Great birding in the snow

Everything turned white yesterday and it kept snowing until mid afternoon. At sea level though it was falling more as rain or sleet and this caused an enormous movement of thrushes away from the areas with snow to the fields at Bygdøy. I was at Bygdøy in the morning and had at least 2500 Fieldfare, 1000 Redwing and 300 Song Thrush. Maridalen on the other hand had less than 50 thrushes in total! There were also 300 Meadow Pipits at Bygdøy and just a handful in Maridalen but otherwise the variety of species was limited and there was clearly no new arrival of birds but rather a local movement amongst those already here. The fields at Hengsenga, Bygdøy were flooded but had not attracted any ducks or waders other than a few Snipe and Green Sandpiper (I had hoped for Garganey and Shoveler). The highlight from Bygdøy was a ringtail Hen Harrier which headed slowly north and circled above me – this is my fifth record in Oslo in the last 2 weeks of a species that I count myself lucky if I see jut once. Pallid Harriers turned up further south in Norway yesterday so I hope that harriers keep turning up in Oslo this spring.

Maridalen was completely white and almost birdless but I had a real surprise when I opened the window at Skjerven and heard the sound of a Lapland Bunting singing and I was immediately transported to Valdresflya in June. It took a little while to see it and eventually I found 6 birds – 4 males and 2 females which is a record count for the Dale. I had been looking for just this species amongst all the Meadow Pipits on Bygdøy and had not expected to find them in Maridalen when there was so little else but they are a species that is used to such harsh conditions.

the sight that met me this morning

today's Hen Harrier

male Lapland Bunting (lappspurv)

4 males and a female

the 4 males

and all 6 birds

not often I get close enough to Meadow Pipits (heipiplerke) for decent pictures

Mistle Thrush (duetrost) - foolishly I took no pictures of the hoardes of Fieldfares and Redwings

Reed Bunting (sivspurv)

Ring Ouzel (ringtrost). surprisingly I only saw 3 amongst all the other thrushes which again is an inidication that there was no new arrival of birds but rather a local redistribution

2 Twite (bergirisk) in both Maridalen and Bygdløy were perhaps newly arrived though

female Wheatear (steinskvett)

male

Grey Wagtail (vintererle)

male Kestrel (tårnfalk) - the only other raptor I saw in addition to the Hen Harrier

the Lapwings (vipe) in Maridalen were suffering

this one was by farm buildings