Only 3 to go!

My dream of seeing 200 species in #Oslo2024 has taken a major step towards being reality over the last four days and I am now just three species away with four months to go. Starting on Friday afternoon we have had strong southerly winds with gusts of up to 25m/s and this is what you hope for if you want to add seabirds to your Oslo list. A message on Friday evening of a Fulmar was just the excuse I needed to take the scenic route back from dropping Jr Jr off at a friend. I had an hour at Huk before it got dark and although I did not see the Fulmar I did experience some impressive waves and two adult Little Gulls which were species #195.

During the weekend it remained windy but nothing exceptional but this morning gusts of over 20m/s were again forecast so I headed for Huk again. There were white tops to the waves and although there were not lots of birds it was definitely a case of being in it to win it with time put in being rewarded – it was also warm and dry which is unusual when seawatching. A Kittiwake was a good bird although not new for the year but a Fulmar was and became #196. Eventually I saw 2 Fulmars and 3 Kittiwakes. A young Arctic Tern showed really well and some waders headed south low over the waves with a Golden Plover being a very decent Oslo bird but two Sanderling were Oslo gold with in addition to being #197 were also a full fat Oslo tick for me and my species #253 in #Osloever. Amazingly enough it also looks to be the first ever record in Oslo and the 296^th species recorded in the capital city!! So a pretty good session! It could have been even better if I had seen the Ruff that was reported just 9 minutes after I left but that would have just been greedy.

 

With only three species left to reach #200 I will need luck, good friends and to put in the hours. There are a lot of likely species though including Ruff, Long-tailed Duck, Jack Snipe, Water Rail, Capercaille, Tengmalm’s Owl, Mediterranean Gull, one or more of Glaucous, Iceland, Caspian or Yellow-legged Gulls and then hopefully an invasion species like Pine Grosbeak or Hawk Owl. Maybe I should be going for 210 😊

my first view of a Fulmar (havhest) was at surprisingly close range although flying away from me

it did do some proper shearwater like flying

here it is seemingly flyinh over an unidentified birder who was watching from Rolfstangen on the Fornebu side of the fjord

a 1cy Kittiwake (krykkje) with the offices of Equinor at Fornebu as a backdrop

a 1cy Arctic Tern (rødnebbterne) that came ridiculously close

it was also windy in Maridalen but there were some raptors on show. This male Honey Buzzard (vepsevåk) is of the same plumage type as the breeding male I am following but has no missing feathers showing him to be a different bird

a very funky Common Buzzard (musvåk) of the type that gets mistaken for Rough-legged Buzzard (fjellvåk)

the view from today's chosen spot at Huk which gave shelter from the wind