Today saw a very enjoyable trip with Rune Z to the
dark forests of Aurskog Høland and Nes. We had an endless list of exciting
forest species that we hoped to see but as is often the case were left a bit
disappointed. On the way we stopped at the fields at Haneborg which had
surprisingly little snow with stubble and dark earth visible. We speculated on
there being Snow Buntings and opened the car doors to immediately hear Snow Bunting!
We located just a single bird that flew over before landing in a distant field
but it felt like a good start.
Once in the forests we started to struggle. From
the car and at the occasional stop we found pretty much nothing. A Hawk Owl
showed very well but we were expecting to see that particular bird (it was
reported yesterday) although I will never complain if I get a dose of Hawkie no
matter how it is administered. There have been a few records of Hawk Owls this
winter which I hope relate to birds that may well stay to breed as the records
are from forest areas rather than agricultural areas. I am really looking
forward to owling trips later in February where the chance of hearing Hawk Owls
along with Tengmalm’s, Pygmy, Great Grey and who knows maybe Ural is already
getting my pulse up.
A Black Woodpecker flew over the road and Willow
and Crested Tits were frequently heard. After forests we headed south to look
for the Kingfisher which Rune had yet to see this year. We had a Great Grey
Shrike along the way but little else and didn’t have a single raptor the whole
day. The Kingfisher took a bit of work but finally gave itself up and
eventually flew up and down the river calling.
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| Hawk Owl |
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| Kingfisher (isfugl) |
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| Great Grey Shrike (varsler) |
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| Cormorant of the subspecies sinensis was looking at home alongside the Kingfisher |
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