Missing Værøy

It’s difficult to find something new to blog about when you can’t beat the previous post and you are also a tad depressed that you are stuck in Oslo when things are kicking off on Værøy and the neighbouring island of Røst. Over the last few Days Værøy has had White’s Thrush and 2 Red-flanked Bluetails while Røst has had Brown Shrike, Pechora Pipit and a Bonelli’s Warbler (they are not sure if it is Eastern or Western).

I have been out with the Beast and Mrs.OB on long walks hoping to perhaps hear a Y-b Warbler but instead being happy if there is a Chiffchaff out there. My sightings of Pygmy and Hawk Owl, lots of rodents tracks and numbers of bird trapped and ringed further north has left me convinced that there are loads of Tengmalm’s Owls in the forests around Oslo. I have dreamed about bumping into one as I walk around the forest (but hardly anyone EVER does that in Norway) so last night I tried to see if I could use the ringers trick. I found what I thought would be a suitable site in Maridalen and played the song of Tengmalm’s for an hour. It was a very enjoyable hour with the calls of migrating Redwings and Song Thrushes overhead and a Tawny Owl did respond to the Tengmalm’s playback and first called before then appearing close to me and staring long and hard at me before moving off. But the target bird did not appear. I haven’t given up on finding Tengmalm’s and will probably try to walk further into the forest and try in the areas where the Pygmy and Hawk Owl are.

In Maridalen there is some bad news with the Whooper Swan family reduced to 7 young. One youngster has therefore disappeared after the parents had doen the hard work and got it to the flying stage. It will not have flown off on its own accord so is going to be lyying dead somewhere. I find it difficult to believe that a fox is the culprit so it has either flown into an overhead wire or been illegally shot which given that the hunting season has just begun might make sense.

Today a Beast walk at Fornebu revealed a Kingfisher but little else except drizzle.

Kingfisher (isfugl) at Fornebu

what I think was the same bird but there may well have been two present caption

this Tawny Owl (kattugle) was the only bird that came to an hour of Tengmalm's Owl playback

Maridalen's Whooper Swan (sangvane) family down to 7 young

a female Lesser Spotted Woodpecker (dvergspett) brightened up a walk in the forest

In this video it can be heard alarm calling. This call sounds very much like Great Spotted Woodpecker and is a call I have heard very rarely