Date of birth: 11th April 1974, in Fredrikstad, Østfold, Norway.

Address: Utsiravegen 183, NO-5547 Utsira, Norway; geirmobakken(commercial at)yahoo.no

Background: Part of the birdwatching scene in Østfold county from 1988 to 1991, with the rubbish tip of Øra and the island of Akerøya as primary localities. Visited Utsira, Rogaland county for the first time in 1989, resident from 1994. Co-author of Fugler og fuglafolk på Utsira [Birds and birdwatchers of Utsira] (2004) and the un-published Sjeldne fugler i Norge [Rare birds in Norway]. News correspondent to Birding World (2008–2013) and Dutch Birding (1995–). First member of Utsira club 300. See also www.utsirafuglestasjon.no

Travel activity: Azores, Britain, Canary Islands, Cape Verde Islands, Channel Islands, Corsica, Cyprus, Finnmark, Ireland, Israel, Morocco, the Netherlands, Oman, Spain. Travelled Utsira–Fair Isle–Scilly–Helgoland–Utsira in the summer of 2006.

Optical aids: Zeiss Dialyt 8x56 and 10x40; Kowa TSN-1 (30x).

First rarity find: In Norway: Caspian Tern Hydroprogne caspia at Øra, Fredrikstad on 27th June 1988. On Utsira: Citrine Wagtail Motacilla citreola on 19th May 1991.

Birdwatching highlight: Bearded Vulture Gypaetus barbatus on Utsira on 13th June 2003.

Favourite bird: Black Redstart Phoenicurus ochruros, female type.

Favourite bird group: Seabirds.

Dream bird: Siberian Blue Robin Larvivora cyane.

Dream scenario: Confiding, adult male Little Crake Zapornia parva in the lighthouse garden in April.

Have found on Utsira: Among other things 11 Tundra Swans Cygnus columbianus, Common Pochard Aythya ferina (live and dead), Common Quail Coturnix coturnix on 25th April, two Little Ringed Plovers Thinornis dubius, Red Phalarope Phalaropus fulicarius, four Temminck´s Stints Calidris temminckii, all 13 species of gull seen on Utsira, 10,000 Northern Fulmars Fulmarus glacialis in a day, Great Shearwater Ardenna gravis, two Mediterranean Shearwaters Puffinus yelkouan, Little Egret Egretta garzetta, Northern Hawk-Owl Surnia ulula, seven Pallid Harriers Circus macrourus (inc. adult male), four Common Hoopoes Upupa epops, 11 European Bee-eaters Merops apiaster, Lesser Spotted Woodpecker Dryobates minor, Red-footed Falcon Falco vespertinus, two Lesser Grey Shrikes Lanius minor, 13 Greater Short-toed Larks Calandrella brachydactyla, Melodious Warbler Hippolais polyglotta, breeding Blyth´s Reed Warbler Acrocephalus dumetorum and Marsh Warbler A. palustris (first breeding records for Rogaland), Great Reed Warbler A. arundinaceus, Pallas´s Grasshopper Warbler Helopsaltes certhiola, Sand Martin Riparia riparia and Barn Swallow Hirundo rustica in March, Hume´s Leaf Warbler Phylloscopus humei, Radde´s Warbler P. schwarzi, Dusky Warbler P. fuscatus, five Greenish Warblers P. trochiloides, Arctic Warbler P. borealis, nine ´Subalpine Warblers´ Curruca iberiae/subalpina/cantillans, Common Firecrest Regulus ignicapilla, nine Rosy Starlings Pastor roseus, at least three White-throated Dippers Cinclus cinclus, Swainson´s Thrush Catharus ustulatus, Black-throated Thrush Turdus atrogularis, Common Nightingale Luscinia megarhynchos, three Red-flanked Bluetails Tarsiger cyanurus, Common Redstart P. phoenicurus on 7th April, five Siberian Stonechats Saxicola maurus, 13 European Stonechats S. rubicola in a day, Desert Wheatear Oenanthe deserti, two Isabelline Wheatears O. isabellina, hybrid Western Yellow Wagtail M. flava x Citrine Wagtail (first Norwegian record), eight Citrine Wagtails, Tawny Pipit Anthus campestris, eight Olive-backed Pipits A. hodgsoni, Common Rosefinch Carpodacus erythrinus on 2nd December, Pine Grosbeak Pinicola enucleator, three ´Greenland Redpoll´ Acanthis flammea rostrata, nine species of bunting Emberiza inc. two each of Black-headed Bunting E. melanocephala and Pine Bunting E. leucocephalos and three each of Yellow-breasted Bunting E. aureola and Corn Bunting E. calandra ...

