Crests

I have, as expected, visited Fornebu both yesterday and today. Yesterday I failed to find the Firecrest (and it was not reported by any of the other people looking) but today I found it after much perseverance (and after others had given up).  Snow fell on Wednesday night and this has caused the bird to change its behaviour once again to feeding very low down in the bushes or on the ground. It seems strange that it finds more food on the snow that higher up in the pines (where it fed in the sun on Tuesday and Wednesday) but that would definitely seem to be the case. It was once again feeding on its own although there were a couple of Goldcrests, Treecreeper and Blue Tit in the area. One of the Goldcrests fed at eye level less than 3 metres away and gave me my closest ever views of the species – if only the Firecrest had been that cooperative!

Water Rails and Bearded Tits were still present and I managed some pictures of Beardies for the first time in a couple of weeks. They were feeding on the ground at the edge of the reedbed and at times they would disappear in holes under the snow and fallen reeds.

Despite being quite cloe all the branches made photos of the Firecrest (rødtoppfuglekonge) very difficult and meant I had to use manual focus. In these conditions a bird in habitat photo is always a good option ;-)

here it dropped into the snow to grab some food (that had possibly fallen off the bush)

a montage of a feeding Goldcrest (fuglekonge) 

a comparison of the two crest

another habitat shot. Can you spot the male Bearded Tit (skjeggmeis)?

Two female Beardies

this is what most of my photos looked like  

a slighly more cooperative female

and the best shot I managed of a male

Treecreeper (trekryper) - look at those toes and claws - no wonder it can hang upside down on branches