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Sunday, 9 October 2022

Bits & bobs



 The last days in the mountains saw a lot of snow come and the snow plough had to be used – I’m glad I had changed to winter tyres before we drove up!

Birding wise we had another encounter with Siberian Jay and I tried to get some flight shots. When they fly between trees they often glide on outstretched red wings and look very cool and I hoped to capture this with award winning photos but the light was too bad for such ambitious thoughts…

The thermal imager was used a lot in the evenings and we located hare, fox and a Tawny Owl (which we had previously heard singing).

Yesterday morning I received a phone call from Halvard that he had found a Stonechat in the Dale (the second record there and both a product of Halvard’s hard work). I hoped to be able to go for it before dark and sure enough I saw it just before sunset after we had driven home. After this Halvard and I met up to search for owls (there is clearly a movement of Tengmalm’s going on and it was a windless, stary night so conditions for succeeding were good). I heard a Pygmy Owl singing as I walked out to meet H who had got there before me and then saw a Tengmalm’s in the thermal imager and briefly in the torch after H had given up and gone home – sometimes I have the luck šŸ˜Š

Today’s dog walk gave a nice male Hazel Grouse running over the path. Hazel Grouse and Pygmy Owl will hopefully be regular occurrences this autumn but tomorrow looks to be a day for staring at the sea.

Siberian Jay (lavskrike)

attempt at flight shot

coming in to land



Bitihorn

a very snowy and birdless Valdresflye

Stonechat (svartstrupe) in Maridalen

perfect owling conditions

Tengmalm's Owl (perleugle) in the thermal imager

and 2 Roe Deer with a different setting where warm things show as black rather than white

Hazel Grouse (jerpe) from today's outing


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