... plus 24 firsts: Taiga Bean Goose Anser fabalis 10th November 1992 (first, second and third records), King Eider Somateria spectabilis 11th October 1995, Garganey Spatula querquedula 8th May 1995 (first, second and third), ´Continental Black-tailed Godwit´ Limosa l. limosa 13th May 2005, Spotted Sandpiper Actitis macularius 28th May 1997 (first Norwegian record), Baird´s Sandpiper C. bairdii 11th September 2024, Pectoral Sandpiper C. melanotos 9th August 2013 (first and second), White-winged Tern Chlidonias leucopterus 29th August 2000, Laughing Gull Leucophaeus atricilla 10th March 2001 (first and second), Mediterranean Gull Ichthyaetus melanocephalus 21st July 2017, Ring-billed Gull Larus delawarensis 22nd May 1992, White Stork Ciconia ciconia 25th May 2008, Great Egret Ardea alba 22nd May 1996, Tawny Owl Strix aluco 28th December 2020, Pallid Harrier 4th September 2002, Montagu´s Harrier C. pygargus 4th September 1992, Red Kite Milvus milvus 25th April 2010 (first and second), Black Kite M. migrans 13th May 2013, Northern Nutcracker Nucifraga caryocatactes 12th September 1995, Booted Warbler Iduna caligata 22nd October 1996, Sykes´s Warbler I. rama 2nd September 2010, European Red-rumped Swallow Cecropis rufula 10th May 2000, ´White-spotted Bluethroat´ L. svecica cyanecula 18th April 2020, Pine Bunting 22nd November 2003 (first and second) ...

... and also Bearded Vulture 13th June 2003 (Category E: first Norwegian record), Oriental Greenfinch Chloris sinica 21st April 1996 (Category E), Yellow-fronted Canary Crithagra mozambica 3rd August 2002 (Category E: first Norwegian record).

Have trapped by hand on Utsira: Among other things Common Goldeneye Bucephala clangula, Jack Snipe Lymnocryptes minimus, Iceland Gull L. glaucoides, Eurasian Skylark Alauda arvensis, Barn Swallow, Grey Wagtail M. cinerea, European Rock Pipit A. petrosus, Lapland Longspur Calcarius lapponicus.

Have yet to see on Utsira: Among other things Black Tern C. niger, Grey-headed Woodpecker Picus canus.

Utsira self-found list: 270.

Utsira list: 309.

House list: 205.

Nationally rare taxa found on Utsira: 49.

Most species seen on Utsira in one day: 82 on 9th May 2006.

Most species seen on Utsira in a year: 203 in 2011.

Best dates on Utsira (own records): 22nd May (Long-tailed Jaeger Stercorarius longicaudus 2013, Ring-billed Gull 1992, Manx Shearwater Puffinus puffinus 1999, Great Egret 1996, Red Kite 2011, Eurasian Golden Oriole Oriolus oriolus 2005, Lesser Grey Shrike 2003); 28th May (Spotted Sandpiper 1997, Sandwich Tern Thalasseus sandvicensis 2002, Melodious Warbler 2014, Blyth´s Reed Warbler 2008, ´Subalpine Warbler´ 1995); 18th September (Common Moorhen Gallinula chloropus 2013, Great Snipe Gallinago media 1995, Pectoral Sandpiper 2014, Red-throated Pipit A. cervinus 2014, Yellow-breasted Bunting 1995); 16th October (Pallas´s Leaf Warbler P. proregulus 2015, Black-throated Thrush 1999, Isabelline Wheatear 2001 and 2003); 22nd October (Booted Warbler 1996, Pallas´s Leaf Warbler 2012, Radde´s Warbler 2014).

Norwegian self-found list: 300.

Norwegian list: 368.

WP list: 622.

(My lists are based on the taxonomy of AviList and includes species on Category A only; see below for a full-blown version of my Utsira list.)