When Mrs OB wanted to go for a walk the chance to enjoy the forests north of Maridalen and perhaps reencounter the Greenish Warbler seemed to be a win win situation. The bird was singing in exactly the same spot as I found it yesterday and could be heard singing from a good distance as one approached (reports of the bird from other spots seem surprising (unless the two bird theory applies) and I well remember being fooled previously by the song of some Coal Tits and Treecreeper which can have a very musical song sometimes).

I again struggled to get good pictures with a constantly moving bird and surprisingly poor light (when looking through the camera) but the results and especially video were a marked improvement over yesterday’s efforts.

Last night I had my first nocturnal trip of the year and went up into Maridalen. At my first stop at 11pm (and whilst still quite light) I had a flock of 400 geese going over which from their call and date and the fact that a major passage occured that day had to be hrota Brent Geese. These birds which are migrating from Denmark(?) to their breeding grounds on Svalbard always migrate in late May/early June but usually go up the west coast of Norway. In recent years however more an more birds have been going up the Oslo Fjord although many seem to get confused as to their next step once the sea runs out as were these birds who were heading NE. Apart from Tawny Owls at three sites the only nocturnal birds I had were my first Marsh Warbler and Woodcock of the year.

Greenish Warbler (østsanger)