Day 2 of May and things should be hotting up. Timing
is of course key and what for some people will go down as hot day will go down
as luke-warm for others.
I awoke (no alarm needed) just after 5am and got
into Maridalen around 0540. No snow or cloud today and it felt very birdless. I
only gave it half an hour before deciding to get to Svellet before the sun and
heat had a chance to ruin the viewing conditions. As I left Maridalen I saw
Halvard driving in and it doesn’t look like I made the wrong decision this time.
There were a LOT more birds on Svellet than yesterday and most encouragingly
the water level has not been raised at all the last 4 days – this year has the
chance of being absolutely epic and rivalling 13 & 14 May 2010 when there
over 2000 waders were counted on Svellet (normally by this date there is no mud
left).
Today Greenshank had risen to 261 up from 35 at the
same time yesterday and Wood Sandpipers to 40 from none. Also present were 10
Oystercatcher, 4 Ringed Plover, 8 Whimbrel, 25 Curlew, 5 Redshank and 3 male
Ruff in resplendent in their breeding plumage. Teal numbers had also increased
to 253 and with them were a pair of Pintail and 13 Wigeon.
I then went to Snekkervika where I positioned myself
for good views out over Årnestangen where I hoped to pick up raptors. That was
not to be the case with only singles of Osprey, Sparrowhawk and Kestrel. After
an hour of watching I decided it was time to be a family man and head home at
around 9am. When I got home my phone plinged and there was a picture of a male
Pallid Harrier from Årnestangen. As I said luke-warm for some and boiling hot for
others!
Whilst not seeing any raptors I did have a couple of
singing Whinchat. One was occasionally sounding like a Rosefinch (as they often
do) and they really do sound similar so it is easy to be fooled. It is however
two weeks until Rosefinches turn up so absolutely nobody should be so foolish
as to allowed themselves to be fooled just yet…
There was also a nice male Redstart and a female Lesser Spotted
Woodpecker and male Great Spotted Woodpecker took turns drumming from the same
metal top to a telegraph pole. The Lesser had initially been calling and I had
to go and find it as I find separating the call from that of Wryneck to be all
but impossible – I still have to look forward to finding my first Wryneck of
2020.
First a video the two 'peckers:
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| Male Redstarts (rødstjert) are really rather nice |
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| one of the Skylarks (sanglerke) hanging on at Fornebu |
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| and a Wheatear (steinskvett) also at Fornebu whilst out with the family this afternoon |
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| and the might Svellet |
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