It has been more than 160 years since Glossy Ibis was reported from Hordaland county in western Norway. That was an undated record from 1848, apparently two birds shot "near Bergen" that year. On Wednesday fellow board member in Birdlife Norway (Hordaland branch), Ingvar Måge found a first summer bird on his local patch Sandvin in Odda. The location is not much above the sea level, and is really a crack in the Hardangervidda mountain plateu. This is similar for all of the inner Hardangerfjord, making dramatic sceneries with narrow fjords between steep mountains rising a kilometer above sea level.
The Glossy Ibis stayed in the small pond in the front on this picture. In respect of stunning sceneries the bird had picked a pretty perfect site. Hardanger during spring is immense.
A few hours search before locating the bird made the sighting taste really good, highlighting the fact that I actually had to make an effort spotting it. That is of course something I feel right now, but during the search I must admit that I was both devastated and slightly suicidal. It is not often I travel about three hours to see a single bird. The Ibis proved to be quite unaffected of our prescence 50-100 meters away. It was continously feeding among the Horsetail vegetation surrounding the pond.
First summer Glossy Ibis in Odda, western Norway 11 May 2014.
Sandvin and the Hardangerfjord area are not listed among the rarity hotspots in Norway, but almost at the exact same spot, back in May 1981, Norway's first White-throated Robin was found and photographed here. The local birders are visiting Sandvin on a daily basis, but despite of this few rarities has been found since then. The Glossy Ibis was a more than deserved first price for the hard working birders in Odda. There are only 18 previous records of Glossy Ibis in Norway.
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