Thawing

Temperatures were above freezing today and there was a slight wind such that the ice in the main Oslo fjord has broken up but the inner half of Kurefjorden was still frozen. Due to the wind there was much less to see on the water today and I could locate no waders this time (presumably they have moved south again). I had one Great Grey Shrike by the E6 on both the outward and homeward journey plus a new bird near the village of Tomb.

Three Rough-legged Buzzards were on the islands in the mouth of Kurefjorden but the undoubted highlight was an adult or near adult White-tailed Eagle which appeared unannounced over my head before landing on an island and then later sitting on the ice before taking a tour of the fjord. It had a fine white tail and huge yellow beak but the head was perhaps not pale enough for it to be a full adult.

Krokstadfjorden was also mostly frozen with little to see but there was a flock of 100 Herring Gulls here which I went through bird by bird. No white-winged gulls to be found but two first winter gulls were very pale and one at least was a very good candidate for a Herring x Glaucous hybrid due to its large size and brutish build, two-toned bill and very pale primaries (I only saw the bird at rest through the scope and whilst I tried to get closer every bird in the area was spooked by an unseen raptor and I never picked it up again). Four fly over Common Crossbills were a long overdue year tick.

White-tailed Eagle

Great Grey Shrike