The ice melts

Whilst I was away at the weekend the ice melted on Maridalsvannet. This is early but despite it having been so dry the water levels are currently high so the lake doesn’t yet look that appealing. That being said though there have already been some good birds and maybe when the ice doesn’t melt until the end of the month as is often the case that means that a lot of birds are missed out on as they cannot splash down even if they wanted. Both species of diver are already back and their display calls ring around the valley. More impressively though has been the three , yes 3, species of grebes that have graced the lake. Following last years first ever record of Little Grebe in the Dale a bird in exactly the same place it was probably the same bird. Great Crested Grebe is more expected but a Slavonian Grebe hanging out with Teal is record early as this species normally passes through, and not annually, at the end of the month.

Raptors are still very thin on the ground but the first Osprey of the year turned up on Tuesday and a Peregrine was hunting in the valley today. Today also finally saw the first day with really good numbers of passerines on the (very dry) fields: Bramblings, Redwings and Meadow Pipits were the most numerous.

A real treat today was being able to listen to the calls of migrating Curlews and a flock of 6 really wanted to land but in the end gave up and flew north.

an ice free Maridalsvannet looking towards the south

my first Osprey (fiskeørn) of the year - a particularly well marked female

migrating Curlews (storspove)

Little Grebe (dvergdykker)

Slavonian Grebe (horndykker)

and the best picture of all, a Great Crested Grebe (toppdykker)...

there have been up to 10 Lapwing (vipe) on their favoured two fields and there are already two nests. Nest 1

Nest 2

Green Sandpiper (skogsnipe)

a Kestrel (tårnfalk) today and a Brambling (bjørkefink)

a young Peregrine (vandrefalk) that I saw three times today

Yesterday I thought I would see if Sørkedalen had anything more to offer and caught up with the plastic hybrid goose that has been around for a couple of weeks and a real piece of plastic had me for quite a few seconds thinking I had seen my first Ring Ouzel of the year…

what looks to be a hybrid Emporer x Barnacle Goose together with Pink-feet

showing leg colour

and I thought this was a Ring Ouzel...

Time for another good day in the Dale

Cold northerly winds both here and, I believe, further south in Europe mean that migration has nearly dried up and until today this week has been slow going. I have, however, added 5 species to my Oslo year list and with three from today being ones I would classify as not guaranteed. Best of all though Maridalen has recorded a new species thanks to Halvard’s keen eyes and I of course duly twitched it although it took a bit of finding. Water levels are also falling such that we may have a decent wader passage in Maridalen (everything is relative…) and also at Svellet (up there amongst the best in Europe) so the next couple of weeks look to be promising.

So the new Maridalen new species was Little Grebe (Maridalen’s 225 species and my 206^th there). Although a relatively common species I had not seen this coming as I never thought Maridalsvannet suitable for the species. Birds can of course turn up on migration but it was a real surprise that it has spent two days – it is clearly finding food but hugs the shoreline and hides behind stones instead of disappearing into thick vegetation which it would do elsewhere. Other common birds missing from the Maridalen list are Moorhen and Pochard and we need to be looking out for these now.

The Oslo year birds have been Willow Warbler #139, Common Sandpiper #140, Whimbrel #141, Little Ringed Plover #142 and Slavonian Grebe #143. The Slav Grebes were particularly pleasing to see and today was clearly the day that species was on the move as there were a number of other records around Oslo.

Of the little migration that has materialised then ducks have been the most obvious with the first Common Scoter, Wigeon and Red-breasted Merganser appearing on the lake.

My eBird checklist from Maridalen today is here.

The Mute Swan pair is nesting on an island in Maridalsvannet but have as in previous years attracted the attention of the Whooper Swans who spend their time beating up the Mutes. The male Mute tries to stand up to the male Whooper but doesn’t seem to have a chance and I fear that the Mute Swans will fail but also that the Whoopers will not breed as they will spend all their time fighting the Mutes.

Close to the house a pair of Lesser Spotted Woodpeckers have enlivened morning dog walks with drumming and “singing” and hopefully they will stay to breed although based on previous experiences they will move on.

