Whilst I was away at the weekend the ice melted on Maridalsvannet. This is early but despite it having been so dry the water levels are currently high so the lake doesn’t yet look that appealing. That being said though there have already been some good birds and maybe when the ice doesn’t melt until the end of the month as is often the case that means that a lot of birds are missed out on as they cannot splash down even if they wanted. Both species of diver are already back and their display calls ring around the valley. More impressively though has been the three , yes 3, species of grebes that have graced the lake. Following last years first ever record of Little Grebe in the Dale a bird in exactly the same place it was probably the same bird. Great Crested Grebe is more expected but a Slavonian Grebe hanging out with Teal is record early as this species normally passes through, and not annually, at the end of the month.
Raptors are still very thin on the ground but the first Osprey
of the year turned up on Tuesday and a Peregrine was hunting in the valley
today. Today also finally saw the first day with really good numbers of
passerines on the (very dry) fields: Bramblings, Redwings and Meadow Pipits
were the most numerous.
A real treat today was being able to listen to the calls of
migrating Curlews and a flock of 6 really wanted to land but in the end gave up
and flew north.
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| an ice free Maridalsvannet looking towards the south |
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| my first Osprey (fiskeørn) of the year - a particularly well marked female |
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| migrating Curlews (storspove) |
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| Little Grebe (dvergdykker) |
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| Slavonian Grebe (horndykker) |
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| and the best picture of all, a Great Crested Grebe (toppdykker)... |
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| there have been up to 10 Lapwing (vipe) on their favoured two fields and there are already two nests. Nest 1 |
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| Nest 2 |
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| Green Sandpiper (skogsnipe) |
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| a Kestrel (tårnfalk) today and a Brambling (bjørkefink) |
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| a young Peregrine (vandrefalk) that I saw three times today |
Yesterday I thought I would see if Sørkedalen had anything more to offer and caught up with the plastic hybrid goose that has been around for a couple of weeks and a real piece of plastic had me for quite a few seconds thinking I had seen my first Ring Ouzel of the year…
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| what looks to be a hybrid Emporer x Barnacle Goose together with Pink-feet |
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| showing leg colour |
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| and I thought this was a Ring Ouzel... |
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