We have now had two nights without frost and along with
southerly winds I have been expecting a flood of migrants. Of course, that has
not been the case and viz mig has been a particular disappointment with just a
few flocks of Pink-footed Geese, 2 Cranes and a Kestrel. I had a real hope for
a few raptors but it is clearly still too early still (and I have this “surprise”
every year at this time….).
Despite the lack of viz mig there has been an arrival of new
birds. Dunnocks and Redwings are suddenly back and singing from woodland, White
and Grey Wagtail are suddenly wagging away and there are considerably more Lapwing, Mistle
Thrushes, Chaffinches, Bramblings and a large Twite flock in Maridalen.
Surprisingly though there are no Robins back yet but that must happen soon.
The Hawk Owl has been showing very well as it exploits a
rich source of Bank Voles (klatremus) and I was very happy to be able to film
it dismembering and then eating one.
A trip to Østensjøvannet was very birdy with lots of noisy
gulls and various wildfowl with a pair of Smew being the absolute highlight.
The video I have long wanted to capture showing the beheading, entrails removing and swallowing of a vole
Hawkie on a wire
and on its way down for what ended up being an unsuccessful vole hunt
this video has a few sequences with it giving its call that I also heard frequently when it first turned up in November
male Smew (lappfiskand)
pair
and with a Grey Heron (gråhegre)
3 male Teal (krikkand)
and a close of up another bird
the Heron was not at all popular with the Black-headed Gulls (hettemåke)
Goosander (laksand) are also back
3 species of returning gulls on the ice and 2 male Goosander
Grey Wagtail (vintererle) is back in the Dale
as is Dunnock (jernspurv)
and Redwing (rødvingetrost)
and a large flock of Twite (bergirisk) is having a stop off on its migration
and the first White Wagtail (linerle) of the year
not in Maridalen and not a good picture but I cannot remember capturing Parrot (furukorsnebb) and Common Crossbill (grankorsnebb) together before
Canada and Greylag Geese in Maridalen suddenly became very alert when this fox appeared
Everything turned white yesterday and it kept snowing
until mid afternoon. At sea level though it was falling more as rain or sleet and
this caused an enormous movement of thrushes away from the areas with snow to the
fields at Bygdøy. I was at Bygdøy in the morning and had at least 2500
Fieldfare, 1000 Redwing and 300 Song Thrush. Maridalen on the other hand had
less than 50 thrushes in total! There were also 300 Meadow Pipits at Bygdøy and
just a handful in Maridalen but otherwise the variety of species was limited
and there was clearly no new arrival of birds but rather a local movement
amongst those already here. The fields at Hengsenga, Bygdøy were flooded but
had not attracted any ducks or waders other than a few Snipe and Green
Sandpiper (I had hoped for Garganey and Shoveler). The highlight from Bygdøy
was a ringtail Hen Harrier which headed slowly north and circled above me –
this is my fifth record in Oslo in the last 2 weeks of a species that I count
myself lucky if I see jut once. Pallid Harriers turned up further south in
Norway yesterday so I hope that harriers keep turning up in Oslo this spring.
Maridalen was completely white and almost birdless
but I had a real surprise when I opened the window at Skjerven and heard the
sound of a Lapland Bunting singing and I was immediately transported to
Valdresflya in June. It took a little while to see it and eventually I found 6
birds – 4 males and 2 females which is a record count for the Dale. I had been
looking for just this species amongst all the Meadow Pipits on Bygdøy and had
not expected to find them in Maridalen when there was so little else but they
are a species that is used to such harsh conditions.
the sight that met me this morning
today's Hen Harrier
male Lapland Bunting (lappspurv)
4 males and a female
the 4 males
and all 6 birds
not often I get close enough to Meadow Pipits (heipiplerke) for decent pictures
Mistle Thrush (duetrost) - foolishly I took no pictures of the hoardes of Fieldfares and Redwings
Reed Bunting (sivspurv)
Ring Ouzel (ringtrost). surprisingly I only saw 3 amongst all the other thrushes which again is an inidication that there was no new arrival of birds but rather a local redistribution
2 Twite (bergirisk) in both Maridalen and Bygdløy were perhaps newly arrived though
female Wheatear (steinskvett)
male
Grey Wagtail (vintererle)
male Kestrel (tårnfalk) - the only other raptor I saw in addition to the Hen Harrier
The last 3 days have been grey and often wet but
have yet again been rich with migrating birds. On Wednesday I squeezed in what
might well be my final trip to the Taiga Beans as they will surely be heading
north quite soon. The fields they have chosen now make it very difficult to get
a full overview but I was able to note a minimum of 80 birds and this did not
include one of the GPS birds plus two other collared birds. X4 was present who
a week earlier had been seen on his own further north showing how these birds
frequently move north to check on conditions before returning again south. The
5 White-fronted Geese were still present and amongst the Pink-footed Geese I
found a single Tundra Bean Goose. This was a tricky individual and had it been
amongst the Taigas then I would not have called it but one thing I have noticed
with these geese is that Tundra Beans and Taiga Beans do not mix and that
Tundras will always be amongst flocks of Pink Feet rather than with Taigas.
With Canada and Greylag Geese also present I had 5 species of geese on the same
field which feels like a record.
Maridalen has also delivered with especially raptors
putting on a good show although the hoped for (expected) Red Kite has yet to
show itself. I have had migrating Hen Harriers on each of the last 3 days
although in their usual style they were at loooong range using the ridges on
both the east and west of the valley. I have only ever seen a hunting HH once
in the Dale although Marsh Harriers have often been low over the fields.
Whooper Swans have been increasing all the time with
23 birds a very high count and Lapwings peaked at 12 which is also very high. The
first Snipe, Osprey, Black-throated Diver and Curlew have also appeared and it
is finally feeling REALLY birdy out there.
migrating ringtail Hen Harrier (myrhauk) on Wednesday at 3km range along the eastern ridge to Maridalen
and Fridays bird along the western ridge at a much closer 1.5km range. I did not even attempt to photograph Thursdays bird..
my first Black-throated Diver (storlom) of the year flew north over Maridalen and what was presumably the same bird flew south again 10 minutes later after I guess having seen that all lakes were frozen and it was best to wait it out on the fjord
Cranes (trane). I was unfortunate to miss the 2 Great White Egrets that were reported flying over at the same time
Curlew (storspove). I was woken up by one calling as it flew over the house on Friday morning which was a garden tick and a great way to wake up.
female Grey Wagtail (vinterere) finding food on the snow
the same field held 50 White Wagtails (linerle) which were nearly all males. It seems strange that they find most food where there is snow
Kestrels (tårnfalk) have been unusually numerous the last days in Maridalen
and this pair were even calling
can you see what this is?
like this you may think Snow Bunting
it was together with these birds though and had the same call as them
leucistic Reed Bunting (sivpsurv). Without hearing it call I would have been very unsure as to its ID. Notice how it has pale legs whereas the normal Reed Buntings in the previous pic have dark legs
Merlins (dvergfalk) have been very and unusually noticeable this week
here a male behind the church ruins
my first Osprey (fiskeørn) seemed to be a bird checking out conditions and eventually returned to the south and presumably will wait it out on the fjord
a flock of Pink-footed Geese (kortnebbgås) passing appartment blocks at Fornebu. I try to take a photo of every flock I see to study later for any rarer interlopers - none in this flock as far as I can see
the Lapwing field at Skjerven in Maridalen on Wednesday had become a wildfowl mecca
the two scarcest thrushes together - Mistle Thrush (duetrost) and Ring Ouzel (ringtrost)
