Maridalen rarities

We have had the first good day of the year in Maridalen and I am looking forward to many more! On Tuesday I had only the second ever record of Rock Pipit and also a Lapland Bunting which is not seen annually and this was the earliest ever record in the Dale. There was not much else to be seen though and it was definitely a case of quantity over quality. The Rock Pipit flew up calling from a stubble field and I initially assumed it was an early Meadow Pipit but the sound was not quite right and I prayed it would land which thankfully it did allowing me to confirm it as a Rock Pipit. Rock Pipit are being encountered more regularly inland on spring migration but are usually on wetlands so a record in a stubble field is definitely unusual. On Monday I searched in vain for a Woodlark that had been seen the day before. This was a Maridalen first and a bird I have yet to see in Oslo so it was a crying shame that the news was not shared effectively. Woodlark is a species that is expanding in Norway and with lots of forestry work around Oslo and the creation of clearings that might suit the species then I had been expecting one to turn up (along with Nightjar).

It is still cold and very dry and this seems to be putting a stop to migration although the first Song Thrushes and  Great Crested Grebes have now turned up.

male Lapland Bunting (lappspurv)

proof it was in the Dale

Rock Pipit (skjærpiplerke)

female Lesser Spotted Woodpecker (dvergspett)

a pair of Wigeon (brunnakke) at Østensjøvannet

this ringed Black-headed Gull (hettemåke) was seen in Yorskire in January

and this one in Kew Gardens, London in October. Both birds (with sequential ring numbers) were ringed at Østensjøvannet on 10 April 2021

this is a much older bird and was ringed as a 2cy bird at Østensjøvannet on 12 June 2012 but in the following 10 years has never been reported away from Oslo

Great Crested Grebes (toppdykker) waste no time

Moorhen (sivhøne)

adder (hoggorm)