Still quiet

Leaving the house at 07:30 with the Beast in tow I got excited by wet pavings stones (meaning some rain during the night) and low cloud. This excitement failed to convert into birds in the Dale though. Yet again it was disappointingly quiet (although that is normally the case in early April) but new birds do keep coming. I yet again thought conditions were good for raptors but by the time I left at 1030 I had only seen local Goshawk and Common Buzzard. There were more Chiffchaffs than yesterday but there were a lot fewer thrushes with no flocks moving through. Five Ring Ouzels which Anders found just before I drove home were the first of the year though. Four calling Curlews which flew around repeatedly looking for somewhere to land were also a very welcome sight and more importantly sound and this alone made the morning a success.

I also observed my first Lizard and bumblebee sp. today.

4 Curlew (storspove). They wanted to land but I never saw if they found somewhere suitable. It was magical though to hear them calling

an addition to my series of birds with Oslo landmarks in the background - here the ski jump at Linderudkollen

Two of five Ring Ouzels (ringtrost)

Meadow Pipits (heipiplerke) have not arrived in any numbers yet and Tree Pipits will not arrive for two or three weeks although that doesn't stop people reporting them or Yellow Wagtails which are also 3 weeks away

it is always cool being out early in the morning and today there was a mist which made it especially atmospheric