Grey and dull

After a period of wintery weather with ice starting to form on Maridalsvannet and snow on the ground we are now in that most depressing of early winter scenarios where it is warm, wet and as dark as dusk all day long. Combine that with some windy days and there may as well be no birds out there.

With a bit of work it is possible to find a bird or two and even some that are a bit interesting but I often wonder why I bother when it is like this.

In Maridalen it is occasionally quite birdy with lots of tits making themselves known but the next day you feel lucky to stumble upon a single Blue Tit. At least 2 Marsh Tits are still around and I have come across a couple of Long-tailed Tit flocks but all of them had white heads which again supports my feeling that flocks are still on the move. The Pygmy Owl has not been showing itself but Sparrowhawks have suddenly become obvious and one was targeting the Long-tailed Tits. A Three-toed Woodpecker was my first in a while but this is not a woodpecker winter so far.

At Fornebu the Bearded Tits seem to have moved on and the occasional squeal from a Water Rail is about the only life in the reedbeds. Today I found a Jack Snipe in the thermal though and wonder whether it was a bird that has stayed around despite the wintery conditions last week or perhaps it was a newly arrived bird. It was active when I first located it although quickly froze due to my presence and this suggests a newly arrived and hungry bird. It will be interesting to see how long it hangs around.

male Three-toed Woodpecker (tretåspett) in a very murky forest

a young male Sparrowhawk (spurvehauk)

Jack Snipe (kvartbekkasin) just after I discovered it when it was still standing up

it quickly lay down and froze though in response to me

and here is the sound of a very noisy Water Rail. I wondered if there were two due to the two very distinct calls that are given but they are never made simultaneously so I assume it is just one very agitated bird. One of the calls is often likened to a squealing pig but sounds also like a screaming kid.