Great White Egrets

It’s raining, it’s pouring and this old man wishes he could be on an island…

Pickings have bee rather slim for those who have been able to bird on one of Norway’s many islands this autumn but it looks like things might pick up next week. I unfortunately still cannot get away so need to satisfy myself with the birding that I can fit in around Oslo. Not that it is too shabby at the moment though.

A trip to Nordre Øyeren yesterday gave me 6 Great (White) Egrets together! This is a new local record (with 2 together the max before this year) and this species can gladly become even more common. 19 Black-tailed Godwits, Gadwall, Shoveler, Grey Plovers and still over 50 Ruff were a good supporting cast.

A repeat trip today gave me zero egrets but the other birds were still present along with a couple of late(ish) Bar-tailed Godwits.

6!! Great (White) Egrets (egretthegre)

five of them. They were not bothered by the cars but did not like people walking along the footpath by the road

19 Black-tailed Godwits (svarthalespove) and a single Greenshank (gluttsnipe)

hybrid Canada x Greylag Geese as they should look like

one of three male Gadwalls (snadderand)

and here with a Shoveler (skjeand)

Shoveler in flight

4 Shoveler and 3 Teal (krikkand). The Shoveler have very blue fore wings suggesting adult birds whilst the young female I photographed at Østensjøvannet had grey forewings