Too sunny

Migration seems to have been put on pause again and with sun, blue skies and temperatures quickly reaching 20C it can feel quiet birdless at times which is strange for the first week of May. Butterflies like it though and I am now up to 7 species this year.

New species trickle in though. Yesterday Oslo #150 was added from my bed when a Lesser Whitethroat sang in the garden and then in Maridalen #151 was added with Wood Warbler. No new Oslo species today but a Red-backed Shrike at Nordre Øyeren was my earliest ever and a Thrush Nightingale was singing from leave less bushes and was unusually easy to see (hearing it is never a problem).

The male Three-toed Woodpecker was singing in the middle of the hot afternoon yesterday which is rather strange and I did not see the female. Today I saw neither bird and wonder whether something has gone wrong with (female predated?). The male and a male Great Spotted Woodpecker had a territorial fight though which was interesting to see. Previously these two species seem to, surprisingly, have coexisted in the same wood without any agro.

An update on the swan drama is that the Whoopers are still on the (Mute) nest and the new pair of Mute Swans were displaying today and chasing off Greylags so maybe they will make a nesting attempt.

Sunday’s weather forecast suggests southerly winds and rain in what is otherwise a period of dry sunny weather. If we are going to have a god day this May then I think it will be then.

Thrush Nightingale (nattergal). I don't think I've seen one this well before

my earliest ever Red-backed Shrike (tornskate)

territorial Great Spotted (flaggspett) and Three-toed Woodpeckers (tretåspett)

it was the Three-toed who went after the GS but the GS had the upper hand

Buzzard (musvåk) in Maridalen

a White Wagtail (linerle) was not happy with it flying so low over the fields

I checked Maridalen's Goshawk (hønsehauk) nests and both had sitting birds

the remains of a male Mallard (stokkand) were on a plucking post close to one of the nests

three male Whinchats (buskskvett) in a row

in Maridalen a pair of Wrynecks (vendehals) and a lone male are singing close to each other. This was the female from the pair

my first Peacock (dagpåfugløye)

and a Camberwell Beauty (sørgekåpe)

a toad (padde)

and Grass Snakes (buorm). I have loads of footage which will have to be shown in a separate post