Lesser Spot and Jack Snipe

There is not so much new happening on the bird scene in Oslo at the moment although a Pallid Swift was sighted yesterday and who knows maybe I will bump into one today – it is nice sunny weather at least 😊

Since my last post I have, surprise surprise, amused myself with my thermal imager and Jack Snipe have of course featured and nocturnal trips into Maridalen have revealed Woodcock, beavers, roe deer, voles and a cat which was a long way from any houses and had me going for a bit.

At Fornebu I am still waiting (hoping) for Bearded Tits to turn up and there are signs further south of an autumn irruption building up but 5 Water Rails squealing from the same small reedbed was exciting and a late Chiffchaff that looked quite tristis like but sounded “normal” will I guess go down as an eastern abientinus.

male Lesser Spotted Woodpecker (dvergspett) in an autumnal tree

nice tobacco coloured ear coverts on this Chiffchaff but its call was "normal"

maybe too much yellow in the supercillium

can you see the Jack Snipe (kvartbekkasin)? I'll reveal its location lower down

I love how the protruding scapulars can be moved to aid in camouflage and breaking up the outline of the bird

getting more difficult to find

and here is the location of the bird in the original picture