Summer birds

Summer holidays have started. We have been enjoying a new heat wave close to Oslo. Birding wise the highlights have been a nocturnal outing which gave me an incredible count of 11 singing Quail in a very small area (it wouldn’t surprise me if this is a Norwegian record). I even saw one as it jumped up in the short crop to get its bearings! I have also found Red-backed Shrikes at three locations which was a bit of a relief as I have had so few other sightings so far this year.

Most of my attention has been on butterflies (sommerfugl in Norwegian which translates as summer birds) though and this year seems to be exceptionally good with the hot, dry weather having allowed a lot of adults to survive and perhaps most importantly show themselves. Many species have also been on the wing much earlier than the books say they should be.

During the course of the week I have seen at least 21 species of butterfly including:

1.    Large Skipper /engsmyger (photo)

2.    Large White / stor kålsommerfugl (photo)

3.    Green-veined White/rapssommerfugl

4.    Brimstone / sitronsommerfugl (photo)

5.    Silver-studded Blue/argusblåvinge plus probably some other blues that I never got to grips with (photo)

6.    Scarce Copper/oransjegullvinge (photo)

7.    Purple hairstreak / eikestjertvinge (photo)

8.    Silver washed fritillary / keiserkåpe (photo)

9.    Dark Green Fritillary /aglajperlemorvinge (photo)

10. High Brown Fritillary /adippeperlemorvinge (photo)

11. Queen of Spain Fritillary / sølvkåpe (photo)

12. Lesser Marbled Fritillary/engperlemorvinge (photo)

13. Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary /brunflekket perlemorvinge (photo)

14. Red Admiral / admiral

15. Small Tortoiseshell / neslesommerfugl (photo)

16. Poplar Admiral/ospesommerfugl

17. Northern Wall Brown /Bergringvinge (photo)

18. Pearly Heath /perleringvinge (photo)

19. Small Heath / engringvinge

20. Ringlet /gullrinvinge (photo)

21. Arran Brown /fløyelsringvinge (photo)

If I've made any mistakes in the ID of these butterflies then don't hesitate to comment and let me know

Ringlet (gullringvinge)

Pearly Heath (perleringvinge)

Purple Hairstreak (eikestjertvinge) on seaweed presumably licking salt

Small Tortoiseshell (neslesommerfugl)

Northern Wall Brown (bergringvinge) 

Northern Wall Brown

Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary (brunflekket perlemorvinge)

Lesser Marbled Fritillary/engperlemorvinge 

Large Skipper /engsmyger  

Arran Brown /fløyelsringvinge 

Scarce Copper/oransjegullvinge 

Small Tortoiseshell, beetle and hoverfly

Queen of Spain Fritillary / sølvkåpe 

Purple hairstreak / eikestjertvinge  

High Brown Fritillary /adippeperlemorvinge 

Dark Green Fritillary /aglajperlemorvinge 

Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary /brunflekket perlemorvinge  

Large Skipper /engsmyger 

Silver washed fritillary / keiserkåpe 

Silver washed fritillary / keiserkåpe 

Silver washed fritillary / keiserkåpe 

Large White / stor kålsommerfugl 

Silver-studded Blue/argusblåvinge 

Common Tern (makrellterne). Ringed with a metal ring which of course cannot be made out and really makes you wonder why people continue to ring and disturb hundreds of nestlings for perhaps one in 200 to be controlled. What is it they are trying to discover that we do not already know about the species?

Wood Warbler (bøksanger) - a scarce bird in 2018

a to scale photo showing the smallest ship in the US Navy the USS Bainbridge and the largest in the Norwegian ;-) If I was the Norwegian PM and Trump said raise your defence spending to 2% of GDP I think I would answer Yes Sir of course sir....