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)