More Geese

On Monday evening a dog and Mrs OB walk in Maridalen was bathed in a beautiful warm sunlight and great views of the four and a half species of geese that are frequenting the Dale this spring. We also saw a beaver which was feeding along the edge of the lake and due to the ice starting just a couple of metres from the bank showed well as he had nowhere to go.

Today I also found a drumming male Three-toed Woodpecker so have more hope now of locating breeding birds again this year. I was getting worried as I had not been able to find them anywhere before yesterday but this species is a late breeder and in previous years they have still been fighting amongst each other in the first week of May.

The weather is still crap for migrants with northerly winds, sun, no rain and brown fields. The first field was ploughed in Maridalen yesterday which does mix things up a bit and there were a handful of White Wagtails and Meadow Pipits on it. There were also a lot of Common Gulls following the plough but attempts to find something rarer (Med or Ring-billed Gull) failed but I will not give up with this type of gulling which is actually a pleasant use of time.

This 2cy albifrons White-fronted Goose (tundragås) has now been been in Maridalen for three weeks and may well stay the summer

in the background are Common Gulls (fiskemåke) standing on the ice

the first blacks bars are appearing on the belly

the right eye seems to be completely unusuable now

the second bird which came in from the south with Greylags

Whooper Swan (sangsvane)

Greylags (grågås)

Canada Goose and a hybrid with Greylag

Greylag with Pink-footed Goose (kortnebbgås)

close encounter with a Beaver

three distant Black-throated Divers on some open water surrounded by ice

Common Gulls (fiskemåke) which are flocking in Maridalen prior to heading further inland

male Three-toed Woodpecker (tretåspett). The yellow on the crown was not visible from the side