On Thursday I had to drop Jr Jr off at Bygdøy so afterwards decided
to see if the fjord at Huk had anything to offer. I don’t normally visit there
at this time of the year unless it is blowing a gale which it wasn’t but it was
blowing from the south and raining so there was always the chance of something.
The rocks and skerries here attract Purple Sandpipers in winter but I have seen
few other waders over the years other than Oystercatchers and those I have seen
have generally stopped just briefly before continuing on their journey. Yesterday
was a bit different though as first a Little Sint and then a Dunlin showed themselves
and seemed quite happy searching for food in exactly the same way the Purple
Sands do. The stint was only my third in Oslo and is a genuine rare species
here with just 6 other records this century.
I also visited Østensjøvannet for the first time in a good
while and there were worryingly few birds. Even if there was a lack of quantity
then it was compensated so some extent by some quality with a male Pintail
coming out of eclipse, a Shoveler, a Peregrine and most surprisingly a Common
Scoter. This is a surprisingly scarce species on the lake with only 6 previous records
ever and these have either been on spring passage or in late October (which
matches when birds turn up on Maridalsvannet). A record in mid September is
therefore unusual (and I had seen none on the fjord) and the bird was an adult
female which is also an unusual record with records later in the autumn being almost
exclusively 1cy birds.
Another unusual trip for me was a walk all the way out to
the tip of Årnestangen. Water levels have kept on rising and the mud flats were
gone but it was a relatively good day for raptors with 9 species noted including
a hunting Hen Harrier at relatively close range.
Little Stint (dvergsnipe) with Eiders (ærfugl) - they are small!
and the Dunlin (myrsnipe)
this Herring Gull (gråmåke) made short work of a starfish
Østensjøvannets male Pintail (stjertand) coming out of eclipse. Hopefully it will hag around until it has acquired its full breeding plumage. Male Pintails that have turned up in Oslo have often, for some unknown reason, lacked the long central tail feathers that give this species its name and it looks like this bird (which could well be a returning individual) will also lack them
Shoveler (skjeand) with Tufted Duck (toppand)
adult female Common Scoter (svartand) with Great Crested Grebe (toppdykker). There was a brood of 2 less than half grown grebes which still had stipy, downy plumage and one of which was sat on a parents back. This is very late and it will be interesting to see how things go especially if we have an early cold snap
Great Grey Shrike (varsler) at Årnestangen
and a Great White Egret (egretthegre)
hunting Hen Harrier (myrhauk)
with a mouse
and a Merlin (dvergfalk)
Cranes (trane) are starting to head south now
2 Shoveler and 2 Wigeon (brunnakke) at Merkja
The Beast accompanied me to Årnestangen and I finally discovered who the viewing shutters were designed for...
I am currently in Tromsø where I am helping Jr settle into her new life as a student at the university here. Tromsø is a great town (to call it a city is rather overdoing it though and who ever came up with the description «Paris of the north» should take some time out from describing things) and we are currently enjoying very warm temperatures although in just a few months it will be all snow, darkness, hopefully northern lights and unavoidably thousands of foreign, mostly asian, tourists seeking these «exotic» delights.
Now though this town which boasts the most northern football team, and now also McDonalds, in the whole, wide, world is full of nervous students about to start a new life, apprehensive parents, and yesterday the whole circus that accompanies professional cycling when the last stage of the Arctic Race of Norway was held here and myself and Jr managed to photobomb the winner interview, it was my birthday afterall🥳
I have only allowed myself a little birding and am only using the bus to get around but there is a lot of potential up here. Prestvannet, a small lake 10 minutes bus journey from downtown is a fantastic place with many breeding, and noisy, Red-throated Divers, a good variety of ducks, a few waders including Spot Red when I was there (and apparently lekking Ruff in May) and both Common and Arctic Terns. Tromsø is on an island and the surrounding fjord obviously has potential. By the airport there are some mudflats and here I had a good collection of waders including (distant) Red-necked Phalarope, Little Stint and Ruff. Turnstone also breed in the area and I look forward to seeing them next spring. There were hundreds of seaducks too far out for my bins to ID so I may have to bring my scope on future visits as there must be the chance for some interesting species.
Downtown is full of breeding gulls with Kittiwakes nesting on window ledges, signs and more recently especially built «hotels» which allows incredibly close contact with these birds and their nests. Common and Herring Gulls are also common urban breeders and I have never seen such a concentration and variety of urban breeding gulls before.
