Still winter

There hasn’t been much in the way of birding, or at least successful birding, since I came back from Jæren. Around Oslo we are still experiencing minus temperatures, the snow is lying thick on the ground, lakes and rivers are frozen and it is cloudy. The only species for which spring migration seems to have started is Wood Pigeon which is now to be seen in double figures at Bygdøy. A singing Collared Dove in the garden was also a definite and much welcomed spring sign and suggests that they will breed in the neighbourhood for the first time. In Maridalen the Great Grey Shrike is still going strong but there ain’t much else happening.

I attempted to see the White-backed Woodpecker again but only found evidence that it had recently been in the area (a pile of wood chippings on fresh snow) and later in the day could see that I was 40 minutes too late as a picture of the bird was published from the same tree where I had seen the chippings. It is clearly using a large area of suitable damp woodland here and easily goes missing but if it starts drumming soon then should be easier to find.

The Little Grebe (dvergdykker) was the only interesting bird at Huk, Bygdøy today. In the background is Dyna Fyr, an old lighthouse that is now a restaurant

The grebe slightly closer

Oslo was covered in thick, black smoke today from a fire at the recycling plant at Alna, right next to the best location for gulls in the city - yet another reason to not go gulling...