Cold and quiet start to May

The 1 May bank holiday is always good for birding in Maridalen with an early start richly rewarded, that is of course unless it is only 1C, sleeting and blowing from the NE. Yesterday was a very dire day with my pre-breakfast trip not rewarded in anyway. I even manged to see nothing at Huk and Østensjøvannet as well before going home for a fry up. A late afternoon walk with the missus did reveal my first Whinchat of the year after the rain had stopped but expectations had been higher.

Today I headed out east for a tour de AH. I had hoped to find concentrations of hungry hirundines and find a Rr Swallow amongst them. I had hardly a single hirundine all day and the hunting Monties that I was going to find didn't show either.

Three Marsh Harriers was some reward although the day was so cold that I had no soaring raptors. The flooded fields at Kjelle provided the highlight of the day with three Garganey showing at very close range and over 50 Wood Sands also here alongside 260 Teal.

a male and 2 female Garganey (knekkand). There was also another male hanging out with Teals at the same place

Water Rail (vannriske) at Hellesjøvnnet

the flooded fields at Kjelle which will hopfully still hold water for at least another week and stat attracting exciting waders (today there were 56 Wood Sands and 10 Greenshank)

the last ice at Maridalsvannet today had 250 Common Gulls perching on it

Cranes (trane) in Maridalen yesterday

1 May in Maridalen. The ice had broken up overnight and by the afternoon was blown by the wind towards the west (right) bank

Lesser Whitethroat (møller)

Marsh Harrier (sivhauk)

a late Mistle Thrush (duetrost) in Maridalen yesterday - today there were 2 Ring Ouzels

Redstart (rødstjert)