Emergency stopping for a bug

This year hasn’t been that good for butterflies yet with lots of rain and when there is sun it is often windy. I have consequently not spent much time searching for them but as with all things with wings sometimes they come to you. Yesterday whilst driving in Maridalen I saw a large black and white butterfly flutter in front of the car. For the first time (that I can remember at least) I emergency stopped for an insect although it soon transpired I had all the time in the world. The butterfly, which was a Poplar Admiral (ospesommerfugl) was attracted to the road and was clearly finding something good, probably salt, on the tarmac. It managed to avoid death at the hands of passing cars, although all slowed down as they were clearly interested to see what I was up to, and it kept landing and showing itself off from all angles. Whilst this was happening a Swallowtail flew over although unfortunately did not stop. So arguably the two most spectacular Norwegian butterflies at the same time and in the Dale 😊

 

Poplar Admiral (ospesommerfugl). Only the fourth time I've seen one and by far and away the most cooperative. They are famous for being attracted to dog sh*t but seems tarmac roads are just as attractive

I paid a visit to Østensjøvannet yesterday hoping that the rainy weather might have produced something (a Black Tern turned up at Årnestangen at the weekend) but as with all my rain fuelled visits this spring there was not even a Swallow to see. Something is clearly up with the lake with there being no insects hatching and therefore no Swallows, terns or most importantly gulls to feed off them. I reckon that this is the reason that Black-headed Gulls, which used to breed here in a colony of many hundreds of pairs, have now more or less completely abandoned the lake for breeding. It did look like there were two nesting pairs though which was a surprise although whether they can raise young is another thing.

Even if there were no insect eaters, a couple of male Gadwall in eclipse plumage were most unexpected.

male Gadwalls (snadderand) in eclispe

Coot (sothøne) parent and young

when at Østensjøvannet it is rude not to take a picture of a Great Crested Grebe (toppdykker)

Maridalsvannet has been having lots of hatching insects over the last few weeks with many Common and a few Black-headed Gulls hawking them. There have also been Common Tern which today peaked at 6 birds which I am sure is a record here. There have also been lots of Swifts, Swallows and House Martins and the odd sighting of Sand Martin. Today there three birds including a pair mating on wires right above my head. I never saw them visiting potential nest holes although they have previously bred in holes between stones on a nearby bridge.

I did foolishly have another nocturnal outing last night but with nothing to show for it I think this must be my last of the year, in Maridalen at least.

mating Sand Martins (sandsvale)

Swallows (låvesvale) collecting nesting material. The bird on the left is ringed. It is quite late to be nest building

I haven't been able to make much out of the ring not even which country 

Marsh Warblers (myrsanger) have become quiet as they pair off

there are now two Pink-footed Geese (kortnebbgås) at Maridalsvannet. At least one of them is paired to a Greylag and maybe both

These two Mallard (stokkand) chicks are very different

the Great Northern Diver (islom) is going strong

and yet another video of it

I bagged a Blyth’s on a night of acro

My negativity towards nocturnal outings didn’t even last a day and Wednesday night saw me out for more pain. It all started when a Great Reed Warbler turned up in a «what is this?» posting on Facebook. It was not in Oslo although it was close to Oslo Airport and normally I would not have gone for it. However, as it happened Mrs OB was landing there in the evening and Jr wanted to surprise her by picking her up and getting some driving practice in. So a little «5 minute» detour on the way home was in order?

 The bird could be heard from the car park and when I walked the 100m to where it was the song was so loud and so constant that I seriously considered the whole thing was a wind up and someone had placed a loud speaker in the reeds! This thought was only strengthened when I was able to walk to what must have been only 5 metres from the bird and it just carried on singing and remained invisible! Eventually though it did clearly change position and then finally flew into a bush where it could just about be seen.

It is a while since I have heard a GRW (this is my third in Norway) and I had forgotten just how loud their song is. In the video you first hear the song and then get a glimpse of the bird

Great Reed Warbler (trostesanger) - a screen shot from the video

Buoyed by this I then decided to do just one more Oslo night singer trip. Maridalen had nothing new to offer but in Sørkedalen the Blyth’s Reed, Oslo #186, that had been quiet in the afternoon was now singing his heart out in the garden of a farm at midnight. Add to that multiple Marsh Warblers and a Reed Warbler and I had a four acro night. I do think this will be my last trip though unless of course someone else finds something for me to twitch. 

 

the Reed Warbler (rørsanger) that is singing in the video above. As can be heard teh bird had a very varied song and I also do not think it looks completely right for a Reed. Could it have some Marsh genes?

In Maridalen I feel I must have found the Hobby nest although am still to see a bird on it (this was also the case for a long time last year).

