Some spring days just feel birdless and today was one of those. After getting a feeling over Easter that things were warming up I expected quite a bit from today but was to be very disappointed. An overnight frost and cloudless, windless skies in the morning seemed just to have encouraged birds to move on without depositing any new ones.
Maridalen was extremely quiet with just three Black-throated Divers and only a handful of Goldeneyes on the lake although a repeat visit in the afternoon did give me the valleys first Osprey of the year. I quickly decided to move onto Nordre Øyeren where at least there were birds to see.
Highlights were a close hunting Osprey and my first Little Ringed Plover of the year. Svellet hosted a massive 437 Curlews but not a single other wader species.
One noticeably things today was how empty the skies were with hardly an overflying bird to see or hear.
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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