As days get shorter and shorter in the last half of November, it is time to follow the migratory birds and go south. More specifically to our winter basecamp by the coast in Vestfold County.
On the way south, the only birding stop was in Mo i Rana to look for Nutcracker (nøttekråke). This is a local speciality, and we found a couple in a garden with Siberian Pine trees.
We also had nice encounters with a few Eurasian Jays (nøtteskrike).
On the Vestfold coast it was relatively quiet. Most migratory birds are gone, but a few species, like Blackbirds (svarttrost), may try to stay through the winter.
A Green Woodpecker (grønnspett) on a brief visit outside our garden one morning.
Bearded Tits (skjeggmeis) are a regular guest in the reed-beds around Tønsberg every winter, and they are already there in small flocks.
It is a good influx of Pine Grosbeaks (konglebit) this fall, so on a trip to Oslo we went to in the surrounding woods of Nordmarka looking for them. We found a small group feeding on rowan berries.
As birdwatching was slow around Vestfiold, we decided to do a two-days trip to Lista – the very southwestern point of Norway. As often this time of the year it was very rewarding! First thing as we arrived, a rare bird alert went out about a Eurasian Bittern (rørdrum) in lake Slevdlasvann. Bitterns are very rarely seen, but this one was sitting nicely exposed at the edge of the reed-bed by a small pond.
The stars of the week at Lista were two Oriental Turtle Doves (mongolturteldue) hanging out with Collared Doves and a Eurasian Turtle Dove. Unfortunately, they were in an inaccessible area, but they could be seen well in telescope, and a photo from distance at least show sufficient plumage details for a positive ID.
Another highlight was a Little Egret (silkehegre) resting in Lista harbour a short while before it took off.
A beautiful male Stonechat (svartstrupe) was performing very nicely, as it went flycatching over the scrubs near the harbour.
There were not many shorebirds left. An immature Bar-tailed Godwit (lappspove) was the most interesting.
Ducks have started to assemble for the winter, among them a small group of Greater Scaup (bergand)…
…and Long-tailed Ducks (havelle).
A single Slavonian Greebe (horndykker) had also arrived at the wintering grounds.
Westerly winds had brought in a handful of Kittiwakes (krykkje). This 1st calendar year bird was feeding at Østhassel.
A lot of insects still flew in the mild weather, and a couple of Grey Wagtails (vintererle) was eagerly feeding.
There are always some raptors around at Lista. This time we were treated with a young Merlin (dvergfalk)…
…and a young Hen harrier (myrhauk).
