Hedmark again - TOVE

I was up in Hedmark again yesterday for my annual Norwegian breeding bird survey work (TOV-E).  The survey routes can be quite hard work with little in the way of interesting birds and you do the surveys more in the belief that you are participating in something important rather than it being well paid work (there is a token payment on top of expenses). Also for me the 4am start after a fitful and uncomfortable night’s sleep in the car mean that my only real motivation for continuing is that it gives me another chance to be up in Hedmark and get some quality birding done either side of the survey.

My survey route is mostly pine forest and gave me a couple of feeding Parrot Crossbills. There were also large numbers of crossbills migrating west which were probably Common. There are quite a few Redstarts in the area but they are nearly all along the road where there are a number of old nest boxes – these nest boxes clearly are extremely important in areas of monotone commercial forest which most of Norwegian forestry is (maybe commercial foresters should be obliged to erect nestboxes?).

The non-survey birding was much more productive. I had breeding Hobbies, Woodlark, Ortolan Buntings, Great Grey Owl, Grey-headed Woodpecker and a nice daytime Woodcock.

I took loads of pictures and video but haven’t had time to go through them all yet. Here are some pictures to be getting on with and I am guiding up in Hedmark tomorrow so hope to find everything again J

watchful Great Grey Owl (lappugle)

there were at least 2 young in the nest which is I believe an old Goshawk nest

Hobby (lerkefalk)

pair of Hobby. The female (left and in above pic) is larger and also darker underneath than the male

female on nest - an old Buzzard nest?

these young Goldeneye (kvinand) had probably only just jumped out of their nest and were on their way to a nearby pool

male Grey-headed Woodpecker (gråspett)

I have not seen the female in three visits and the male is usually in the nest when I arrive

male Ortolan - this colourful bird must be a 3cy+ unlike the bird I photographed earlier this year which was a 2cy

male Parrot Crossbill (furukorsnebb)

daytime Woodcock (rugde) which must have had young nearby

not often I take a picture of a Jackdaw (kaie)

Woodcock (trelerke)