Look east at dawn

Yesterday, Anders and I followed a well-worn path and headed east. New birds for the year were around every corner and I added Song Thrush, Kestrel, Merlin, Rough-legged Buzzard, Green Sandpiper and Parrot Crossbill. Raptors we noticeable with 8 species (the other five being Peregrine, White-tailed Eagle, Buzzard, Sparrowhawk and Goshawk), waterfowl numbers are increasing with Teal exceeding 100 at a coupe of sites and Cranes numbers were significantly up.

Passerines are still to come in any numbers though and there were no flocks of thrushes, finches or pipits.

male Kestrel (tårnfalk)

female Merlin (dvergfalk) - looks a bit like a Gyr Falcon!

Rough-legged Buzzard (fjellvåk) - the extensive tail barring and dark underparts show it to be an adult male

Taiga Bean Goose whose appearance morphed and was initially difficult to (sub)species identify although its large size left no doubt

another Taiga which was a lot easier

here the two are in the same shot although they were never together. The morphing bird is on the left but here there is no doubt it is a fabalis

and the other bird showing how thin its lower mandible is

and a Tundra Bean Goose. Noticeably smaller than the Greylags with a big thick bill, short thick neck and large dark head

a young White-fronted Goose (tundragås)

a Crane (trane) with mucky feet

60 odd Cranes

and the Maridalen Black Redstart was surprisingly refound and showed well at the end of our trip