Yellow-billed Loon between the archipelagos of Flatanger

GelbschnabeltaucherYellow-billed Loons or Yellow-billed Divers (Gavia adamsii) are highly thought-after species for the serious birdwatcher of continental Europe. And it is a big event, with lots of hot telephone wires, if a Yellow-billed Loon is observed inland in Europe. This happened recently due to a Yellow-billed Loon which was observed near the small city of Goerlitz in the southeast corner of Saxony/ Germany. The bird could be seen for well 2 month on a lignite mining lake, called Berzdorfer See (lake). The distance to the next water, which you can call a sea, is roughly 400km away. I did not manage to travel there.

This time I was successful to see and photograph a Yellow-billed Loon on its “right” winter habitat. Because Yellow-billed Loon overwinter with some regularity on the west coast of Norway, it was only a matter of consequence to look and then to discover this Diver among the islands in Flatanger. However, only a few birders take the trouble to get about 150km drive north of Trondheim to look for birds in the beginning of March. Within a short stay at Ole Martin Dahle, the Eagleman, I was also able to take part in a boat tour through the fjords of his home county. It was mainly about the photography of White-tailed Eagles (Haliaeetus albicilla) but it is always worth to keep an eye open for other birds in the area. This time a Yellow-billed Loon (Gavia adamsii) was an additional plus. Striking were the yellowish and upward shifted massive beak, with a striking angled lower mandible. In addition to the brownish-washed body and the light head, the dark washed ear spot and the bright neck back were striking. It was not easy to pursue the bird. The bird appeared to dive for a remarkable distance of approx. 500 meters and eluded a further observation. The observation was made near the rocky island Halmøya (64.520077 N, 10.721836 E) at noon on March 3rd 2015.

The bird could be seen swimming and diving only for a short time. After a while a flying Gavia-Diver could be seen on the clear blue sky. I do not know, whether it was the individual, I shot schwimming on the water…

In Germany, most observations are made on the Northern Sea and the Baltic Sea as well as on the Bodensee. Overall it was a very successful tour is not only for the Eagle Photography. In addition to the Yellow-billed Loon (Gavia adamsii), a single Iceland Gull (Larus glaucoides) was remarkable.

The Yellow-billed Loon (Gavia adamsii) belongs to the family of loons – or divers as they are called, too. In Europe, you can see the Yellow-billed Loon mainly as a winter visitor to the coast of northern Norway. The Yellow-billed Loon might also be observed during visits to Varangerfjord at the edge of the Barents Sea. The breeding areas are but clearly further east; to Russia and Alaska coasts.

Flatanger is a Norwegian municipality in Nordland-Trøndelag. Boat trips with Ole Martin Dahle from Lauvsnes are possible, for example, in the archipelago of the sea called Folla.

To meet the growing demand for top shots of the rarer bird species of Palearctic, Bird-lens.com has pursued trips to areas close-by but also to distant locations – such as Norway. This to do anything to provide excellent photos of the Birds of the Western Palearctic. The results of images from rare Western Palearctic birds are very good. The beautiful images that you see in the blog, is just a first impression of what you’ll find behind the tab “Picture- Shop” very soon. Just give bird-lens.com a message via the contact form if you need a picture of a bird before new pictures are online.

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