Bird watching on Faroe Islands



Saturday 7th of May 2022 and I am up at 4 o'clock. I have my tea while studying the birding information I downloaded on internet. Birds on Faroe Islands, click HERE.

My first stop going from Torshavn back to the airport is at the eBird hotspot: Kalbaksbotnur and I start the eBird app at 07:21. I drive along the water looking for birds on the way

Bird watching on Faroe Islands
Kalbaksbotnur

Bird watching on Faroe Islands
Waterfall at Kalbaksbotnur

Bird watching on Faroe Islands
Driving along the water in Kalbaksbotnur

Bird watching on Faroe Islands
Waterfall at Kalbaksbotnur

Bird watching on Faroe Islands
I reach a village full of sheep

Bird watching on Faroe Islands
I reach a village full of sheep

Bird watching on Faroe Islands
I turn around and drive back again

Bird watching on Faroe Islands
I drive back again

Bird watching on Faroe Islands
Common Eiders

Greylag Goose, Anser anser, Grågås, Grågås

Lesser Black-backed Gull, Larus fuscus, Silltrut

Bird watching on Faroe Islands
Mallards

Bird watching on Faroe Islands
Oystercatcher

eBird

eBird Report


Kalbaksbotnur, Faroe Islands, FO
07-May-2022 07:21 - 08:08

Protocol: Traveling
7.91 kilometer(s)
8 species

Greylag Goose 2
Mallard 2
Common Eider 33
Rock Dove (Wild type) 1
Eurasian Oystercatcher 6
Black-headed Gull 1
Lesser Black-backed Gull 9
Common Starling 3

View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S109173422

This report was generated automatically by eBird v3 (https://ebird.org/home)

Bird watching on Faroe Islands
Today's track at Kalbaksbotnur

I leave Kalbaksbotnur and I drive through the tunnel and I come out of the tunnel at Kollafjørdur and the eBird hotspot: Kollafjørdur--bay and shore area. I spent 30 minutes in the area, really not many birds to be seen.

Greylag Goose, Anser anser, Grågås, Grågås
Greylag Goose (Domestic type)

Greylag Goose, Anser anser, Grågås, Grågås
Greylag Goose (Domestic type)
eBird

eBird Report


Kollafjørdur--bay and shore area, Faroe Islands, FO
07-May-2022 08:20 - 08:50
Protocol: Traveling
4.97 kilometer(s)
9 species

Mallard 6
Tufted Duck 3
Common Eider 15
Eurasian Oystercatcher 4
Great Skua 1
Herring Gull 1
Lesser Black-backed Gull 7
Hooded Crow 1
Common Starling 14

View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S109174320

This report was generated automatically by eBird v3 (https://ebird.org/home)

Bird watching on Faroe Islands
Today's track at Kollafjørdur--bay and shore area

I am on my way to Vágar Island, the same Island where the international airport is located. I will stop at all the eBird hotspots on the way. I pass another hotspot: Mjáuvøtn--upper and lower. There is only one Redshank and two starlings.

Bird watching on Faroe Islands
Common Redshank

Bird watching on Faroe Islands
Today's track at Mjáuvøtn--upper and lower

Bird watching on Faroe Islands
Leynar

I make a stop at Leynar, a small village just at the entrance to the tunnel to Vágar Island. I only see one Hooded Crow and a Common Redshank and I drive back to the tunnel and it is about 5 km in the tunnel and I am on the Vágar Island.

I made a stop at the hotspot Futaklettur but the gate is closed. So I continue along Road #93 between eBird hotspot: Futaklettur and Oyragjógv and I see my first Gannets on Faroe Islands.

Bird watching on Faroe Islands
Road #93 between eBird hotspot: Futaklettur and Oyragjógv

Bird watching on Faroe Islands
Today's track on Road #93 between eBird hotspot: Futaklettur and Oyragjógv

I continue toward west and I pass another village that is also an eBird hotspot: Sandavagur--shore and bay. There is not many birds so I continue to the next hotspot, Midvagur--shore and bay. And there is a group of people bathing on the beach and it looks very cold. The water around Faroe Islands is 8 ° C year around. And this is no temperature for swimming.

There are gulls on the beach and the King of the Beach is a Herring Gull. He/ She takes on all the other gulls and the king can choose the best place for foraging.

There is nothing to see and I was leaving when I spotted one Northern Wheatear and not long after that I spotted two European Golden Plover. So this is a bird I have never seen before. I have seen the Pacific Golden Plover but never the European.

