The Flickr Vårtegn Image Generatr

Lesser celandines (Ficaria verna) in front of the lovely fragrant primroses (Primula vulgaris).

Happy Easter!!

(Vårkål foran deilig duftende kusymrer, in Norwegian)

My album of flowers here.

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I have heard and seen many song thrushes (Turdus philomelos) many places the last days and weeks- from forests far inland to small forests right by the ocean.

I haven't edited the new photos, so here is a song thrush memory from the archive, from the southernmost point of our municipality.

The song thrush breeds throughout most of Europe, and is further distributed in a belt through Russia and Siberia east to Lake Baikal. It also breeds in northern Turkey, the Caucasus and northern Iran. It has also been introduced and established in Australia and New Zealand.

Birds from Scandinavia, Eastern Europe and Russia winter around the Mediterranean, North Africa and the Middle East.

(Måltrost in Norwegian)

My album of birds here.

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My first portrait of a northern lapwing this year (Vanellus vanellus, in the plover family), from Jæren 3.5 weeks ago.

I wish the background was better, but I just couldn't delete this one.

(Vipe (i lofamilien), in Norwegian)

I look forward to look for some more newly arrived migratory bird species tomorrow, like the ring ouzel (ringtrost in Norwegian), to add to this year's list which now numbers 135 bird species.

My album of birds here.

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Today I went to Jæren to see the year's first black-tailed godwits (Limosa limosa). I found three of them, on the same spot as I saw three when I took this photo from the archive. Today the sunlight was too harsh (but lovely though) to get good photos.

I also got two more new species for the year on my way up - a western marsh harrier hunting by the road, and a flock of 106 European golden plovers above me (sivhauk og heilo in Norwegian). So now I have 131 species this year. I am ready for even more new ones in Finnmark in Northern Norway next week.

The black-tailed godwit's breeding range stretches from Iceland through Europe and areas of central Asia. Black-tailed godwits spend (the northern hemisphere) winter in areas as diverse as the Indian subcontinent, Australia, New Zealand, western Europe and west Africa.

(Svarthalespove in Norwegian)

My album of birds here.

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This year I photographed two dunnocks/ hedge sparrows (Prunella modularis) in the snow on my birthday in January already.

But today I heard one sing for the first time this year, while out on my bike on our island. It is so lovely to hear all the birds calling for a mate, in the lovely spring weather now.

I didn't photograph the dunnock today, so here is one from the archive.

Dunnocks are native to large areas of Eurasia, inhabiting much of Europe and southwest Asia including Lebanon, northern Iran, and the Caucasus. They were also successfully introduced into New Zealand during the 19th century, and are now widely distributed around the country and some offshore islands.

(Jernspurv in Norwegian)

Check out more photos of singing dunnocks in the links below the line!

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Harbingers of spring: Colt's Foot Tussilago farfara, Asteraceae.

In the era in which only the newest gadgets attract attention, it is worth noting this photo was taken using a digital camera 14 years old, and the lens is no less than 60 years old (launched in 1965!). Further food for thought?.

Nikon 1V1 converted to M52 thread mount, adapter M52-39mm, Utra-Micro-Nikkor 28mm f/1.8 lens@f/2.8, hand-held camera

[the reason for selecting 52mm threads for the mount was to simplify experiments with different attachments and exotic lenses. Step-rings to 42 and 39mm threads are easily available if required)

2025.03.17 Liten bukett med vårens første hestehov Tussilago farfara, Asteraceae. Orderudåsen, Sørum kommune, Akershus. © Birna Rørslett-NN/Nærfoto < B202503172717 B202503 B2025 202503172717 202503 DIGITALBILDE, NATUR/NORGE/NORDEN> 2.7 MB IMAGE 17/03/2025 17:42:39 GPS UTM:PM,PM25,PM2550,PM251501 [NIKON 1 V1, Ultra-Micro-Nikkor 28 mm f/1.8]

Now we have seven months with summer time ahead, and many bright nights.

It will be lovely with that extra hour of spring sunshine ahead, even though I don't like the really late sunsets in summer.

My album of nice trees and leaves here.

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One of the beautiful (male) common linnets (Linaria cannabina), that stayed by our bird feeders for a long time last spring.

Yesterday I saw them in our neighbourhood for the first time this year. And I have just been out on my bike again today, listening to them an very many other birds singing in the nice spring weather.

