The sightings and occasional thoughts of an English birder in Oslo
Sunday, 28 April 2024
Tomorrow...
Friday was again a quiet day in the Dale as was Saturday and
although I had high hopes for today with there being rain the cold northerly
wind again meant no obvious arrivals. Tomorrow though…
I have visited the Three-toed Woodpeckers again and after
following the pair around thinking they were checking out trees suitable to
excavate a nest hole in they eventually led them to a tree they have already
selected and I was able to watch the male excavating the nest hole. This is the
first time I have found a nest hole this early and it will be exciting to
follow progress. It is 4.5m up which is higher than I have previously seen but
is still easy to view. Whilst excavating the male was entirely oblivious to my
presence and I was able to stand under him and have splinters rain down on me.
I was on driving duty on Friday night for Jr Jr and friends
so I decided to fit some nocturnal birding in before I collected them. It is
still too early for the vast majority of nocturnal singers but I did have a
Long-eared Owl singing and was able to get very close. It is amazing how quiet
the song is close up and it is almost as though the sound get louder the
further away you are from the bird. I also heard and then found in the thermal
imager a migrating flock of Common Scoters so now feel like a fully fledged
novice nocmigger.
Svellet is now looking very tasty and although the weather
has prevented any big arrival yet there is now an interesting assortment of
waders with Spotted Redshank, Ruff, Greenshank and Whimbrel now present.
The swan drama in Maridalen has become very interesting with
the Whoopers having pushed the Mutes permanently off their nest and one of the
Whoopers (the female?) is now sitting on the nest as though incubating. Is she
on the Mute Swan eggs? Will they hatch? The Whoopers (and I am sure it is in
the same pair) first nested in 2010 and possibly the female is now too old for
breeding but she still has the urge to? It is still early in the season though
and in previous years I have not seen them on the nest until early May.
Also interesting was 5 Grey Heron perched together in trees in Maridalen. Although I saw no sign of nesting it is perhaps a sign that they are attempting to establish a new heronry?
Only one addition to my Oslo 2024 list and it was the
predicted Wryneck #144. What will come in the next few days? Wood Sandpiper and
Greenshank should well turn up and maybe Yellow Wagtail and Redstart.
Three-toed Woodpeckers (tretåspett) frequently search for food very low down on trees
tongue out
the female (white as opposed to yellow crown)
feeding on a fallen tree
the nest hole - about 4.5m high
whilst I was watching it was the male doing the excavating
just the entrance has been excavated. It will be interesting to see how long it takes to finish
from below
Long-eared Owl (hornugle) after sunsent
singing from a tree top
a Moose encountered in Maridalen
one of the Whooper Swans inspecting the Mute Swan nest yesterday (with the female Mute looking on)
and here the Whooper pair is seeing off the male Mute
and today a Whooper was on the nest whilst the Mutes seemed to watch forlornly from the water
a flyby from one of the Whoopers
wing tip grazing the water
my first, and a most welcome, Wryneck (vendehals) of the year
a rare visit this morning to the oxbow lake called Stilla near Lillestrøm revealed this male Pochard (taffeland) that has been around for a week with Tufted (toppand)
and also a newly arrived pair of Shoveler (skjeand)
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