The last day of October was surprisingly good in Maridalen
and I added 3 species to my Oslo 2025 year list. With 178 species so far 2025
is a completely average year (at least according to my eBird stats) but is way
behind last years record haul.
First up was a flyover Parrot Crossbill. There are as good
as no Common Crossbills left in Oslo’s forests so any crossbill is a good bird
at the moment and get perhaps more attention than it would have last year.
Second up was a real Oslo rarity and one I didn’t see last
year – Marsh Tit. A pair had been seen on Sunday so I have had them on my radar
but it was first today that I heard their characteristic pitchuu call
and then got to see them (they look very similar to the far commoner Willow
Tits and call is by far the easiest way to tell the two species apart). They
didn’t hang around for long as they continued on their travels looking for food
but will hopefully be here all winter and maybe breed next year. Marsh Tit is a
proper and surprising rarity in Oslo despite there being established populations
only a few kilometres beyond the county line in for example Lørenskog. These
are only my third record in Oslo after a bird at Østensjøvannet in October 2017
and then a bird that spent the winter of 2018/19 in Maridalen at the exact same
spot where I saw today’s birds. It does look like the species was commoner in Oslo
in the past although I can find only a single breeding record from 2000 but
there is also a big problem interpreting the many undocumented reports many of
which I would suggest should be accompanied by a helping of salt. On that note
though I do have to admit that my attempt to document today’s sighting was extremely
poor and is barely a record shot. My excuses are that I was
walking the Beast and only had the superzoom but most embarrassingly I have now
found out that the (good) video I thought I had taken which included the call
does not exist because in time honoured fashion I clearly only pressed the
record button when I was finished so have some useless video as the camera swung from shoulder….
The current birds could of course just have wandered from
one of the close populations but given that all other species of tit are irrupting
this year then it would be no surprise if Marsh Tits are also on the move so
these could well have come from far away.
Last up and also an addition to my Norwegian 2025 lists was
a female Grey-headed Woodpecker. I initially saw her quite close but had my usual series of camera problems so didn’t manage to do her justice but with luck she
has already chosen to spend the winter in Maridalen and will turn up on some
feeders.
the pictures I got of the Marsh Tits (løvmeis) probably do count as a record shot as the one that is in focus where the bird is looking at me does show the pale spot at the base of the upper mandible and that the back of the cheek is not white but rather creamy
my best pic of the Grey-headed 'pecker is a little bit better but hardly good
my flight shots are of their usual dismal quality but it is IDable
perched a long way away where it did also call
picture of a Jay (nøtteskrike) are much better and it is also a much smarter bird
Long-tailed Tits (stjertmeis)
autumnal reflections
the Pink-footed Goose (kortnebbgås) is still with the Whoopers (sangsvane) but is a master at disappearing in the stubble
and here some footage of a pod of at least 5 Harbour Porpoises that I saw in the fjord whilst auk watching on Wednesday
a Harbour Porpoise (nise)
and 5 of them that just floated on the surface for a few seconds
Winter has regained its grip on the land and nighttime
temperatures in Maridalen are falling to -13C and it remains negative in the
day despite blue skies and sunshine. Many of the resident birds are very active
singing and displaying but any hope of early migrants has been put on hold.
In the forest I spent some quality time with the male Hazel
Grouse that we viewed last Tuesday when guiding but now I have been able to
watch him in sunlight. He appears to be unpaired but has a good territory that
has held Hazel Grouse in at least the two decades I have visited the area.
Hawfinches have returned to breeding areas in Maridalen and
are banging out their squeaky “song” and I was able to see some quite well at a
feeding station.
male Hazel Grouse (jerpe)
it doesn't seem right to see such a large bird clambering around on such thin branches
female Hawfinch (kjernebiter)
and a more colourful male
the male with a Greenfinch (grønnfink) that seems tiny in comparison
Crested Tit (toppmeis)
female Greenfinch
and male
female Siskin (grønnsisik)
and male
male Brambling (bjørkefink) - unusually many have wintered in and around Oslo
Bullfinch (dompap) and Bramblings
female Blackbird (svarttrost) - I don't remember so many wintering in Maridalen before
Jays (nøtteskrike) are starting to "sing" and can sound like Goshawk, Buzzard and Tawny Owl
There is suddenly lots to see, to photograph and to write
about. I have not been to see the Smew again but it has apparently been
standing room only with up to 40 photographers filling their memory cards.
Having been through the (many) images I took I am rather happy with the ones I
got on Saturday so have no need for more.
On Sunday Jack discovered Oslo’s second Stonechat of the
year on Bygdøy and I chose to visit there on Monday and then found the third (a
female) and then Anders found the fourth later in the day! Prior to 2021 there
had only been 5 records in Oslo but it has been annual since then but 4 in a
year is a new record and it isn’t even spring yet!
Bygdøy also gave me very up close and personal views of 16
Purple Sandpipers which appears to be an Oslo high count. I have also added
Skylark and Chaffinch to my Oslo year list which now stands at 85 species.
Today Jack and I headed to Østfold and it was a visit that
reminded me I should go more often as the 1 hour drive is well worth it. The
fields around Kurefjorden were already free of snow and packed with geese and
Skylarks. A lot of different geese have been seen here in the last few days
including both Beans and both subspecies of White-fronted. Greenland
White-front is a species that has eluded me before so I was really hoping to
see it but we only found Russian birds but a count of 48 was very good. Taiga
Beans also eluded us but we did see 2 Tundras.
Other new birds for the year included Lapwing, Ringed Plover
and Shelduck as well as Slavonian Grebe and Scaup.
On the way home we witnessed a new experience with a Great
Grey Shrike. I have seen this species hover occasionally before but only for a
few seconds at a time but this bird was hovering in Kestrel style and was
changing height and position for many tens of seconds at a time. It was
hovering over an area if rough grass that was full of vole holes so there was
clearly food there for it.
male Smew (lappfiskand)
the pattern at the back of the head changes a lot depending on the mood of the bird
Little and Large
with a male Goldeneye (kvinand)
a female Stonechat (svartstrupe) at Bygdøy
Purple Sandpipers (fjæreplytt)
from today's Østfold trip - a White-fronted Goose (tundragås) on the left with a Tundra Bean Goose (tundrasædgås)
the two Tundra Beans
Russian White-fronted Geese (tundragås) and Greylag Geese (grågås). Three of the adults had such extensive black barring on their bellies that it became solid
hovering Great Grey Shrike (varsler)
when it hovers the wings barely go above the horizontal
hovering head on
And some commoner birds
Stock Dove (skogdue)
Willow Tit (granmeis)
Yellowhammer (gulspurv)
Jay (nøtteskrike)
Mute Swan (knoppsvane)
landing on the ice
finally coming to a stop
This spring seems to be terrible for singing owls in southern Norway but there is at least some activity from Tawny Owl (kattugle) in Maridalen
