A flooded Årnestagen

Despite knowing there was no mud at Årnestangen I decided to visit on Thursday reasoning that there could be raptors and also that the flooded fields could attract waders or terns. My visit was much better than I had expected with 2 Great White Egrets, a Kingfisher, 130 Ruff and sky dancing Honey Buzzard topping the bill. My eBird checklist is here.

With the flooding I was unable to walk all the way out and lots of silt had been deposited by the now receding floodwaters. Fields of unharvested barley had clearly been completely underwater but did not look to have been damaged. It is easy to see why farmers want to use fields in floodplains as the silt makes for very fertile land but the floods that deposit this silt carry great risks. There are normally sheep grazing some of the fields that were still completely under water and I hope the farmer was able to move them before the flood.

In Maridalen the great rarity continues to be seen and I have now seen an adult male making four birds in total which are likely a family party and could also mean a pair has bred without being discovered earlier.

Great (White) Egret (egretthegre) has now become an expected autumn visitor to Nordre Øyeren although breeding is yet to be confirmed in Norway

sitting on a distant tree

male Kingfisher (isfugl)

although a typical butterfly of the early autumn this is only my second Wall Brown (sørringvinge) of the year and is another species that has, I think, had a relatively bad year

adult male House Sparrow (gråspurv) in Maridalen along side Tree Sparrows (pilfink) all of which look to be young birds. The lower bird has grey on the crown which could suggest a hybrid but in my experience it is not unusual to see young Tree Sparrows with grey in the crown which soon wears off