Making Owling Great Again

To Make Owling in the future Great Again Per Christian has been banging together Tengmalm’s nest boxes and Great Grey Owl platforms and on Sunday I helped him hang them up along Owl Road. Hopefully they will be used already next spring and if so will make finding these species so much easier.

Whilst we were out we did not see either of the two species but did have a really nice encounter with a Pygmy Owl.

Today I had a perhaps even better with another Pygmy Owl in Maridalen and maybe we should be hanging up nesting boxes for them although I think they will have no lack of natural (Great Spotted) Woodpecker holes to use.

I also visited Østensjøvannet today as a swift was reported nearby yesterday. Although reported as a Common Swift it is far more likely that it was a Pallid. It is relatively warm at the moment (close to 10C) but there are no visible flying insects so a Swift will struggle in the city so it was no surprise that I did not refind it. A Scaup was far more expected but still good bird to find and at least two Water Rails were an addition to my Oslo year list.

me underneath a GG Owl platform

and Per Christian putting it up

me and a Tengmalm's box

The Pygmy Owl on Owl Road which can be heard giving its autumn song in the video:

Pygmy Owl (spurveugle)

And today's bird in Maridalen:

the Scaup (bergand) at Østensjøvannet

and a Water Rail (vannrikse)

Wigeon (brunnakke)

the female Pintail (stjertand) at Østensjøvannet

and a big surprise was this flock of Pintails flying over Owl Road