Disappointing and then…

So, I know I set my expectations (or should that be ambitions) for 1^st May very high but even with low ambitions the early start in Maridalen could not be considered a success. I was there by 05:40 which was later than I had planned but there was just nothing moving in the air or anything new on the lake except for a small increase in the number of Tufted Ducks and a new pair of Mute Swans. There was a very weak wind from the north but it was relatively warm (7C when I drove in and reaching over 20C by the late afternoon). It was almost impossible to understand why there was so little to see. After an hour I was ready to move on, either to Svellet or even perhaps just go home and have breakfast.

But then..

Bjørn Olav had found a singing! Hoopoe at Fornebu. I was down there in a flash and actually proved to be the twitchiest person out there only to find out that Bjørn hadn’t seen it for 20 minutes. I went looking though and 5 minutes later refound it and most importantly heard it. It is years (decades?) since I have heard one sing and what struck me most is how similar it is to the song of Tengmalm’s Owl. If I had just heard it early in the morning then I think I would have started out looking for a small owl rather than an exotic guest. One can wonder if it was the same bird seen here last year. It is also lacking a tail which may mean it is more likely to hang around.

I foolishly decided to leave Fornebu after an hour believing that Maridalen would have now warmed up only to find out that I missed a Great White Egret… But if Fornebu could attract such good bird surely there was something to be found in Maridalen. Unfortunately not, and you may say unbelievably so, although Wood Sandpiper was new, Oslo #149, following a Common Tern, #148, that I got after leaving Fornebu.

The video has it singing and note how it throws its head forward

Hoopoe (hærfugl)

missing its tail

first Wood Sandpiper (grønnstilk)

always good to see some Beaver at sunrise

a Fornebu tick Gadwall (snadderand)!

Exciting birds and a little twitch

The last three days have been very enjoyable. Svellet continues to be Mighty with lots of shallow water and mud but we really could do with some rain. When it is sunny the viewing conditions are very challenging but yesterday it was cloudy and suddenly it was possibly to see all birds well enough to identify them in the scope. There have been many hundred Greenshank and Wood Sandpipers although their numbers were greatly reduced today suggesting a large onward migration with few new birds arriving. A massive 110 Ruff was a huge spring count although is only a fraction of the numbers seen 40-50 years ago, up to 5 Temminck’s Stints and a couple of Black-tailed Godwits. I reckon the water levels will remain low for a least a week and there is rain forecast early next week so we still have the chance of some very exciting birds.

Other interesting birds that I have seen around Svellet and Nordre Øyeren include Bluethroat and Thrush Nightingale and my first Garden Warbler, Whitethroat and Spotted Flycatcher have all been noted. Raptors remain surprisingly scarce with very few species seen which may be an indication that they are busy with nest building and egg laying.

Absolute highlight though and a stunning bird was a Hoopoe at Fornebu which got me into twitching mode. It showed very well almost all day on Wednesday although when I took Mrs OB down in the evening to see her favourite bird it had of course disappeared.

Maridalen has been disappointingly quiet with a Common Scoter on the lake the possible highlight.

In the garden the male Pied Fly has now attracted a female so hopefully they will nest in one of the two nestboxes available although I do hear them in neighbouring gardens so they may choose another site.

Hoopoe (hærfugl). It raised its crown every time it landed.

a flight shot that is pretty much in focus and sharp!

male Bluethroat (blåstrupe) - birds don't get much better

Thrush Nightingale (nattergal) - of one two newly arrived males singing non stop

Two videos. The first long one has lots of sequences of the a singing bird starting with a video taken with the phone showing the habitat. You can hear both birds plus Willow Warbler

Watching the video I noticed that the bird was missing some neck feathers allowing its skin and muscle to be seen whilst it was singing. I have slowed the video down to half speed and zoomed in

young male Goshawk (hønsehauk) and one of the breeding Buzzards (musvåk) in Maridalen

male Hawfinch (kjernebiter) in Maridalen

the female Pied Fly inspecting one of the nest boxes in the garden which the male had been singing beside. This box was previously used by Nuthatches

male Yellow Wagtail (gulerle)

a Pink-footed Goose (kortnebbgås) is still hanging out with the Greylags in Maridalen

Spotted Flycatcher (gråfluesnapper)

The Mighty Svellet on 11 May

Don’t tell the missus

 

This morning I went to look for a very photogenic Hawk Owl (haukugle) that has been frequenting lamp posts along a busy road in Østfold. I could have chosen to look for a Hoopoe (hærfugl) that has been present in Akershus, and therefore closer to home, for the last couple of days but owls are more my thing even though Hoopoe, which is the wife’s favourite bird , is also a pretty damn fine bird.

