Oslo listing

Back in Oslo only a couple of days and my reading of the weather lead me to believe that I would have a good chance to increase #Oslo2024. North easterly winds and a day of rain on Wednesday are about as perfect as you can get to dump down some early autumn migrant waders. A quick stop at Svellet after dropping the Seniors off at the airport revealed 130 Dunlin and a few other waders so I was really looking forward to heading out to Gressholmen on the first, 07:30, boat this morning.

I arrived 3 hours before high tide in overcast conditions and felt confident I would at least see Redshank… And indeed I did with 17 birds, Oslo#187, being the highest autumn count for Oslo. 8 Dunlin, a Greenshank and best of all a Knot, Oslo#188, were also great birds. All of these were of course summer plumage adults and the Knot is the first time I have seen that plumage in Oslo.

Local breeding Oystercatchers and Ringed Plover which had at least one half grown young added to the waders fest.

I studied the rocky islet of Galteskjær as best as I could from the ferry hoping to turn up a Turnstone but 4 Dunlin and 2 Ringed Plover were fairly good substitutes.

I still have some blogging to do from the end of the week in Beitostølen and first days back in Oslo (hairstreaks) and will get that out soon.

arriving at Gressholmen at 07:48 I was the only one getting off the ferry but two people were leaving the island

the muddy bay which often is empty of waders but today held 5 species

summer plumaged Dunlin (myrsnipe) and Knot (polarsnipe). An unusual sight in Oslo

the Knot with Redshank (rødstilk) behind

when an adult Ringed Plover (sandlo) flies noisily towards you, lands and then runs off then you know there are young nearby

I saw this half grown young but the parents behaviour suggested there were more

11 of the 17 Redshank

and some of them on the deck

Ringed Plover and Dunlin feeding on Galteskjær

and the Dunlin on Gressholmen

my Oslo year list is now at 188. The 191 from 2019 looks a certainty now but will I reach 200?

a small colony of Black-headed Gulls (hettemåke) and Common Terns (makrellterne) was on a small islet. There were fledged gulls and adults still seemingly on eggs

the terns though did not have young and some seemed to have yet to start nesting