Finally a new migrant or two!

Yesterday, and for one day only, the northerly winds stopped and this was enough for some migrants to appear in Maridalen. I saw my first Wheatear and Swallow and heard my first Tree Pipit whilst my second Ring Ouzel showed very well. There really wasn’t too much else though on the fields and Meadow Pipit numbers are still very low.

There was lots of swan action on the lake with two pairs of both Mute and Whooper causing lots of aggravation. The male Mute from the breeding pair was able to assert himself over the new Mute pair but later got put in place by one of the Whooper pairs.

I had really hoped for a good raptor day but just had a couple of migrating Kestrels aswell as local Sparrowhawks, Goshawk and a couple of Ospreys.

adult male Ring Ouzel (ringtrost) - it is rare to see them this close

they have yellow tongues in case you wondered

with a Song Thrush (måltrost)

my first Maridalen Wheatear (Steinskvett) in 2021

male White Wagtail (linerle)

this male Goshawk (hønsehauk) flew close by and for once the focus nearly sat

these 10 Pink-footed Geese (kortnebgås) dropped in and are probably the last we will see this spring

there were two pairs of Whooper Swans on the lake today and one of them was later at the breeding site

female Goosander (laksand)

a new pair of Mute Swans (knoppsvane) turned up and the breeding male made short work of chasing them away. Later on he got beaten up by one of the pairs of Whooper Swans so everyone has their own place in the hierarchy of swans

after a message of migrating Hen Harriers and a possible Pallid Harrier over Fornebu I stared skyward in that direction. The only raptors that came through were 2 Kestrel (tårnfalk)