Lapwings (and more) are back

A week or so of plus temperatures and some rain has now made Maridalen suitable for the first migrants although a lot of snow remains and in places is still knee deep. The forecast for the coming week though is for overnight frosts so the pace of the thaw will slow down.

Yesterday there were multiple Skylarks and 3 Stock Doves in The Dale and today the first Lapwings, Snow Buntings and Mistle Thrush plus even more larks including quite bit of song, displaying Goshawks and drumming Lesser Spotted Woodpecker. The Great Grey Shrike also performed impeccably.

Skjerven today where there were 2 Lapwing (vipe) and a number of Skylarks despite all that snow

there seems a definite trend for the Lapwings to arrive earlier and 5 March is the second earliest date I have recorded

Lapwing #1

#2

#1 with a Skylark

The fields at Nes yesterday (4 March) which already held Skylarks

singing Skylark

displaying adult male Goshawk (hønsehauk)

male Lesser Spttoed Woodpecker (dvergspett) which was drumming quietly

first Mistle Thrush (duetrost) of the year

3 Stocks Doves (skogdue) in Maridalen is I think a record count

Starlings (stær) have not arrived in Maridalen yet but these were at Fornebu yesterday and were clearly finding insects to eat

quite different plumages here - a male in summer plumage on the left and a bird (unsure of sex) still in winter plumage

with a Norwegian ring although I could not see the whole code

Great Grey Shrike (varsler)

it flew down to the ground

where it seemed to find something to eat