Tying myself in a knot

My 2012 year list contains some pretty glaring omissions. Willow and Rock Ptarmign (ly- og fjellrype) are probably lost causes now unless I have another visit to the mountains but the commoner waders that I am missing: Knot (polarsnipe), Sanderling (sandløper) and Turnstone (steinvender) will hopefully give themselves up this autumn.

Mini Oslo Birder celebrated her 4^th birthday today which left me more than busy so I didn’t check bird sightings until 9pm. I then saw that 14 Knot had been seen at Fornebu and judged that it would still be light enough if I set off. Sure enough it was light enough to enjoy 14 summer plumaged adult Knot feeding (or at least attempting to) on a rocky island offshore of Rolfstangen. I had left the camera at home but managed some phone-scoping shots. One more year tick!

(Red) Knot feeding amongst Eiders (ærfugl) and Oystercatchers (tjeld)

Also here some Lesser Black-backed Gulls (sildemåke) that in the fading light had me thinking fuscus. Recently sightings of birds ringed as fuscus nestlings in Nordland from near Oslo suggests that fuscus could in fact regularly pass through the area. Clearly there is more to understand about the different races of LBBG in Norway and their migration routes.