Maridalen continues to surprise

I have a new hotspot in Maridalen. The best fields for migrants have always been at Nes and Kirkeby but this year, so far, it is the fields at Nedre Vaggestein and adjoining Sørbråten. These fields have been often held Cranes and last autumn Whooper Swans but I have not noted too much more there although the grass field at Sørbråten has always been a good place for thrushes and Starlings and the first White Wagtails of the year. So far this spring though it is the muddy stubble fields at Nedre Vaggestein (NV) that have attracted the birds. This is where I previously published pictures of Whooper Swans and the Rock Pipit but it all started to take off yesterday - 23 Whooper Swans, a pair of Teal, a Lapwing (it would be great if they breed here), 30 Skylarks and best of all 25 Snow Buntings were a good haul.

Today though on a visit with Jack it felt exceptional. The swans and geese were gone and Snow Buntings represented by only 2 of their kind but Skylarks were now up to over 60 (and we had over 100 in the valley as a whole), over 100 Chaffinches, 20 Linnets, 4 Twite, 21 Mistle Thrush, 50 Starling, 20 Yellowhammer, 2 Reed Buntings plus Blackbirds, Fieldfares, Brambling, Greenfinch and Goldfinch all on the fields. And best of all a Woodlark heard singing. Only my second in Oslo and Jack’s first we were also able to get a couple of other birders on to it but it only sang distantly and we never managed to see it. This is a species which I am sure will become more regular on spring passage as its Norwegian population increases and with a lot of forestry work creating suitable breeding habitat I also expect it to breed in the not too distant future. The weather today was unpleasant with low cloud and temperature of only 2C so it was a surprise the bird sang at all. Tomorrow is forecast to be fog which may mean it hangs around and sun forecast for Thursday may mean it sings again. Fingers crossed for that and also for continuing increases in the number and variety of birds on these fields.

I have always been a bit wary of birding here as had been told a tale that suggested the farmer was very suspicious of, and confrontational to, birders near his farm. I met the farmer yesterday though and he was very pleasant but most interestingly also very interested in making his land better for nature. He has planted different crops to give seeds, he manages his forest selectively and is not bothered about draining every wet corner of his fields which very unfortunately seems to be a bit of a thing amongst other farmers in the Dale. His work is definitely having a positive effect so well done him!

This video from yesterday shows the farm, the fields, Whooper Swans, Teal and the Snow Buntings.

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The Snow Buntings were particularly nice to see. They were not a species I saw in the early years of my visits to Maridalen but are now a species I expect to see annually but they can come through in a very narrow time period early in the spring so you have to be lucky and be out on the right days. They are now my 4th S in Maridalen this spring with the first Starling a few days ago in addition to the previously reported Skylark and Stock Dove

Snow Buntings (snøspurv) in a muddy field

these were particularly white birds for a bird that is always particularly white and had me wondering about subspecies

Mallard (stokkand) and Teal (krikkand) with Whooper Swans (sangsvane))

most of the 23 Whoopers on Monday