The targets were of course the Oslo Taiga Trio but with
two days at our disposition we also had a day planned to look for Sibe Jay a
couple of hours north of Oslo in real taiga forest.
Hawk Owl fell easily on day 1 with 2 birds seen at
their usual spot including one which showed low down. Pine Grosbeaks did not
show in Oslo (as expected as the birds I found last Friday are the the last
records in the big smoke) but we did connect on day 2 in proper Taiga forest.
GGO would just not play ball despite many hours and many kilometers which was
made even more galling when I received a mobile phone photo (taken by a non-birder) of said GGO on a wire by the roadside taken whilst we were searching
less than a kilometer away...
Day 2 birding was a thorough success though. We
entered a taiga winter wonderland with the snow at the side of the road over a meter deep, blue skies and no wind. The target of Siberian Jay took a while coming
but we eventually had amazing views of a group of three birds. Pine Grosbeak
also showed really well in its proper Taiga habitat rather than on a street in
Oslo. We had all 3 Crossbills with at least 10 Two-barreds, Golden Eagle,
Willow Tits, Mealy Redpolls, Nutcracker and 3 of us glimpsed a Pygmy Owl
although unfortunately it was Stu who missed it (due to where he was sat in the
car) who was the only one who needed it as a lifer...
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| the boys admiring Hawkie |
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| and here Sibey |
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| this is what winter should look like |
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| female Pine Grosbeak |
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| Nutcracker |
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| male Two-barred Crossbill |
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| another slightly less red male |
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| and another even more orange (rather than red) male |
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| Willow Tit |
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| I didn't say that we had good views of the Golden Eagle... |
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