Changing weather

The contrast between yesterday’s and today’s weather could hardly have been greater. Yesterday it was -7C, blue skies, crisp, dry air and not a breath of wind. Today was equally windless but even so the weather was not to recognise. It was still cold (-3C) but was cloudy and amazingly enough was RAINING! I cannot remember experiencing this before and the result was roads that were also more icy than I can ever remember. Main roads were OK but less used country roads were just ice rinks. There was also no sign of gritting trucks and after having foolishly driven down one country road didn’t dare do so again.

Yesterday I filled my boots with Waxwings and Grosbeaks and today also involved a lot of Grosbeaks including some in a school playing ground (camera and bins remained in car…). We checked out the sea at Drøbak today and had a few auks including Little and a Red-throated Diver but worryingly there were hardly any ducks. No Velvet Scoters and just a few Eiders suggest there is no food for them.

We returned early to Oslo and checked out the harbour. There was a lot of ice that had concentrated the birds. Yet again no seaducks but 1000 Goldeneye was a pleasant site and 2 Little Grebes were the first for the winter.

Waxwings (sidensvans) in beautiful weather

care to count them? This is not the whole flock

an another attempt at a back lit photo

 

Blackbird (Svarttrost)

Blue Tit (blåmeis) that also eats the seeds from the berries

Dipper (fossekall)

Little Grebe (dvergdykker)

and then suddenly there were two - it wouldn't surprse e if these are the same two birds that were Østensjøvannet earlier in the autumn

they make a surprisingly large splash when they dive..

part of a flock of c.1000 Goldeneye (kvinand) offshore downtown Oslo

Yesterday, there were some fantastic clumps of snow covered rowan berries that I would have liked the Waxwings and Grosbeaks to eat....

but I did get to see Piney pretty damn well!

the red feathers coming through on the head should make this a 1st winter male