Fornebu

With a weather system bringing winds from the south east there might be a chance for something exciting to turn up before winter arrives. I, and others, therefore gave Fornebu a really good going over today. We failed to turn up anything rare but with Chiffchaffs of various forms, Little Grebes, White-tailed Eagle, Jack Snipe, Waxwing and late Blackcaps and Reed Bunting there was enough to keep us going. Volume of birds was generally very low with no flocks of finches or thrushes but is often like this at this time of the year and then the one bird you find can be a real goody.

With Hume’s Warblers turning up in other places it feels a bit unfare when we only have Chiffchaffs but with one classic tristis that called and also sang (first time I have heard the song which is noticeably more varied than normal Chiffchaff), another bird that looked tristis like but didn’t call and another bird with an “easterly” but not tristis call that didn’t show very well then we had a bit to work with.

Raptors have been very scarce recently but we had three species today with a large and pale juvenile Goshawk, 2 Sparrowhawks and best of all a White-tailed Eagle. I picked it up in the scope at 5.5km range before it then flew towards us and eventually passed at probably a bit over 500m range. It was a 2nd or perhaps more likely 3rd CY bird with obvious moult in the primaries.

 

White-tailed Eagle (havørn) over Nesodden as seen from Fornebu

and crossing Fornebu

the definite (calling and singing) Siberian/tristis Chiffchaff 

and the quiet bird that was probably also a tristis

Common Scoters (svartand) have been scarce so far this autumn

Jack Snipe (kvartbekkassin)

Little Grebes (dvergdykker)