#birdogling tag

[slettlune]

today i was so excited to see a great cormorant (norwegian: storskarv), ie the bird that got me into birding a little over a year ago (because it was the biggest bird i'd seen in my area and i got so curious about what it might be i started browsing books trying to find out). i've since learned that this is called your "spark bird" in birding terminology

and it's funny because it's really not a graceful bird, it's not colourful or dazzling or rare, but when i saw it today my internal voice still went "oh my gosh, it's my bird!!"

seabirds aren't even my main focus (because i don't have the right binoculars for it, and gulls are like... newgame+++ level birding) but great cormorants are forever special to me now. this big black soggy bird standing around drying its wings all the time.

[slettlune]

two small quality-of-life improvements i've made lately is i've moved my bed to the window, and i've hung a birdfeeder in the huge elderberry bush at the far end of the garden

today i woke up and did an hour of birdwatching from my bed, lying under the covers in my pajamas, using a yoga block as a homemade binocular stand on the windowsill. it was really wonderful. thank god my bedroom window is shielded from my neighbours or i'd probably get arrested for voyeurism

[slettlune]

more birding down by my local river!

the luckiest area was once again my favourite little secret clearing, only about fifteen steps off the gravel path:

in addition to a group of juvenile fieldfares (norwegian: gråtrost, "grey thrush") gulping down earthworms, i was so excited to finally spot a willow warbler (nor.: løvsanger, "leaf singer") dashing around in a tree just above me! in the past i've heard them on multiple occasions but as my field guide reassures me, they are notoriously difficult to spot. when i FINALLY managed to catch it in the sight of my binoculars i was shocked at how tiny it was! such a powerful voice for an itty bitty bird

thing is, fieldfares and willow warblers are suuuper common in norway (fieldfare is the most common thrush, willow warbler the most common songbird) but i didn't have them on my life list, and being close enough to them to do a confident i.d. was magical. birds are so cool

[slettlune]

went birding for the first time this year! we're still in the miserable gray-brown part of winter so there was very little activity down by the river other than some crows and common tits -- though i DID see some returning geese flying too far overhead to determine the species

but even if the actual birdspotting wasn't very impressive this time i realize that gosh, even the attempt is so healthy for my brain. it's really mindfulness in disguise, finding some nature and dedicating a bit of time to just observing and waiting.

ALSO if i hadn't gone out today i wouldn't have seen the early signs that even the miserable gray-brown part of winter will eventually end. like this budding goat willow!!

[slettlune]

there've been several days now when i've been annoyed with myself for not getting up early to go birdwatching (convincing myself it's too late in the day, so i might as well not go)

well today i forced myself down to the river even though it was around noon, because i figured at the very least i'll find some ducks

there were SO many cool birds, i've been a FOOL.

highlights:

european goldfinches, which still make me excited whenever i see them, their colours are so BRIGHT and they always seem to be striking dramatic poses on the reeds when i spot them

an adorable flock of eurasian tree sparrows¹. they were eating up a storm which might be why they seemed lot more tolerant about my presence than they usually are

a mallard² with leukistic spots, which is the first time i've been able to see a bird and go "oh wow that is definitely THIS type of bird even though it looks different"!

and the one that made me gasp was a great spotted woodpecker³ that flew straight towards me (feathers splayed out all dramatically) and landed on a branch right next to me to check me out. birds are watching back! it's the first woodpecker i've spotted here. i am still a little shocked i can get this excited about birds

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¹ norwegian name pilfink, "arrow finch".

² nor. name stokkand, "log duck".

³ nor. name flaggspett, "flag pecker". apparently the name comes from how they particularly like using flagpoles to make their territorial drumming sound.

[slettlune]

honestly i haven't seen the point of taking field notes for my birding until now because i've been 98% reliant on my phone to ID and log birds anyway, and i figured i haven't learned nearly enough anatomical/plumage reference points to write down anything useful if i tried

but then i got myself a WAY better physical field guide than the cheap one i had, with illustrations highlighting general field markers, sexual dimorphism, developmental stages, unique behavior, etc where applicable. and suddenly even MY clueless scrawled observations of a bird i looked at for ten seconds became useful!

observe me trying to capture the jizz essence (aghast to learn it's called "jizz" in norwegian as well) of a common chiffchaff¹, even though my in-field observations are limited to markers such as "dark", "brown," "black", "golden brown" and trying to phonetically write down what it sounded like

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¹an adorable name! much better than the norwegian gransanger ("spruce singer")

[slettlune]

today's adventure in birding is that i headed out at dusk hoping to finally spot some birds of prey. as i was biking along to the nature habitat i looked up at a house and was like "holy shit is that an owl up on that roof??" but no, it was a fake (too-obvious placement, didn't move, none of the smaller birds were scared by it) probably put up by some birdpoop-hating houseowner

trundled around in the cold woods/bog for ages and did not see a single bird of prey

BUT GUESS WHAT

ON MY WAY HOME I NOTICED THE "FAKE" OWL WASN'T THERE ANYMORE AHHHH

[slettlune]

today was my first ever outing with the express purpose of birding

photo featuring barnacle geese and my bird guide which DID NOT have an entry on barnacle geese:

i've lived by this river for a decade and while i've appreciated the wildlife there all along i've never thought to really investigate it and learn about it before

like these guys (hvitkinngås in norwegian, "white-cheeked goose") are just passing through, probably on their way to the netherlands or england (hey i've been those places!). apparently flocks will seek out same pitstops year after year, led by the older birds. imagine the youngsters staying here at my river for the first time right now, and then they'll grow and one day it'll be their turn to lead everyone to this particular spot for a breather and some food!