Best day of the spring so far?

Yesterday was one of those days that makes you forget how quiet it has been for the previous couple of weeks. There was no large arrival of birds but there was quality and it was all on the local patch – Maridalen 😊

The fields by the church ruins are always one of the best spots and can require quite a few checks to see everything and quite often birds arrive throughout the morning with a visit just after dawn often being too early.

My first check revealed very little apart from a few Meadow Pipits.

My second check revealed a very late Snow Bunting.

My third check revealed two Shore Larks – only the third Maridalen record and all have been on the same field.

And my fourth check revealed a Rook – less than annual in Oslo

Add to this an adult White-tailed Eagle circling relatively low over the valley and my first House Martin accompanying some Swallows and you can understand why I was happy. Supporting cast included Red and Black-throated Divers on the lake, Osprey, Ring Ouzel, Pink-footed Geese and Goshawk.

Shore Lark (fjellerke)

a late Snow Bunting (snøspurv)

Rooks (kornkråke) are very scarce around Oslo

the Rook flying over the church ruins

this adult White-tailed Eagle (havørn) is I assume the same bird that has been sighted many times around Oslo over the last few months

Osprey (fiskeørn)

an adult male Goshawk (hønsehauk) nearly caught a Wood Pigeon (ringdue)

Pink-footed Geese (kortnebbgås) and Common Gull (fiskemåke)