Eye candy

Last night was warm and dry which hasn't happened too often this spring so I took a trip into Maridalen just before midnight. Although there was a touch too much wind conditions were pretty good and if there was anything there I should have heard it. Result though was a near deathly silence. I heard a single Tawny Owl (kattugle) and over the Lapwing (vipe) field 7 or 8 adults were flying around angrily in a group clearly unhappy with something in the long grass. It could have been a fox but was most likely a cat of which I saw 3 running around fields in the middle of the night and one which crossed the road in front of me must have lost one of his nine lives. What these cats are doing running around in the middle of the night I don’t know but the birds in the valley definitely don’t benefit and the owners should get a hot poker shoved up where the sun don’t shine.

Today I had a plan to take some eye candy pictures of Corncrake (åkerrikse) and Slavonian Grebe (horndykker) today. Of the Corncrake there was not sight nor which had me thinking it/they may hav moved off but I was just not patience enough as It hwas heard singing later in the morning. Whilst hoping to find the Corncrake a Cuckoo (gjøk) flew over. This was a most unexpected record and I assume to be a bird moving through. I have only heard one Cuckoo singing this year when I was in Hedmark although have seen a further 4 or 5 from the car but I don’t think this is a good year for this species either.

The Slav Grebes though did perform well and in great light so I think I can be happy with some of the pictures although when they are always moving and at quite close range it is incredibly difficult to get sharp in-focus shots. Two young Dippers (fossekall) had just left the nest at the same site and one allowed me to try some artistic shots with gushing water in the background.

I spent lunchtime sitting by Snekkervika hoping for a rare tern or raptor. A Rosefinch (rosenfink) kept me company with his “pleased to see you” call and was again a 2cy male (they must have had a good breeding season last year). I saw this bird engaging with another female coloured bird but couldn’t work out whether it was romance with a female or rivalry with another male or alternatively romance with another male…. Some raptors did show here although very distantly including a pair of Honey Buzzards (vepsevåk). Two Golden Plovers (heilo) that flew in and landed were another sign of the late spring/summer.

Slavonian Grebe (horndykker) - look at those eyes

 

Dipper (fossekall) fledgling

 

2cy male Rosefinch (rosenfink)

Cuckoo (gjøk) flying over Østensjøvannet

 

here it looks like there are two grebes but this is just one grebe and one head but it splits in two at the back

male Siskin and Rosefinch

here the Slav Grebe at Østensjøvnnet. It stays in the same area and close to the reeds and it wouldn't surprise me if there is another bird sitting on eggs in the reeds