If I was happy with yesterday’s
birding then I am ecstatic about today’s even if there was an element of
twitching in today’s outing. I was lucky enough to be invited out by Bent
Hammel on his 15ft boat to search the inner Oslo Fjord for the goodies that Andreas
Gullberg has found this week on his boat trips, although I would just like to
say that Norway’s reigning national champion in birding should have done a
better job at identifying the birds 😉
Bent picked me up from
Fornebu at 9am and we headed first for Bygdøy. On the way there wasn’t too much
to see although there were a surprising number of Common Terns still around
with many young begging for food. At Bygdøy we were searching for the 2cy male
King Eider that Andreas found on Tuesday and in our search we nearly ran
aground a couple of times. We diverted to Galteskjær to look for the Shag Andreas
found yesterday. We spent quite a bit of time photographing a small Cormorant
before accepting that was what it was but hit gold with a juvenile Red-necked
Grebe. This species is very scarce in these parts but this was a classic record
and the bird was also in classic plumage. Three Dunlin here were also a good
Oslo species. After many photos we headed back to Bygdøy and bingo Elvis was in
the building! The King Eider was sitting preening on a rock and allowed very
close approach. We realised how close we could get when a canoeist passed at
just a couple of metres range without the bird reacting. This plumage is
relatively little known (at least for most of us) and Andreas originally
thought the bird to be a hybrid with Common Eider which I understood because
the head and bill shape are definitely different to an adult male King Eider. However,
this would appear to be how they look at this age. With luck it will hang
around and acquire a more regal plumage.
With our boots and memory
cards filled we headed further out and found the Shag on Søndre Skjælholm!! So
complete success on the twitching front plus a very good find AND the day was
just fantastic with calm seas, sun and temperatures nudging 20C. This is
definitely how birding (and twitching) is supposed to be 😊
Taking photos today was a
challenge. Despite the sea being very calm there was still enough movement that
the superzoom was very difficult to use and the old 70-300mm lens was just too
small at times. Even so I can’t really complain with the results.
Seflie with an Oslo tick
it has chosen to hang out in the most upmarket area possible
and doesn't mind close contact with the locals
2cy King Eider (praktærfugl)
it spent ages preening
here it has a removed feather in its bill
identifiable even with this view - a juvenile Red-necked Grebe (gråstrupedykker)
the juvenile Shag (toppskarv) didn't show as well though
I have had a goal of giving Årnestangen and
Svellet good coverage this autumn so that was where I headed again yesterday.
The Great White Egret found on Tuesday was distantly on show as I walked out,
and an Osprey, Marsh Harrier and Cuckoo also showed on the walk. Out at the
point there was a large expanse of exposed mud but few birds at first. The
closest wader though was a fresh juvenile Curlew Sandpiper and there were also
over 70 Dunlin but no stints. Passerines provided perhaps the most
entertainment with many pipits and wagtails feeding in the grass and on the mud
and occasionally flying around calling. Amongst them I heard at least one
Red-throated Pipit and a Lapland Bunting and had what sounded like a Citrine
Wagtail (but I would need to see that well to claim).
On
my way back I heard (but without realising what it was) and then saw the Egret
flying over me which was a far cooler experience than twitching one as it was so
unexpected.
Svellet
was full of birds with around 1000 each of Barnacle and Greylag Geese. The 3
Blackwits were still present as were 2 Hobby and nearby 5 Shoveler.
I
decided on a trip into Maridalen as Lars Petter had photographed a perched
Honey Buzzard early in the morning and if they have found a wasp’s nest then
they visit it again and again to dig it out so I thought I may have a chance of
finding the bird again. And sure enough I did find one but not necessarily the
same bird as LP’s picture appears to show a female (brownish head) whilst my bird
is a male (grey head) although the rest of the plumage looks similar. I didn't
see it perched but did have it fly over me 4 times! At 1338 it flew west
carrying food and returned 9 minutes later and I watched it going down ca 1km
to the east. It then flew over me again 27 minutes at 1414 with food and again
9 minutes later it returned and looked to go down in the same area but didn't
reappear despite me waiting 30 minutes. So clearly it takes its time getting
the food but feeding the young is quick. I assume a bit of time is spent
perched and checking for threats before going to the ground to then dig out the
wasp’s nest. The HB nest though can't be that far away as it was a 9 minute
round trip including delivering the food and it was flying fairly leisurely. I
have written before about how I am amazed that I don't see the Honey Buzzards
earlier in the summer but how they always turn up in August when they have
large young to feed. My previous observations had suggested that nests were a very long way a way but clearly not this one (max 2-3km?). They are clearly just very
secretive early in the season.
Whilst
waiting for my Honey I had Common Buzzard, Kestrel and Peregrine so the Dale
delivers again.
The bazooka lens has taken
its last picture unfortunately and whilst I choose which new lens (and camera)
I will buy I am left with the superzoom and the old 70-300mm lens started with.
