Monday 17 October 2016

Whooper Swan family


It is grim, damp, cold and dark October weather at the moment although the Norwegian birding scene was enlivened by the country getting in on this year’s North Russian Dunnock bonanza with a bird pulled from a net on the west coast. I’ll have to find one in the field soon…..

I limited myself to a very short trip to Maridalen where a Common Snipe had replaced the Jack and the Great Grey Shrike showed itself but I didn’t even hear or see a Southern Scandinavian Accentor let alone its Northern Russian cousin.

The Whooper Swan family put on a nice show. With these seven young the pair has now brought a minimum of 16 young to fledging since they first bred in 2010 with possibly as many as 21:

2016: 7 young fledged (7/7)

2015: 4 young fledged (4/4)

2014: no nest ever seen and a non-breeding pair on lake in May and June but a pair with 4 young in October could have been from Maridalen but may also have come from Triungsvann (0/4). In 2015 & 2016 the pair bred in a new (and not previously visited location) to that in 2013 so could well have been here also in 2014.

2013: pair were sitting on nest in May but no young seen. Breeding failed (0/0)

2012: 6 young hatched, 4 fledged (4/4)

Daddy?


An impressive sight and achievement from these Whooper Swan (sangsvane) parents to succesfully raise 7 youngsters

A study in black and white - Great Grey Shrike (varsler)

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