Fornebu gives some quality

I popped into Fornebu this morning hoping to see if the Pomarine Skuas seen yesterday had lingered. Between 0930 and 1000 I had no sign of any skuas and few other seabirds except for a Little Auk and a few Guillemot and Razorbill. There was a selection of seaduck including Common and Velvet Scoter, Eider and Red-breasted Merganser. On the land were 9 Waxwings and a couple of Goldcrests and Robin in the bushes giving the feeling of migrants. The winds are turning east this week so maybe there is still a chance of that Yellow-browed Warbler.

I was able to return to Fornebu at 1230 and parked at Storøykilen with the intention of checking for passerines. I met another birder and the usual question of much about? was met with an answer of no...but I did have 3 skuas off Rolfstangen. Yesterday? I asked, no an hour ago was the answer. The 3 skuas in question were a Pomarine Skua eating a (dead) Artic Skua and another Skua that was only seen distantly sitting on the sea and was either a Pomarine or Great. Well, 5 minutes later I was at Rolfstangen but no sign of any skuas. The other birder joined me about 10 minutes later but still no sign of any skuas. Then the gulls started making a racket but no birds looking like a skua to be seen. Then looking up there was a raptor and a very large raptor. A 1K GOLDEN EAGLE drifted over!!!! It had come from the direction of Bygdøy and was continuing towards Storøya. I snapped off a few pictures but they have come out very poorly against the light sky. Here are an original picture and a heavily cropped picture which I have brightened to allow some of the plumage details to be made out.

Golden Eagle

After getting over the shock of the eagle which was a year tick and an Oslo & Akershus tick I then spent some more time looking for skuas. And then finally at some distance I picked out a skua sitting on the (calm) sea. Going to full zoom I was able to confirm it as a Pomarine Skua most likely one of the birds from yesterday.

I feel now that I am finally get some reward for what I consider to bs some real effort I have put in this year. There are still a couple of weeks when something might turn up and easterly winds might just do the trick. A male Siberian Thrush turned up on Røst today and it will have to make its way south!