Norway’s rarest breeders

I have previously had two blog posts about my 24 hour trip in mid June which resulted in a number of very exciting birds and butterflies and I also wrote that “I literally stumbled on nesting pairs of what must be Norway’s two rarest species of breeding birds”.

Those of you who have followed this blog for a while may well have guessed that the two species were Ortolan and Rustic Bunting. Both species have been on a steep and long decline in Norway with trapping for food in passage and wintering areas being blamed. The official survey of Ortolan resulted in only 3 singing males at 3 different sites this year so obviously things do not look good for the future survival of the species. Things have got so bad for Rustic Bunting that there is no longer any official survey and the last breeding that I am aware of in the southern breeding grounds is from 2016. However (and something I forgot when I made my bold claim), in the last few years Rustic has started breeding in the far north of Norway in Pasvik on the border with Finland and Russia so my claim only relates to the historic southern breeding range.

I found the Rustic whilst searching for butterflies in a forest bog. I was in the middle of the bog getting wet feet when I heard what I was sure was the song of a Rustic from the woodland at the edge of the bog. I forgot about butterflies and made my way to the woodland. The song was coming from something like 30 metres into the woodland and as I made my way towards it I was suddenly aware of intense ”ticking” which is a noise I have heard before and knew straight away was from an angry Rustic Bunting. Quite soon I saw the source of the noise and a female Rustic was in a tree by me and then suddenly a male appeared. The intensity of their annoyance at my presence meant either a nest or young nearby. As I did not hear any other birds (young) calling then I think it was the nest (when I previously came across a young only just outof the nest it made a lot of noise) and I therefore made sure to check where I was walking as I tried to put a bit more distance between me and the birds. They calmed down but did not reveal where the nest was so I returned to the marsh.

It was a bit strange that the male was singing when he should have had his focus purely on feeding young. Either he was thinking of a second brood and trying to get the female in the mood or it was a different, and unmated, male that was singing. I heard a bird singing again later and I would actually think it more likely that it was an additional male but cannot say either way. What I can say was that it was an unexpected and fantastic experience and one that I had never thought I would again witness in Norway. Finding these beautiful birds on their taiga breeding grounds is really special 😊. This video has the sound of the singing male and ticking pair.

 

The female Rustic Bunting (vierspurv)

and the male when he suddenly announced his presence right over my shoulder

I looked for Ortolans where I have always done so. After a bit of waiting I thought I had heard a distant singing bird but was not convinced. I cupped my ears hoping to hear better when a much closer bird flew past me and made a call that I was quite sure was Ortolan. It landed in nearby trees and as I went closer it started alarm calling. I walked back trying to give enough distance that I would not be viewed as a threat but also allowing me to see what was going on. Another bird suddenly appeared and also called and I could see that both had caterpillars in their bills – clearly there were young that needed feeding! After a little wait the female dropped down before perching in a birch sapling and then dropping to the ground right by a regularly used farm track. I was able to reposition myself and saw the approximate area she flew up from. Walking along the track it was quite easy to find the nest which was only half a metre from the track! There were 4 young in the nest and all looked healthy but you have to wonder why they chose to nest there when there are piles of branches nearby which I believe are left specifically to offer protection for nesting Ortolans. I decided to contact the relevant people to inform them of the good news of breeding and also to share my worry for the nest given how close it was to where people, tractors and animals regularly passed. The information was received with enthusiasm and I felt good for my discovery. About a week later though it was reported on social media that an Ortolan nest had been “destroyed” and the blame was laid at the feet of “photographers”. Contacting the poster it was clear that he was referring to the nest I had found and I felt very much that I was somehow being blamed. It was also clear though that the use of the word “destroyed” was something that the poster had himself chosen to use in an attempt provoke as he himself had not seen the nest and had only received some information from the person I had informed about the nest. Contacting him I heard a very different story – he had checked the nest first 5 days after I had found it and he then found an empty nest with absolutely no sign of either predation or destruction. As Ortolan young are only in the nest for ca.12 days and the female broods them for 3-5 days then the young I saw could very easily have been (and indeed their appearance I think confirms it) more than 7 days old when I found them meaning that 5 days later they would have left the nest and of course the nest would be empty. My attempts to explain this to people who should know better fell unfortunately on deaf ears but let us hope I am right and at least one brood of Norwegian bred Ortolans made it in 2023.

