Farewell January you will not be missed

The last week of January has been quite like the preceding three, i.e uninspiring, with the exception of reacquainting myself with my Hazel Grouse. We can now look forward to February with hopefully some cloudless, freezing cold, nocturnal trips interrupted only by the sound of trees cracking in the cold, owls of various sightings hooting and northern lights flickering overhead. By the end of the month the very first spring migrants will also with luck have arrived and then we can really look forward to the spring and all the bounties it brings.

I have had a few walks in the forest but it is incredibly quiet there with, other than the HG, hardly a bird to see or hear. There are ZERO finches in the forest and even in more suburban areas with feeders there are hardly any so a flock of 18 Hawfinches that I came across at Østensjøvannet one day was quite a surprise.

A noisy Nutcracker (nøttekråke) was one of only a handfull of birds seen on my forest walks but it is always a good bird to see.

the Pygmy Owl (spurveugle) has become harder to see again and when it does give itself up it is usually high up as here with a Magpie (skjære)

Mallards (stokkand) at Østensjøvannet

where this female Teal (krikkand) is still hanging around

and where with some patience Water Rails (vannrike) can be seen

an unusually large flock of Hawfinch (kjernebiter)

Woodpeckers are not really making themselves known yet although I have heard a drumming Great Spotted and this female Black Woodpecker was making a lot of noise hacking away at a dead tree trunk

these are still entertaining me

Hazel Grouse

 Winter has regained its grip on the land and nighttime temperatures in Maridalen are falling to -13C and it remains negative in the day despite blue skies and sunshine. Many of the resident birds are very active singing and displaying but any hope of early migrants has been put on hold.

In the forest I spent some quality time with the male Hazel Grouse that we viewed last Tuesday when guiding but now I have been able to watch him in sunlight. He appears to be unpaired but has a good territory that has held Hazel Grouse in at least the two decades I have visited the area.

Hawfinches have returned to breeding areas in Maridalen and are banging out their squeaky “song” and I was able to see some quite well at a feeding station.

male Hazel Grouse (jerpe)

it doesn't seem right to see such a large bird clambering around on such thin branches

female Hawfinch (kjernebiter)

and a more colourful male

the male with a Greenfinch (grønnfink) that seems tiny in comparison

Crested Tit (toppmeis)

female Greenfinch

and male

female Siskin (grønnsisik)

and male

male Brambling (bjørkefink) - unusually many have wintered in and around Oslo

Bullfinch (dompap) and Bramblings

female Blackbird (svarttrost) - I don't remember so many wintering in Maridalen before

Jays (nøtteskrike) are starting to "sing" and can sound like Goshawk, Buzzard and Tawny Owl

Nuthatch (spettmeis)

Starling (stær)

Hawkie

and some arty shots

an ice butterfly

Most interest at Fornebu

Maridalen on Sunday revealed nothing of interest and it has been equally quiet both yesterday and today although there has been a notable increase in thrush numbers as birds are clearly moving towards the coast. Fieldfares dominate with Redwing and Blackbirds less than 10% of the total and Song Thrushes seem to be gone already.

Storm force winds from the south yesterday prompted me to sea gaze from Huk but despite lots of wind and white tips to the waves the only bird to suggest a movement was my first Razorbill of the autumn.

Fornebu has had a bit more to offer although it is the same variety each time with Kingfisher, Little Grebes and up to 4 Jack Snipe topping the bill and my first Waxwings of the autumn today. A Shoveler on Sunday was actually my first EVER there and a near adult White-tailed Eagle today was nice and may be a bird that is prospecting for a breeding territory in the area. With the Shoveler I have now seen 227 species at Fornebu compared to the 212 I have in Maridalen.

my first ever Shoveler (skjeand) at Fornebu

White-tailed Eagle (havørn) at Fornebu. A 4th or 5th year bird I reckon. The head looks adult like but it still has black tips to the tail feathers

Common Crossbills (grankorsnebb) are still numerous but there have been no more sightings of Two-barred around Oslo

there were lots of Fieldfare (gråtrost) moving through today including this bird with leucism

a Hawfinch (kjernebiter) in a near leave less apple tree. Frosts and lots of wind has meant that most trees have suddenly lost their leaves over just the last couple of days

spot the Kingfisher (isfugl)

here it is a slightly close range. Two birds have been ringed at Fornebu this autumn but this male (all black bill) looks to lack bling

an impressive Roe Deer buck

I've saved the snipe to last😇 Here a Common (enkeltbekkasin)

and of course some Jack (kvartbekk)

not a bird in sight but a surfer on some sort of electrically propelled board