Hazel Grouse guiding

Guiding today and with one simple objective to photograph Hazel Grouse (jerpe). My client from Oslo has photographed 240 species in Norway but it has become more and more difficult adding new species to the list and Hazel Grouse is one that has eluded him.

Hazel Grouse is not a very rare species around Oslo but is definitely not an easy species to find let alone photograph. I have found 3-4 sites around Maridalen for the species but even with this many sites to choose from it is not every time I hear, let alone see the species so photography is always going to be a hit and miss. If you click on the Hazel Grouse tag under this post then you will see my various photographic attempts over the years. Needless to say, expectations were managed ;-)

We walked 8km on snow covered paths and twice connected with Hazel Grouse! First a pair and then a singing male. We saw all three birds and one male even perched in the open at close range. But as always with this species you have to be quick, very quick, with the camera. Mine was safely packed away as I was focused on finding the birds but Bent raised his camera in time but the d*rned autofocus would not lock on in a gloomy forest and after three seconds there was a whir of wings and the bird flew 50 metres away. After this all our sightings were of birds flying between trees and no photos ensued.

So three birds were found but the photograph will have to wait until another time – c’est la vie.

Here though is photographic evidence of the presence one of the birds.

Hazel Grouse (jerpe) dropping

 

The Easter bunny is on his way to town

 

 

 

And a short video of yesterday's Lesser Spot: