Mid July Oslo birds

I have had a few trips into Maridalen where birds rather than bugs have been the focus (this isn’t a difficult prioritising as there is so much often skies and rain at the moment).

Red-backed Shrikes have been the poster bird with the two pairs I had found in the spring increasing to four pairs now that the young are out of the nest and the birds suddenly become more visible. The two new pairs are right by the road so I feel a slight birding failure for not having noticed them in June. The young leave the nest when they can only fly a few metres but quickly grow their wings and can make a lot of noise as they follow their parents around and beg for food. Mum normally disappears within a few days of the young leaving the nest and it is dad who has responsibility for them for the few weeks it takes for them to become independent.

A brown Common Rosefinch was my first sighting of the species in Maridalen this year where there have been no other sightings indicative of breeding and this species seems to be having a poor year in south east Norway which is on the back of last year which was also poor.

I have not had too many sightings of raptors except for Hobby where I have finally discovered this years nest (more on that in a later post).

The only Lapwings left in Maridalen are an adult and large juvenile on the field at Skjerven and I fear this may be the only youngster that reaches maturity. The year started so well with many nests and subsequent broods but I fear that foxes have turned to young birds this year when there is a cyclical absence of rodents.

Nutcrackers have started their commutes into the city to collect hazel nuts and are becoming a common site including one today that was collecting seeds from fallen pines cones by a McDonalds drive through today – now that’s Urban birding 😊

male Red-backed Shrike (tornskate). This male is from a pair I have followed since June and they had initially 3 young but just 2 were left yesterday

here is one of them

the same male

and with both surviving and begging young

the other youngster with a lovely red tail

dad with a couple of Goldfinches (stillits)

one of the juvs with a Wryneck (vendehals)

Wrynecks just disappear after they have left the nest and as they are silent in the autumn are seen very infrequenelt. This bird is I think a bird of the year

my first Common Rosefinch (rosenfink) of the year in Maridalen

the Whooper Swan (sangsvane) pair with four young which may now be reduced to only three

Hobby (lerkefalk) this is the female of the pair although I can only tell them apart from the way behave and then close study of the photos

juvenile Whinchat (buskskvett) - a pair I have followed has 3 noisy youngsters

the female