Sandstorm

On Monday I had few hours at Nordre Øyeren visiting both Svellet and walking out to Årnestangen. Water levels look perfect for waders but the presence of just TWO Greenshank on the mighty Svellet tells a different story. We have been having lots of northerly winds so migration is delayed but by 2 May there should be hundreds of them. The reason for this lack of birds became clear at Årnestangen were the wind was whipping up a proper sandstorm from the dried out mudlfats – they have bee dry for so long that there is no life in their top layer and when the water levels rises quickly and floods them there is just no food for the waders to find at the waters edge.

A trip there at this time of the year will always give birds though and my day ended up with 6 new species for the year: Pied Flycatcher, Redshank, Ruff, Sand Martin, Pintail and Yellow Wagtails. Raptors were again noticeable only by their absence and I did not even note an Osprey.

Yesterday in Maridalen there was a sign of some migration with a pair of Common Scoter on the lake. They turn up regularly here in spring and large flocks are also to be seen on the fjord so there is a clear overland migration over Oslo but I have never heard them at night. Today there was an increase in waders with a massive 7 species present and Wheatears and hirundines had reached double figures so things are starting slowly to happen. I also clocked up 4 species of raptors including a fine adult Peregrine which may indicate breeding not too far away.

A male Lesser Spotted Woodpeckers showed well and was feeding on ants visiting buds high up in trees.

sandstorm at Årnestangen - not much food there for waders

Common Sandpipers (strandsnipe) are now suddenly back in good numbers in Maridalen

my first Pied Flycatcher (svarthvit fluesnapper) of 2022

and my first Yellow Wagtail (gulerle)

a surprising May sighting of an adult Peregrine (vandrefalk) in Maridalen

Ravens (ravn) are sighted often but often give an impression of being a large raptor

a male Redstart (rødstjert) brightens up a brown bush

2 Ring Ouzel (ringtrost) and a Wheatear (steinskvett) in Maridalen

and a Skylark (sanglerke) which I hoped would be a Shore Lark (fjellerke)

Swallows (låvesvale)

one of the breeding Whooper Swans (sangsvane) with something strange on his bill

ant eating male Lesser Spotted Woodpecker (dvergspett)

note his tongue

a number of ants seemed to escape

Green Hairstreak (grønnstjertvinge)

backlit