First spring migrants and record early Taiga Beans!

 It doesn’t feel very much like spring at the moment but temperatures have been a few degrees on the red side of zero and there has been a strong southerly wind the last couple of days and this seems to have been the cue that the first spring migrants needed. A walk around Maridalen yesterday revealed a flock of 9 Greylags first heading north and then thinking better and heading south and a Skylark calling as it headed north. Today a Skylark was singing and a pair of Whooper Swans were on the only tiny area of open water on the lake.

Whilst we were in Maridalen yesterday an email came in from Larry in Scotland telling me that a couple of the tagged Bean Geese were calling in from Norway. This is a record early arrival and Larry was keen to know what conditions were like. Previously they have arrived only to find it too snowy and then returned to Denmark. Conditions in Maridalen were definitely not suitable but I didn’t know how it was along the Glomma River so decided to find out. As I drove north and further inland I was surprised to see less and less snow and when I arrived at my destination there was very little snow on the fields although the ground was still frozen. Stopping at the river first I was surprised to see not a single goose or even swan and then went searching likely fields. My first stops revealed nothing but then I saw the flock in flight. I thought they were heading for the river but they surprisingly landed on a field close to the road. This proved to be a short stop before they headed north where I refound them on a favoured field. This field had been ploughed already but they seemed to be finding food. It was now getting dark and I headed to the river where I saw them come into roost 20 minutes after sun set. Despite the record early arrival of the Beans the only other migrants I saw in the area were 2 Stock Doves and it is difficult to understand why they have chosen to come so early (other years they have not turned up until the end of March).

I counted 112 birds and saw three birds with GPS collars and 2 with metal collars of which I managed to read T8 who was ringed as a juvenile in Scotland in October 2015 and who I have seen every year since.

Taiga Bean Geese (taiga sædgås) including T8

this bird has a solar powered GPS transmitter and is I believe 27

on a ploughed field which is the first time I can remember seeing

coming into roost

resting on the river

before moving onto the sandbank

Whooper Swan (sangsvane) pair back in Maridalen

and the first Greylags over Maridalen

Maridalen which is still wintery

the traditionally favoured Taiga Bean fields which are nearly free of snow

the Glomma River where they roost

Even better Jack Snipe?

 This week is the winter half term and birding has taken a back seat with illness in the house also curtailing general activity. I managed to visit my smelly stream on 22022022 after a cold night and as hoped the Jack Snipe was easy to find. I set up the camera on the tripod and moved out of sight of Jacky boy and with a fully charged battery on my phone was able to follow, and film, him remotely. He was particularly active and didn’t wait long to feed actively. The footage I got is even better than that from last week.

I present a 6 minute long video and a shorter 1 minute highlight version. Enjoy 😊 

Jack Snipe (kvartbekkasin) - a picture that is very similar to many others I have posted the last month and a half :-)

a slightly different pose - here it has frozen whilst walking along and is not as well camouflaged. 

note also the twig sticking under a feather

in the right light the colours on the back are fantastic

do you see him?

Hazel Grouse in the snow

I was in need of some forest therapy last week and Thursday looked to be a marvelous day for it: cold but not too cold (-1C), no wind, crisp snow and blue skies. There are always a number of species that I am hoping to find but Hazel Grouse crowns the list and after I found “my” pair in snow laden trees I had little time for looking for anything else. This pair really are something quite special and show little concern over my presence although normally the female keeps her distance. This time though she fed trustingly in a tree above me and allowed me to get my best ever pictures of her feeding. They have long ago eaten the catkins in their favourite alder trees and were nibbling on buds which I assume are much less nutritious. The male also fed on the ground where he was eating the bare stalks of blueberry plants although I assume these were shoots.

The male sung at times and spent over an hour sat in the same place. I am not sure why but wonder if the food needs lots of time to be digested.

True to my normal style I present you with far too many photos as I can't decide which are best and also a couple of videos. First the long Directors Cut and then the 1 minute version.

the male Hazel Grouse (jerpe) singing

the female who showed unusually well

feeding on thin branches is a feat of balance

quite impressive feathering on the back

this is where he sat for an hour but always with his back to me

this was the only angle I managed from the side

singing