Raptors

This week has been sunny and hot with north east winds and is just the type of weather that means there are very few arrivals of new migrants (and is also typical weather for mid April which is often a bit of quite time for birds). It makes me think that raptors are the most likely excitement and I have spent a lot of time positioned at what I think are good watch points waiting for that Red Kite or Pallid Harrier to come past which of course they haven’t. It seems that my strategy of sky gazing has been wrong and I should just have gone for a walk with the Beast as it seems that almost everyone with a camera and their dog has stumbled upon Red Kites recently.

I have seen quite a few raptor, 11 species in fact, which sounds quite good but in terms of raptor per hour watched it was a dismal statistic. Very few of the birds I saw seemed to be birds on active migration – only  singles of Hen Harrier, Rough-legged Buzzard and Merlin plus a few Sparrowhawks, whereas many of the other species were seen displaying and were clearly local breeders – Marsh Harrier, Kestrel, Common Buzzard, Sparrowhawk and Goshawk. Osprey and an adult White-tailed Eagle were also probably local breeders but just passing by. Marsh Harriers were particularly numerous and I saw nest building and sky dancing from multiple birds. This is a species that is increasing year by year in Norway and will soon be one of the commonest raptors in south eastern Norway.

males Kestrel (tårnfalk)

a sky dancing female Marsh Harrier (sivhauk)

same bird

Osprey (fiskeørn)

Rough-legged Buzzard (fjellvåk)

a ringtail Hen Harrier (myrhauk)

the HH bottom left with a Marsh Harrier top right

male Marsh Harrier

Common Buzzard (musvåk)

Crane (trane)

Black-throated Divers (storlom) in Maridalen

and a female Smew (lappfiskand) with Teal (krikkand) at Merkja