Bird watching on Faroe Islands
The Nix

Bird watching on Faroe Islands
Northern Wheatear

Bird watching on Faroe Islands
European Golden Plover

Bird watching on Faroe Islands
European Golden Plover

Bird watching on Faroe Islands
European Golden Plover

Bird watching on Faroe Islands
European Golden Plover

Bird watching on Faroe Islands
European Golden Plover

Bird watching on Faroe Islands
Hooded Crow

Eurasian Oystercatcher, Haematopus ostralegus, Common Pied Oystercatcher, Palaearctic Oystercatcher, Strandskata

Eurasian Oystercatcher, Haematopus ostralegus, Common Pied Oystercatcher, Palaearctic Oystercatcher, Strandskata
Eurasian Oystercatcher

Eurasian Oystercatcher, Haematopus ostralegus, Common Pied Oystercatcher, Palaearctic Oystercatcher, Strandskata
Eurasian Oystercatcher

eBird

eBird Report


The Nix, Faroe Islands, FO
07-May-2022 10:37 - 11:07
Protocol: Traveling
2.0 kilometer(s)
6 species (+1 other taxa)

Tufted Duck 2
Eurasian Oystercatcher 1
European Golden Plover 2
gull sp. 13 Cannot see if great or lesser black back
Hooded Crow 2
Common Starling 1
Northern Wheatear 2

View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S109177193

This report was generated automatically by eBird v3 (https://ebird.org/home)

Bird watching on Faroe Islands
Today's track at The Nix

Bird watching on Faroe Islands
Approaching Sørvagur

Bird watching on Faroe Islands
Sørvágsfjørður

Bird watching on Faroe Islands
Sørvágsfjørður

Bird watching on Faroe Islands
Today's track at Sørvágsfjørður

Bird watching on Faroe Islands
Driving west north of Sørvágsfjørður

Bird watching on Faroe Islands
Driving west north of Sørvágsfjørður

Leaving The Nix and continuing towards west and the village Sørvagur. I drive past the international airport and I am in Sørvagur. I check out the beach but there were not many birds. I continue towards the west driving along the north coast of the Sørvágsfjørður.

I pass the village Bøur on the way west, and this village is also an eBird hotspot: so I go to check out the area. And it is a beautiful village.

Bird watching on Faroe Islands
Arriving to Bøur

Bird watching on Faroe Islands
Bøur

Bird watching on Faroe Islands
Bøur

Bird watching on Faroe Islands
Robin

House Sparrow, Passer domesticus, Gråsparv, นกกระจอกใหญ่

Bøur

Bøur (Danish: Bø) is a village in the Sørvágur Municipality of the Faroe Islands, 4 km west of Sørvágur, with a population of 75 (2012).

Its location is 62°5′27″N 7°22′3″W and its postal code is FO 386. It is linked to the village of Gásadalur by the Gásadalstunnilin tunnel.

Bøur is a small village on the west-side of Vágar on the north side of Sørvágsfjørður, Faroe Islands. It has views over the sea and the rocky islet Tindhólmur with its many peaks, Gáshólmur and the two "drangar", (tall, pointed clifftops sticking up from the sea). This motif is known on many paintings and photographs.

The old houses in the village are bunched together with narrow lanes between them, and at the western end stands the cosy church, which was built in 1865.

Bøur is an ancient settlement and is mentioned in the so-called Dog Letter dating from 1350 AD, but it is probably older. The village is also mentioned as having a church in a document dated 1710, but it is not known when the first village church was built.

Bird watching on Faroe Islands
Today's track at Bøur

Gásadalur

Gásadalur (Danish: Gåsedal) is a village located on the west side of Vágar, Faroe Islands, and enjoys a panoramic view over to the island of Mykines.

Gásadalur is located on the edge of Mykinesfjørður, surrounded by the highest mountains on Vágar. Árnafjall towers to a height of 722 metres to the north, and Eysturtindur to the east is 715 metres high. Here too, the view south to Tindhólmur and Gáshólmur is quite magnificent. Eysturtindur translates to English as "the Peak in the East".

The boat landing site is very poor, because it is located somewhat higher than the seashore. So if the residents wanted to fish, they were obliged to keep their boats near Bøur. In 1940, during the British occupation of the Faroe Islands, a stairway was built from the beach up to the village.

In order to reach any of the other villages by land, residents had to take the strenuous route over mountains more than 400 metres high. This isolation explains why the village population had decreased. In 2002 there were only sixteen people living in Gásadalur, and several of the houses stand empty today. It had a population of 18 in 2012. It had a population of 11 in 2020.

In 2004 the Gásadalstunnilin tunnel was blasted through the rock, and it became possible to drive through by car. The residents hope this will mean that the village population will increase again. While the population increased briefly and reached a peak of 23 in 2010 it has only decreased since then and is at only 11 as of 2020.

