Maridalen Hawk Owl!

I have settled into a birding routine this week which has resulted in my visiting Sørkedalen daily (a very unusual occurrence). The reason is that I have been searching for a supply of Hawkie in Oslo and have decided that in addition to driving around Maridalen looking for a roadside or treetop dealer I would also check out its larger and probably more suitable sister to the west. In addition to visiting the two dales I have also had daily visits to Tryvann to follow the progress of the Pine Grosbeaks and to Fornebu where I have a hope of finding a rare warbler but in reality just end up looking at Jack Snipe and Kingfishers although a Snow Bunting was an enjoyable find on Wednesday.

Now my attempts to find a Hawk Owl have not been successful and neither have I found any other tree top perching mouse eating predators such as Great Grey Shrike or Pygmy Owl so I do not think there are good numbers field vole this winter. Nevertheless the theory for Hawk Owls turning up in the lowlands this winter is that there is a cyclical low in bank vole numbers in the higher forested areas this winter and that the Hawk Owls are forced into the lowlands to survive on a diet of field voles. I do not know how correct this is but the arrival of Hawk Owls into the lowlands of southern Norway this winter was predicted so it does sound like the theory holds water.

Anyways, my failure to find one doesn’t mean I haven’t seen one 😊 and in Maridalen no less. I was at Tryvann looking for Pine Grosbeaks (it was glorious sunshine and there were a number of photographers on the same errand) but before I could find any I had a phone call that led me back to the car and heading for the Dale. It had gone missing by the time arrived but a bit of searching found it quite quickly and it proved to be high quality Hawkie and allowed itself to be enjoyed at a nice distance whilst it stared intently at the ground beneath its chosen perch. It made one unsuccessful dive for prey but I suspect it will move on tonight in search of a better hunting ground. A flock of 17 Pine Grosbeaks flying over rather made my day!

 

This is not just my first Hawk Owl in Oslo this year but also my first in the country. #Oslo2024 marches forward to 206 species (204 post redpoll lump) and 210 now looks like a possibility!

Hawk Owl (haukugle) in the Dale