Blog

• Owls
• Common kestrel
• Hen harrier
• Peregrine falcon
• Flycatchers
• Puffins
• Eurasian hobby
• Osprey
• White tailed eagle
• Divers
• Seabirds
• Shorebirds or Waders
• Common buzzard
• Eurasian sparrowhawk
• Grebes
• Singers
• Western marsh harrier
• Eurasian goshawk
• Finches
• Passerines
• Tits
• Common Crane
• Golden Plover
• Jays
• Other birds
• Wagtails
• White-throated dipper
• Willow ptarmigan
• Woodpeckers
• Muskox
• Other animals

Owls

Northern hawk-owl, Short-eared owl, Tawny owl, and Eurasian pygmy owl. The three last owls, I have photographed where I live. The Northern hawk-owl, a common owl, is photographed in the mountains. Only the Tawny owl of these four owls are hunting by night. All three others are hunting by daylight.

For the last weeks in late October and the beginning of November 2024, I have observed most likely three different Northern hawk-owls close to my cabin in the mountains. I don’t know if this is normal or quite special. The Northern hawk-owl is easy to spot. Normally they sit at the highest point of high trees and spots for prey. And they seem somewhat different as well, the owl at one place has often let me come very close, about 4-5 meters. Others again fly away if I come too close.

Northern hawk-owl

Short-eared owl

Tawny owl

Eurasian pygmy owl

Common kestrel

The common kestrel is a beautful, small bird of prey. It is quite common, both in at sealevel and in the mountains. I have observed and photograped the common kestrel close to my home and to my cabin in the mountains.

Hen harrier

Hen Harrier, male and female. The male is grey and white with black wingtips. There is a Hen Harrier couple nesting close to my cabin in the mountains. In late May 2024, I observed the female building a nest. And about mid-June 2024 I observed the male returning with prey delivering it to the female.

In July 2024 I was joining a licensed bird bander for banding the young ones. We checked the nest in the first week of July and there was one chick and three eggs. The chick was at that time too small to get a band and we decided to return for banding one week later. The second week of July 2024 we approached the nest again for banding. But very sadly a predator, most likely a fox, has attacked the nest. This is how nature is, brutal. I also observed the male Hen Harrier returning with chicks that he had caught for eating and delivering to the female.

The Hen Harrier is critically endangered in Norway. According to official numbers, there are only about a hundred couples in Norway.

Peregrine falcon

Peregrine falcon, the fastest animal on earth. The falcon can reach a speed up to 350 km/h when hunting. Impressive.

Flycatchers

The Common redstart is, in my opinion, one the most beautiful small birds in Norway.

Common redstart

European robin

European pied flycatcher

Bluethroat

Puffins

Puffins at Runde in Norway.

Eurasian hobby

The Eurasian hobby capture and eat dragonflies.

Osprey

The ospreys are nesting in Norway from April to September, and some of them close to where I live.

White tailed eagle

White-tailed eagle is the biggest bird in Norway. It is even bigger than the golden eagle.

Wikipedia

Gallery

Divers

A few diving ducks. The Smew is red listet. The photo of Smew is a female, a beautiful bird.

Smew

Black-throated loon

Common goldeneye

Common merganser

Red-breasted merganser

Seabirds

Seabirds.

Common tern

Black-headed gull

Eurasian oystercatcher

Great cormorant

Northern gannet

Shorebirds or Waders

Shorebirds or waders. The Black-tailed godwit is critical threatened in Norway. According to the documentation, there are only a few hundred couples in Norway.

Black-tailed godwit

Bar-tailed godwit

Eurasian curlew

Common greenshank

Red knot

Green sandpiper

Common redshank

Wood sandpiper

Common sandpiper

Northern lapwing

Common buzzard

Common buzzard. The buzzard is a very common bird of prey in Eastern Norway.

Eurasian sparrowhawk

Eurasian sparrowhawk.

Grebes

The Horned Grebe is also a red listet bird. The Horned Grebe is, in my opinion, one of the most beautiful birds in Norway.

Horned grebe

Great crested grebe

Singers

Singers.

Willow warbler

Wood warbler

Eurasian blackcap

Western marsh harrier

Western marsh harrier.

Eurasian goshawk

Eurasian goshawk.

Finches

Some finches.

Eurasian bullfinch

European greenfinch

Brambling

Pine grosbeak

Passerines

Some other passerine birds. The coldcrest is the smallest European bird. It weights about 5g, and it is constantly on the move searching for insects.

Coldcrest

Eurasian treecreeper

Common redpoll

Common reed bunting

Common whitethroat

Tits

Eurasian nuthatch, Eurasian blue tit, Long-tailed tit and yellowhammer.

Long-tailed tit

Eurasian blue tit

Eurasian nuthatch

Yellowhammer

Common Crane

Some Common Cranes.

Golden Plover

The Plover is a typical mountain bird, if there is one bird I associate with mountain it is the Plover. The Plover is photgraphed at two places, where I know they are breeding, close to my cabin in the mountain.

Jays

Some jay birds.

Siberian jay

Eurasian jay

Other birds

Some other birds.

Common blackbird

Eurasian nutcracker

Grey heron

Whooper swan

Wagtails

Western yellow wagtail, White wagtail, Citrine wagtail, Grey wagtail. The Citrine Wagtail is not seen often in Norway. The picture of the Citrine Wagtail was at that time the first observation in Norway.

Citrine wagtail

Western yellow wagtail

White wagtail

Grey wagtail

White-throated dipper

The White-throated dipper is the national bird of Norway. The dipper is photograped close to where I am living. Most likely, they stay in my areae close to sealevel, during the winter. After winter they move to the mountains for breeding.

Willow ptarmigan

Some Willow Ptarmigan

Woodpeckers

Black woodpecker, European green woodpecker, Lesser spotted woodpecker, Great spotted woodpecker.

European green woodpecker

Black woodpecker

Great spotted woodpecker

Lesser spotted woodpecker

Muskox

All photos of the muskox were taken in Dovre, Norway, one of the few places in the world where they live.

All but two photos of Muskox are of bulls, some young, about 3 years old, and some old bulls. The cub is about 5-6 months old. The last photo is of a cow. You may see the difference in their horns. Old bull’s horns cover most of the forehead. On young bulls, their horns are not yet grown together. And the horns on cows do not grow together at all. Walking with a guide to a photo Muskox is advised. The safety distance is 200 m, and if you get too close to the muskox, they might charge you.

The Muskox is not afraid of anything, they are very quick and you don´t want to be charged by it.

Other animals

Moose, Mountain hare,  Roe deer with cubs, Red deer, Red fox, Red squirrel.

Roe deer

Red Squirrel

Moose

Mountain hare

Red Fox

Red deer