There are good opportunities for farming, and the same number of fields as in Bøur, but here only a few are royal estate, while most of them are freehold land.

I leave Bøur and I continue west on road #45 towards Gasadalur. Gasadalur is at the end of road #45 and I have to pass a very narrow tunnel to get through the mountain. Coming out from the tunnel and it was a gorgeous view in front of me.

I had to drive down a step road to reach the village and the first bird was a Norther Wheatear.

Northern Wheatear, Oenanthe oenanthe, Stenskvätta

Common Starling, Sturnus vulgaris, Stare

House Sparrow, Passer domesticus, Gråsparv, นกกระจอกใหญ่
Male House Sparrow

House Sparrow, Passer domesticus, Gråsparv, นกกระจอกใหญ่
Male House Sparrow

Bird watching on Faroe Islands
Tunnel coming out at Gasadalur

Lesser Black-backed Gull, Larus fuscus, Silltrut

Lesser Black-backed Gull, Larus fuscus, Silltrut
Lesser Black-backed Gull

Bird watching on Faroe Islands
Gasadalur

Bird watching on Faroe Islands
Gasadalur

Bird watching on Faroe Islands
Today's track at Gasadalur

I leave Gasadalur to drive back to Torshavn to have lunch with my friend. I make one more eBird report on the way back as I pass 2 Ravens outside Torshavn. Back in my room and my friend will come to pick me up. My friend called me and he was very excited.
- GET READY TO LEAVE!!!!!!!!
He arrived with screaming and smoking tyres.
- GET IN TO THE CAR!!!!!!!

They had sighted whales and now they were chasing the whales towards the beach in Torshavn. So, we drove down to the sea front to see if we could see the whales.

Pilot Whales on Faroe Islands
Chasing the Pilot Whales

Pilot Whales on Faroe Islands
Chasing the Pilot Whales

Pilot Whales on Faroe Islands
Chasing the Pilot Whales

Torshavn
Lunch

Torshavn
Lunch

The boats and whales were too far out for any pictures. But the chase was all over the news as this is a big thing on Faroe Islands. We went to have lunch and my friend's wife was waiting for us at the restaurant. Tea and smørrebød and I were full when we left the restaurant.

There was a big fish festival in town and my friend asked if I wanted to have a look or if we should go have a look at the whales. We were lucky, the killing of the whales was over by the time we reached the beach. They chase the whales, well, it is actually dolphins. But to call them dolphins will make an even bigger outcry of anger than to kill and eat whales.

Pilot Whale

Pilot whales are cetaceans belonging to the genus Globicephala. The two extant species are the long-finned pilot whale (G. melas) and the short-finned pilot whale (G. macrorhynchus). The two are not readily distinguishable at sea, and analysis of the skulls is the best way to distinguish between the species.

Between the two species, they range nearly worldwide, with long-finned pilot whales living in colder waters and short-finned pilot whales living in tropical and subtropical waters. Pilot whales are among the largest of the oceanic dolphins, exceeded in size only by the orca. They and other large members of the dolphin family are also known as blackfish.

Pilot whales feed primarily on squid, but will also hunt large demersal fish such as cod and turbot. They are highly social and may remain with their birth pod throughout their lifetime. Short-finned pilot whales are one of the few mammal species in which females go through menopause, and post reproductive females continue to contribute to their pod.

Pilot whales are notorious for stranding themselves on beaches, but the reason behind this is not fully understood. The conservation status of short-finned and long-finned pilot whales has been determined to be least concern.

Pilot Whale

Pilot Whale


They had killed all the whales when we came down to the beach and they were in progress to pull them back to the harbour. Then they will be measured and they will be split among the people.

There is one whale for the one who spotted the whales first. Then the people in the boats and the people killing the whales will get their share.

Those times when it is many whales the whole village will get their share.

Pilot Whales on Faroe Islands
Down at the beach

Pilot Whales on Faroe Islands
Busy collecting the whales to pull them back to the harbour

Pilot Whales on Faroe Islands
Busy collecting the whales to pull them back to the harbour

Pilot Whales on Faroe Islands
Busy collecting the whales to pull them back to the harbour

Pilot Whales on Faroe Islands
Busy collecting the whales to pull them back to the harbour

Pilot Whales on Faroe Islands
Busy collecting the whales to pull them back to the harbour

Pilot Whales on Faroe Islands
Busy collecting the whales to pull them back to the harbour

Pilot Whales on Faroe Islands
Busy collecting the whales to pull them back to the harbour

Pilot Whales on Faroe Islands
Busy collecting the whales to pull them back to the harbour

Pilot Whales on Faroe Islands
Busy collecting the whales to pull them back to the harbour

