Grozzas Galore!!

Yesterday I visited the Holmenkollen – Tryvann area for the first time in a couple of weeks at it was literally buzzing with Grozzas. I had at least 166 birds and this only from paths and the road whilst driving so the real number is probably at least 10 times as high. I also had 16 in Maridalen and the first birds have arrived at Ekeberg so I would not be surprised if there are 10000+ in the Oslo area. This then begs the question as to what percentage of the fenno Scandinavian population that represents. There are still loads of berries for the Grosbeaks (and Fieldfares) to eat but they are also often to be found in Spruce eating the buds.

I did not see Hawkie yesterday (or Wednesday) but he was very visible on Thursday when he hunted from wires and a barn roof.

An observation yesterday that wouldn’t normally be remembered was a small flock of Redpolls feeding on birch catkins. This species is pretty much absent this autumn and I have previously only registered single flyovers. It is interesting how different species occur in such varying numbers. Redpolls would normally be an easy species to see even if numbers can vary greatly from year to year whereas Pine Grosbeak is a species that most winters would be impossible to see around Oslo but right now is perhaps the commonest finch species.

First a video and some pictures from Ekeberg

this adult male was feeding on his own by the path when I heard another bird. I picked it up flying over quite high up and on its was westwards over the town. The male then started calling and the other bird turned and then dropped out of the sky. It landed and continued calling although the male soon fell quiet and it took a long time for them to find each other.

the other bird with the city in the background

a bit closer for some arty shots

and some shots from the Holmenkollen area

3 adult males together on a frosty morning

Long-tailed Tit (stjertmeis)

Hawkie on Thursday with the Tryvann tele tower in the background

Urban Pine Grosbeaks

I am having to fit my birding in around other things at the moment which has made me focus on some more urban areas which I can easily visit when I have some time available. On Monday I went to the sculpture park at Ekeberg for the second time this winter to see if there were any Grozzas there. This area and its plentiful rowan berries proved very popular to Pine Grosbeaks in Nov/Dec 2019 but apart from a single bird I saw on 3 Nov there have been no other reports this winter (although I don’t think many other people are looking). What is cool about this location is that you are on an escarpment with the city below you so can have an interesting backdrop to your views (and pictures) although it is so steep in places that you also have to look down and mind your footing.

On Mondays I did indeed discover Grozzas with a minimum of 21 birds including 5 adult males. One group of 14 contained 4 adult males and such a high ratio suggests to me that these birds may have come from a new wave of birds as I have previously only seen one flock this winter with a comparable ratio of adults. It was of course wonderful to see these birds and as usual they showed at close range. There were also many Fieldfares and a few Redwing in the area (but still no Waxwings) and the thrushes were frequently flying around in a stressful manner so I assume a Sparrowhawk was in the area. When this happened the Grosbeaks would just freeze without making a noise and would keep the same position for a number of minutes before feeding again. They only time they would fly and call was if they were disturbed by a man made noise.

I also saw the Grosbeaks frequently eating snow either on the ground or that they found in the trees.

In addition to all the thrushes, and Redwing in December are rare, there were a good number of other birds including Bramblings, Hawfinch, Goldcrests and Green Woodpecker so it was surprisingly birdy for a cold December day.

First some pictures with the city as the backdrop

the enormously expensive and nearly universally disliked Munch Museum provides the backdrop

Oslo and Norway's two highest building plus the so called Barcode

and just the birds

3 adult males in this shot

eating snow and having a shake

Brambling (bjørkefink)

Fieldfare (gråtrost)

this particular bird had a broken upper mandible that wouldn't close but it didn't stop the bird eating berries

Fieldfare with Pine Grosbeak behind

Green Woodpecker

Redwings (rødvingetrost) are rare in December but the plentiful supply of berries has clearly encouraged a few to stay

Treecreeper (trekryper)