Sunday 1 September 2019

No Red-foot but pics to be pleased about


I played away from home again on Friday but managed an extra time visit to the Dale.

My plan was to find a Red-footed Falcon which has arrived in southern Sweden in large numbers and with strong southerly winds today it felt reasonable to expect there to be flocks in Norway too. I thought the Tuen area of Nordre Øyeren would offer my best chance and I did have raptors by not the wished for one unfortunately. Highlight was a juvenile Honey Buzzard that showed very well, if far too briefly. It is not often that this age class is documented in Norway so it was very satisfying to get some OK shots. Other raptors were 3 juv Marsh Harriers, 2 Osprey, 2 Common Buzzard, a Peregrine and a distant Hobby.

The two Great White Egrets showed well in flight and then I was able to watch one fishing at relatively close range.

Water levels had risen overnight after yesterday's downpourd but the slither of mud still showing had 29 Dunlin on it suggesting that a walk out to Årnestangen may have been rewarded on the wader front (and who knows a flock of Rf Falcons sitting on the viewing platfrom 😉)

Dropping in at the Dale revealed even more raptors. I had 5 Honey Buzzards heading south in the course of 15 minutes with three of them seen together. They were heading into the wind and took their time and also had company of a couple of Common Buzzards. At least 2 were juveniles but the distance and light did not allow me to work out the age of all of them. A Peregrine also enjoyed the wind and a Sparrowhawk gave me 7 species of raptor for the day.


juvenile (1cy) Honey Buzzard (vepsevåk) - this plumage an the structure of the bird differs from adults and they are much easier to confuse with Common Buzzard (musvåk)






perhaps easier to recognise as Honey from some distance although when it was flying straight towards me then it gave a Black Kite impression

good views of the Great White Egret (egretthegre)



both the birds are moulting primary feathers making them older (2cy+) birds

bird #2

I was able to sneak up to the feeding bird due to lots of high vegetation between us but it made focussing very difficult


their necks re incredibly long and thin

Common Buzzard (musvåk) and Marsh Harrier  (sivhauk). Both are young birds




A 2cy Peregrine (vandrefalk) moulting into adult plumage

not often you see moose (elg) in the middle of the day in the summer but Nordre Øyeren has a large population of these beasts

No comments:

Post a Comment