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Long-tailed Tit Flocks of Long-tailed Tits were visible throughout the Lista lighthouse area for several weeks in autumn 2025. Report from autumn 2025
Weather The average temperature has been higher than normal throughout the autumn, with 1.1°C above average from July until October, being July and October 2.1° C and 1.6° C above normal respectively. The first half of November was extremely warm, being 3.5° C above normal. The average precipitation in autumn has been close to normal, except for September with 70% more precipitation (much of it concentrated on the 9th and the 10th). The number of days with strong winds or hard rain was around normal: the nets could not be opened for 30 days (compared to 31 in 2024). Ringing The strong autumn invasion of tits, in addition to some increase in other species, meant that the numbers in the standardized monitoring were higher overall than in many years. Even though, several of the regular migratory songbirds also had numbers well below normal in 2025, in line with a decreasing trend in recent years that culminated in a solid bottom year in 2024. Of the total of 136 series of various species from the spring and autumn seasons that we analyse at Jomfruland and Lista, 65% of these were below average, but 71% had higher numbers than in 2024. The number of ringed birds this autumn at Lista has been 41% above average, catching 7 more species than in autumn 2024. The "top 5 species" in the nets have been Blue Tit (1987), Long-tailed Tit (1044), Coal Tit (487), Willow Tit (252) and Goldcrest (177). 72% of the species that are usually caught in the nets were caught under average numbers. From the other 28% (caught in positive numbers), 69% were from the group “sedentary and irruptive species” and were ringed in much higher numbers than normal: Great Spotted Woodpecker (99%), Coal Tit (271%), Willow Tit (723%), Blue Tit (103%), Long-tailed Tit (868%), Nutchatch (120%), Treecreper (52%), Tree Sparrow (81%) and Bullfinch (11%). Some of the larger thrushes have been ringed in average numbers such as Blackbird (-2%) and Fieldfare (-6%), while Song Thrush have been ringed much down average (-50%) as the last 6 years. The only thrush that was ringed in high numbers was the Redwing (24% above average), showing a positive result for the first time since 2019. Other species of small thrushes such as Robin, Whinchat and Northern Wheatear had a very bad season being respectively ringed 58%, 60% and 25% below average numbers. All the Pipits and Wagtails were ringed between 45% and 81% below average, except for the Rock Pipit (-13%). Only one Yellow Wagtail was caught during the season (average is 5). All the tits have been ringed in very high numbers, between 103% and 868% above average, except for Great tit (-9%). Long-tailed Tit showed record numbers since we started monitoring in 1990. However, other groups of birds as warblers, flycatchers, finches and buntings have shown in general low numbers in the nets. Willow Warbler and Garden Warbler were ringed 72% and 50% below average. Chiffchaff and Blackcap were ringed in positive numbers, while Spotted Flycatcher, Pied Flycatcher and Redstart were caught between 35% and 67% down average. Most of the finches and buntings have not been different, unfortunately. Chaffinch, Brambling, Greenfinch, Redpoll, Yellowhammer and Reed Bunting were ringed between 52% and 86% below average. Siskin was the only exception, ringed 61% above normal. This year we have not had capacity for catching and colour-ringing Rock Pipits with playback and clap-nets with worms. However, we have continued colour ringing on the standardized ringing Whinchat, Stonechat, Northern Wheatear, White Wagtail and Rock Pipit. Tengmalm’s/Pygmy Owl playback has been used during the nights in autumn when weather was suitable. Although we did not catch a single Tengmalm or Pygmy Owl on the non-standardized ringing, a Long-eared Owl was caught when playing Tengmalm’s sound. Observations From 1st of January to 15th November, 237 species have been recorded in the observatory area (2 less than in 2024 and 7 less than in 2023). There have many species this autumn that have been registered in very high numbers, such as Coal Tit, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Sanderling, Nuthatch, Hawfinch and Goldfinch, showing all of them second and third best numbers ever. In addition, Stonechat, Long-tailed tit, Willow Tit, Quail, Crane, Rock Pigeon, Marsh Warbler and Wryneck showed record numbers since 1990. While the ringing numbers this season were characterized by the very high numbers of tits and low numbers in many of the common