Iceland Gull Larus glaucoides is starving to death

Iceland Gull Larus glaucoides breeds in Greenland and a little further west Larus glaucoides kumlieni - which is a subspecies of Iceland Gull - breeds.
Here in early January 2012, Icelandic Gulls are all over the Faroe Islands. We have not had such a large invasion of Iceland Gulls since January/February 1983. The Iceland Gulls are everywhere and I have talked to fishermen, who say there are 30-40 birds around the boat all the time.
Since it is normal to eat for example Iceland Gull and Glaucous Gull Larus hyperboreus in the Faroes, I have had the opportunity to examine some of these Iceland Gulls a little closer. Except from one they were all very skinny - in fact they were on the verge of dying of hunger.
Iceland Gull is seen commonly in the Faroe Islands in winter, and studies have shown that normally 96% of the birds are females but the gender distribution of this invasion is 80% males and 20% females, and such a gender, I have never before seen here. One can imagine that since females are smaller, they do not perform well in the competition for food and therefore they will move away in an attempt to find areas where competition is not so high. When males are now emerging on the Faroe Islands in large numbers, it suggests that there is an extreme shortage of food in Greenland. They simply have fled from Greenland because of food shortages, but the question is whether there are able to get any rescue here in the Faroes, where the birds have starved for the last many years.
Unlike the invasion in 1983, very few of theese Iceland Gulls look like the western stock - Baffin Gull Larus glaucoides kumlieni from Baffin Island, but they will perhaps also show up a little later. Baffin's Gull Larus glaucoides kumlieni vary widely and there are many intermediate forms, but in general the juveniles are darker as well as the older birds have dark drawings on the primaries.

On 08.01.2012 this Iceland Gull was sitting on the pier in Nólsoy to weakened to fly. It only had enough energy to stand up for a moment before it had to lie down again. It is a male and weighs 575 g. Normal weight for such a big male should be around 300 g. more.

Black Redstart Phoenicurus ochruros

This Cape Shelduck visited Tórshavn 12. May 2011. Cape Shelduck comes from South Africa, so this must be a duck, who has escaped from captivity in one of our neighbour countries.

For the first time ever 4 Great Tits have stayed all the winter in the Faroe Islands. I succeeded to ring one of them.

I caught this Pallas' Rosefinch on Nólsoy 28.04.2003. It has most probably escaped from a cage and then flown to Faroe Islands. This is the only registration of Pallas' Rosefinch in the Faroe Islands.

12.09.2010 the ship Viking Lady approached Runavík with this Osprey on board. The bird was a chick from this summer. Hans Eli Sivertsen took care of the bird for approximately 14 days, mainly feeding it with mackerel.

25.09.2010 Jens-Kjeld Jensen ringed the Osprey, where after it was released.

Turnstone Arenaria interpres

Turnstone seems to spend the winter in the same place year after year. This old male was ringed by Guy Morrison in Alert on Ellesmere Island in North Canada (82.30N - 62.20W) 1. June 2008. Hans Eli Sivertsen observed the turnstone 28. March 2009 near Bacalao in Tórshavn, and he observed it again this winter in the same place. Jens-Kjeld took these photographs of the turnstone 1. February 2010.

The Crossbills come from Scandinavis, mainly because of lack of spruce cone seed in their homeland. They then migrate, hoping to find plenty of spruce cone seed in for example Faroe Islands.

Until now several Crossbills are found dead. The photographed yellow female was caught by a cat in Nólsoy today 02. July 2009. Today Agneta Jacobsen simultaneously caught 3 Crossbills in the kindergarden in Nólsoy, whereof the red photographed male above is one of them.

Símun Petersen was lucky to get theese photographs of a Snowy owl 27. April 2009 in "Gilinum á Høgaryggi", situated between Múlahaga and Krossdal on Borðoy. This is the 4 registrated observation of Snowy owl in the Faroe Islands since 1955. The 3 other observations are:
October 1990, Hvannasund, Viðoy: 1 female found dead by Oskar Simonsen and Poul Johannes Simonsen.
30. July 2001: 1 seen north of Saksun, Streymoy by Kirstin Blom, Bette Johansen and others. Documented by photograph.
11. September 2004:  Trongisvágur, Suðuroy: 1 adult male seen by Jens Petur Brattalíð. Photograph: Bjarni Nygaard.
On the other hand there are several none registrated observations of Snowy owl: A man name Torvald shot 1 in Porkeri, Suðuroy in about 1955. Around 1969 1 was seen near Sumba, Suðuroy. 1 male was shot in Nólsoy in about 1970 (it was stuffed). Many people saw 1 fly over the harbour in Nólsoy, when the ferry Ritan arrived in about 1978. 1 was almost run over by a car, as it was sitting in the middle of the road between Tjørnuvík and Langasandur a winter night in about 1975 and finally 1 was seen 27. November 2004 in Kirkjubønes, Streymoy by people, that were hunting hares.

There is no real system in the visits of Snowy owl in the Faroe Islands and it has never been registrated systematically.
Salomonsen (1963) writes about 15 findings/observations, and he also mentions an invasion in 1955.
Governor Müller (1863) writes about 1 from about 1843 and another 1, that stayed the whole winter in 1849-50. 1 was caught in 1855 and finally he writes, that he has heard about many seen around the islands that year.
Is it possible, that Salomonsen has gone 100 years wrong, when he perhaps thought about the invasion in 1855, and then wrote 1955 instead?
In October 1857 2 Snowy owls were seen near Tórshavn and 1 was seen on the same spot 25. May 1861.
Andersen (1901) writes, that Müller shot 1 adult male near Tórshavn 14. September 1863.
Andersen (1897) writes after Petur á Botni: Nyctea nivea: Seen several times and once shot in Nólsoy.
Salomonsen (1935): 1 female in Nordredal, Streymoy 18. June 1897 and 1 Mykines 10. February 1900.

The first Cattle Egret visiting Faroes was observed 28. September 2008 in Dalinum, Viðoy. The lucky observer was Tummas Thomasen. He told Olevinus Sørensen, Viðareiði about the Egret, and the day after - around noon, he observed the bird at the same location. In the evening the Egret flew to Viðareiði, where it was seen by Tóri Simonsen and others. 30. September Tóri Simonsen took these two photographs among others.