Raptors in the Dale

The weather this last week has not been good for migration and very few new birds have arrived. Birds want to come though and cannot wait for ever. I have been hoping for raptors and on Sunday afternoon we had some nice sunny weather and half an hour lying down and staring skywards on the veranda revealed 2 migrating Common Buzzards and single Peregrine and Goshawk. So there are birds if you look. Yesterday it snowed with 10cm in Maridalen and a cold, northerly wind blew so it was fair to assume that nothing would be moving. Today it was still blowing from the north but was nice and sunny and that seems to be all that was needed although a snow storm mid afternoon did stop things up.

I started at Nordre Øyeren (my first visit there this year) where I had a small hope of seeing a Red Kite seen in yesterday’s snow. I didn’t (although if I had stayed longer I would..) but 5 Osprey (my first of the year) were a promising sight. I decided though to relocate to Maridalen and was in place just after 11 am. I then had one of those rare events – a concentrated passage of raptors in the Dale. Over the course of 40 minutes I had 3 Rough-legged Buzzards, 3 Common Buzzard, 3 Sparrowhaws, 2 Kestrel, 1 Goshawk, 1 Peregrine and best of all a young White-tailed Eagle. A short trip early afternoon then added a young Golden Eagle!! 8 species of raptor in Maridalen in a day 😊 The weather forecast for tomorrow looks much better so I look forwards to chalking up something even better!

Osprey (fiskeørn) the white underwing coverts should mean it is a male but it has quite a well marked breast band

all 3 of the Rough-legged Buzzrds (fjellvåk) stopped briefly up to hover and look for food

it is the same Rough-legged Buzzard in all three pictures. An adult male I believe

young White-tailed Eagle (havørn). This bird came from east to west and spent over 30 minutes in the Dale

young Golden Eagle (kongeørn) - this bird drifted off east

male Kestrel (tårnfalk)

Peregrine (vandrefalk)

adult male Goshawk (hønsehauk)

2cy (female?) Goshawk being chased by Hooded Crows

adult male Sparrowhawk (spurvehauk)

Whooper and Mute Swan in the snow yesterday. They seemed to have called a truce in their territorial dispute

Chaffinches (bokfink) in today's snowstorm