Yesterday I went to check
out Nordre Øyeren. Very high water levels have caused the whole of Årnestangen
to be under water although apparently we are still 1.3m below levels reached in
1995. The water has of course ruined nesting for any ground species that had
already laid eggs but will recede quite quickly so hopefully many species will
start again. All the fields which had held rodents on which Long-eared Owls,
Kestrels and harriers fed are under water as well and I wonder what this means
for the rodents and in turn the predators. Time will tell.
Although all the usual
areas for waders are under water, fields have also flooded and these now hold
some waders although not the huge numbers that would have been on Svellet.
In Maridalen I believe I
have found the nest hole of the Three-toed Peckers but will need to confirm
this over the coming days.
Today I was guiding Anne
Kari from Oslo and we had a goal of seeing raptors. With 3 Marsh Harriers, 5
Common Buzzards, 2 Ospreys, a Peregrine and a Honey Buzzard I think we did quite
well. We also had many warblers with Reed, Sedge, Icterine, Garden, Willow,
Whitethroat and Blackcap and also waders. At one stage we could see Wood Sand,
Dunlin, LRP, Oystercatcher and Lapwing in the same scope view and with 9 Temminck’s
Stint nearby!
It was very hot today with
temperatures reaching 26C and the sun being burning hot. I was therefore
expecting to see my first Honey Buzzard of the year and expect that if one were
to stare skywards in the next few days that there will be quite a few to see as
they return to their nesting sites.
There were a number of
Lapwings to see today which was a shame as they acted like they were failed
breeders probably as a result of famers only just having ploughed their fields
as a result of the late spring.
Two Swifts today in Maridalen were my first for the year as were the Honey Buzzard and Dunlin so there are not too many common summer migrants left to come.
 |
| Garganey (knekkand) yesterday in flood waters |
 |
| and a male Shoveler (skjeand) on a flooded field |
 |
| a flooded Årnestangen |
 |
| a Crane (trane) panting in the heat today |
 |
| first Honey Buzzard (vepsevåk) of the year. A issing tail feather seems to me to be a common feature of this species |
 |
| I was not expecting to find a Dunlin here |
 |
| there are 5 species of wader in this photo: a Little Ringed Plover (dverglo), 2 Wood Sandpipers (grønnstilk), an Oystercatcher (tjeld), a Lapwing (vipe) and the Dunlin |
 |
| 5 of the 9 Temminck's Stints which were very hard to find amongst the equally sized clumps of mud |
 |
| 3 of them a bit closer |
 |
| male Marsh Harrier (sivhauk). We saw this bird bring food to his mate who flew up off the nest in the reedbed and we also saw him escort another male out of the area |
 |
| Peregrine (vandrefalk) being angrily (and carefully) chased by a breeding Lapwing (vipe) |
 |
| mating Green-veined Whites (rapssommerfugl). They actually flew which seems quite a feet given they are facing different directions |
 |
| presumed Three-toed Woodpecker nest hole |
 |
| the pair with female on the left |
 |
| and the female on her own |
 |
| Add caption |
 |
| three toes are good for a scratch |