Egrets

The second half of the week has, unsurprisingly, not been able to measure up to the good start but it has offered some good autumn birding. A trip to Nordre Øyeren today in damp conditions revealed a Svellet completely free of waders despite there being lots of attractive (at least to me) mud still showing. There were three Great White Egrets close by though and this is now a characteristic species for the area in the autumns. Despite it now being expected it is still a bit of kick to set your eyes on them and they are still exotic.

Bird of today was a calling Red-throated Pipit (lappiplerke) that flew right over my head when I was looking over Snekkervika but it wouldn't stop unfortunately. Also still there were two Red-backed Shrikes (tornskate) which are getting to be quite late.

Great White Egrets (egretthegre) - the bird on the right is perhaps an adult with what look like plume feathers sticking out

This video shows a dark juvenile Honey Buzzard and an adult Common Buzzard in Maridalen on Wednesday and continue the great run of sightings I have had this autumn

a video grab of the dark juv HB

and a picture of the pale juv HB that isn't in the video

the dark juv HB with a moulting (adult or at least 2cy+) CB

In this video of a Black-throated Diver family on Maridalsvannet from Thursday the youngster can be seen being fed small fish

juvenile Black-throated Diver (storlom)

BtD family

Goosanders (laksand)

a record breaking flock of 32 Cormorants (storskarv) that flew into Maridalsvannet yesterday and immediately set about feeding (or at least searching for fish) as a flock as can be seen in the video

Shoveler (skjeand) including an adult male in eclipse which I don't remember having seen in Norway before and a pair of Gadwall (snadderand) at Merkja today

A Nutcracker (nøttekråke) collecting hazel nuts in the garden on Wednesday. They do not eat them but rather fill up their throats/crops and fly many kilometers into the forest with them where they hide them to be eaten during the winter. In the video you can see it taking nuts and also see the bulges in its throat

This mink in Maridalen did not seem to have seen me and The Beast sitting only meters away but as can be seen could definitely smell us