Lead shot is to be banned from all wetlands in the European Union, in a decision that is expected to pave the way for phasing out all toxic ammunition. The European parliament voted against objections lodged by far-right parties, allowing the European commission to introduce the new regulations by the end of the year. The […]
Tag: Whooper Swan
The Dale continues to deliver
This week has not only been about reminiscing about the weekend and I have been out in the Dale although with lots of rain my visits have been short. There has still been lots to see though. The Three-toed Woodpeckers seem to have failed with their breeding as a 70 minute vigil at the nest […]
A day in the Glens
Thursday saw us make the two mile drive to the gatekeepers property at Glen Strathfarrar where we were given a permit to drive the seventeen miles through the private glen and I have to say it was a fabulous drive too. We also took the slightly longer drive of around sixteen miles down to Glen […]
Still waiting
Despite afternoon temperatures reaching +6C, overnight frosts and thick snow and ice means that there are very few signs of spring. Apart from a couple of scouts, finches and thrushes have yet to arrive and that is no surprise as there would be no food for them to find. It is still a long way […]
Waxwings
Next week temperatures are forecast to fall below -10C and will not rise above zero for the whole week so the spring migrants that have already arrived will probably have to head back south or perish. Inspired by my success on Wednesday, I travelled up the Glomma River from Nordre Øyeren to the Bean Goose […]
Starting the New Year
The New Year was spent in England with birding definitely not on the menu – I was on holiday. Back in Norway I started my 2017 birding with a much needed walking and public transport tour of Oslo yesterday where highlights were the Shag (which hadn’t been reported since 14 Nov although I don’t think […]
Pinks, Parasols and a Phalarope
The weather was warm and settled ideal conditions for the pink footed geese to arrive from Iceland. I like to witness one of nature’s spectacles as the geese arrive at Martin Mere for their winter holidays. There were already about seven thousand geese in the area and I was hoping for many more during the […]
Nutcracker
Each August Nutcrackers descend on Oslo from the surrounding forests (where they are very anonymous in the breeding season) in the search of easy food and hazel nuts are much sought after. We have a few hazel trees in the garden which always attract Nutcrackers although they can be very secretive. This evening there were […]