Best Jack Snipe ever!

I wrote in my last post that I was no closer to my goal of watching a Jack Snipe in action and that is after 5 weeks of seeing them on a number of occasions each week. Well, things changed dramatically on Monday when I found one in the open and then managed to film it bobbing and feeding!

I have been carrying my tripod with me recently in my hope of being able to film some action but by Monday I had given up on this so left it in the car. Whilst searching for the bird I saw some poo on a tiny island of vegetation and started looking around for the bird. It took a bit of searching until I noticed the bird just centimetres from the poo….. Once I had found it then it was obvious but the fact I overlooked it initially is testament to how effective their camouflage is. I moved off some distance and was able to view the bird through binoculars and quite quickly it stood up and bobbed. This was when I realised this would be my best ever chance to film some action so I made my way back to the car as quickly as possible to get the tripod. Returning 10 minutes later I was dismayed to see that the bird was no longer where I left it. Some careful searching revealed it partly hidden 10 metres away.

I decided now to set up the tripod with the camera pointed at the bird and then moved away out of sight. My intention was to follow everything on the app on my phone and control the camera that way but my phone battery decided it was too cold and gave up the ghost after 10 minutes. I then had to look at the camera display through my binoculars to ensure that everything was still in focus and the bird in shot which worked very well and I could see that the bird was being active 😊. I had to go and change things on the camera a couple of times which resulted in the bird freezing but after a few minutes it would resume feeding again.

The following long video with 8 and a half minutes of action is distilled from 43 minutes of video with the discarded elements being when the bird was frozen much of which was as result of me having to reveal myself when I had to attend to the camera. The bird’s reaction to me can clearly be seen in the video. The second video is a shorter 2 minute version.

The bird did not bob as much as I would have liked and I am still unsure what the reason is for the bobbing. It is suggested that it is connected to searching for food but as you will see on the video there is very limited bobbing when it is actively feeding. The previous times when I have observed bobbing on very distant (and undisturbed) birds then the bobbing has occurred when the bird has just been standing still and not feeding so maybe it is just a means of R&R.

I noticed the white poo but too a while to find its maker ;-)

is feeling relaxed now and has stood up

after I had returned with the tripod it had moved to a more hidden place

On Sunday a trip into town revealed 4 adult Kittiwakes feeding alongside the seafront in the middle of town - this being a very unusual sighting! The footage was take with my phone.

adult Kittiwake (krykkje) downtown Oslo

Hazel Grouse again

It has been a good while since a blog post and even longer since there was a regular one. February is a quiet birding month when the weather can also make it difficult to get around (unless you strap skis or skates to your feet). This is the time of the year when birders can really get the blues and that has definitely been the case with me. I have felt the need to do (and see) something different and in the end succeeded. I have still been drawn back to the Jack Snipe many times though but my hope of seeing the bird do something other than standing frozen to the spot are no closer to fruition. The thrill of the hunt though is still the same and I do get a sense of achievement every time I find its hiding place.

In addition to my smelly stream I have now discovered a small stream (no more than 100m long) and narrow enough to step over which has held a Water Rail and Common Snipe which again highlights the potential to find lots more of these birds if one systematically checks all unfrozen streams and ditches.

A territorial male Lesser Spotted Woodpecker was a most welcome change to proceedings and showed quite well for this species. They are quite a rare bird now a days and it can often go many months between my sightings.

I have had a few unproductive walks in the forest recently where I have stuck to ski tracks so as to avoid deep snow and ice. I decided that I needed to be more adventurous though and went off piste on Friday with snow upto my knees at times. This paid off handsomely though with “my” Hazel Grouse pair showing incredibly well both on the snow and above me in trees eating buds and shoots. These birds are always a treat to watch and the closeness they allow you to approach feels like a blessing from the Bird Gods.

male Hazel Grouse (jerpe)

and the female

and some pictures of both together

male Lesser Spotted Woodpecker (dvergspett)

some Waxwings (sidensvans)

and Siskin (grønnsisik)

I paid a visit to the Water Rails (vannrikse) at Østenstjøvannet

two birds with a Blackbird (svarttrost)

And of course some Jack Snipe pictures

7 Feb:

this bird was very much in the open and may well have been moving from one place to another when it froze

an hour later and it had moved 20m and was much better hidden

11 Feb:

when I saw this Mallard swimming along I thought it might spook the Jack Snipe but he remained frozen to the spot

And something completely different, the northern lights over Maridalen on Thurday evening.