Three snipe day

Someone wants to go boating! The criminally ridiculous rules that govern water levels in Nordre Øyeren say that regardless of the natural situation with melt waters and flooding that the delta should be filled up to “normal levels” by the middle of May such that the good citizens of Lillestrøm can enjoy their pleasure boats – what a load of b*ll!

I could see the water level rising today when I was at Svellet. In the last two days it has been raised by about 50cm and this now means Svellet is filling up fast – so fast that it may only have three more days left with mudflat. The bay in Snekkervika is also fast filling with water and here I could see ducks and waders moving with the water. So the next few days will be important to enjoy (for both birds and birders) what is left of prime conditions for migrating birds before it is all flooded. Today Wood Sandpipers (300+) were the dominant wader and now outnumber Greenshanks (200+).

Whether this is a result of the rising water levels or just the passing of time is difficult to know. There was not too much other variety with just a few Little Ringed Plovers, Curlew, Lapwing, Redshank and Common Sandpipers noted on the mudflats.

I did have three other species of wader though – all three snipe species – and without checking my records I think this is the first time I have had all three on the same day. It started in Maridalen with a Common Snipe shortly followed by a Great Snipe and then later in the day I had two Jack Snipe alongside Common Snipe at Årnestangen.

I had my first Yellow Wagtails of the year including a bird in Maridalen and Maridalen also offered up nesting Barnacle Geese, Red and Black-throated Divers, Wood Sandpiper, Tawny Owl, Wheatear and my first Whinchats of the year.

A bit of local twitching saw me visiting a park lake where a 1^st summer White-fronted Goose has been in residence for the last few days and although it was clearly shier than the Greylags it was with it was a very confiding bird.

Great Snipe (dobbeltbekkasin) in Maridalen - it had to take evasive action to avoid a wire

even an out of focus picture (as the majority of my snipe flight shots are) shows the diagnostic white wing bars

Jack Snipes (kvartbekkasin) are never as easy to photograph in flight as they, after a slow start, fly much faster

the short bill just allows ID from this blurred picture

just one male Garganey (knekkand) at Merkja today 

The two Little Ringed Plover (dverglo) to the left chased away the third bird 

This pair of Red-throated Divers (smålom) are a regular feature in Maridalen. They fly in calling from their breeding lake which will be a small lake probably many kilometres way in the forest and then land on Maridalsvannet for some fishing and display

straight after landing they displayed a bit

my firt Whinchat (buskskvett) of the year - one of two in Maridalen 

Common Sandpiper (strandsnipe)

Coot (sothøne)

my best ever views of a White-fronted Goose (tundragås) here together with a Greylag. The bird is a 1st summer/2cy and the pink bill shows it to be of the (sub)species albifrons

the orange legs were very striking. Note the first black belly bars (typical of adults) are appearing

not exactly typical surroundings for this arctic tundra breeding species