A final post before the first migrants arrive and all hell
breaks lose (in my dreams).
If the weather forecast plays out then today marks the end
of this winter’s big freeze and from tomorrow positive temperatures, some rain
and southerly winds will hopefully kick start the first wave of spring
migration 2026.
Winter had a final gift in the form of a big dump of snow on
Sunday night and this extra snow will, I hope, ensure we get some good spring
flooding that hopefully will last many weeks. I really hope that Hengsenga on
Bygdøy will have flood water until at least the beginning of April as I believe
there is the potential for something very good here.
I have seen some signs of spring despite the weather not yet
having changed. A Wood Pigeon heading north on the early morning dog walk on
Tuesday will be the first of very many and a Greylag Goose looked a bit forlorn
on the ice at Østensjøvannet but today provided another two and better species.
In my last post I listed three early migrants that I hoped to find soon and all
had names beginning with S. After writing it I realised I could have added
another S species to the list, namely Stock Dove. When visiting Bygdøy today
hoping to find the first Oystercatcher of the year I stopped off to see if any
Stock Doves had returned to their usual spot and sure enough one was sat atop a
usual tree which is Oslo’s first in 2026. Huk didn’t have an Oystercatcher yet
but a flock of 8 Twite flying over were also Oslo’s first of the year but
rather than being migrants may be birds that have wintered on islands close by
taking a bit of a fly about. 17 Guillemot on a flat sea was a notably high
count for the time of the year but I couldn’t find any divers or grebes which
should soon appear.
I am really looking forward to the coming week and have high
hopes for both Bygdøy and Østensjøvannet but think Maridalen may have to wait a
bit longer as there is still so much snow.
a total of 4 Little Grebes (dvergdykker) at Kongshavn on Saturday. This is a joint highest count for Oslo and I would love to know where these birds breed
they acted as though they were two pairs and called a bit but are not yet in summer plumage
Østensjøvannets female Pintail (stjertand) now with bling
Pygmy Owl (spurveugle) in Maridalen on Sunday
Greylag Goose (grågås) at Østensjøvannet on Monday
my first Lesser Spotted Woodpecker (dvergspett) of the year. It was not drumming or "singing" but gave itself away through its weak tapping
Maridalen at its wintery finest
distant Pygmy Owl on Tuesday
and much closer
here, it had just visited the old woodpecker hole which I photographed it in in my last post and flew out with this mouse! I have assumed that this particular bird is living off its larder at the moment as when I see it in tree tops it is just looking as though it is enjoying the view rather than hunting
The first Greylags at Bygdøy Kongsgården but I bet that in a weeks time there will be triple figures here and hopefully with some smaller, scarcer cousins in their midst
Oslo's first Stock Dove (skogdue) of the year
Water Rail (vannrikse) still going strong at Østensjøvannet
and Jacky Boy is also still going strong. The upcoming thaw will be good news for them but will also, I fear, make them more difficult to find
Back in Oslo I am now getting tired of winter. We have had
one of the longest cold spells in Oslo for many, many years and there is no indication
of it stopping. Temperatures have not risen above zero since 20 Jan and since 1
Jan we have only had plus temperatures on 16 – 19 Jan. Although I always say
that I like “proper” seasons it does get a bit boring when nothing changes. One
possible upside from this long winter is that we will get a much more noticeable
beginning to spring migration when the thaw finally comes. One thing for sure
is that we will not be seeing an early arrival of the Taiga Beans this year.
On Tuesday I had my first owling trip of the year, a year
and a day since the first trip of 2024 which produced 11 singing Tengmalm’s.
Owling conditions were good with no wind and temperatures of -14C but there was
no moon which may or may not (depending on who you speak to) be an important
factor. The result of the evenings endeavour’s was just a single Tengmalm’s
which sang constantly and could be heard at over 2km range but which was not
close to the road. It is still early in the spring but this disappointing
result is I believe due to a collapse in the rodent population but there is
still time for things to change and there are always local variations.
In Maridalen I have seen Pygmy Owls in three different locations over the last three days and all sat
high and were easy to see which is how it should be.
I am guiding this weekend and on Sunday we will drive up to
the taiga areas in Hedmark with the hope of Hawkie, Piney and Sibe Jay. It is
forecast to be sunny with little wind but very cold but these should be good conditions.
