Snow and ice

Winter looks like it is now here to stay and Maridalsvannet froze over suddenly last night. I cannot remember such a sudden freeze event here with it normally happening gradually over a few days

The conditions today were perfect for searching ice free streams for goodies and I turned up a Jack Snipe which I managed to film by setting up the camera and operating it rom my phone whilst out of view of the bird. It took over 8 minutes for the bird to unfreeze and after some bobbing it then ran off out of view all of which I managed to capture.

In mid Norway, the first Azure Tit for the country was found a couple of days ago and on looking at the pictures of what is undoubtedly a Cosmic Mind-f*cker of a bird (to borrow one of the phrases from the brilliant Bill Oddie’s Little Black Bird Book which is now 45 years old!!)

I started feeling quite twitchy and might I say it, slightly aroused. I started making plans to go and see it – either an 8 hour drive or a flight to Trondheim and then a 2-3 hour trip either in a hire car or by a combination of bus and ferry. If someone else I knew had been going the next morning then I think I would most likely have gone but as a couple of days have passed I have become a bit more sensible and in time honoured fashion think I will wait until I find one in Maridalen…… 

a completely frozen Maridalsvannet with just the usual small area of open water where the river enters at Hammeren and where there was a Cormorant and Grey Heron. The whole lake froze overnight whereas it usually happens more gradually

a high key (over exposed) Jack Snipe (kvartbekkasin)

and properly exposed

these droppings in the stream made me sure I had a snipe to find and the bird was not far away

a spectacular sunrise at Huk, Bygdøy this morning. There were good numbers of gulls, although nothing rare, and whilst some were eating starfish many were picking food from the surface of the sea (not sure what)

Yesterday, I walked into town along Akerselva. As I was meeting Mrs OB for dinner and a date at the Opera I took no optics with me. I didn’t miss them with me being able to identify everything I saw either on call or because they were close enough for the naked eye and even managed to film two of the most exciting species on my phone.

 

female Siskin (grønnsisik) at under 50cm range

2 Goosanders (laksand) also taken with the phone

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

Pygmy Owl

The Hawk Owl has currently made Maridalen the most popular destination for bird photographers in the whole of Norway. They seem oblivious to the other treasures that the Dale holds though and yesterday I was alone with the likes of Pygmy Owl, Goshawk and Pine Grosbeak before briefly joining the throng when I was lucky enough to see Hawkie catch a shrew of some kind which is the now the third type of rodent I have seen him take.

We are having a cold spell now before it warms up again next week. Nighttime temperatures have dropped to -13C and despite it being sunny it has not risen to more than -3C in the day. Despite this there are, to my surprise, still hundreds of Fieldfares enjoying the rowan berries. Even though they quickly strip individual trees of their berries there are still berries galore and it will be interesting to see how long the flocks remain. A few Redwing also remain but these very rarely spend the whole winter here.

Pygmy Owl (spurveugle)

Pygmy Owls are less showy this year which I believe has to do with what food they are hunting but when they do expose themselves then the local passerines often take exception

adult Goshawk (hønsehauk). This bird seemed far less massive than the one I saw a few days ago but it may just have been due to posture

Grozza

Yesterday I drove around a corner and saw a line of photographers in a field and then saw Hawkie on the wires between me and them so there had to be a drive by video (for the record the homo sapiens were at a very respectable distance from the surnia ulula).

staring intently at something

he then launched himself into the field and took something in short grass

which turned out to be a shrew

on Thursday morning the owl was being given a lot of space and hunt unimpeded

by the afternoon though an excess of enthusiasm had taken over

Bullfinches (dompap) are quite numerous although are probably outnumbered by the Grosbeaks and feed on rowan berries in the same way as there larger cousins

a Common Scoter (svartand) on the lake

2 female Common Crossbills (grankorsnebb) and a Greenfinch (grønnfink) on ice and snow where they looked to be getting water

and a male Crossbill and 2 Siskin (grønnsisik) doing the same

and Goldfinches (stillits) seemingly doing the same although there may also have been wind blown seeds