Birds in Black

Yesterday a little twitch gave me another bird for my Oslo year list. Whilst not a rarity, Black Redstart, is quite irregular as a breeding bird with some years no records. The bird yesterday, a 2cy male, was singing from a train goods yard and is the only record in Oslo so far in 2023. It showed quite well at times but could disappear amongst the train tracks and was also chased away by a pair of breeding Wheatears. The song of Black Redstart has a very special phrase that sounds like static interference on a radio sending. The song can be heard on this video:

In Maridalen the only nesting pair of Black Woodpeckers that I know of had 2 young hanging out of the hole begging for food. I saw the male come with food and he seemed to be looking for more young and entered the nest (goodness knows how there is room for them all).

Angry Blackbirds alerted me to Tawny Owls with an adult perched close to a nest box and a check of the area today revealed an adult peering out of the hole in the nest box. The nest box is in a garden and would allow amazing views for the people living there.

Today in Maridalen was a day for young birds with me noting the first broods of Greylag (4,3 and 1) and Mallard (5) plus young Starlings can be heard from inside old woodpecker holes. I confirmed Wrynecks at three sites with I believe breeding at two of them although the continued singing of the bird at the third site means (s)he is unmated. I also saw two broods of Lapwings (3 and 2) plus two females still sitting.

male Black Redstart (svartrødstjert) - the brown flight feathers and lack of white wing panel show this to be a 2cy bird (born last year)

the yellow gape causes autumn birds to often be misidentified as juveniles but this is a feature of the species at all ages

through the fence feeding amongst the train tracks

male Black Woodpecker (svartspett) feeding two young

here it he seemed to be searching for additional young

having a good look around before pushing his way in

the Little Gull (dvergmåke) is still happy at Østensjøvannet

female Red-backed Shrike (tornskate)

male Siskin (grønnsisik)

female in focus

nesting Tawny Owl (kattugle)

first three broods of Greylag (grågås) in the Dale

and first brood of Mallard (stokkand)

pair of Red-backed Shrikes

Wryneck (vendehals)

a female Lapwng (vipe) still sitting on one of the original marked nests

three small young

and two noticeably larger young

and the other sitting female on a nest that was made after the farmer had ploughed