better pictures

Today I tried to get better views and better photos of the birds I briefly saw over the weekend. In Maridalen I couldn’t find any shrikes but did find two Rosefinches (rosenfink) although both were boring brown birds even if they did show well as they fed with Siskins (grønnsisik) on dandelion seeds on the roadside. I also saw the Pink-footed Goose (kortnebbgås) for the first time in a few weeks and it doesn’t look particularly healthy. Another Lapwing (vipe) looked like she was sitting on eggs which makes at least one hatched brood and three incubating birds.

In Sørkedalen I was listening to my first Marsh Warbler (myrsanger) of the year when a message came on my phone that Eirik “Big Year” Grønningsæter was listening to the Red-breasted Flycatcher (dvergfluesnapper) and the next bird on my schedule just up the road. I joined him and we mostly listened to the bird which proved very difficult to photograph in the dark woodland. After this we also heard a Thrush Nightingale (nattergal) – only my second ever in Oslo before I went to Fornebu and had brief views of the male Red-backed Shrike (tornskate) and Wryneck (vendehals). I think I am a bit low on patience at the moment although the very hot and humid weather doesn’t help and I don’t manage to get the pictures I am hoping for of these great birds.

Mosquitos were very much in evidence today which doesn’t bode well for the next three weeks when I will be carrying out a lot of survey work in Hedmark county but hopefully good birds will make up for any discomfort.

In the nesting box the two remaining Great Tit (kjøttmeis) babies (down from only three that hatched) look like they will fledge in the next day or so only 17 days after hatching.

A short handheld, i.e shaky video of the singing flycatcher

about the best picture I could manage in the poor light. Male Red-breasted Flycatcher (dvergfluesnapper)

male Red-backed Shrike (tornskate)

with Starling (stær)

male Wryneck (vendehals)

female or possibly 2cy male Common Rosefinch

feeding on dandelions

Marsh Warbler (myrsanger)

the oversummering Pink-footed Goose (kortnebbgås) in Maridalen

displaying Snipe (enkeltbekkasin) in an unusual place

the two baby Great Tits looking ready to fledge