OSLO BIRDER: A bit more like it

Yesterday, Anders and I did my frequent early spring circuit of Glomma and Aurskog-Høland. We started with the first Woodlark of the year at their regular site near Gardemoen airport before visiting the Taiga Bean Geese which are back after having temporarily retreated to Denmark. We had 100 birds in total split into a flock of 24 feeding with a 150 Pink-feets on fresh green grass (an unusual habitat choice) and a flock of 76 on the usual rough grassland field. I read a few collars but not as many as when they were here earlier suggesting some birds have not returned yet or else the flock is even more split up (usually they are all together here).

In Aurskog-Høland the flood is starting and although it is still very early days I think it will be a good spring. We had good numbers of Whooper Swans and Cranes, Teal and Pink-footed Geese are building up. There were hardly any migrant passerines with just a handful of Mistle Thrushes and Blackirds being the only thrushes we saw.

Common Buzzards were frequently and a couple of Peregrines but no small falcons yet.

Today, I had three hours of sky gazing in Maridalen. After waiting early an hour with nothing seen I then had 6 migrating Common Buzzards and a Goshawk in the course of 12 minutes and thought something bid was starting. That was pretty much it though except for a very high White-tailed Eagle and a Sparrowhawk. Passerines were only noticeable by their absence. But the weather was very nice!

Woodlark (trelerke). We also had Skylark singing at the same site and the song of Woodlark is so much finer!

Taiga Bean Geese: 30, 6U & 6Z with Pink-footed Geese

here is 6Z with a ringed but no neck collared bird. 6Z has previously been paired with 6X and I assume the other bird is indeed 6X who has lost its collar

here is 7U together with a ringed Pink-footed Goose. There were 2 ringed Pink-feet (R23 & R27) Geese.org does not have the data on where and when they were ringed (although I wonder if the website is working as it should as many of previous reports seem not to be there) but 27 was seen in Holland in April 2012, DK Feb 2016 and then in NL and DK from Jan-March this year. 23 has only been reported in Jan-March this year and is paired with 27.

the other flock. Here one can see electric fences (not currently turned on) that the farmer has put which I think makes this area less attractive for the geese

the fences in the middle of a usually favoured field

I only saw a single ringed bird (S8) in this flock of 76

the geese left DK on 1.3 and arrived in Akershus, NO 2.3 where they stayed until 8.3 before fleeing south to Østfold until 10.3 before then heading back to DK where they remained until 22.3 when they returned to Akershus