27th April to the 3rd May
It was great to find that all of the snow and ice had melted when I returned home to Voss. Though nearly a month’s bird watching abroad had produced a whole host of species, there is something special with early spring in Norway. Though I had no doubt missed most of the thrush movements, I was still looking forward to getting out and about around Voss. Unfortunately, I was disappointed. Things seemed very quiet, both in the woodlands and marshlands. I also spent nearly two whole days in the mountains at Vikefjell and Nesheimsfjell, hoping to catch up with some of the species I seemed to have missed. Other than the trip to Nesheimsfjell producing 3 Golden Eagle and 3 Common Kestrel, there wasn’t much to watch. One species that seems very low in numbers so far this spring is Northern Wheatear.
This is a species that I usually see at several localities around Voss during late spring. This year I have only seen the male in the above photo. Things are even worse for European Golden Plover and Common Redshank, not one observation here at Voss as yet. Wildfowl numbers also seem low. Common Teal are well down from the same period last year and only 3 pair of Eurasian Wigeon have been recorded. However, all has not been lost. I saw a Common Buzzard on the 29/4, my first in Voss since 2007. I can only hope that things improve during the coming weeks.