Whoopers

Today was the coldest day so far this autumn/winter and the temperature barely rose above zero all day. The day didn’t exactly look like it had much to offer on the bird front but I thought a check of Nordre Øyeren would be worthwhile as I still have a hope of finding some Bewick’s Swans (dvergsvane) this autumn.

There were a lot of Whoopers (sangsvane) to see which is the first time this autumn I have found any decent numbers to search through. I had over 300 but unfortunately I was unable to locate any of their smaller cousin. It is always a joy to come close to large numbers of Whoopers though as they are always calling and creating an evocative atmosphere. There were very ducks or geese left and no waders despite me tramping through marshland hoping to find a snipe or two. A roadside Great Grey Shrike (varsler) was the days highlight.

 

Whooper Swans and Canada Geese