Disappointing

The first half of May has seen some good birding but it has been so dry that there have been no large falls of migrants (ducks, waders or passerines). The forecast of rain, and even thunderstorms, for yesterday and today was therefore exciting but as we got closer and closer the forecast was for less and less rain. Never-the-less Jack and I decided to do a long session at Nordre Øyeren yesterday. Water levels have been rising by over 20cm a day recently and the mudflats at Svellet and Snekkervika which had been so productive just a couple of days previously were now underwater. We could se though that the tip of Årnestangen still had exposed mud/sand banks so we made our way out with some high expectations. On the way out it was partially cloudy skies and there was little to see or hear. The forecast thunderstorms were still a couple of hours off and we could see no sign they were going to come. There were some birds to see at the tip though with a huge count of 23 Temminck’s Stints (easily the highest number I have seen), 7 Dunlin and a few Ringed and Little Ringed Plovers, a pair of Shoveler and a Marsh Harrier.

We decided to wait for the rain to come eventually could see clouds building up in the south and heard some thunder. A cold southerly wind also built up and it was quite exciting to watch and listen to the weather front approaching us. Unfortunately it had more of an effect at pushing birds off. The Dunlin disappeared but 2 Ruff did replace them. The hoped for rare terns, Little Gulls or Broad-billed Sandpipers did not appear though which felt quite inexplicable and definitely disappointing. A single Swift was new for the year.

 

We had some more rain overnight and after sleeping badly I decided to head to Maridalen very early and was there before 6am. Not a single obvious passerine migrant was no noted (not a single Mipit, Yellow Wag or Wheatear….) and there was no migrant ducks or waders on the lake (I have yet to have Whimbrel in Oslo). The pair of Wrynecks a single unmated bird were making a lot of noise and a male Red-backed Shrike was singing. It is very rarely that I hear them singing and usually birds seem to turn up already paired and it is such a quiet song that it can not function very well for attracting a female.

I saw 6 female Lapwings sitting by their posts although cannot find the seventh nest that the farmer reported saving. I only managed to find 4 males on the field and one of these kindly scared up a Great Snipe for me which along with the shrike will go down as bird of the morning.

the rain appearing from the south at Årnestangen at 15:32

the rain came and went (little fell where we were) at 16:13 but note how much the water level has risen in under 40 minutes!

Temmincks Stint

7 Temmincks

and 17 Temmincks

male Red-backed Shrike(tornskate)

Wryneck (vendehals)

and the sound of the Red-backed Shrike and Wryneck singing

the only Black Woodpecker (svartspett) nest I know of this year is reusing last years nest. I have not found any Green Woodpeckers which is a very worrying development

Lapwing (vipe). If you use a magnifying glass you may see the marked out nests