There has been some good birding since my last post and signs of the changing seasons are springing up all over the place. In Maridalen the first Lapwing has appeared, the first migrating Pink-footed Geese have cackled over, the first flock of thrushes is on the fields alongside Snow Buntings, Bramblings and Chaffinches (also singing) and an early Woodcock flew up from a field edge.
Also in Maridalen the Pygmy Owl has showed well a couple
of times (although a dusk trip revealed no singing owls) as have both male and
female Lesser Spotted Woodpecker.
Last weekend Jr Jr was competing in a drill
competition at Jessheim which allowed me to go looking nearby for Woodlarks
(seemingly too early) and Taiga Bean Goose which I saw in flight (the GPS
positions have not updated for over a week so I do not know which fields they
are favouring although they landed on the east side of the river which is very unusual
for them).
We have now entered the most exciting time of the
year 😊
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| Finally this winter I had a close encounter with a Pygmy Owl (spurveugle) |
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| being mobbed by a Great Tit (kjøttmeis) |
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| the pattern on the back of the head is supposed to look like eyes such that a Goshawk doesn't think it is worth attacking it as it doesn't haven the element of surprise |
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| and being mobbed by a male Lesser Spotted Woodpecker (dvergspett) |
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| a Great Spott (flaggspett) also joined the Lesser Spot to give the owl grief |
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| as did this Crested Tit (toppmeis) which perched next to me calling very angrily as I looked at the owl |
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| a displaying male Goldeneye (kvinand) |
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| and a ringed Tufted Duck (toppand) at Østensjøvannet which was ringed 304km to the west on a lake in Stavanger 19.11.2017 |
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| Lapwing (vipe) is back in Maridalen with a fairly averge arrival date |
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| and the bird itself |
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| Snow Buntings (snøspurv) are always a joy |
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| Bramblings (bjørkefink) and Chaffinches (bokfink) are starting to flock on the fields and both birds can also be heard singing |
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| Mistle Thrushes (duetrost) have also arrived |
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| as have Redwing (rødvingetrost) |
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| although Starlings (stær) have been back a couple of weeks |
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| my first Pink-footed Geese (kortnebbgås) which were actually heading south after having encountered low cloud over Maridalen |
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| a trip to Huk revealed Purple Sandpipers (fjæreplytt) at close range |
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| Stock Doves (skogdue) are also back at Bygdøy and singing |
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| young Whooper Swans (sangsvane) presumably from lasy years brood in Maridalen |
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| Great Grey Shrike (varsler) |
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| Guillemots (lomvi) are still around in good numbers on the Oslofjord. Nearly all are young/immature birds but there is the odd adult in breeding plumage |
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| some of the Taiga Bean Geese (taigasædgjess) including 6U and a GPS bird |
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| the GPS bird had a loose and damaged feather sticking out of its left wing |
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| female Lesser Spotted Woodpecker |
