Good weekend

Friday’s Hazel Grouse guiding was a success, I got an Oslo tick yesterday afternoon and then in the evening had a rare date night with Mrs OB so I have to say that this has been a good weekend so far 😊

 

Hazel Grouse is never an easy species to find and especially when it is your one and only target but whilst guiding on Friday we found two males including one just a couple of minutes from the car. Finding them is one thing but taking pictures and especially good ones is another. The first bird disappeared before allowing a shot but the second bird was far more interested in us and we had it around us and occasionally singing for a long time. Views though were usually in flight or very hidden behind branches although a couple of times it did show very well but flew off again before it could be digitally captured. My own photos were not my priority as I was guiding but I did manage a couple. Although nothing like the photos I had got earlier in the week (which I don’t think I will ever beat) they are not so bad for this species.

 

Yesterday whilst preparing Saturday morning breakfast of pancakes and a fry up a message came through of a Yellow-browed Warbler in Oslo. I still need this species for my Oslo list and was keen to see it. It was along a river through than industrial area that is supposed to be a nice place to walk and I suggested it as a nice place to walk the Beast and surprisingly enough was met with an affirmative response 😊 The bird was not easy to find but fell at last and even allowed itself to be digitally shot. Yellow-browed makes my autumn and as I will not be going to Værøy this year it means a lot to have seen this bird but I am still lacking something – I didn’t HEAR it! The call of YbW is actually the best bit of the bird and what really encapsulates the autumn birding feeling for me. My ears are open though and maybe I will hear one in the coming weeks as I walk the Beast…

 

Date night involved a very good dinner and then a social distanced cinema visit to see The Personal History of David Copperfield which once I realised wasn’t a biography of the illusionist turned out to be an exceedingly good film 😉

Yellow-browed Warbler (gulbrynsanger)

Hazel Grouse (jerpe) - never easy whilst guiding but this isn't so bad

Common Buzzard (musvåk) in Maridalen

another Buzzard with a young Goshawk (hønsehauk)