OSLO BIRDER: More winter

We awoke today to cold northerly winds and even more snow! This weather is clearly not conducive to new arrivals of migrants but it does mean that those that are here are likely to congregate where conditions are good and also that when the migrants do arrive that we might get a particularly large wave of birds.

Given that Maridalen is covered in snow I thought that Bygdøy would be worth a good check as there were clearly a lot of thrushes there yesterday. There were loads there today as well – Fieldfares made up 90% of the birds and there were at last 2500 of them!! Redwings were the next most numerous, then Song Thrushes, 13 Ring Ouzels, 4 Mistle Thrushes and just a couple of Blackbirds noted. A field that had been ploughed last autumn had me hoping I might find Shore Lark or something more interesting. I didn’t, but 9 Skylarks were a very unusual sight here and were very likely birds from Maridalen seeking refuge. There were also a few finches including Linnet and Twite as well as Meadow Pipits and White Wagtails.

I didn’t see or hear a single Chiffchaff today and many of these may have perished in the last two days. These cold snaps also show why the vast, vast majority of warblers do not turn up until May no matter how warm April can sometimes be because thousands of years of evolution has taught them that it ain’t safe to arrive early.

At Huk, I found nothing interesting on the fjord but two Ring Ouzels were in bushes right by the beach and after a while two Purple Sandpipers came into view. It is a long time since they have been reported but I am sure these are the same two birds that were here earlier in the year.

I thought a stop in Frognerpark might also reveal some birds looking for warmer climes. There wasn't anything exciting on the ponds but a Ring Ouzel among the Fieldfares was a definite sign of the times.