the male Ortolan (hortulan) with food in its bill

and the female just before dropping down to the nest

nest site

four young

Værøy 2019 day 1 & 2

The first full day of Værøy of 2019 is over and I am a happy camper. Yesterday evening gave me nothing of interest and was, I think, the only first evening on Værøy when I have not had Yellow-browed Warbler. I was therefore not too optimistic about today but we awoke to a windless morning which at least made for good viewing and listening conditions. I don’t have the time or energy for a long post but Værøy’s first Rustic Bunting, Olive-backed Pipit, Yellow-browed Warbler (but only 1!), Red-throated Pipit and Pomarine Skua made for a more than OK day 😊

Rustic Bunting (vierspurv). When I heard a ticking sound a few metres away in long grass I was hoping for a rare bunting but expecting a Song Thrush. Luckily enough this time it was a rare bunting

I would have prefered to find one in the field but it was very cool to see an Olive-backed Pipit (sibirpiplerke) in the hand

adult Red-throated Pipit (lappiplerke) probably a female with so much streaking on the chest

Værøy is not complete without a Yellow-browed Warbler (gulbrynsanger) but there was only one for me today

colour ringed Rock Pipit (skjærpiplerke) which was ringed in March this year further south in Norway

this male Merlin (dvergfalk) was hunting Dunlins

31 May Guiding

I have had a couple of very intensive and enjoyable guiding assignments to Hedmark and Oppland over the last few days but I am now finally home and ready to report on what we saw (this the first of two instalments).

On Wednesday I was guiding to some of Southern Norway's specialities. The birding day which had begun with a 4am alarm started well when we heard what is quite possibly the only Rustic Bunting to have returned to the Norwegian breeding grounds this year. Unusually for me and this species it was an easy find as he was singing frequently and strongly (I have used hours and hours to find them on other years) but this is bad news as it means he was unpaired. I feel this will be my last encounter with this globally rapidly declining species on its Norwegian taiga breeding grounds.

After this we had a nice encounter with breeding Little Gulls but our attempt to get a variety of breeding waders including Broad-billed Sand was thwarted by a mountain toll road suddenly and without notice being blocked just a few kilometres after we had paid to open the barrier.
With the Rustic having been so cooperative we still had plenty of time available to us though so we headed for my own special Red-necked Phalarope site. When we got there and it was cold and windy with all vegetation still brown and no mossies on the water I really felt we were not going to be lucky (the species has only just started returning to Norway with the first record only 10 days ago). We walked around a small lake though which has always been good for the species and suddenly a male appeared on the water in front of us. He swam away from us and at one stage hopped up and dived down as though he was catching a small fish. We admired it and then walked on a couple of paces only for a bright female to fly up from just a couple of metres away and land on the water. Things then happened very quickly. It didn't occur to me that they might already be breeding and given that it is the male that incubated and he was on the water I initially thought that when the female quickly returned to land that she was just looking for food as land was perhaps the only place to find any insects. The way she ran around like a rodent made me reconsider and then when she stopped and made some strange movements I noticed she was standing over an egg I realised we must have interrupted egg laying. I tried to find the nest which was no more than 4 metres from me but only found a single egg laying on damp mossy ground. I initially thought this to be another egg but looking at my pictures and video I now think it is the same egg – but there was no nest there it was just lying on the ground!! [If it was another egg as I thought at the time then what the hell were two random eggs doing there] Immediately after I considered that this couldn’t possibly be a nest and my assumption is that we interrupted egg laying at just the wrong moment and the female just dropped an egg where she. However, reading BWP it says “On ground in the open, sometimes partly concealed in short vegetation, and may become more hidden during incubation as vegetation grows; often in top of tussock; of 70 nests, Finland, 55 on dry ground, 15 on moist” so it could well be that this is the nest and that as more eggs are layed a proper scrape is made?

We immediately moved away and then saw the birds together on the lake. They seemed to mate and then flew back to land. The female landed exactly where she had first flown up from which was 4 metres from where the egg was and the male plopped down right nearby and then both birds disappeared in the grass. I would love to have been able to return and follow them over the next couple of days to see if they lay more eggs in the same place. At least both birds immediately returned (after having mated) once we moved off so I believe no harm is done and hopefully we were just amazingly lucky enough to witness normal egg laying – right time at the right place-

So now I am left remembering an amazing close encounter with a wonderful species which happened so fast that I am glad I also videoed some of it and we actually witness egg laying!

