Crossbills eating bricks and new spring migrants

I started the day in Maridalen which is still in the grips of winter. Highlight (?) was a singing Willow Tit which at least shows they haven’t all mysteriously died off. GG Shrike, Goshawk and Hawfinch were also seen plus lots of Common Crossbills including birds with wing bars and giving trumpet calls but all just Common. I had a group of birds visiting a brick wall on the barn where they were definitely eating something but why I am not sure. They were attacking both the mortar between the bricks and the bricks themselves. I can only assume they were after minerals. They do I think also eat grit to help with digestion but I don’t think this was the case here. The birds were predominantly males so was nothing to do with minerals for egg formation either. I took some video so you can see and judge yourselves. I searched BWP hoping for an explanation but only found the following: “Often reported eating mortar, putty, ash, and similar nutrient-rich substances” with no attempt to explain why.

Moving towards the fjord it suddenly felt more like spring with the snow having melted on some of the fields at Bygdøy. Here there were over 100 Greylag Geese on the fields plus my first Lapwing of the year and a flyover Stock Dove. Still no Skylarks or Snow Buntings though. At Huk there were now 49 Oystercatchers whose calls definitely gave a feeling of spring.

Fornebu was also able to add to the spring feeling with my first Starlings and Common Snipe of the year and a calling flock of 11 Whooper Swans heading north east.

Some new snow in the afternoon though showed that winter is not letting go that easily!

Not exactly a normal backdrop for a photo of Common Crossbill (grankorsnebb)

you can see the tongue of the left hand bird as though he is trying to lick the brick

note the tongue of the left hnd bird

 

 

 

a wing barred Common Crossbill

 

the usual adult (male?) Goshawk (hønsehauk) showing well

 

  

Great Grey Shrike (varsler) still present in Maridalen

lots of Greylags back now

a definite sign of spring is seeing the first flowering Coltsfoot (hestehov)

Oslo and Akershus' first Lapwing (vipe) of the year

with such long tufts it must be a male

los of Oystercatchers (tjeld)

but still very much winter for this Red Squirrel in Maridalen

my first Starlings (stær) of 2016

and a migrating flock of Whooper Swans (sangsvane)

 

Waxwings

Today the plan was to get better photos of the Water Rail (vannrikse) - if that would be possible I hear you say :-) Well there was sun today so the light would hopefully be better. When I arrived there was a bird showing but it went into the reeds. I crouched down with the camera on the tripod (I was also hoping to take some video) and waited and waited. After 45 minutes I had to admit that my body is not capable of long term crouching. When I stood up I was dizzy, really stiff in my knees and had pins and needles in my feet. Time to do something else....
 

Driving up to Horten and checking suitable places along the way gave me my first Starlings (stær) of the year - a flock of 20 but precious little else.

In Horten the mistletoe was still sustaining the overwintering Mistle Thrush (duetrost) and also a flock of 42 

Waxwings. These birds came down to drink from puddles formed by melting snow giving a good but brief photo opportunity.

Waxwing (sidensvans) having a drink

such colourful birds

synchronised drinking

Mistletoe berries seem to be equally whole on the way out as on the way in

At Fornebu, no birds to see but the year’s first Coltsfoot (hestehov) in flower. This is later than most years but given the amount of snow and freezing temperatures I was quite amazed to see this lovely yellow flower.

coltsfoot (hestehov) - the first flower to bloom in Norway

And finally, today’s gull. These two Herring Gulls (gråmåke) at Jarlsø, Tønsberg have very Glaucous Gull (polarmåke) like two-toned bills and had me thinking of possible hybrid influence. I thought at first these were 1^st winter birds in which case the bill would be more significant but see that they are most likely 2^nd winter birds where such a bill is less unusual. Striking birds anyway.

2nd winter Herring Gulls with very striking Glaucous Gull like bills

And some other birds

the Eiders (ærfugl) were displaying earnestly

Mistle Thrush