Expected summer visitors all back

Rare arctic gulls are all well and good but Maridalen and its surrounding forests are where my heart is and where the real action occurs. This week has started well and appropriately on the official start of summer, 1^st June, all of the expected summer visitors are now back plus one unexpected one.

On the last day of May I added Honey Buzzard and Marsh Warbler to my Oslo year list which left just one species remaining which was Common Rosefinch and that fell today with a 1^st summer male singing in one of the favoured spots in Maridalen. This species has become much scarcer the last two years and I wonder if something is afoot. The unexpected species was Grasshopper Warbler which Stig JK found last night and which showed quite well for me this morning. Other scarce summer migrants that could turn up in the Dale are Corncrake, Quail, Blyth’s Reed Warbler and River Warbler but each summer is different so it will be interesting to see what 2022 brings.

On the Lapwing front there are still 2 birds sitting on nests at Skjerven farm although they are becoming difficult to see as the crops grows. I checked the muddy edges of the lake and found only 5 young (2+3) which was a halving of that I found last week with one whole brood vanishing. On the plus side a pair has laid 4 eggs on the mudflat at Kirkeby and have been incubating for a couple of days. This pair is, I assume, a pair from Skjerven that is relaying but will risk being flooded out if we have lots of rain.

A walk in the woods gave me my first Hazel Grouse in a while (I haven’t been looking) with a male that sang strongly and presumably had its mate close by on eggs.

First some videos where the birds are invisible but their songs can be heard loud and clear

Grasshopper Warbler (gresshoppesanger) only my third ever in Maridalen

1st summer Common Rosefinch (rosenfink) - a rather boring bird especially when you think how it will look in a years time

the new Lapwing (vipe) nest on a mudflat rather than an arable field

four eggs

I have twice walked past this very low vegetation and a female Yellowhammer (gulspurv) has flown out

and this is why!

The Black-headed Gulls (hettemåke) at Østensjøvannet are having yet another terrible breeding season with many nests abandoned and far fewer pairs than there were just a couple of years ago. This single nest though built in the new "wader scrape" (which has far too deep edges and consequently no waders) has two young which hopefully will fledge

a rare Oystercatcher (tjeld) at Maridalsvannet on 1 June. There were 7 species of wader and it will soon be the autumn passage and hopefully finally I will see a Dunlin

singing Icterine Warbler (gulsanger) which does seem numerous this year

the first Marsh Warbler of 2020 in Maridalen which turned up on the last day of spring

male Red-backed Shrike (tornskate)

my first Fritillary of the year, a Pearl-bordered (rødflekket perlemorvinge)

and my first dragonfly a White-faced Darter (småtorvlibelle)

the last spring migrant wader in Maridalen this year? A Wood Sandpiper (grønnstilk) with a Little Ringed Plover (dverglo) in the foreground. The LRPs do not seem to be breeding yet despite lots of display