Just before I got to the owl site a message came through confirming the Hoopoe was still present. I only gave the owl 10 minutes and then with a meeting to go to at lunchtime decided to head for the Hoopoe instead (turns out that the owl was still present today so will warrant another attempt.).

The Hoopoe was frequenting a tarmac pathway through a field and seemed very loyal to this path, returning there every time it was disturbed. There is clearly food there as I saw it find bugs on at least two occasions as you will see in the pictures. Also here my first Waxwings (sidensvans) of the year. The Hoopoe was a great bird, only my second in Norway and ample compensation for not seeing a Hawk Owl. Hopefully Mrs. Oslo Birder will not be too jealous.

Hoopoe (hærfugl)

It raised its crest after landing

dinner!

In the afternoon a quick visit to Fornebu didn’t turn up a Richard’s Pipit (tartapiplerke) which in recent years have proved regular here at this time but I did find a confiding Snow Bunting (snøspurv) and another flock of Waxwings suggests they are starting to arrive en masse.

Hoopoe

Yesterday was a long and good day. It started with me oversleeping and missing my 4am alarm call. I awoke at 6am which was probably just aswell as I needed some sleep otherwise I would become a menace on the road.
I arrived at Brentetangen at 0730 to be met with the message you should have been here 20 minutes ago. A pair of sandwich Terns had gone past and would have been a Norwegian tick for me. Frustration. The ensuing seawatch until 1000 in supposedly perfect SW winds was very disappointing with hardly a bird moving. The only birds worth of note were 3 Kittiwakes and a Long Tailed Duck. Saner people would have given up after half an hour but you need to persevere in this game.
I decided to view Kurefjorden from the bird tower/hide this time (and for the first time) and found that although the views were perhaps a bit more distant that the extra height was a distinct advantage. Still not much to see. A flock of 5 Temmincks Stints flew by and a handful of Whimbrel and a single Knot were the only waders of note with the 4 Gadwall and 5 Wigeon from yesterday still present. Highlight though and a sign that Lady Luck was shining on me came in the form of a HOOPOE which I picked up in the scope flying along the waters edge. Why it was I don't know but there is no mistaking a Hoopoe. It was obviously an unusual guest in these parts as it was mobbed by both Lapwing and Carrion Crow and also flushed the Knot. Hoopoe was a Norwegian tick for me and definitely left me with a hop to my stride.

Feeling content I headed back to Oslo and stopped off at Maridalen. The warning light telling me I was low on petrol had come on 40km before so I only dared make one stop which was in the bay at Kirkeby. And a good stop it turned out to be. The ever expanding mudflats hosted 2 Temminck's Stints. This was a patch tick and they allowed very close views. Also present a Little Ringed Plover, 2 Greenshank, 3 Wood Sandpipers, 2 Green Sandpipers, a Common Sandpiper and 3 Lapwings. It doesn't get much closer to wader heaven than this around Oslo! 5 fine Yellow Wagtails and a Whinchat were also present.

Temminck's Stint

Wood Sandpiper

The day wasn't finished though. In the evening Per Christian Moan and I made a trip to Borrevannet. The purpose was to hear the Spotted Crakes and Quail that had been reported recently plus hopefully discover some other nocturnal birds. It wasn't our day though and 2 singing Thrush Nightingales were the only birds of note, including this close bird (don't worry the video is supposed to be black as it was 11pm)

What a fantastic singer! Otherwise a handful of Reed Warblers singing and an owl glimpsed in the dusk that was most likely a Long Eared Owl. We also thought we heard a displaying Great Snipe but it was too distant and brief to be sure. Home after midnight and time for a quick shut eye before a new day.