No new Oslo year ticks!

Since my last post I have not added any new species to #Oslo2024 but then again I have not been on a ferry or seen an island, in fact I haven’t even looked at a tide table. The birding I have done has been mostly in and around Maridalen where autumn is in full swing. The Bluethroat stayed in the same place for a couple more days, Meadow Pipits are increasing in numbers whilst Swifts are decreasing in numbers and raptors are becoming more obvious with seven species noted. On the lake two pairs of Red-throated Divers have both brought a single young from their smaller breeding ponds whilst Black-throated Divers have been in flocks of up to 9 birds but are all adults with no successful breeding this year.

A trip to Fornebu resulted in a juvenile Little Ringed Plover showing exceptionally by a puddle on a gravel car park and I also glimpsed a young Water Rail being shepherded through the reed bed by its anxious parents. There is also a Ruff hanging around which could do the decent thing and visit Gressholmen next time I do so.

here is my favourite pic of the juvenile Little Ringed Plover (dverglo) and there are a lot more at the end of this post

an adult Water Rail (vannrikse). Unfortunately I did not manage a shot of the young

female Honey Buzzard (vepsevåk) in Maridalen 12 Aug with a disk of wasps nest in her talons which is clearly to feed young in a nest. This is not the female from the nest I am following so shows there are at least two pairs in the Maridalen area

here the same bird 16 Aug

the juvenile Bluethroat (blåstrupe) has shown well at times

Common Buzzards (musvåk) are quite scarce and I have seen no evidence that they raised young in Maridalen this year so this juvenile has presumably come from elsewhere

a number of pairs of Ospreys (fiskeørn) must fish at Maridalen as scrutiny of photos shows a number of different individuals. This is a male from 12 aug. Male because the underwing coverts are nearly pure white and there is only a slight hint of a breast band

and this is another male from 12 Aug here with a perch

and this is a 3rd bird from the 12th which also appears to be a male

and here a bird from 16 Aug which must be a female due to the heavy breast band and well marked underwing coverts

Hobby (lerkefalk) juvenile

they really make a lot of noise when hungry

still at least 3 weeks before these are leaving the nest

more LRP