Oslo Purple Sand

It looks like there has been a weather related movement of Purple Sandpipers. After Thursday’s birds at Drøbak there was a report of one at Huk, Oslo yesterday (accompanied by a cryptic photo of the rock it was seen on) and I went there this morning hoping to see a very rare Oslo species with only three previous records including a group of 4 from the very same rock in 2010.

The bird was not initially present but with only one side of the offshore rocks being visible I sat down to wait and after a while the bird walked into view. It was close to high tide and the sources of food were now covered by water so the bird promptly roosted and did precious little other than slowly inch up the rock as the water continued rising. Then suddenly it was gone – probably just to the other side of the rock but my hope of an intimate encounter with this species was dashed as it just wouldn’t show again.

I then tried Fornebu where the Kingfisher has shown again a couple of times but I had no joy and it started snowing whilst I was there and there was hardly a bird to be seen although the Beardies were calling from two different areas of the reedbed.

In the garden there are still very few birds and the snow did not bring any more but a Lesser Redpoll was a good bird.

Purple Sandpiper (fjæreplytt) in typical winter habitat

 

This adult male (judging by size) Goshawk (hønsehauk) in Maridalen was an impressive sight

 

Fieldfare (gråtrost) - one of the few birds still in the garden

female Goldeneye (kvinand)

the Lesser Redpoll (brunsisik)  in the garden. Notice how the colours change depending on lighting. This individual has a lot of white in the rump plus very pale tramlines on the mantle and lacks a buffish hue to the undertail-coverts but everything else screams Lesser.

the male Teal (krikkand) still at Fornebu