Thursday 22 October 2020

Beardies r back!

I visited Maridalen and Fornebu again today and this time with the Beast for company. Maridalen was a lot quieter than the previous day but I did have a Great Grey Shrike as the best bird. I had hoped for some diving ducks on the lake but a single Goldeneye and three Goosander were all I could muster.

Fornebu had a lot more to offer though. I got a bit further than Storøykilen this time with a visit to the dog park so that the Beast could run around with some other canines. This has the double bonus of giving him some entertainment and also tires him out such that birding afterwards is easier with him more content to sit and wait rather than pulling on the lead all the time.

With him duly tired out the next stop was Koksa where Bearded Tits that have been heard twice by others in the last week and finally gave themselves up to me and in the end showed really well. There were two pairs and with luck they will remain the whole winter and provide further entertainment. I am glad that I got to enjoy them on my own as judging by previous years events there will certainly attract a lot of attention in the coming weeks.

male Bearded Tit (skjeggmeis)

female

close up of a male eating reed seeds

and the female doing the same

















2 males and a female when I first saw them

I don't think I have ever previously noted that the black "beard" feathers do actually hang loose

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