I was guiding Bob and Sharon from the US of A today and a
very successful day it was. In the morning we even had some sunshine and it
could be classified as warm when in the sun but by the afternoon it had clouded
over and felt more like March than May.
I had a list of wished for lifer species and managed to deliver on
pretty much everything that I had highlighted as possible plus had a couple of
bonuses. As usual Maridalen was the key enabler with a pair of Wrynecks
displaying to each other, Black Woodpecker showing ridiculously well, Redwing
singing in the sun, a brief and early (and bonus) Icterine Warbler and
Black-throated Diver (now split from Pacific Loon so a bonus tick). We also had
Goshawk, Pied and Spotted Flycatcher, beaver, Whinchat, Wheatear etc. Hawfinch
was top of the wish list and a visit to the wood behind Jr Jr’s school revealed
a pair courtship feeding by what seemed to be their nest. After this it was
Dotterel that was on the wish list. Rather than try for yesterday’s birds at
Årnestangen I headed south into Østfold where birds were seen yesterday and
there are many fields that can hold this species in May. There were no birds
where they were seen yesterday but thanks to the marvels of new-fangled
technology I found out that birds were present close by. We found the birds but
due to an undulating field I immediately lost them before Bob and Sharon had
seen them and it took many minutes before they popped up again. Views were in
the scope at some range but the birds were fantastic. Also here we had Golden
Plover, a male Marsh Harrier and a pair of Ringed Plovers with two very small
young (we also had Lapwing with young nearby).
A great days guiding in other words J
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| I'm always partial to seeing beaver in the morning |
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| Black Woodpecker (svartspett) |
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| distant Dotterel (boltit) |
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| male Hawfinch (kjernebiter) |
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| this looks to be a nest |
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| singing Redwing (rødvingetrost) |
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| Wryneck (vendehals) pair that were displaying |
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