(Tornirisk-hann, in Norwegian)

My album of birds here.

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Coltsfoot (Norwegian: Hestehov) Springtime at Vallø peninsula, Tønsberg, Norway

As mentioned on my upload last night, I found the year's first group of six white wagtails (Motacilla alba) in our neighbourhood yesterday. One of the signs of spring we always wait for.

We also met big flocks of more oystercatchers than befoe common gulls, some common curlews and flocks of common linnets.

Here is a white wagtail from our neighbourhood another spring.

(Linerle in Norwegian)

Check out more photos of them in the links below the line!

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A meadow pipit (Anthus petrosus) from our neighbourhood.

They are a bit similar to their rock pipit cousins that I posted yesterday, but while the rock pipits mostly are found precisely on rocks and beaches by the sea, the meadow pipits are mostly found by the meadows and fields.

And while many rock pipits winter here by the sea, I have only seen two meadow pipits choosing to winter in our neighbourhood. But soon many of them will be back from Western and Southern Europe, filling our fields.

A funfact is that meadow pipits are the most common 'foster parents' of young cuckoos (gjøk in Norwegian). The adult cuckoo will lay a single egg in a meadow pipit's nest, and after hatching the cuckoo chick will push the other eggs or young birds out of the nest, giving its foster parents more time to concentrate on feeding their new, oversized chick.

(Heipiplerke in Norwegian)

Check out more photos of them in the links below the line!

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A male great spotted woodpecker (Dendrocopos major), drumming on lamp-posts in the forest in town, a previous spring. What a sound it makes!

Right now I listen to the same on trees, from a forest hide where I have photographed a great spotted woodpecker couple, jays, nuthatches, bullfinches and other small birds this morning. We also hope for the goshawk later on.

I have also heard and seen a glimpse of my very first black woodpecker todayッ(svartspett in Norwegian), and the year's first mistle thrush (duetrost) have been singing for us for a long time. I'm excited for what else the afternoon and tomorrow will bring.

(Flaggspett-hann, in Norwegian)

My album of birds here.

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Although we have common chaffinches (Fringilla coelebs) here by the coast during winter, many of them migrate.

These days they come back for breeding. The males usually arrive before the females, and immediately begin their beautiful song to mark their territory, like this one I met another March.

(Bokfink hann, in Norwegian)

My album of birds here.

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In addition to the oystercatchers I posted yesterday, the first northern lapwings (Vanellus vanellus) arrived on a field in our municipality as well yesterday.

In addition to the fields, we also meet them on the skerries and beaches when they arrive on our island, like this one from the archive.

So today we will go out to search for them here as well in the nice weather.

(Vipe in Norwegian)

My album of birds here.

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Today the first six oystercatchers (Haematopus ostralegus) were back on the skerries in our neighbourhood.

One of the best signs of spring!

This photo is from the archive, from the same area. Today the weather was too bad for photos, but they don't get closer until they have rested for a while anyway.

(Tjeld i nabolaget, in Norwegian)

Check out more photos of them from this spot, in the links below the line!

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One year ago, it was lovely to go from winter in Norway to early and warming spring in Greece.

In Thessaloniki, some of the fruit trees had started to bloom, and the common chiffchaff (Phylloscopus collybita), that we still had to wait for for a month at home, was chirping.

(Gransanger in Norwegian)

My album of photos from Greece here.

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A couple of redshanks (Tringa totanus) on Valentine's day, from last spring.

As I sat hidden by a boat right in our neighbourhood, I could watch them resting and searching for food for a long time. I love experiences like that.

(Rødstilker in Norwegian)

My album of birds here.

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It's already several days since I saw that the snowdrops had come in our garden (snøklokker in Norwegian). The very first lovely sign of spring, aldready in January!

Of course the sunshine turned to rain now when I hoped to get some photos of them, so here are some other spring flowers that will come in southern and eastern Norway later on- the kidneyworts (Hepatica nobilis).

(Blåveis in Norwegian)

My album of flowers here.

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Last year, I photographed barn swallows (Hirundo rustica) both in Norway, Greece and Kenya.

This one collected nest materials in a pond on a dirt road in Greece in May.

(Låvesvale in Norwegian)

My album of photos from Greece here.

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