Ring-necked Duck

We seem to be in another of those dead spells which I’m sure occur in the middle of April every year when I expect wave after wave of migrants to appear but they don’t even if the conditions are “perfect”.

We had some light rain on Sunday evening but even that hasn’t helped. The farmers have started ploughing and even sowing some of the fields in Maridalen but apart from geese, including a flock of 190 Pink-feet, there is hardly a bird to be seen. Meadow Pipits are noticeable only be their near total absence. A couple of Wheatears and my first Ring Ouzel have been the only birds worth a mention. Raptors have, of course, also been just a dream.

Some fortune did come my way though yesterday evening. On the way out at 1915 to pick up Jr Jr from Lørenskog I checked my phone and saw I had an email titled «ring necked duck». It was Tomas Mazak, a Slovenian birder living in Oslo who I have yet to meet but he was kind enough to inform me he had found a male Ring-necked Duck at Lillestrøm. This was only 10 minutes further drive from Jr Jr so would hardly even count as a twitch😉 A call to Jr Jr to see if she preferred to see the bird or be picked up a bit late was answered as expected so I got to see the bird without continually being asked «are you finished» but it did mean I couldn’t spend that long with it. This was an Akershus tick for me although could well be the same bird that stopped off at Maridalsvannet (Oslo) a few years ago.

adult male Ring-necked Duck (ringand)

here with a Tufted Duck (toppand) in the foreground

my first Ring Ouzel (ringtrost) of the year. In Maridalen of course

a Starling (stær) and a bee

Maridalen's first Wheatear (steinskvett) of the year

the quest to find a Red Kite continues but the odd Marsh Harrier (sivhauk) turns up such as this old male at Kallaksjøen

and this 2cy bird in Maridalen