Pilot Whales on Faroe Islands
Busy collecting the whales to pull them back to the harbour

Pilot Whales on Faroe Islands
Busy collecting the whales to pull them back to the harbour

Pilot Whales on Faroe Islands
Busy collecting the whales to pull them back to the harbour

Pilot Whales on Faroe Islands
Many people at the beach to have a look

Pilot Whales on Faroe Islands
Busy collecting the whales to pull them back to the harbour

Pilot Whales on Faroe Islands

Pilot Whales on Faroe Islands

Pilot Whales on Faroe Islands

Pilot Whales on Faroe Islands

Pilot Whales on Faroe Islands

Pilot Whales on Faroe Islands

Pilot Whales on Faroe Islands

We went to check out the harbour but still no whales. They were waiting for a mobile crane to come to lift the whales. The police that stopped me on the highway was in the harbour and she recognized me and she came over.

I asked her about teeth and she told me that they would most likely start to cut up the whales in the late evening. And it will be several hours before there will be any actions.

My friend and his wife wanted to take me up to a radar station on top of the mountain as there is a beautiful view and we drove up to have a look.

Bird watching on Faroe Islands
Gorgeous view

Bird watching on Faroe Islands
Gorgeous view

Bird watching on Faroe Islands
Gorgeous view

Bird watching on Faroe Islands
Gorgeous view

Bird watching on Faroe Islands
Gorgeous view

Bird watching on Faroe Islands
Gorgeous view

Bird watching on Faroe Islands
Gorgeous view

Bird watching on Faroe Islands
Gorgeous view

There was a gorgeous view from the mountain and we were really lucky with the weather. But it was very cold in the wind. We did not spend any more time than necessary outside the car and we were back in the car in a jiff.

We will go to visit another place before we go back to the port.

Bird watching on Faroe Islands
Beautiful part of the coast

Bird watching on Faroe Islands
Beautiful part of the coast

We drive back to the port and now they have started to put out the whales. There were officials to measure the whales. There were also two scientists taking sample from the whales. I was told that they had used the same wood stick to measure the whales for the last hundred years.

The Mayor was down to have a look at the whales. But it was still several hours of job before they could start to cut the whales.

Seems like the whole town is involved and it is easy to understand how important this meat was for the people on Faroe Islands back in the days. Today the meat is considered a delicacy and the whole town is involved and there are updates on the news all the time.

Pilot whales on Faroe Islands
Pilot whales

Pilot whales on Faroe Islands
The Mayor is down to have a look at the whales

Pilot whales on Faroe Islands

Pilot whales on Faroe Islands

Pilot whales on Faroe Islands

Pilot whales on Faroe Islands
Scientists working with the whales

Pilot whales on Faroe Islands

We leave the harbour and my friend will come back later to have a look for teeth. Our friend in Thailand needs some of the teeth to make amulets. I will bring them to him and he will have the monk at the temple to clean the teeth from “BAD POWER” and to send the whales to God.

Then they will but “GOOD POWER” in to the teeth. So we expect this to take quite some time.

We left the harbour to get in to the annual fish festival in the city. They have stalls serving different fish in the town and we went to check it out.

Torshavn
Torshavn

Torshavn
Torshavn

Torshavn
Torshavn

Torshavn
Eating fish

My friend and his wife drove me back to my apartment. My friend had been relieved me as Chief Officer on Roy Maersk and he told me to call when I came to Faroe Islands. Same with Captain, he was also from Faroe Islands and he wanted to come pick me up at the airport.

But as I have a rented car it was not necessary. I am invited to his house for dinner tomorrow.

Back at the apartment and I went to bed. It had been an excellent day, as my friend said, good weather and whales. The first whales for this year so I had really been lucky to get to see this.

My alarm is set to go off at 4 and just click HERE to find out if I see any birds tomorrow.




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Jiffy (also jiff)

noun [in SING.] informal a moment: we'll be back in a jiffy.

ORIGIN late 18th cent.: of unknown origin.

So as you understand, in a jiff pretty much depends on your internet.
So I put a “Next” button here and I hope that there isn't any problem to understand how to use that one. So just CLICK the “Next” button on your left hand side and you will be on the next page in a jiff!

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Faites vous parlez le français? Pas de problème! Pour arriver à la page suivante faites s'il vous plaît un déclic le bouton “Next” ci-dessus!

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E ni Svenskar och inte förstår Engelska så ska ni skämmas. J och Björn, med det menar jag inte att alla mina stavfel ska ältas varje gång vi träffas.

Flag of Skåne / Skånska flaggan Well, the flag of Skåne, just a BONUS flag.


                                       

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