1 May and expectations that were definitely not met

 1 May is in my mind the best birding day of the year in Maridalen although I suspect that the statistics don’t bare this out. Anyhows, I always have very high expectations for this day and they were no lower this year. After the winds shifted to southerly yesterday I really was expecting loads of viz mig and new arrivals today. I could not have been more wrong! Many of yesterdays birds seemed to have cleared out and the only viz mig was a flock of 6 Cormorants which were probably northern breeders of the subspecies carbo. The only new birds were a single Wood Sandpiper and that Little Ringed Plover had risen to three birds and they were displaying! This was very cool to watch and listen too. There were two males and a single female although I must admit that I did not find it easy to separate the sexes on plumage alone. Two male were challenging each other a lot and eventually one of them was chased off although the female did not seem particularly taken with the victorious male.

With it being so quiet on the migrant front I decided to visit my Three-toed Woodpeckers. I found the pair fairly quickly and saw both birds inspecting a hole in a tree although I am not sure that this is their breeding hole. I will keep an eye on them though and will hopefully locate the nest.

Maridalen at 6am. The lake was without a ripple, there was cloud and I was full of expectation...

Two male Little Ringed Plovers (dverglo) having a little chat. I have never before realised how intricately patterned the tail is

all three birds, I think the female is on the left trying to ignore the boyd trying to be macho

female Three-toed Woodpecker

and the male. MY camera suddenly strted having a problem with a thick black line appearing in the photos

which rather ruined this one. I think it is something that has worked loose in the camera and moves over the sensor

female

female at the possible nest hole. The hole only goes in a few centermetres and looked like it may be old but I will follow them

male at the hole

the first Wood Sandpiper (grønnstilk) of the year in Maridalen

and a dog and wife walking trip to the Dale yesterday afternoon gave me my first Whinchat (buskskvett) of 2022