BIRD THE WORLD
THE URBAN BIRDER VISITS
NORWEGIAN SEA
TÓRSHAVN FAROE ISLANDS
FAROE ISLANDS
WORDS: DAVID LINDO
DAVID SAYS
T
84 August 2017
If you are into self-found birds, then the Faroe Islands is for you, so consider a visit
KE Y SPECIE S
Silas Olofson
STARLING This cheeky bird has to be one of the most familiar species not only in the UK, but perhaps the world. Its natural range includes Ireland and the British Isles, temperate Europe and into western Asia. It has been introduced to a host of countries around the planet, including the USA, Canada, several South American countries and Australia, often to detrimental effect, due to competition with native species. Although flourishing throughout most of its introduced range, the population here in the UK is notoriously in decline. The Starling belongs to a family of 115 species found predominantly in Europe, Africa, Asia, northern Australia and some Pacific Islands. In Asia, some species are known as mynas. There are several subspecies of Starling, with faroensis being the largest. Aside from its greater body size, it also has a bigger beak and feet.
é ORIENTAL TURTLE DOVE Two Oriental Turtle Doves have been found at Viòarlundin Park
é BLACK DUCK The small pond at Viòarlundin Park hosted Faroe’s first Black Duck
David Lindo
Silas Olofson
you may find one belting out its song from near the top of a gnarled shrub. Tórshavn is a coastal town, so a check of the harbour area should result in Rock Pipit along the shore and Black Guillemot and Eider riding the waves. You will never be too far away from ‘kleeping’ Oystercatchers, the Faroe Islands’ national bird while Hooded Crow and White Wagtail are also typical. From the rooftops, raucous Herring and Lesser Black-backed Gulls shout, unchallenged by the town’s citizens. There are a couple of places within the town that are worth investigating for birds. Adjoining the national gallery is Viòarlundin Park, simply known as The Plantation, which is the largest patch of woodland on the entire island. It is surrounded by housing and roads and contains mostly coniferous trees, a small pond and a stream running along its eastern border. Although small, it is seen as the islands’
é UNUSUAL ARCHITECTURE Grass roofs are a familiar sight in the otherwise bleak Faroe Islands birds, sometimes for long periods. Which brings us neatly on to the reason most birders visit these islands during the migration period; Viòarlundin Park is certainly a rarity magnet. Oriental Turtle Doves have been discovered here twice in the past, while the Faroe Islands’ first Black Duck was found cavorting on the small pond. Close by is the old cemetery. Smaller in area than Viòarlundin Park it possesses some really old deciduous trees that are a must for migrant warblers. It is underwatched, as is most of Tórshavn, so could reward those who give it attention. But checking any bush around town could pay dividends for those keen to find good birds, so keep your eyes open. Due to the small number of regular species, the chances for finding rare birds are relatively high. This was exemplified very recently when a male Siberian Rubythroat was claimed by a visiting birder, while another birder found a Yellow Warbler from the Nearctic. There are only a handful of active birders on the islands, so imagine their glee when a Tórshavn resident sent them a picture of a vagrant Amur Falcon cowering under a bush in her garden! The third of the trio of sites worth a visit is Sandágerð, a small estuary with a nice-looking beach. During the winter months, when the gulls flock, goodies such as Ross’, Ring-billed and Bonaparte’s Gulls have been picked out. Red-rumped Swallow has been seen here, as has the mighty Gyr Falcon. There have also been frequent sightings of up to three Little Egrets. These may be a common bird in the UK but they are ‘manna from heaven’ for the overworked Faroese birdwatchers!
THANKS TO...
Silas Olofson for taking me on three amazing, but frantic, hours of birding! Web: birdingfaroes. wordpress.com I stayed at Hotel Hafnia, web: hafnia.fo My trip was facilitated by Atlantic Airways, web: atlantic.fo and also Visit Faroe Islands, web: visitfaroeislands.com Special thanks also to Stan Abbott at Gravity Consulting, web: gravity-consulting.com More information on birdwatching in the Faroe Islands: Birds of the Faroe Islands, web: visitfaroeislands.com/ see-do/birdwatching/ birdlife Reference guides: Collins Bird Guide – Lars Svensson, Killian Mullarney & Dan Zetterström
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Eydfinnur Olsen / Alamy
national forest. It is the main refuge for Collared Doves that are common here but, strangely, largely absent elsewhere. Robins live here, too – sometimes approaching observers as boldly as any crumb-loving Robin living in Hyde Park. Most of the islands’ Feral Pigeons seem to hang out here alongside Mallard, Blackbirds, breeding Redwing and visiting Siskin, Common Redpoll and also Crossbill. Scarce migrants like Yellow-browed Warbler and Spotted, Pied and Red-breasted Flycatchers are likely, while a few Chiffchaffs and Blackcaps can stop in the spring to sing. Being the only woodland of any size on the Faroes, Viòarlundin Park has a talent for holding
David Lindo
NORTH SEA
Brave the winds on these islands in the middle of the North Atlantic Ocean and be rewarded with lots of birdlife!
HE FAROE ISLANDS are a destination fabled for the frequent occurrences of unexpected migrant birds from all the points of the compass. This archipelago is geographically situated roughly midway between Norway and Iceland and is only 200 miles, or 10 hours away, by boat from northwest Scotland. So, as a visitor, it is not the kind of place that you pass through en route to somewhere else. Summer is the time when most tourists visit, but hardened birders arrive here for the spring and autumn migration. Tórshavn is the capital of the islands, for want of a better description. In reality, it is a town with an overall population of fewer than 20,000 people. Walking around it certainly doesn’t take long. The first thing that you might notice is that most of the bush cover is situated in the 500-plus private front and back gardens around the town. The shrubs and bushes are stunted and bowed after years and years of lashing from the unrelenting wind. The Faroese people explain that, despite being windy and rainy a lot of the time, it is only really windy “when the waterfalls on the high cliffs flow vertically”! The standard birds found in town include the Faroe Island race of the Starling. However, at first sight you may notice that there is something strange about them. For starters, they are not as spotty as their British brethren and are very oily looking. Their vocalisations are subtly different and they are 10% larger than our birds, although this latter point is, quite frankly, difficult to discern in the field. The Wren on the Faroe Island is also distinctly different from the birds that we know and love. They are even darker than the race to be found on Shetland and are stripy looking. Their shorter, slightly differently constructed song rings out over the noise of the sparse Faroese traffic. Indeed, if you gaze into a random front garden
Tórshavn