warblers, flycatchers, pipits, finches and buntings, the observations have been more positive. Especially when the second half of the autumn was dominated by very high number of irruptive species such as Woodpeckers and Tits. Lesser and Greater Spotted Woodpecker have been seen 204% and 396% over average respectively. Coal Tit, Crested Tit, Willow Tit, Blue Tit and Long-tailed Tit have been seen between 145% and 1187% over average. Many warblers also showed normal or high numbers of observations compared to the ringing results: Blackcap, Lesser Whitethroat and Common Whitethroat have been seen in positive numbers, and the same happened with Spotted Flycatcher, Robin, Pied Flycatcher, Northern Wheatear, Chaffinch, Greenfinch and Linnet. However, Willow Warbler, Garden Warbler, Song Thrush, Blackbird, Common Redstart, Whinchat, House Sparrow, Dunnock, Medow Pipit and Reed Bunting were seen between 23% and 62% down average. Although Wigeon, Mallard, Goosander and Red-breasted Merganser have shown high numbers, many ducks have been seen in lower numbers than normal, such as Northern Pintail, Common Teal, Tufted Duck, Greater Scaup, Velvet Scoter, Common Scoter, Long-tailed Duck and Common Goldeneye. Waders have shown very varied results, some being very low and some others very high. Whimbrel, Curlew, Black-tailed Godwit, Ruff and Redshank showed slight negative numbers, while Lapwing, Grey Plover, Curlew Sandpiper, Dunlin, Little Stint and Jack Snipe were seen between 37% and 91% down average. Other species showed positive numbers such as Golden Plover, Bar-tailed Godwit, Common Sandpiper, Green Sandpiper and Greenshank. Red Knot, Sanderling, Purple Sandpiper, Common Snipe and Wood Sandpiper were seen between 54% and 352% above average. It is worth to mention that Lapwing (which has shown a very strong decline since 2008 in the observatory area) showed an increase in autumn 2023 and 2024. In autumn 2025, there were registered 364 Lapwings (-78%, but the best 4th year in the last 10 years). For the first time in many years, there have been several pairs of Lapwings breeding in the observatory area during the spring. A total of 7 nests were found and 1 was successful with 3 flying fledglings. In autumn 2025 a report was published by BirdLife Norway (Olsen, K. 2025) showing the following results: a total of 61 breeding pairs were registered in the whole Lista peninsula, which is the highest number since 2012. Although the number of fledglings was the highest in 14 years, only 1/3 survived the 35-day growing period. There has been a good number of unusual species in the area during this autumn. We have registered Pallid Swift (2nd record), Broad-billed Sandpiper, Sabine’s Gull, Ringed-billed Gull (2nd record), Caspian Gull, Black Tern, Leach’s Storm Petrel, Balearic Shearwater, Great Egret, Little Egret, Golden Eagle, Pallid Harrier, Red Kite, Black Kite, White-backed Woodpecker, Yellow-browed Warbler, Dusky Warbler (5th record), Savi’s Warbler, Firecrest, Rose-coloured Starling, Red-breasted Flycatcher, Olive-backed Pipit (3nd record), Two-barred Crossbill and Little Bunting. In 2024, the station started a collaboration with the University of Oldenburg, which is working on a bird research project. It is part of a large network (Motus Wildlife Tracking System), with base stations along the entire North Sea. A total of 100 radio transmitters were planned to be attached to 4 passerines species (Blackcap, Tree Pipit, Garden Warbler and Song Thrush) at Lista during the autumn of 2024 and 2025. A total of 96 tags were placed: 41 birds tagged in 2024 and 54 tagged in 2025. The birds were detected by antenna receivers throughout Norway, Denmark, Germany, Netherlands, Belgium, France and UK. At least 73 birds (76%) have been detected in antenna receivers outside Norway. The Bird Observatory has guided 3 groups in autumn in cooperation with the Lista Wetland Center. David Santamaría (Spain), Miguel Martín (Spain), Julia Schulz (Germany), Lasse Heckroth (Germany), Alice Lewis (UK), Sonia Mignon (France), Elias Rankka (Sweden), Conrad Müller (Germany), Helen Svensson (Norway), Jan Erik Røer (Norway) and Gunnar Gundersen (Norway) have been volunteers at the station and helped the ringers (Christoph Weinrich, Charel Klein, Laima Bagdonaite and Aïda López), on the fieldwork in autumn 2025. | ||||||
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Report from autumn 2025 Looking for bird ringers for autumn 2026 Report from spring 2025 Festivalgjester presenterer ny fuglebok Lista Fuglefestival 2025 |
Lista Fuglestasjon
Fyrveien 6
NO-4563 Borhaug
post@listafuglestasjon.no Tlf: 949 86 793
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