and presumably its mate was on a nest nearby. They breed in quite normal looking silage fields rather than wetland areas and often fail in their breeding attempts due to farming activity – it’s a shame the birds can’t choose safer areas to nest and of course a shame that the farmers can’t protect the nests.

Black-tailed Godwit

Red-necked Grebe