Birthday present guiding

Eary yesterday morning I was guiding as a birthday present to a lucky mum J

I had intended on a walk around Maridalen but decided that the spring hadn’t come far enough there so chose the barmier climate of Bygdøy. Here there were a lot of birds but early on it was perhaps a touch too cold for insect eaters and it was only towards the end that we had a lot of activity. Chiffchaffs are now quite numerous but a Wood Warbler was very early and most unexpected although a male Blackcap, also my first of the year, was expected. The flood waters are unfortunately receding and just held a handful of Teal and Green Sandpipers.

Rain is forecast for tomorrow morning and we will have a period of southerly winds all of which gives me a good feeling J

My first (and Oslo's) Wood Warbler (bøksanger) of the year and the earliest EVER record for Oslo and Akershus in Artsobservasjoner by 2 days

the first Blackcap (munk) of the year also deserves documenting

this Goldcrest (fuglekonger) showed well. Goldcrests seem to have survived the winter in OK numbers but Wrens (gjerdesmett) definitely have not and we only had a single singing bird on Bygdøy where I would normally have expected double figures