Snow and ice

Winter looks like it is now here to stay and Maridalsvannet froze over suddenly last night. I cannot remember such a sudden freeze event here with it normally happening gradually over a few days

The conditions today were perfect for searching ice free streams for goodies and I turned up a Jack Snipe which I managed to film by setting up the camera and operating it rom my phone whilst out of view of the bird. It took over 8 minutes for the bird to unfreeze and after some bobbing it then ran off out of view all of which I managed to capture.

In mid Norway, the first Azure Tit for the country was found a couple of days ago and on looking at the pictures of what is undoubtedly a Cosmic Mind-f*cker of a bird (to borrow one of the phrases from the brilliant Bill Oddie’s Little Black Bird Book which is now 45 years old!!)

I started feeling quite twitchy and might I say it, slightly aroused. I started making plans to go and see it – either an 8 hour drive or a flight to Trondheim and then a 2-3 hour trip either in a hire car or by a combination of bus and ferry. If someone else I knew had been going the next morning then I think I would most likely have gone but as a couple of days have passed I have become a bit more sensible and in time honoured fashion think I will wait until I find one in Maridalen…… 

a completely frozen Maridalsvannet with just the usual small area of open water where the river enters at Hammeren and where there was a Cormorant and Grey Heron. The whole lake froze overnight whereas it usually happens more gradually

a high key (over exposed) Jack Snipe (kvartbekkasin)

and properly exposed

these droppings in the stream made me sure I had a snipe to find and the bird was not far away

a spectacular sunrise at Huk, Bygdøy this morning. There were good numbers of gulls, although nothing rare, and whilst some were eating starfish many were picking food from the surface of the sea (not sure what)

Yesterday, I walked into town along Akerselva. As I was meeting Mrs OB for dinner and a date at the Opera I took no optics with me. I didn’t miss them with me being able to identify everything I saw either on call or because they were close enough for the naked eye and even managed to film two of the most exciting species on my phone.

 

female Siskin (grønnsisik) at under 50cm range

2 Goosanders (laksand) also taken with the phone