A change

We’ve finally had a positive (for birders) change in the weather but it really hasn’t been enough to make the difference we all hope for. Yesterday evening there were a few local showers (but they were a lot less than had initially been forecast) and today was cloudy (but the winds were northerly). It is important to remain optimistic though and remember that you have to be in it to win it.

Svellet continues to receive daily visits and today tringas were in triple digits for the first time (220 Wood Sandpipers and 110 Greenshank) although if that was due the change in weather or just the passing of time is open for discussion. The water level is now almost too low and the mud flats risk getting bone dry such that when water levels do rise that they will be covering lifeless mud and therefore be of little use for waders. Ideally we will see daily increases of a couple of centimetres over the next two weeks but what we risk is little change until suddenly around the middle of the month levels are risen by 25cm a day.

Twelve Ruff today included only 4 males but they were lekking a little bit and one of them was a very striking white bird which I would have loved to see at a place where photos were possible.. Yesterday also saw the first Little Gull and Yellow Wagtails of the year so we can now look forward to Black Tern and Citrine Wagtail (as I said it is important to be optimistic).

Maridalen has not hit the same highs offered by the Pochard which was a one day wonder but a little twitch was required today to see a Shore Lark. Only the fourth ever record and in exactly the same spot as the previous three records which have occurred in the time period 26 April to 4 May it is clear when and where to look if you want to find one in Oslo which does make it a little galling that I had indeed looked at the exact same field only 2 hours prior with the said species in mind and had failed to spot it.

Shore Lark (fjelllerke) in the Dale. Only the fourth record following those in 2013,2016 and 2021. There are surprisingly few records of migrating birds in southern Norway but when they are on a field like this (and there are MANY of them) then they are not easy to find.

an slightly aberrant female White Wagtail (linerle). There is an excess of black on the throat and breast and grey instead of white cheeks but I cannot make it into another rarer subspecies. It looked to be paired up and in breeding modus