Oslo birding really rocks!

After yesterday’s great experiences in the rain I took a trip to Maridalen either side of lunch in sunshine today hoping to digitally capture some of the ornithological highlights this valley has to offer.
First stop was the Tawny Owls (kattugle) where I found three youngsters out of the nest, one still in the nest and an anxious parent above me in a tree. Magical!

Common Rosefinches (rosenfink) seemed to be everywhere with four singing males plus another two birds that one of the males chased (difficult to know whether it was romance or war he had on his mind).
A Siskin (grønnsisik) feeding on roadside dandelions had maybe been hit by a car as it was very tame and unsure when I flew. The lapwing families are very difficult to follow but the female with 4 youngsters has chosen an open area and all 4 young were still going strong today.

On the way home I suddenly remembered the Dippers (fossekall) and had amazing views of two young being fed just metres away from me. The parents would feed them intensely for spells of about 10 minutes with food caught nearby before flying off and being gone for around 10 minutes when they were presumably feeding themselves before returning again for another feeding frenzy. I went back in the evening with the family who were also treated to a stellar performance from Norway's national bird. We also had a third youngster that was still by the waterfall and this would explain why I had seen adults going behind the waterfall earlier in the day - I had thought they were finding food there but were clearly feeding a youngster that had not been as brave as his siblings and made the jump.

And I forgot to visit the Black Woodpeckers, doh!

 

There were a lot of pictures and a lot of video today (500 in total) – far too much to go through and edit on a Friday night. Here are what seemed to be the best pictures but don’t be surprised if these birds feature in further posts and there may well be some video – with use of tripod included at no extra charge!

adult Dipper (fossekall)

the two youngsters

feeding time

flying across the waterall - there could be some amazing photo opportunities here

one of at least 6 Common Rosefinches (rosenfink) in a small area of Maridalen

 

the redder of the parents was watching from a close-by tree

youngster 1

youngster 2

youngster 3

the talons of youngster 3 and a man made object showing this bird has been fondled

Male Common Rosefinch (rosenfink)

male Pied Flycatcher (svarthvit fluesnapper)

Siskin eating dandelion seeds

female Yellowhammer (gulspurv)

male Blackcap (munk)