Rubbish

The choice today was between two rubbish dumps. Either Øra where there is an American Wigeon (amerikablesand) or Taranrød, near Tønsberg where there is a Black Kite (svartglente) both of which would be new Norwegian birds for me. I chose Øra because the chance of finding something else would be much higher here especially as it is at the mouth of the Glomma River which runs through Nordre Øyeren and would therefore be a likely place for the rare terns to have moved to.

On the way down a Peregrine (vandrefalk) flew over the road. When I got to Øra it was overcast and slightly chilly which had caused hundreds of Swifts (tårnseiler) and hirundines to hunt insects low over the water and it is in these conditions that marsh terns can often turn up – well on other days at least! The American Wigeon was on show with ten normal Wigeon (brunnakke) when I arrived but as usual at Øra was quite some way off. Here is the only picture I managed which could possibly come under the category atrocious documentation photo.

American Wigeon - believe it or not

39 Teal (krikkand) did not hide anything rarer in their midst and there were no waders of any interest. Three singing Marsh Warblers (myrsanger) made quite a noise around the bird hide and a male and a female Marsh Harrier (sivhauk) floated over the reedbed.

Driving to Kurefjorden I had a female Marsh Harrier hunting by the road and a singing Marsh Warbler singing from a roadside marsh. It was high tide at Kurefjorden which concentrated the birds but there was (as expected) little to see. A male Gadwall (snadderand), 13 Ringed Plover (sandlo), a Wood Sandpiper (grønnstilk), a Greenshank (gluttsnipe) and a singing Marsh Warbler were the pick of the bunch. This time of the year really is one of the quietest times for birds but it is also when some exceptional rarities can turn up so there is always a motivation to keep looking!

Last night I embarked on another nocturnal wander this time around Ski. My main target was Quail (vaktel) but I failed to hear any in an area that had held five only two night previously... I did hear a probable Blyth’s Reed Warbler (busksanger) at 10pm but it only sang very briefly on two occasions and not long enough for me to nail it. Having already had two this spring I left after half an hour of waiting in vain for it to sing again. I did hear two Marsh Warblers singing in duet only 15metres from each other and had a Short-eared Owl (jordugle) float over my head which was a surprise as I would far more have expected Long-eared Owl (hornugle) at this location and time of year.

Driving past Østensjøvannet in Ås I heard the River Warbler that has been present from a couple of weeks from the moving car and coming back to Oslo just aftret midnight I heard one of the two Blyth’s Reed Warblers that were discovered on Sunday at Frognerkilen (by Bygdøy). My final destination was Maridalen where I felt confident I would get a rare warbler for my troubles. On entering Maridalen there was indeed a Marsh Warbler singing (finally) but nothing else new. The Grasshopper Warbler is still reeling away but the Corncrake and River Warbler were both quiet or absent.