Tuesday 2 March 2021

Record early Lapwing in the Dale

One day passes and three news species arrive in Maridalen – you do just have to love spring!!

A pair of Goldeneye on the small area of open free water where the river enters at Hammeren were expected as were three Greylags on one of the fields (they started arriving on the coast last week) but a real surprise was the first Lapwing of the year. Even though the favoured field was largely free of snow this is still a whole week earlier than the species has ever turned up before (and I have been paying particular attention since 2010).

As a contrast to these new arrivals was a Hawk Owl hunting in the still snowy forest deeper in the Dale. How long will this bird hang around?

I had a long walk in the forest where over the last month I have had Grey-headed, Black, Three-toed and Great Spotted Woodpeckers and I hoped for some drumming. Absolutely no drumming and no other encounter with any of these four ‘peckers but I did have a yaffling (singing) Green Woodpecker. I also came across a typically elusive pair of Hazel Grouse. The male sang a bit but was obscured from me whilst the female just flew over the path and disappeared. This is an area where I have seen them in previous years but not previously this year so gives me another area should I be lucky enough to have any guiding work this spring (everything is Covid permitting).


Today's Lapwing (vipe) a nice male

Hawkie



male Hazel Grouse (jerpe)
Hooded Crow (kråke) and Common Buzzard (musvåk)


same Buzzard as above - the relatively pale bird


I saw this Buzzard in exactly the same spot later in the day and assumed it was the same bird but the pictures show it to be the darker/intermediate bird

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