A top day

You know its been a good day when it takes hours to go through all the pictures you took and when you still haven't had time to look at all the video you recorded.

Fornebu really shone today on a day with amazing weather. Overnight temperatures of -5C never got above zero during the day due to a cloudless blue sky and no wind. White frost covered vegetation and there was ice on waterd edge.

All the good birds were present plus a couple of new ones. The Kingfisher showed well and a new group of people finally got to see it. The Arctic Tern flew back and forth at far too close range and caught three fish in an under an hour. The Beareded Tits pinged once but didn't show and one the Water Rails squealed unseen from the reeds. Guillemot and Razorbill swam by at less than 10 m range on a still blue sea and showed side by side. New birds were a Chiffchaff which revealed itself by calling. The call was a normal call of a western bird and there was a lot of green and yellow in the plumage so not a tristis which might be more likely at this time of the year. Two Snow Buntings were also new although they were only flyovers (but their black and white plumage really stood out against the blue sky).

In Maridalen there were s lot of singing Common Crossbills and Gee Gee was on his usual wires.

Norway's latest (?) Arctic Tern (rødnebbterne) - this 1cy bird is still doing well off Fornebu

the tern with Oslo in the distance. The skyscrapers (if they can be called that) are 9km away and are where the Peregrine likes to hang out 

diving for fish - in this pose it looks incredibly long winged

with a fish - one of at least three I saw it catch within an hour, so clearly no problem finding food

it did come close

between fishing sorties it would perch on this rock

a late Chiffchaff (gransanger)

this group of Eiders (ærfugl) were diving for food just offshore. I took a lot of video which I have yet to review but the water was "boiling" when they dived

one of the Eiders emerging from a dive

Goldfinch (stillits)

a very close Guillemot

a close up of the head with a protective eye lid closed

Guillemot (left) with Razorbill

1cy Razorbill (alke)

the Razorbill diving

male Hawfinch (kjernebiter)

the Kingfisher (isfugl) where I first saw it

later it was in the same area as yesterday

this is a montage of it fishing

Wren (gjerdesmett)

the Arctic Tern is a spot in the middle of the picture with Oslo as the backdrop

a frosty Maridalen with the GG on the wires