I started the day in Maridalen which is still in the grips
of winter. Highlight (?) was a singing Willow Tit which at least shows they
haven’t all mysteriously died off. GG Shrike, Goshawk and Hawfinch were also
seen plus lots of Common Crossbills including birds with wing bars and giving
trumpet calls but all just Common. I had a group of birds visiting a brick wall
on the barn where they were definitely eating something but why I am not sure.
They were attacking both the mortar between the bricks and the bricks
themselves. I can only assume they were after minerals. They do I think also
eat grit to help with digestion but I don’t think this was the case here. The
birds were predominantly males so was nothing to do with minerals for egg
formation either. I took some video so you can see and judge yourselves. I
searched BWP hoping for an explanation but only found the following: “Often
reported eating mortar, putty, ash, and similar nutrient-rich substances” with
no attempt to explain why.
Moving towards the fjord it suddenly felt more like spring
with the snow having melted on some of the fields at Bygdøy. Here there were
over 100 Greylag Geese on the fields plus my first Lapwing of the year and a
flyover Stock Dove. Still no Skylarks or Snow Buntings though. At Huk there
were now 49 Oystercatchers whose calls definitely gave a feeling of spring.
Fornebu was also able to add to the spring feeling with my
first Starlings and Common Snipe of the year and a calling flock of 11 Whooper
Swans heading north east.
Some new snow in the afternoon though showed that winter is
not letting go that easily!
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Not exactly a normal backdrop for a photo of Common Crossbill (grankorsnebb) |
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you can see the tongue of the left hand bird as though he is trying to lick the brick |
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note the tongue of the left hnd bird |
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a wing barred Common Crossbill |
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the usual adult (male?) Goshawk (hønsehauk) showing well |
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Great Grey Shrike (varsler) still present in Maridalen |
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lots of Greylags back now |
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a definite sign of spring is seeing the first flowering Coltsfoot (hestehov) |
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Oslo and Akershus' first Lapwing (vipe) of the year |
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with such long tufts it must be a male |
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los of Oystercatchers (tjeld) |
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but still very much winter for this Red Squirrel in Maridalen |
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my first Starlings (stær) of 2016 |
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and a migrating flock of Whooper Swans (sangsvane) |
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