Today I forgot to pack the superzoom so all pictures are the old kit and I mst
admit I think it works perfectly fine for documentation.
juvenile Curlew Sandpiper (tundrasnipe)
distant Great White Egret (egretthegre)
flying over me
spot the egret
juvenile Cuckoo
the Honey Buzzard (vepsevåk) on its way back from the nest just 9 minutes after I saw it flying in the other direction with food in talons
and returning with a wasp's nest in its talons
and then returning 9 minutes later after having delivered the food to the nest
Monday saw me out at
Årnestangen and Svellet. Årnestangen didn’t have too much to reward the long
walk but at least 4 different Marsh Harriers kept up my hopes of finding a
Pallid Harrier. The might Svellet though had a lot more to offer though with 3
Blackwit, 2 Barwit, Shoveler, Little Gull, Hobby and Turnstone – it’s just a
shame distances are so long here.
Whilst I was there a message came in that a juv Med Gull had
been foolish enough to allow itself to be blinged in Oslo. Maybe this was the
same bird that had blown past me on 10 August? Later in the evening a grainy
picture of a supposed Great White Egret was published from a lake in the forest
just north of Maridalen was published and I hatched a plan for Tuesday.
I needed to go into town so planned on refinding the Med Gull,
getting the chores out of the way and then going for the egret. Well, the fact that I was twitching meant of course that nothing
went to plan. The gull didn't show and the egret turned out to be a leucistic
Grey Heron although luckily this was discovered before I set off. A pukka GWE
turned up at Årnestangen though....and I must have walked past a King Eider.....
My birding wasn't that bad though. I had two male Bluethroats on
Bygdøy and got to see an interesting goose. This goose has been doing the
rounds since the spring and has variously been recorded as a Cackling Goose and
as Canada Goose of the race parvipes. It was only after it (and the Barnacles
it has been associating with) turned up in Oslo though that its true identity
has been discovered.
It is clearly a hybrid between some form of Canada Goose and
Barnacle Goose and its tiny size points clearly to it being a Cackling Goose
rather than Canada although it will still most likely a feral bird as the
Barnacles are not from Svalbard but from the huge southern Scandinavian feral
population and such hybrids are known in Northern Europe.
The Black Redstarts showed well in their favoured area near the
Akershus Festning castle and there were at least 3 birds: mum and dad and at
least one youngster. Dad looks to be in quite nice plumage and may have moulted
already whereas mum looked quite tatty.
the small size of the hybrid goose is very apparant here. It superficially looks to be a pure Cackling/Canada but the grey greater coverts with a black band at the end and pale tips are wrong and a clear sign of Barnacle Goose. In addition the breast is dark (although not black) further down than it is on Cackling /Canada
the white on the forehead is also a sign of Barnacle. The pale neck ring suits some forms of Cackling
1cy Black Redstart
here there are 2 birds. On the top is a 1cy bird and the lower bird is a tatty adult female
closer shot of the adult female. Her tatty plumage is as a result of active moult
the adult male
male Bluethroat
yet again I am unsure as to age. The colouring on the throat suggests and adult but the pale edges to the greater coverts visible here say 1cy?
On Friday
I was guiding Daphne from Maryland. The goal was good days birding and a nice
selection of local birds and we definitely succeed with that. Leisurely walks
around Fornebu and Maridalen in warm and sunny conditions were quite birdy and
we chalked up 56 species.
Fornebu
in particular had a very good selection of birds and I finally found out where
all the Willow Warblers are hiding. We also had Bluethroat, Redstart and
Whinchat more or less in the same bush!
Butterflies
also surprised with a Small Blue which is the second latest ever recorded in
ArtsObs (and only by one day) and also a very fresh Swallowtail which is also
unusually late.
In
Maridalen in the afternoon things had quietened down a bit but very close up
views of a dragonfly eating a wasp was very exciting. We also had three young
Swallows which were clearly just out of the nest perched only 2 metres from us
and being regularly fed by their parents.
The last
two days have seen me at Årnestangen. Yesterday it was drizzling with a very
fresh southerly wind and today was sunny and windless. Both days provided good
birds although nothing more than scarce. I added White-tailed Eagle and Goshawk
to my raptor list and so now have 11 species this week (plus the Red Kites from
last week). The next species that I need to turn up are Hen Harrier and
hopefully Pallid Harrier (I am still waiting to get gripping views of a
juvenile bird).
Waders
have not been in great numbers (less than 100 individuals in total with 42 Dunlin
today the most numerous species) but the variety is starting to build up again.
Sanderling, Knot, Curlew Sandpiper, Little Stint, Temminck’s Stint, Turnstone
and Great Snipe are all good species.
A Little
Gull heading south and a heard only Kingfisher were also good but nothing has
given good photo ops.
On the
passerine front obviously migrating Coal and Willow Tits were a surprise with 2
Coal Tits launching themselves out of the last bush on the point and heading
over the lake and a flock of 15 Willow Tits flying high further up the
peninsula.
Male MArsh Harrier (sivhauk) which I believe to be in its 3rd CY
juvenile Marsh Harrier in the drizzle yesterday
possibly the same juvenile today with a Sparrowhawk
in the field I aged this is as a juvenile Peregrine (vandrefalk) but the pictures show e to be very wrong although maybe it is a 2cy
juvenile Red-backed Shrike with bug
Årnestangen today
I had a stop to look at gulls (Caspian Gull should be a possibility now) and turned up to 2CY Lesser Black-backed Gulls (sildemåke) which is a scarce age class in Norway. This dainty bird was quite straighforward
but this beast of a bird had me thinking Great Black-backed Gull and Caspian but I have concluded with LBBG