 

I also took far too much video which I have yet to go through. If there is anything that evades the trash can then I will publish it later.

adult Little Grebe (dvergdykker) - not often I see them in this plumage in Norway

not often I see them in flight either and have never noticed this "speculum" before

Slavonian Grebes (horndykker) in breeding plumage are surely one of the best birds we have

here there was some display

dwarfed by a Whooper Swan (sangsvane)

part of a flock of 10 Curlew (storspove) that briefly landed on their way north

the swan drama. Here the male Mute Swan is getting a beating from the male Whooper

who then chased him around the island and then up onto it

my first Common Sandpiper (strandsnipe) of the year in Oslo

and a male Common Scoter (svartand) - I have never appreciated their impressive tail before

male Lesser Spotted Woodpecker

this young male Marsh Harrier (sivhauk) headed north today and had me hoping for a good raptor day. But of course it didn't happen

2 males Adders (hoggorm)

Snow and a Lapland Bunting

This week has continued in the doldrums with very few birds (as is quite typical for mid-April) and the reason was made clear today. Mid-April is still early in the spring and birds know this through thousands of years of evolution and the weather can turn quickly very wintery as it did this morning with 10cm of snow in Maridalen. Whether we will now get a rush of birds or whether they still think it is too early will we find out in the coming days but we should at least get a mini rush tomorrow of returning birds who temporarily fled back south.

The doldrums does not mean no new Oslo birds though and I have had four in four days although Tuesday and Wednesday were blanks. Yesterday gave me some 7 species of raptor in Maridalen and Marsh Harrier #134 and Hen Harrier #135 were new for the year. These species never feel guaranteed although some prolonged sky gazing in mid or late April should produce them. Today I quickly abandoned Maridalen when I saw that the snow had left the fields empty of birds and headed for Østensjøvannet. There was nothing of interest on the lake although the stubble fields held quite a few Meadow Pipits and White Wagtails. I had a hope that this might produce a Lapland Bunting and sure enough it did with me picking up one singing! #136 and then seeing it very well. Biggest surprise though was clearly hearing a Tree Pipit #137. This is by far my earliest record but this year is seeing a lot of early migrants (edit it is not my earliest as I have previously had a bird on the same date which remains the 4th earliest bird documented with a photo in Norway). It would not surprise me if my next new species will be my earliest ever Willow Warbler.

I have paid a couple of visits to Nordre Øyeren in the hope that there would be more to see there which there was although not much more. Bar-tailed Godwit and Little Ringed Plovers on flooded fields were my first in 2024 but water levels are now so high that there are no mudflats exposed.

the field at Nes in Maridalen today

and driving in with Skjerven farm in the middle

male Lapland Bunting (lappspurv) at Østensjøvannet

and when it was singing from a tree

the Greylag Goose (grågås) nest from my last post covered in snow. The water level has also fallen considerably this week

Maridalen's Lapwings (vipe) had problems finding food in the snow

there were not many thrushes to see but here are some Mistles (duetrost)

and a Song Thrush (måltrost)

and a comparison of both species from behind with Mistle having broad white edges to the tertials

one of three Twite (bergirisk) today. The main migration of this species is behind us now

on Thursday three Cranes (trane) flew over and one seemed to have a broken leg. I would have liked to see it on the deck but they did not land

a flock of Curlew (storspove) also arrived

first resting on the edge of the lake

and then feeding in a stubble field

an Adder (hoggorm) 

male Brambling (bjørkefink)

a Marsh Harrier (sivhauk) and Hooded Crow at Årnestangen

Buzzard (musvåk) in Maridalen

this pair of Canada Geese in Maridalen show an marked size difference

a trip to Fornebu produced a Slavonian Grebe (horndykker) and hopefully they will turn up in Maridalen the coming week

A Lapwing nest at Årnestangen which looked to be in an area where it will be safe from farming activities. In Maridalen I think we only have six birds and it looked like they were two on nests on Wednesday but in the snow today I saw none that seemed to be sitting

a simple nest