Checking in on my favourites

Birding in Oslo is rather nice at the moment. Even though the bird scene is not changing very much it doesn’t really need to when it includes so many good birds.

The Maridalen Hawk Owl has rather predictably proven to be way to popular amongst photographers and it is all getting a bit untasteful with the bird surrounded and chased. Early and late in the day it is left alone though as the good light in the middle of the day is also a key factor for the toggers and it does seem to be finding quite a bit of food but in some ways I wish it had never turned up. I was watching it early yesterday morning and standing 60-70 metres away when it suddenly flew straight at me and I had no idea what was going to happen but it crashed onto the ground just 5 metres from me and caught a mouse!! This time it seemed to be a wood mouse rather than a vole.

Grosbeaks are turning up in even more places and a male even flew over Hawkie calling which was of course a rather moving experience for me 😍.

 

We had a dusting of snow yesterday which seemed to cause a southerly movement of Fieldfares and Redwings but they are still unusually numerous feeding on both rowan berries and on the ground although that will stop if enough snow comes.

winter coming to the Dale

Hawkie perched 60 odd metres from me and has noticed something

here he crashes to the ground just 5m from me

he had clearly caught something as he was using his wings to cover it

he then flew to a wire with his prey before then flying to a tree to eat it before immediately returning to hunt for more

the long tail shows this to be a mouse rather than a vole

the owl being admired respectfully (this time) from the road

got the ski jump in the background

and the edge of the city and the lake

and Grefsenkollen

it's snowing!

this is when it starts getting out of hand

This video of feeding Grosbeaks is taken with the Bazooka using a trip and I am very happy with the quality

male Grozza

6 Grozzas

Brambling (bjørkefink) and Waxwing (sidensvans) and the Norwegian flag

a Whooper Swan (sangsvane) pair flew over the owl

the kink in the neck of the bird to the left looks uncomfortable but I have noticed similar kinks a few times before and the birds seem to be OK

Fieldfares (gråtrost)

Targeted tick

This post will cover yesterday which was a day when I did not see Hawk Owl and even though I did see Pine Grosbeak I contained myself and didn’t take any pictures. Going cold turkey was easier than I imagined 😅.

 I did however add another species to #Oslo2024 taking me to 207(205). It was a targeted trip to Huk that resulted in Long-tailed Duck with a few recent sightings on the fjord making me feel I had a good chance of seeing one. I did in fact see 4 with a distant flock flying past which I believe were in Oslo air space. Also here were 2 Rock Pipits which showed surprisingly well for this species.

In Maridalen even though the Hawk Owl evaded me I did see a Pygmy Owl which amazingly enough is rarer this autumn.

Rock Pipits (skjærpiplerke) Huk, Bygdøy

an all too fleeting sighting of a Pygmy Owl (spurveugle)

1 of 2 Mistle Thrushes (duetrost)

an absolute beast of a Goshawk (hønsehauk)

Pure unadulterated Hawkie and Piney

This post will bring you pure birding dope, all sourced in Oslo from a street side dealer of the highest quality. Draw the curtains, kick back on the sofa and enjoy the rush. 

The doses of Piney are from the 12^th and 13^th and Hawkie from the 16^th when one was still on Maridalen (and long may it stay!).

The Pine Grosbeak invasion looks to be the largest this century in the Oslo area and there must be hundreds if not thousands in the forests around Oslo. My highest day count is 88 which was mostly in an around Oslo and didn’t include a visit to Tryvann where I had 65 the day before. None have gone urban yet although they are getting closer and are no longer just to be found higher up.

We cannot yet describe the arrival of Hawk Owls as an invasion, it is still just a movement but could still gain some momentum.

a young male, probably a 2nd winter

eating birch buds