Prestvannet
A Spotted Redshank (sotsnipe)
Red-throated Diver (smålom) with a surprisingly small young. Others were nearly fully grown
This Common Gull (fiskemåke) was ringed here as an adult in August 2018. In Feb 2022 it was in Hull, UK
This bird was ringed here as an adult in August 2010 and has been seen regularly but only in Tromsø
Langnes near the airport where I searched for waders
A young Ruff (brushane)
An Arctic Tern (rødnebbterne) that clearly had young nearby as it was very unhappy with my presence
A Sedge Warbler (sivsanger)
My first Little Stints (dvergsnipe) of the year
Adult and juvenile Redshank (rødstilk)
Oystercatchers (tjeld)
Whilst many young Common Gulls were already fledged this youngster still has a number of weeks before independence
This Meadow Pipit (heipiplerke) was still feeding young
The Kittiwake (krykkje) hotel
I haven’t yet managed to find out any information about this ringing scheme. It doesn’t cease to amaze me that colour ringing schemes can be so hard to work out - surely you only colour ringing schemes can because you want to get reports of observations
It’s official and my Facebook status is updated accordingly:
Simon is no longer in
a relationship with Fru. Gressholmen
--
Simon has started a
relationship with Fru. Galteskjær
I had been playing things cool and islands and ferries were
kept at the back of my mind but rain and low tide at midday today meant my
desires could not be ignored. Of course as I arrived at the ferry I forgot
about all rejection and heartbreak and my naive optimism was going at full
throttle.
Surely Fru. Gressholmen would finally admit, and most
importantly show, her love for me. As I arrived at the bay sheltering from the
rain under my umbrella I could see a medium sized wader with my naked eye and
convinced myself that it was a Spotted Redshank and that the fire of our love
had been reignited. Upon getting my scope out though my hopes were dashed and
the fire hose of rejection splashed all over me - it was a juvenile Common
Redshank. A juv Greenshank was the only other wader in the bay (interesting
that juveniles are now migrating) but I had to accept it - me and Fru. G will
never reconcile, she has clearly moved on.
But there is the other, more risky Fru. G – Fru. Galteskjær.
She doesn’t require anything more than that you look admiringly from afar and
that I did. And boy, did she reward me with a Little Stint🥳❤️.
Only my second Oslo record (the first of course also being from Galteskjær) and #oslo2024 species #191 thus equalling my 2019
record. She is a keeper but she also knows her attractions and will always be a
tease I fear. As we sped past and my attention was absorbed by the stint I
barely registered a couple of other waders and attempts to take photos have not
resulted in being able to ID them. How can I best woo her? Get off at Lindøya
or Nakkholmen and view from afar with a scope? Take the ferry multiple times??
Or should I put my heart completely out there and drop visiting Fru.
Gressholmen at all and make Fru. Galteskjær the full focus of my ferry ride???
To celebrate my new relationship I have given Galteskjær her own tag on the blog whereas before she has always been covered under Gressholmen.
More rain is forecast later in the week so we will see what
strategy I choose and how I fare.
arriving at the Ferry and feeling so optimistic
there was even good amounts of exposed mud but Fru. Gressholmen is not to be reconciled
Little Stint (dvergsnipe) on Galteskjær. An early juvenile
and what was this wader?
spot the Greenshank (gluttsnipe)?
there were very few Common Terns (makrellterne) left and I fear they have had a disastrous breeding season. This one had an unusual all red bill
I am now equal to 2019 (ignoring the redpoll lump) and 200 looks a possibilty
Late August and early September are normally good
for waders around Oslo but with Årnestangen still under water there has not
been much suitable habitat for them. Storøykilen at Fornebu though has been unusually productive for waders and this last week I have added two species to my Fornebu list in
the form of Little Stint and Curlew Sandpiper which are both expected birds at
Årnestangen in a regular autumn but are extremely scarce elsewhere. Otherwise I
have been monitoring my “scare, late breeders” and the young of one of them are
now fledged and seemingly left the area whereas the others are still in the
nest but will hopefully successfully fledge in less than a week.
Little Stint (dvergsnipe) looking absolutely tiny beside a Teal (krikkand)
Curlew Sandpiper (tundrasnipe) and Dunlin (myrsnipe). The Curlew Sand had unusually pale legs and I was scratching my head at first wondering whether it was a hybrid of some kind
the Curlew Sand in the middle with 2 Dunlins
Curlew Sand in flight showing the diagnostic white rump
Stock Dove (skogdue) and Tree Pipit (trepiplerke)
White Wagtail (linerle) and Blackcap (munk)
Cranes (trane) heading south over Maridalen
the forest has been generally quiet but I did manage to find "my" male Hazel Grouse (jerpe)