After this we had mixed success. Two owl species that I was hoping to find didn't reveal themselves but we did have an adult and two young Hawkies - and a day is always good after a dose of Hawkie :-)

Generally though the day was very short of birds. Hirundines and swifts seemed very common but warblers, waders, flycatchers and chats were almost non-existent. We also had only a single Cuckoo and raptors consisted of one Rough-legged Buzzard and three Kestrels.

singing male Rustic Bunting (vierspurv) - quite possibly Norway's last and probably singing in vain

Red-necked Phalarope (svømmesnipe) - the drab(er) plumage shows it to be a male

the more colourful female

just layed an egg. Note the webbed feet

adult Hawk Owl (haukugle) 

youngster #1

youngster #2

breeding Little Gulls (dvergmåke) - note the right hand bird has nesting material

singing Wood Warbler (bøksanger)

Hedmark Installment VIII - The Rustic Family

As I’ve mentioned before I revisited the Rustic Bunting site and amazingly discovered a youngster already out of the nest, although not fledged. It is normal for this ground nesting species that the young leave the nest before they can fly but never the less it was actually quite alarming to see this youngster hopping around on the ground calling for his parents especially when I considered how important he (or she) may be for the future survival of this species in Norway.

daddy Rustic

baby Rustic

mummy Rustic

Hedmark 2016 Installment VII

I've just been back in Hedmark again for another TovE bird survey route. On the way up I stopped to look for Ural Owls and sure enough found one or should I say it found me. There I was walking along minding my own business when I sensed something behind me, turned and instinctively ducked and a huge Ural Owl skimmed my head before pulling up and landing in a tree. She then proceeded to stare at me and call (bark). I was now very nervous. I had no idea where the other adult was and didn't dare take my eyes off this bird as they can cause serious injury and even concussion if they strike you. I moved away from the bird, started to feel more relaxed and took some video of her. Whilst filming she barked and, as you will see on the video (to come in s later post), I nearly had a heart attack as I thought she was calling her mate in for the kill. That was enough for me and I beat a hasty retreat.....

I also had a chance to check out a marsh where Per Christian had a displaying Broad-billed Sandpiper a few years ago. This marsh is not within the known range of this species in Southern Norway and is also at a much lower altitude than the known nesting sites but is I believe very much like sites used within the core range in Sweden and Finland and is perhaps a sign that the species is overlooked in Norway. I didn't find one, but mid-afternoon was never going to be a good time to look.
In the evening I paid another visit to the Rustic Bunting site hoping to ascertain the exact breeding status and that I most certainly did! As I walked into the area I heard the contact call straightaway which is the first time this has ever happened. I had trouble locating where the bird was but then an agitated male popped up and I assumed I was close to the nest. I backed up and sat down hoping to observe the behaviour of the species. The male flew down into some grass presumably to feed and then the contact call started again from close by but without me seeing the bird. Eventually I decided to go closer and suddenly there was movement and calling at my feet. A juvenile, but not fledged, Rustic Bunting!!! Time to retreat again....From a distance I could hear the juv (and possibly one other) calling and both the male and then after 20 minutes the female came in. I couldn't see if they were carrying food and was surprised how seemingly little attention the youngster was getting but not wanting my presence to be a negative factor I decided to leave. I was amazed that there was already young out of the nest. According to the literature incubation is 12 days and young leave the nest after 7-12 days well before they can fly. This means egg laying will have started in Mid May. I thought they only arrived Mid May but I found they actually arrive already in the first week of May although normally don't start egg laying so early but the warm spring and early snow melting this tear has clearly sped them along. With such early nesting there must be a high chance of a second brood. As the nest is on the ground I assume the young leave before they can fly as a tactic to increase survival chances in case of predators.

So in the course of one afternoon I had witnessed Norway's rarest breeding owl and rarest breeding passerine both of which had young and therefore a good chance that they will have done their bit to ensure another generation will also breed in Norway. From what I have heard there are only 5 known breeding pairs of Ural Owl and 5 known territories of Rustic Bunting - rare birds indeed.

