OSLO BIRDER: Disappointing and then…

So, I know I set my expectations (or should that be ambitions) for 1^st May very high but even with low ambitions the early start in Maridalen could not be considered a success. I was there by 05:40 which was later than I had planned but there was just nothing moving in the air or anything new on the lake except for a small increase in the number of Tufted Ducks and a new pair of Mute Swans. There was a very weak wind from the north but it was relatively warm (7C when I drove in and reaching over 20C by the late afternoon). It was almost impossible to understand why there was so little to see. After an hour I was ready to move on, either to Svellet or even perhaps just go home and have breakfast.

But then..

Bjørn Olav had found a singing! Hoopoe at Fornebu. I was down there in a flash and actually proved to be the twitchiest person out there only to find out that Bjørn hadn’t seen it for 20 minutes. I went looking though and 5 minutes later refound it and most importantly heard it. It is years (decades?) since I have heard one sing and what struck me most is how similar it is to the song of Tengmalm’s Owl. If I had just heard it early in the morning then I think I would have started out looking for a small owl rather than an exotic guest. One can wonder if it was the same bird seen here last year. It is also lacking a tail which may mean it is more likely to hang around.

I foolishly decided to leave Fornebu after an hour believing that Maridalen would have now warmed up only to find out that I missed a Great White Egret… But if Fornebu could attract such good bird surely there was something to be found in Maridalen. Unfortunately not, and you may say unbelievably so, although Wood Sandpiper was new, Oslo #149, following a Common Tern, #148, that I got after leaving Fornebu.

The video has it singing and note how it throws its head forward