Jack Snipe and Hobby doth not an autumn make

As we enter October the number of species around Oslo has declined greatly. It is now a week since I last saw a White Wagtail, 12 days since I saw a Swallow and 3 weeks for Willow Warbler. New species that are turning up now (and bang on time) are Great Grey Shrike with a bird showing well in Maridalen and Jack Snipe at a few sites but disappointingly no Rough-legged Buzzards (yet). And no rarities either.

The first storm of the autumn is due to hit tonight and tomorrow but I fear will be too much south east than south to push any exciting birds into the inner Oslofjord. I am sure I will gaze at the sea though anyway and dreaming of Leaches Petrels and Sabines Gulls.

Maridalsvannet has had a few Guillemots which turned up after some not particularly strong southerly winds, still an adult and juv Black-throated Diver and a Common Scoter which unusually for the autumn was an adult male. The Whooper Swan family is reunited and feeding on stubble fields which must mean the young can now fly although I have not actually seen them do so.

I dropped Jr at the airport this morning after she had a mid-term break at home and then used this as an opportunity to see if I could relocate the Taiga Beans which of course I couldn’t and they may well have moved on already although none have yet arrived at the Scottish wintering grounds. My travels turned up a few raptors (7 species in total) including my latest ever Hobby which was a bird that really had me going for quite a few minutes as it seemed much too large and I was seriously wondering if maybe I had Norway’s first ever Eleanora’s Falcon in my bins…

spot the birdy

Jack Snipe (kvartbekkasin)

when it caught some sunlight the colours on the back showed their richness

today's 1cy Hobby (lerkefalk) which appeared very large and was also quite dark

it seemed to have no problem finding insects not that I could see them

Great Grey Shrike (varsler) in Maridalen

it is noticeably scaly on the underparts

it frequently flew and took insects in flight

I am not sure what they were though

the scaly underparts would suggest a 1cy bird but the lack of a wing bar suggests an adult

apart from the insects it spent a lot of time looking down suggesting rodents were on the menu

but Blue Tits and..

.. Great Tits were not happy with its presence