Late butterflies

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.

Swallowtail (svalestjert)

a Brown Hawker (brunlibelle) eating a small wasp 

a very late Small Blue (dvergblåvinge)

Swallow feeding time