Doth three Swallows a summer make?

Even in early April it is perhaps a bit optimistic to expect new species every day but with the weather as it is at the moment I am definitely feeling optimistic and yesterday I was thinking Maridalen would give me my first Rough-legged Buzzard or Black-throated Diver of the year. They did not materialise but three Swallows did Oslo #128) !! This is six days earlier than my previous earliest in Norway and eight days earlier than my previous in Oslo.

Otherwise it was a good day for migrating Sparrowhawks with 27 logged but where are the larger raptors? If they don’t come tomorrow then I will become a pessimist, possibly..

Dunnocks were very obvious and there sound filled the air as I took the Beast for his early morning walk and it was generally a birdy day with a steady stream of Meadow Pipits ad White Wagtails after the sun broke through at 11am,plus thrushes and finches always in the air. The Swallows first appeared after 1pm with one bird for a while suddenly multiplying to three.

My eBird checklist is here.

Swallow (låvesvale) - very early!

male Kestrel (tårnfalk)

another Wheatear (steinskvett)

Whooper Swan (sangsvane)

when I saw this Greylag lying in the water I suspected there must be a nest nearby

which there was. Again a very early occurence

there were a lot of Cranes (trane) moving today with this being the largest group