A week of two halves

I had company today and we gingerly walked over the frozen Maridalsvannet

This week has been a week of two halves and the second half has felt far more spring like than the first and that despite it being much colder now.

Up until Wednesday morning it was foggy and although temperatures were above zero there was very little avian activity. From Wednesday onwards though it has been sunny, little wind and despite temperatures being down to -8C there has been loads of activity. Great Spotted and Black Woodpeckers are now drumming and calling all over the place (I had not registered a Black this year before Wednesday and today I had three together making loads of noise). Yellowhammers, Bullfinches, Treecreepers and various tits are singing and Goshawks are displaying. Even Goldcrests were chasing each other around and making lots of noise today although were not yet singing. I have also had my first Stock Doves of the year – a species that seems to arrive earlier and earlier but my first Starling and Moorhen were probably overwintering birds.

Crossbills which have been singing for a long time are now nest building and will have young in less than a month!

The Hawk Owl survives although is still moving around a lot without being seen to catch anything.

female Common Crossbill (grankorsnebb) collecting bark for the nest

collecting moss

and collecting grass

the female does all the work whilst the male just holds watch, sings a bit and mates when when he gets the chance. This is the male and he looks very much like a female which is because he is probably not even year old yet - born in early spring 2024 and will only get the brick red plumage after his next moult

a new species for the year was this very distant Great Grey Shrike (varsler)

Stock Dove (skogdue) which return directly to their breeding sites

Black Woodpecker (svartspett) - the extensive red on the crown shows this is a male

whilst this bird visiting a nest hole used for the last couple of years is a female

Hawk Owl. Whenever it is sunny then (s)he always chooses to perch high up

a Redpoll (gråsisik) and thankfully I can leave it there and not give myself a headache working out if it is a Lesser or a Common due to their now subspecies status. Redpolls have been very scarce this winter but there has been a noticeable increase this week although just single birds or small groups

More of the same

As soon as I had expressed my gratitude to the Pine Grosbeaks for saving the birding winter then they seemed to disappear from Oslo. None were reported at the weekend and on Saturday a whooping 502 were counted viz migging in the SW of Norway suggesting that the invasion was continuing and birds were still continuing dispersing south. I tweeted about the viz mig sighting and as I hoped it got British birders excited😊

To all British birders:

502 Pine Grosbeaks were counted flying WEST on the coast of SW Norway yesterday.

Just saying😉https://t.co/R3UJzTj3KX pic.twitter.com/sDQqd7lDq5

— Simon Rix (@si_rix) November 3, 2024

On Monday and Tuesday though I found there were still lots of Grozzas in Oslo, or at least in the Tryvann area. It would be interesting to know if these are birds that have been here the last two weeks or whether they are new arrivals. And if new arrivals have they come from the north or are they reorienting birds from the south coast?

Whilst in the forests searching for the Grosbeaks it is impossible not to notice the enormous numbers of Common Crossbills which are singing and getting ready to breed. There is quite a variety of calls and bill sizes amongst them which I assume means a number of different types (sub populations) are present in southern Scandinavia this winter. Some approach Parrot Crossbills and indeed I thought I had a pair recently but looking at my pictures I get more of a parakeet feeling.

 

Hawk Owls are also coming with an increasing number of records in lowland habitats with the closest now only around 30km from Maridalen 🤞🙏

 

an adult male Pine Grosbeak (konglebit) in perfect light

an adult female I believe due to the rounded tail feather

a 1st winter male I believe due to the red feathering appearing on the head

1st winter male with pointed tail feathers and red on head

adult female with very rounded tail feathers

they are never as photogenic when they are feeding on spruce buds

crossbill challenge. The male in the middle which was paired with the female to the left has a very chunky jizz with thick neck and a sizeable bill but is it correct for a Parrot? I am unsure. The male to the right is a Common

a pair of Commons

I don't see any real reason for the current split of crossbills into three species in northern Europe: Common, Parrot and Scottish and it would be far easier if they were all lumped in the same way Redpolls have been. This lump may have cost me two species for #Oslo2024 but also means I do not have to worry with how to assign this individual

Jack Snipe (kvartbekkasin) can still be found

a 1st winter Pink-footed Goose (kortnebbgås) can be found in exactly the same spot on a stubble field every day this week. It has no obvious injury (although I have not seen it fly) but is clearly not completely healthy