I have had a chance to go through my Tromsø pictures on the
computer so present a few more here.
a close Pygmy Owl (spurveugle)
Moose are becoming easier to see in Maridalen but luck is still needed
the Østensjøvannet Water Rails (vannrikse) have not been that easy to see so far this winter but this one showed well
Common Eiders (ærfugl) in Tromsø
a Queen Eider (praktærfugl) with her Common cousinns
from the left: female Common Eider, 2 different looking Queens, a young male Common and an adult male Common
The first week of February is done and dusted and I cannot
say that things have got better yet. A Wood Pigeon flying north may count as my
first spring migrant of the year although could have just been an
overwintering bird moving between
feeding sites and I did have a Greylag a couple of weeks ago that may also qualify
for that distinction. Although why either of these birds would be heading north
when temperatures are still constantly way below zero is anyone's guess.
A Black Woodpecker gave a nice performance on Thursday as
both it and a Great Spotted were seemingly finding lots of food in some dead
spruce trees. Otherwise it has really just been same old, same old. A trip to
Tromsø this weekend to see Jr fills me with the promise of finding white-winged
gulls and rare eiders but will probably be a failure judging by the lack of records
of anything exciting on either eBird or Artsobservasjoner.
this Grey Heron (hegre) had found some open water but I don't think there were any fish for it
whereas this Water Rail (vannrikse) was happy to eat porridge oats that had been put out for it
adult male Goshawk (hønsehauk) back in a favoured tree in Maridalen suggests his mind is turning to the breeding season and we may soon see some display
And these are still easy to find and for the first time in sunshine:
The last week of January has been quite like the preceding
three, i.e uninspiring, with the exception of reacquainting myself with my Hazel
Grouse. We can now look forward to February with hopefully some cloudless,
freezing cold, nocturnal trips interrupted only by the sound of trees cracking
in the cold, owls of various sightings hooting and northern lights flickering
overhead. By the end of the month the very first spring migrants will also with
luck have arrived and then we can really look forward to the spring and all the
bounties it brings.
I have had a few walks in the forest but it is incredibly
quiet there with, other than the HG, hardly a bird to see or hear. There are
ZERO finches in the forest and even in more suburban areas with feeders there are
hardly any so a flock of 18 Hawfinches that I came across at Østensjøvannet one
day was quite a surprise.
A noisy Nutcracker (nøttekråke) was one of only a handfull of birds seen on my forest walks but it is always a good bird to see.
the Pygmy Owl (spurveugle) has become harder to see again and when it does give itself up it is usually high up as here with a Magpie (skjære)
Mallards (stokkand) at Østensjøvannet
where this female Teal (krikkand) is still hanging around
and where with some patience Water Rails (vannrike) can be seen
an unusually large flock of Hawfinch (kjernebiter)
Woodpeckers are not really making themselves known yet although I have heard a drumming Great Spotted and this female Black Woodpecker was making a lot of noise hacking away at a dead tree trunk
This week hasn’t been so cold with temperatures around zero
or just below but it has also been cloudy meaning it is dull whilst out birding
and at night we have missed the fantastic show of Northern Lights that many
others, and not least Jr in Tromsø, have seen.
The Pygmy Owl has been quite easy to find every day except of
course on Saturday when I was guiding. It often sits high and exposed before
suddenly disappearing into woodland where it can then disappear for a couple of
hours before popping up on a tree top again. I believe it is now eating the rodents
and birds that it spent the autumn storing in nest boxes and old woodpecker
holes and is catching little new food although I have seen it clearly looking for rodents. Water Rails have also showed well
including a bird feeding very out in the open and Jack Snipe have bobbed away for Norway but bird, if not photo, of the week goes to a Greylag Goose flying north over Maridalen
on Thursday. Quite where it thought it was going is a mystery to me and whilst
it is the only Greylag reported in Oslo this winter I was a bit surprised that
when I did see an anser goose that it was not a Tundra Bean or
White-front a few of which have turned up further south as a result of cold
weather movements around the North Sea.
After having seen footprints and droppings in the snow for a
few days it was also nice to see my first Moose of the winter in Maridalen. If
the cold weather continues and especially if we get more snow then Moose should
become quite reliable in the Dale.
Pygmy Owl (spurveugle) on Tuesday
changing angle - attempts at arty photos..
this female Teal (krikkand) is hanging out with the Mallards (stokkand) at Østensjøvannet but remains shy and doesn't come to bread so I wonder what she does eat
the Pygmy Owl on Wednesday
Water Rail feeding in the open
bird of the week - a Greylag (grågås) heading north
Moose
And there will be lots more of this in a later post:
