Overview
Primarily an autumn migration spot, Utsira is a small rocky island about 20 km off Karmoy in south-western Norway with grassland and heather, cultivated land and conifer plantations.
Birds
Notable Species
Passerines are the most numerous migrants and especially chats, warblers, flycatchers and finches with smaller numbers of various pigeons, owls and other birds. Utsira is the premier rarity site in Norway and has produced many first records for the country.
Seabirds such as Shag, Atlantic Puffin, Razorbill and Common Guillemot breed on the nearby islet of Spannholmene.
Offshore during summer and passage periods birds such as Manx Shearwater and Great Skua and tape-luring has revealed the presence of European Storm Petrel.
Rarities
North American birds such as Spotted Sandpiper, Yellow-rumped Warbler and Rose-breasted Grosbeak have been recorded here as well as wanderers from Asia such as Olive-backed Pipit and Pechora Pipit, White's Thrush and Siberian Thrush and Pallas's Grasshopper Warbler, Radde's Warbler and Greenish Warbler.
Alpine Swift, Hoopoe and Melodious Warbler are among the vagrants from the south recorded here.
Black-browed Albatross and Ivory Gull are among the rarer seabirds recorded at Utsira.
Check-list
Birds you can see here include:
Red-throated Diver, Black-throated Diver, Great Northern Diver, Little Grebe, Northern Fulmar, Sooty Shearwater, Manx Shearwater, European Storm Petrel, Northern Gannet, Great Cormorant, European Shag, Grey Heron, Pink-footed Goose, Greylag Goose, Barnacle Goose, Dark-bellied Brent Goose, Eurasian Wigeon, Common Teal, Mallard, Tufted Duck, Common Eider, Long-tailed Duck, Common Scoter, Velvet Scoter, Common Goldeneye, Red-breasted Merganser, Goosander, European Honey Buzzard, Hen Harrier, Eurasian Goshawk, Eurasian Sparrowhawk, Common Buzzard, Rough-legged Buzzard, Common Kestrel, Merlin, Gyr Falcon, Peregrine Falcon, Water Rail, Eurasian Oystercatcher, Ringed Plover, Eurasian Golden Plover, Grey Plover, Northern Lapwing, Red Knot, Sanderling, Little Stint, Curlew Sandpiper, Purple Sandpiper, Dunlin, Ruff, Jack Snipe, Common Snipe, Eurasian Woodcock, Bar-tailed Godwit, Whimbrel, Eurasian Curlew, Spotted Redshank, Common Redshank, Common Greenshank, Green Sandpiper, Wood Sandpiper, Common Sandpiper, Ruddy Turnstone, Arctic Skua, Great Skua, Black-headed Gull, Common Gull, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Herring Gull, Great Black-backed Gull, Black-legged Kittiwake, Common Tern, Arctic Tern, Common Guillemot, Razorbill, Black Guillemot, Little Auk, Atlantic Puffin, Stock Dove, Common Woodpigeon, Eurasian Collared Dove, European Turtle Dove, Common Cuckoo, Long-eared Owl, Short-eared Owl, Common Swift, Eurasian Wryneck, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Eurasian Skylark, Horned Lark, Sand Martin, Barn Swallow, Northern House Martin, Richard's Pipit, Tree Pipit, Meadow Pipit, Red-throated Pipit, Rock Pipit, Grey-headed Wagtail, Grey Wagtail, White Wagtail, Bohemian Waxwing, Common Wren, Dunnock, Eurasian Robin, Bluethroat, Black Redstart, Common Redstart, Whinchat, European Stonechat, Northern Wheatear, Ring Ouzel, Eurasian Blackbird, Fieldfare, Song Thrush, Redwing, Mistle Thrush, Common Grasshopper Warbler, Sedge Warbler, Common Reed Warbler, Icterine Warbler, Barred Warbler, Lesser Whitethroat, Common Whitethroat, Garden Warbler, Blackcap, Pallas's Leaf Warbler, Yellow-browed Warbler, Wood Warbler, Common Chiffchaff, Willow Warbler, Goldcrest, Spotted Flycatcher, Red-breasted Flycatcher, European Pied Flycatcher, Coal Tit, Blue Tit, Great Tit, Common Treecreeper, Red-backed Shrike, Great Grey Shrike, Eurasian Jackdaw, Rook, Carrion Crow, Hooded Crow, Northern Raven, Common Starling, House Sparrow, Eurasian Tree Sparrow, Chaffinch, Brambling, European Greenfinch, European Goldfinch, Eurasian Siskin, Eurasian Linnet, Twite, Northern Redpoll, Lesser Redpoll, Common Crossbill, Parrot Crossbill, Common Rosefinch, Common Bullfinch, Hawfinch, Snow Bunting, Lapland Bunting, Yellowhammer, Ortolan Bunting, Little Bunting, Reed Bunting
Other Wildlife
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Site Information
History and Use
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Areas of Interest
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Access and Facilities
The island can be reached by daily boat service from Haugesund at Garpeskjaerskaien on Risoey. Camping or accommodation in private homes is available and it is possible to stay at the bird observatory.
Soervik has a shop and Post Office and Siratunet, in the centre of the island, has a bank. The best time to visit in spring is from the middle of April until early June especially with south-easterly winds.
During autumn there is good birding from mid August until mid October, with the peak time in early October, but accommodation is difficult to find at this time and needs to be booked in advance.
Contact Details
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External Links
Content and images originally posted by Steve
