Autumn sun

a feeling for how it was at Hellesjøvannet. With a bit of imagination you can see Smew, Pochard, Tufted Duck and Mallard

A visit to Hellesjøvannet yesterday revealed a lake full of birds. All of the local Mallards (stokkand) seem to have congregated here and there were a good 600 birds. Amongst them 2 Pintail (stjertand), 2 Teal (krikkand) and a Wigeon (brunnakke). There was little more variety with the diving ducks with 3 each of Smew (lappfiskand), Goosander (laksand) and Scaup (bergand), 19 Pochard (taffeland) and 20 odd Tufted (toppand) and Goldeneye (kvinand).

Despite it being sunny and little wind there were no raptors but a Great Grey Shrike (varsler) at the same place as last week is probably on its winter territory.

Driving with the window down I heard the call of crossbills as I drove past a farm and stopped the car to see two male Common Crossbills (grankorsnebb) feeding on small pine cones on an ornamental pine bush just like the ones I had in the next door garden at home. There are coniferous forests as far as the eye can see yet the crossbills are choosing small bushes in gardens or to eat rowan berries. Clearly there is not much food in the forests so these birds have not invaded southern Scandinavia because of an abundance of food here rather they have had to flee northern and eastern areas where there must literally be no food at all.

male Common Crossbill

inidividual 2. Both of these have bills on the large end of the scale