Hobby (lerkefalk) presumably the male

I could only find two Lapwing young with their parents yesterday and saw no other birds although the crop has become so high that the incubating bird would be hidden if it still present.

mum Lapwing (vipe) on the left and what seem to be now the only two remaining young which as can be seen are soon fully grown and were both frequently flapping their wings

Evening surprises

I had absolutely no expectations yesterday as it was hot and sunny again but it turned out to be a very good day. A stop at Østensjøvannet gave me Marsh Warbler, Oslo #175, but nothing else and then Årnestangen revealed nothing of real interest even though high water levels have created some really nice looking marsh areas. I also had nothing to write home about in Maridalen and whilst making dinner at home thought all I had to look forward to in the evening was the final of the Premier League of Darts on TV.

A check of the reporting website Artsobservasjoner revealed though that a pair of Garganey had been seen at Maridalsvannet in the morning. Well there was only one thing to do once dinner had been served (I skipped it myself). I met up with Halvard and we went down to the small bay where we thought they might be. We split up to cover it from different directions and in the process Halvard scared up a small flock of Teal which contained the Garganey, Oslo #176, but didn’t see them himself. They flew around a corner and it was not until a lot later that I refound them resting on an island. Whilst all this was happening messages came in from Gressholmen of first Grey Plover and then Temminck’s Stint – so there were waders moving but I was in the wrong place. However, in my efforts to refind the Garganeys I did find my own Temminck’s, Oslo #177, on the only, tiny, patch of mud that remains 😊. So, two unexpected birds after I had put the bins away for the day!

Inspired by this and after enjoying great darts I headed out at 11pm expecting to find loads of night singers. It was perfect conditions – warm and wind free but the birds were absent and it is probably still a week too early for most species.

As I write this it is looking very thundery outside and I am planning to take the 10am ferry to Gressholmen. Monday also has lots of rain forecast so maybe there are still some more waders to find. I feel confident of breaking my Oslo record of 191 now but 200 does seem unlikely.

pair of Garganey (knekkand) with male Teal (krikkand)

eventually refound them

one wader on the only piece of mud

Temminck's Stint

Marsh Warbler (myrsanger)

Night singers and butterflies - summer is here!

I still haven’t got round to looking at all my images from the mountains and as I am going up there again this evening for guiding it may be just as well as I may end up taking a whole load of even better shots 😊

Yesterday in Maridalen was a very good day with a total of 72 bird species being noted, see my eBird list here and I also had a good butterfly day. I had planned to see butterflies in the early morning as that was the only time sun was forecast but clearly was a bit too early out as it was only after I had given up and was early back at the car that I noted any but I then had some great variety.

Bird wise I got to grips with the Lapwings with 3 broods of young surviving and all being protected by their parents: 4 & 2 large ones and a new brood of 4 very small ones. In addition the pair is still incubating at Kirkeby and there were 4 adults resting on rocks in the lake. By my calculation then 2 pairs have failed (one after young had hatched and the other unsure) and are not trying again whereas the pair at Kirkeby is a second attempt after failing at Skjerven. So far then this is a fairly good result although the young have still to fledge.

I also got a better understanding of the Little Ringed Plovers with birds present at three sites with pairs seen at two of these including one pair displaying and mating. At the third site I only saw a male but there could well have been a female nearby sitting on eggs. Given that they have been here for 5 weeks I am surprised that they have not come further with their breeding attempts but hopefully they will lay and we will get the first recorded breeding in Maridalen.

I took my first nocturnal trip to the Dale on Monday night as it was perfect conditions – warm and windless. In addition to the Grasshopper Warbler, I heard two Marsh Warblers and there were more Woodcocks than I can remember seeing before. I also heard begging Tawny Owls and a visit to the area yesterday revealed an adult and three quite large young high in a sprue tree. This is a new site and I do not know whether they bred in a nest box or found a natural hole.

This is what I heard on Monday night

and on Tuesday I found mum Tawny Owl (kattugle)

and three young

Little Ringed Plovers (dverglo) displaying with female on ground and male flying over

here the female is inspecting a nest scrape just made by the male (standing) and in the video they are mating

the single male

and the other pair which showed no obvious signs of breeding

4 large Lapwing (vipe) young and a watchful parent

and four very small young

here the right hand youngster takes a fall

male Red-backed Shrike (tornskate) 

female Pied Flycatcher (svarthvit fluesnapper)

and her mate

There seem to be far more Icterine Warblers (gulsanger) than usual in Maridalen

and here is its song

which can be compared to Marsh Warbler (myrsanger)

The Crane (trane) pair have clearly failed once again to breed succesfully

And now some butterflies

grizzled skipper (bakkesmyger)

female Common Blue (tiriltungeblåvinge)

male Common Blue

same male Common Blue

Dingy Skipper (tiriltungesmyger)

male Green-underside Blue (kløverblåvinge)

and from below