Slavonian Grebe and Ospreys

It takes a bit to match a Maridalen tick but birding since last Wednesday has been pretty good (as you would expect in the second half of April).

My weekly trip to Nordre Øyeren on Thursday was not as productive as I had hoped for. With the very dry weather we are having on top of little snow this winter there is extremely little water in the delta and the mud flats are enormous and dry. There are probably good birds out there but they are just too far away to see! I did find a Garganey pair at Merkja and saw quite a few Ospreys but you do expect more at this time of the year. The water level will rise during May though so the good birding experiences will come.

Maridalen produced a Slavonian Grebe which was of course found by Halvard. After not seeing the species at all in 2021 it was nice to see one in the Dale and the end of April is the classic time for one to turn up. Red-throated Divers are back on their breeding pond and Goshawks are also on the nest but not in all the territories I follow.

Østensjøvannet has had up to 3 Shoveler I have visited these twice as it is a favourite duck and one for which I always hope to get better pictures of the male.

Osprey (fiskeørn) getting grief from Common Gulls (fiskemåke)

and another Osprey with a fish being chased bu a Hooded Crow (kråke)

and an immature White-tailed Eagle (havørn) also being chased by a Crow

Pair of Teal (krikkand) and pair of Garganey (knekkand). The females are not easy to tell apart. The Garganey female is to the left

Black-throated Divers (storlom)

Black-headed Gulls (hettemåke)

Coot (sothøne)

The young Goshawk (hønsehauk) in Maridalen

Great rested Grebe (toppdykker) at Østensjøvannet stuggling to swallow a perch

newly emerged Toad crossing snow

and another one on a sandy path

a couple of late Pink-footed Geese (kortnebbgås) in Maridalen

Red-throated Diver (smålom)

male Shoveler (skjeand) with Great Crested Grebe

the Slavonian Grebe (horndykker) on Maridalsvannet