Coping with rejection

As a wise (apparently) man once said «you have to be in it to win it». My hopes for yesterday it turned out were not misplaced just mis-timed. Halvard visited Gressholmen 6 hours after me and had double digit counts of both Wood Sand and Redshank and visitors to Årnestangen had a good selection of waders despite high water levels meaning hardly any exposed mud.

I therefore put the additional disappointment of the football behind me and decided to give Gressholmen another chance. I didn’t wake until 08:30 so hopefully the extra sleep would leave me mentally stronger to face the rejection that was sure to meet me. But, hey, maybe Gressholmen rewards persistence?

 

If she does reward persistence then it may be more than I can offer. At least a Redshank had joined its Green cousin and there were 2 Dunlin resting on rocky islets (not feeding on the mudflats) but I clearly need to reassess this relationship. The fact that I was not the only birder (we were three) who has been taken in by Gressholmen’s seductive promises perhaps makes me feel a bit less foolish..

Wednesday??

the view from Lindøya looking north with rain over Oslo. Perfect conditions you (I) would think for a wader fest. The rocks in the water are Galteskjær where there was at least a Dunlin

this photogenic Common Tern (makrellterne) was the only bird I took a photo of

note that the tip of the upper mandible is broken, perhaps from hitting a stone whilst diving for food?

the island which 5 days ago had nesting Black-headed Gulls and Common Terns now only had these two pairs of Common Terns which were not necessarily nesting. There are still plenty of feeding adult Common Terns around but I am not sure where or if they are nesting. In Nordre Øyeren a couple of days ago I saw already fully fledged young

A new species in Maridalen! This Cockatiel had be braking to a screeching halt but will not be featuring on any lists. It was calling a lot and clearly not quite at home

Red-backed Shrikes (tornskate) haven't been very showy this summer in Maridalen but have young to feed now and are more obvious

Coming to an end

It’s so hot and sunny now that I have almost given up on birds for the year and started on butterflies.

If I am to break my Oslo year record of 191 species, let alone smash the 200 barrier, then some rain and falls of migrants are necessary.

My Oslo list is ticking along with yesterday giving Garden Warbler #165 and Scaup #166 whilst today gave Whitethroat #167, Red-backed Shrike #168, Cuckoo#169 and Kingfisher #170. I have never reached this total so early so things should be looking good. Problem though is that I reckon I have only another 4 species that I can consider certain: Reed Warbler, Marsh Warbler, Common Rosefinch and Honey Buzzard whilst all others will bonuses and this includes species like Redstart, Sand Martin and Bluethroat which I would have expected to see by now and fear I may have missed my chance with. So, I will need to find a lot of Oslo rares😊

Yesterday’s Scaup was a bonus bird and was a pair on Maridalsvannet which is only the third spring record here. Today’s Kingfisher was even more unexpected but could well indicate breeding which I need to follow up on.

pair of Scaup (bergand) on Maridalsvannet - a rare species on spring migration

Wood Warblers (bøksanger) are now back. Although it is never to be found in large numbers I had 5 birds today

Wryneck (vendehals)

male Lesser Spotted Woodpecker (dvergspett). I had both these species in the same tree "singing" but did not mange to record it

female Red-backed Shrike (tornskate)

Black throated Diver

Blackcap (munk) have been back a while

but Garden Warblers (hagesanger) are only just arriving. As usual I need to see them to tell them apart as I usually don't hear a difference in their song

an unexpected sighting was this silent flyby Cuckoo (gjøk). I was alerted to its presence by alarm calling White Wagtails

a singing Pied Flycatcher (svarthvit fluesnapper) in the garden is probably last years bird

a couple of Slavonian Grebes (horndykker) I bumped into at a breeding site

whenever I see an old Black Woodpecker hole I scratch the tree trunk hoping a Tengmalm's Owl will stick its head out. That never happens unfortunately but today this Goldeneye (kvinand) did

she had a bit of down stuck to her head

interestingly she has a hole in her beak. I can't imagine what caused it

a Grizzly Skipper (bakkesmyger) was my earliest ever and first unusual butterfly of the year. I have now seen 12 species so far in 2024

a Holly Blue (vårblåvinge)

and a Green Hairstreak (grønnstjertvinge)

Birds in Black

Yesterday a little twitch gave me another bird for my Oslo year list. Whilst not a rarity, Black Redstart, is quite irregular as a breeding bird with some years no records. The bird yesterday, a 2cy male, was singing from a train goods yard and is the only record in Oslo so far in 2023. It showed quite well at times but could disappear amongst the train tracks and was also chased away by a pair of breeding Wheatears. The song of Black Redstart has a very special phrase that sounds like static interference on a radio sending. The song can be heard on this video:

In Maridalen the only nesting pair of Black Woodpeckers that I know of had 2 young hanging out of the hole begging for food. I saw the male come with food and he seemed to be looking for more young and entered the nest (goodness knows how there is room for them all).

Angry Blackbirds alerted me to Tawny Owls with an adult perched close to a nest box and a check of the area today revealed an adult peering out of the hole in the nest box. The nest box is in a garden and would allow amazing views for the people living there.

Today in Maridalen was a day for young birds with me noting the first broods of Greylag (4,3 and 1) and Mallard (5) plus young Starlings can be heard from inside old woodpecker holes. I confirmed Wrynecks at three sites with I believe breeding at two of them although the continued singing of the bird at the third site means (s)he is unmated. I also saw two broods of Lapwings (3 and 2) plus two females still sitting.

male Black Redstart (svartrødstjert) - the brown flight feathers and lack of white wing panel show this to be a 2cy bird (born last year)

the yellow gape causes autumn birds to often be misidentified as juveniles but this is a feature of the species at all ages

through the fence feeding amongst the train tracks

male Black Woodpecker (svartspett) feeding two young

here it he seemed to be searching for additional young

having a good look around before pushing his way in

the Little Gull (dvergmåke) is still happy at Østensjøvannet

female Red-backed Shrike (tornskate)

male Siskin (grønnsisik)

female in focus

nesting Tawny Owl (kattugle)

first three broods of Greylag (grågås) in the Dale

and first brood of Mallard (stokkand)

pair of Red-backed Shrikes

Wryneck (vendehals)

a female Lapwng (vipe) still sitting on one of the original marked nests

three small young

and two noticeably larger young

and the other sitting female on a nest that was made after the farmer had ploughed