Mid April lull

In my last post I wondered what my next Oslo species would be and I didn’t have to wait long as the first Red-throated Diver turned up in Maridalen. In hindsight this was a no brainer but I am still unsure as to what the next one will be. Blackcap?

The ice is breaking up on Maridalsvannet now as we have not had frost for a while but water levels are very high as the rivers and streams feeding it are full of melt water. Unless they drop off quite soon then there will be wader season this year.

As is usual in mid-April we are going through a bit of a lull with the fields very quiet and few new birds turning up on the lake. The flocks of Pink-footed and Greylag Geese that have been a feature of the last couple of weeks are also gone. There is one species that is around in huge numbers though and that is Brambling whose migration is peaking now. There is a giga flock in Maridalen of way over 1000 bird which is not just a sight to behold but also produces a deafening amount of noise. Cranes are also being very noisy there were a couple of pairs on the fields this morning.

Rarest species in the Dale over the last three days is a pair of Pintail which are not annual.

part of the giga flock of Bramblings (bjørkefink) in Maridalen

they have also been in the garden where this male allowed itself to be photographed. It is still to come into full summer plumage but the pale tips to the black feathers on the head and back will soon wear off

a male Goosander (laksand) caught a large perch and was immediately chased by another male. To my surprise the perch went down easily and whilst the bird was moving

there are still a few Ring Ouzels (ringtrost) to see but we will probably get a new wave soon

my first Small Tortoiseshell (neslesommerfugl) of the year. My first butterfly was Brimstone which I saw on 1 April.

Cranes (trane)

there s lots of display from Goldeneyes (kvinand)

the male Lesser Spotted Woopecker (dvergspett) was drumming this morning but does not seem to have attracted a mate yet

this Pink-footed (kortnebbgås) and Greylag Goose (grågås) seemed to be paired with the Pink-foot being the gander

Pintails (stjertand)