After far too little sleep I was up at 0330 but was unable to complete my survey route as I turned my ankle and couldn't complete the 500 metres of steep and uneven uphill that the survey route started out with.
After some R&R I considered my options for car based birding and decided to head to check out the Bean Geese again but this time tagged bird 30 which was has been recorded at a site seemingly visible from the car. I found a flock of 34 birds without even having to get out of the car but frustratingly they flew up at over 300m before I had even turned the engine off. Clearly non-breeders but have they tried and then failed or are they like the Greylags in Southern Norway where only a minority breed each year?

It was a looooong day in the car with little walking but I took the scenic route back to Oslo and filled my boots with three Red-necked Phalaropes at a few metres range. This was at the same site where I had 7 birds displaying on 12 June last year. This year despite it being 5 days earlier it looked like display was finished and I just had 3 females with the males probably already nesting (2015 was an exceptionally late spring in the mountains).

I now have even more photos and video to go through so there will be whole load more Hedmark Instalments over the coming days, and possibly weeks ;-)

 

Here are three straight from the camera (bazooka) shots to give this post some eye candy :-)

Ural Owl (slagugle)

Red-necked Phalarope (svømmesnipe)

Rustic Bunting (vierspurv)

 

 

Hedmark 2016 Installment VI - Rustic Bunting video

Two days birding can obviousy lead to many blog pots (six and counting) and I am again in Hedmark so there will be more.

Here is a quite atmospheric (in my impartial eyes) video of the male Rustic Bunting.

Hedmark 2016 Installment IV - the rare buntings

Finally, in my fourth instalment is it time for some pictures of Hedmark’s special birds.

I did not go looking for owls as I had heard it is a terrible breeding season for them. Afterwards though I’ve heard that a few pairs of Ural Owl have bred so I may make an attempt for this species next week. Other than owls though Hedmark is very important for holding the only remaining Ortolan and Rustic Buntings in Norway. These species have declined drastically over the last few decades and in 2015 there were fewer than 10 known singing males of Rustic Bunting and I believe under 30 of Ortolan (although little is published despite there being govt. funded counts of both species). The Ortolan population is I believe well known but there must be more Rustic Buntings out there as the available habitat is just too vast and often hard to access that no matter how dedicated the surveyor there is no chance of finding all the birds that are out there.

I have been lucky enough to see Rustic Bunting on the breeding grounds in every year since 2013. In the first two years I had to put in a lot of hours to see the birds as they were already paired and breeding and the male stops singing and they become incredibly difficult to detect although when you do find them they show at close range. Last year I had a singing 2cy male which is the first time I’ve had the species singing (apart from a couple of 5 second burst of song before that) and also a breeding pair. This year I heard a male singing as soon as I arrived on site and although he took a bit of finding I eventually got to see him well and he was a fine 3cy+ bird. He moved around quite a bit and would stop singing for 15 minutes only to start again 100 metres away. My assumption was this was an unpaired male but as I was on my way out of the area (and making me turn back) I suddenly heard the contact call of a Rustic and then a female flew up into a tree beside me before quickly vanishing. She was in an area at least 50m away from the larger area where the male had been singing which makes me wonder if she was paired with him or was breeding with another (now silent) male. Despite searching, I never saw the female again or became wiser as to how many birds there were. But who cares? I was just happy to encounter this enigmatic species, hear its song and enjoy the magical habitat of marshy, old spruce forest that it inhabits.
 

The Ortolan Buntings are due to their habitat choice much, much easier to find. The accepted wisdom is that they prefer peat bogs or regenerating areas of burnt forest but the area where I have always seen them and which I believe holds the highest remaining population is arable farmland on sandy soil with the birds singing from lines of wind break trees. On this trip I had 6 males singing in an area of less than 1 square kilometre with 4 males singing along one wind break within 300mtres of each other.

So here are some pictures of these two species (video will follow later in a separate post). The pictures are no way near as good as I have taken in previous years but the video will I hope be good.

3cy+ male Rustic Bunting (vierspurv) singing above my head

catching the first rays of morning sun

presence of dead spruce trees seems to be an important habitat requirement

the breeding area

singing male Ortolan Bunting (hortulan) taken with the bazooka

and taken with the superzoom

this bird is better marked than the other bird meaning, I believe that this is a 3cy+ males whereas the other is a 2cy

and this is the favoured habitat of Ortolan in Norway in 2016. 2 males sang on both the left and right side of the tractor tracks in the windbreak trees