Monthly Report July and August 2016 
July
General: coverage and weather
Average temperature was 14.3 degC, 1.3 degC over the normal. Highest temperature was 20.4 degC (21st), and lowest 10.1 degC (7th). Total rainfall was 63.3 mm. Most rainfall in one day was 15.4 mm (28th). Highest wind speed was 16.7 m/s (21st). Summer holidays is not the period with greatest coverage. Reports in Artsobservasjoner.no doesn’t give agood basis either for a complete list for the monthly report.
The month can be quickly summarised with a surprise Two-barred Crossbill on the 22nd, as well as two good days with good seabird passage. The 28th produced two Manx Shearwater and two Sooty Shearwater and the 31st one Manx Shearwater and 12 Great Skua. The Storm Petrel project resulted in 20 ringed Storm Petrels and three controls in three days between the 23rd and 27th. One bore a British ring and one a Danish ring. A bird ringed at Pedlenset was recovered in 2014 on Nolsøy on the Faroe Islands, so most probably the Danish ringed bird origin from there.
August
General: coverage and weather
Average temperature was 14.0 degC, 0.4 degC over the normal. Highest temperature was 18.5 degC (21st), and lowest 8.6 degC (11th). Total rainfall was 83.9 mm. Most rainfall in one day was 12.9 mm (13th). Highest wind speed was 22.2 m/s (9st). Slightly better coverage than July but not the most productive August month on Utsira. The month total ended on 81 species whereas one would expect in excess of 100.
Raptors:
Below average when only four different species of raptor were noted in the month. The 20th was the only day with any passage in the form of four Kestrel and three Sparrowhawk. A 2nd year White-tailed Eagle on the 22nd and the local Peregrine Falcon made up the rest of the raptors.
Shorebirds:
There were few days with good seabird passage. The 2nd produced 30 Great Skua and the 12th an unidentified shearwater species, 37 Fulmar, 9 Gannet and 6 Great Skua. Two days of petrel ringing resulted in five ringed birds and two controls as well as a Leach’s Petrel around the nets on the 7th.
The month was quite productive for waders. 11 Ruff arrived on the 18th with four to five present to the end of the month. A tour to Spannholmane and Lausingen on the 18th resulted in good numbers of Turnstone, Sanderling, Knot and more. A Spotted Redshank and 10 Redshank were also noted.
A stationary Wigeon on Måkskittmyr on the 21st, two fly-over Bar-tailed Godwit on the 28th, a Water Rail in Merkeskogen on the 27th and a Coot in Nordvikvågen from the 24th until the end of the month are also worth mentioning.
Passerines:
An unusually quiet month for passerines. The only bird worth of note was a Turtle Dove that was present in Tuevågen between the 20th and 26th.
Ringing:
Only occasional ringing in Merkeskogen on four days resulted in 88 ringed birds of 18 different species. The best day was the 28th with 29 individuals, where Garden Warbler (10), Willow Warbler (9) an Goldcrest (7) were the most numerous species.
Year ticks:
There were four new species for the year in July: Two-barred Crossbill (22nd), Storm Petrel (23rd), Manx Shearwater and Sooty Shearwater (28th).
In August there were ten new species for the year: Leach’s Petrel (7th), Ruff, Spotted Redshank, Sanderling, Knot and Turnstone (18th), Turtle Dove (20th), Wigeon (21st), Coot (24th) and Bar-tailed Godwit (28th).
Rarities/local rarities:
There are few August records of Turtle Dove, Coot and Wigeon but outwith these there are no other species that fall into this category.
