OSLO BIRDER: Turnstone voyeurism

Friday 26 July 2024

Turnstone voyeurism

Forget the idea of threesomes I can just be a voyeur!

Today was wet and windy and this is the sort of mid summer weather I look forward to. I checked the tide tables and with low tide at 4pm decided to give Fru G some more of my love. She can just be how she likes, I don’t care…

Low tide at the moment is clearly a lot higher than it was earlier in the month because there was very little mud and surprise, surprise very few waders. One Redshank was the only migrant😂. My twitter feed is full of pictures and videos from the north Norfolk coast in GB showing many thousands of waders currently. Many of these have surely flown over Norway but why don’t they stop in Oslo??

I left Gressholmen feeling very dejected and considering how I could keep this up but then found there are other ways to get your birding rocks off. If a muddy bay doesn’t attract waders then maybe a rock can? Galteskjær is responsible for my only Oslo sightings of Little Stint and Turnstone so is actually more productive in that respect than Gressholmen which is only responsible for one species - Broad-billed Sandpiper.

The other advantage with Galteskjær is that she can (must) be viewed fleetingly from afar and with a lack of physical contact she hopefully offers the chance of a healthier and less dependent relationship.

As the ferry approached I saw a wader but it was nothing more exciting than a Common Sandpiper. As we sped past I saw two more – a Dunlin and a TURNSTONE!! Only my second in Oslo and of course a new species for #oslo2024. Currently my 189th species (before accounting for the redpoll lumping) and this is all all I need to continue going out on the ferry. It is a fools game though - I have now had 7 visits to Gressholmen (and Galteskjær) this July and only 3 new species to #oslo2024 to show for it.