Getting there slowly

Well, hell didn’t quite break loose today but a good day it was never the less. It was only 2C when I headed into Maridalen and snow was falling (and settling) on the hillsides so hardly the weather for hordes of insect eating summer visitors to be descending on us. But it warmed up to a barmy 5C in the afternoon and there were even brief glimpses of blue sky and a hint of sunshine. I managed three new birds for the year with a male Whinchat and three Pied Flyctchers showing in Maridalen and a male Redstart enlivening a dog walk close to the house. There were a lot of Meadow Pipits and Fieldfares on the fields but a total of 10 Ring Ouzels were the only birds of interest amongst them.

The farmer at Skjerven has ploughed the field where the Lapwings nest and he appears to have marked and saved four nests (it is only due to his care that the species remains in Maridalen) and today three birds flew up to chase off Crows which I assume were males as the females would sit tight on the nests.

A brief stop at Fornebu after a quick guiding mission for Tengmalm’s Owl gave a whopping 12 Common Terns in the fjord and Red-throated Diver and Wigeon migrating north into a head wind so we are maybe getting to the point where birds can’t wait no matter what the weather. Driving to Fornebu I had a Peregrine low over the road and when I got to Fornebu I saw a large number of gulls and crows in the air clearly angry with something on the ground. I went up to where they were and then a Peregrine flew right at me with something (possibly a Starling) in its claws. I have never been so close to a Peregrine before but it was over in a flash.

A Rough-legged Buzzard in Maridalen was hopefully a precursor to the enormous raptor migration I predict for tomorrow when there will be sun and southerly winds…

male Redstarts (rødstjert) are one of the best birds EVER!

Whinchat (buskskvett)

male Pied Flycatcher (svarthvit fluesnapper)

and a surprisingly early female

these 3 Curlews (storspove) spent the whole afternoon feeding on a field in Maridalen - normally they just fly over or stop only briefly

snow on the hilltops

Peregrine with an unidentified prey item

spot the Rough-legged Buzzard (fjellvåk)?

the Tengmalm's Owl (perleugle) still seems to be brooding eggs

female Three-toed Woodpecker - not one toe

I believe I saw two different females (both with 6 toes) but am not entirely sure and don't know if these pictures prove it either way