Start with a Chat

Birding is being fitted in around fatherly duties at the moment but I did fit in a quick morning visit to Maridalen and a downtown shopping trip also provided a birding opportunity.

It was chats (including thrushes and starts) that were the highlights. In Maridalen Bluethroats (4) nearly outnumbered Whinchats (5) and downtown I eventually (after around 10 attempts) caught up with the breeding Black Redstarts which everyman and his dog has seen before me this year.

The Bluethroats prevented a bit of an ageing and sexing challenge. Of the birds I saw well one was clearly a 1cy female but another bird may well have been an adult male (see pictures and comments).

this Bluethroat (blåstrupe) is clearly a male and is so richly coloured I would assume an adult. The easiest way to age is looking at the greater coverts and the buff edges would suggest this is a young bird BUT if you compare with the bird below which has an obvious wing bar caused by the buff tips to the greater coverts then I am not sure

this bird is a 1cy female. 1cy because of the obvious wing bar and female as no blue or red colours on throat/breast

another male most likely same as first bird

the tail is very good ID feature on a flushed bird seen briefly

this is the same male

male again

1cy female looking almost thrush like

and the 1cy female again

a Whinchat (buskskvett)

Black Redstart (svartrødstjert). Adult male (right) and a youngster begging for food

the male is starting to look scruffy.

close up of wing formula of one of the juveniles

juvenile Black Redstart

eating berries

and looking for insects on ground

the two youngsters together