Good numbers of gulls usually gather to roost at a brew near the center of Bergen in the afternoons. The light disappears fast these days. In overcast weather you have to be there before 15:30 to see anything at all. Today the sun was shining, and I wanted to push the limits a bit, and check out the spot after work. When I arrived a bit past four it was rather dark, but it didn't really matter since there were no gulls at all!

This site is also good for watching Hooded Crows coming in from all directions, on their way to spend the night at a common roost nearby. I counted about 600 birds during 20 minutes. The highlight was 63 Jackdaws flying along with the crows. Jackdaws are scarce breeding birds in the county, but some do arrive from other places to stay here during winter.

I put on the light on my bicycle, and was about to leave when two birds flew up in front of me. One of them flashed a white rump. The first Arctic Redpoll in the county this autumn. What a surprise! It was accompanied by a female Siskin. The light was gone, so I adjusted the camera to 6400 iso, and a shutter speed of about 1/30 sec. I had to focus against the brighter sky, but did not manage to get many sharp pictures. I eventually switched on the flash, and out of 50 pics or something, the best is shown above.

The Arctic Redpoll is a local rarity, with less than 25 county records.

An apparent hybrid Hooded X Carrion Crow showed well in the city park of Bergen today. Note black feathers on flanks, belly and scapulars. The black neck bleeds into the lower neck, and the underwing coverts were all black. Features suggesting Carrion Crow involvement in an otherwise Hooded-like bird.

And when we're into hybrids. What about this second winter gull? Rather strange looking, with its marbled and pale appearance. Note also the pale primaries, giving the bird a contrastless appearance compared to the standard second winter Herring Gull. Could there be some Glaucous Gull genes in this Herring Gull looking bird?