Longing for the unexpected

This winter is shaping up to be one of the least exciting I can remember for birding around Oslo. Currently there are no signs of any invasive species turning up, so no Pine Grosbeaks, Great Grey or Hawk Owls. Neither are there any of the scarce winterers that have livened up things previously such as Jack Snipe or Long-eared Owl and there are no overwintering rarities of the likes of Hume’s Warbler or Firecrest.

The Grey-headed Woodpecker(s) in Maridalen is a far from annual treat and there are Bearded Tits at Fornebu but I would like something unexpected to turn up. On Thursday one such bird did indeed turn up on Thursday with a very photogenic White-billed Diver being found at Drøbak, a half hour drive south of Oslo, but the news of this bird was only shared on a need-to-know basis whilst it was daylight and it would seem that nobody needed to know. Unfortunately I could not find it when I went down there yesterday but did have fun with a pod of Harbour Porpoises which I was convinced were much larger and therefore dolphins of some kind but the pictures and film l took leave little doubt as to what they were.

Harbour Porpoises (nise)

this individual had cuts in the back of its dorsal fin

I believe it had a young animal with it which can be seen surfacing behind it

this Grey-headed Woodpecker (gråspett) continues to travel widely in Maridalen but on Wednesday I was lucky to watch it visiting the same feeder regularly

"red top" is easily recognisable

with a Great Spotted Woodpecker (flaggspett)

Long-tailed Tits (stjertmeis)

this one has some dark feathering in the head suggesting some genetic influence from more southerly birds

I feared the Maridalen Great Grey Shrike (varsler) had moved on after we got a lot of snow and I din't see it for a week but it is back now