[Julian Bell]

I'll be seawatching daily off SW Norway for the next 2 1/2 months, anyone interested in the results please feel free to visit my website.

THis is going to be a test of will, getting to the lookout point for dawn is "easy" enough but this early in the season the cold can really get to you after a few hours...

[Andrew Whitehouse]

Good luck Julian, and I admire your determination. I'll be interested to see what you get on the other side of the North Sea.

[ed keeble]

Originally Posted by Andrew Whitehouse

Good luck Julian, and I admire your determination. I'll be interested to see what you get on the other side of the North Sea.

Good luck from me too- was very gripped (but in a nice way) by the close-enough-to-see-the-red-eye WBDs refferred to in Birding World.

[Julian Bell]

Thanks for the words of encouragement. Its a bit of a slow start but had the first divers today. A Great Northern and a Red-throated.

[London Birder]

good luck from me also, should be fun

[Julian Bell]

Fun if you are a bit masochistic. Interesting - definitely. I've been wanting to do this for so long and to finally be doing it is great.

Of course, as the spring progresses things will hot up a bit both weather and birdwise - and I am really looking forward to that. Day 5 tomorrow.....

[Julian Bell]

Over 2700 birds today. Mainstay were 1800+ Oystercatcher - 1100 of them in the first half hour! Otherwise a Great Northern Diver, the years first Shelduck and the usual stuff.

[ed keeble]

Originally Posted by Julian Bell

Over 2700 birds today. Mainstay were 1800+ Oystercatcher - 1100 of them in the first half hour! Otherwise a Great Northern Diver, the years first Shelduck and the usual stuff.

keep at it- the first of your WBDs is back at Skigersta as of yesterday....

[Julian Bell]

I'm looking forward to those WBDs, they'll be here in a couple of weeks or so I expect.

[Larry Wheatland]

I'm off to visit a friend for a party in Norway in Oct, will be going on the ferry from Newcastle to Bergen. We'll probabably be on the return journey around Oct 20th, a smidge too early for my bogey bird Little Auk to start hitting the UK, but does anyone know if they're present around southern Norway around then ? Am I finally in with a chance ?

[Julian Bell]

Originally Posted by Larry Wheatland

I'm off to visit a friend for a party in Norway in Oct, will be going on the ferry from Newcastle to Bergen. We'll probabably be on the return journey around Oct 20th, a smidge too early for my bogey bird Little Auk to start hitting the UK, but does anyone know if they're present around southern Norway around then ? Am I finally in with a chance ?

You are in with a decent chance in the second half of October, but they only seem to be really regular from late in the month. At sea you are in with a better chance - I've seen them beside vessels in the British sector in mid-summer - though this is hardly normal.

You can check this out to see what your chances are:
http://www.naturalbornbirder.com/sko...erview_all.xls

[HokkaidoStu]

Hi Julian. That's a pretty nice looking website you've got there. I read with some interest about your tips for keeping warm when seawatching in winter. As someone who does a bit of seawatching in winter from an extremely cold cape in Hokkaido I can empathize with you.............

[Julian Bell]

First migrating White-billed Diver of the year today, 09 April - somewhat earlier than expected. One winter/juv bird south and two birds coming into summer plumage heading north.

[Julian Bell]

A preliminary report for the 2006 season can be downloaded here