You wait a year and then two arrive. On Thursday I discovered there are two Pygmy Owls in Maridalen and they have adjoining winter territories which bodes well for further sightings and perhaps a chance of breeding next year? Saying that though I am unsure of the sex of the birds.
One has called but not sang a few times which I take to be a sign it is a female whilst the other bird gave the species autumn song a couple of times which I assumed would mean it is a male but upon reading up I see that both sexes apparently give the autumn song.
At one point after I had used playback both birds were in the same tree and the presumed female (whose area we were in) chased off the other bird (which had flown a few hundred metres to be there) which then returned to its own territory but there was no big confrontation between the birds.
Today I spent some very quality time with the presumed female and even took my tripod with me so have taken some film of better quality than my usual offerings. The other bird sang a couple of times from its territory but did not show.
Pictures and video from Thursday
Simon Rix
Simon Rix is an English Birder who has lived in Oslo, Norway since 2001. Birding has been his passion since primary school and after an education as an economist and career within oil and gas and then drinks industry he turned his attention full time to birds as middle age approached. He is particularly interested in patch birding and migration and is an active guide, blogger and photographer. He is a member of the Norwegian Rarities Committee (NSKF).
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