EARLY WINTER IN TROMSØ, N.NORWAY (69*50'N)
Late summer is not the best time to see many interesting birds here in
northern Norway, hence my long silence. I have enjoyed a lot of nature
since last time I wrote, having had the chance to visit both eastern Poland
and Austria/northern Italy, as well as driving my old Saab along most of
Norway , from Oslo to Tromsø, with Riet, but the wonders there were mostly
those of culture, scenery, vegetation and flowers, and of course people,
while the birds for once retreated somewhat into the background. I still
fondly remember, nevertheles, e.g. the mellow calls of the Orioles in the
park trees during conference breaks in Lodz, Poland, the Aquatic Warbler
that one early morning along the Narew river was flushed by my energetic
slapping of the many pestilentious horseflies , and that perched in full
view for half a minute or so, and also e.g the Nutcrackers flying off and
on along Austrian Alpenwiesen, no doubt to prepare their winter stores, or
the Rock Martins around the magnificent Duomo in the great town of Verona.
I have also been out for a week on our research vessel in late September
(and will go for two more days tomorrow), but that trip, mostly in the
inner fjords because of much wind, yielded uncommonly few birds; there were
often, and surprisingly, not even gulls around when we drew up the bottom sled.
But summer has gone and the short autumn has practically gone,and we enjoy
the sort of wonderful early winter weather that makes Tromsø often such a
excellent place to be: a few degrees of frost at night, hoar and the
remains of hail showers colour the lawns out of the sun white, and the
puddles in the Folkeparken have a thin veneer of ice; but we have had no
snowfalls as yet. The air is crisp and feels healthy, and the hills around
are all snow-covered down to ca 300m, a wonderful scenery that I wish I
could show you. The people are changing to 'winter wheels' (with studded
tires) on their cars, and young people on roller skis are training for this
winter's Langlauf season. The undergrowth vegetation in Folkeparken is
dying down (slowly this year, as we have had a wet, but not cold
September---rain and sleet instead of frost and snow.), and one can now see
the magpies 'many trees away'.
Autumn here is more a time for the more energetic birders, who put up
mistnets and catch rare warblers and finches, and who pursue the shorebirds
everywhere. Now most of them are gone, the Arctic terns are gone, and even
the Common Gulls have become definitely uncommon for the winter. Large
flocks of large gulls (Herring Gulls and Great Black-backed Gulls) have
taken their place in the intertidal, and instead of Oystercatchers Hooded
Crows now alone patrol the shore line. Northern Ravens have returned to our
side of the island, and I hear their cozy conversational croaks almost
every day, when I walk to work through the Folkeparken. There the birches
are bare (early this year, because of a rust attack), but some of the
Rowans Sorbus aucuparia still have their autumn-bronzed leaves, till the
next autumn storm or a somewhat more severe frost comes. Also this year
there are quite many Rowanberries (although not such a bumper crop as last
year)), and flocks of thrushes (Fieldfares and Redwings) feast on them,
even though I have the impression that also those are less numerous than
last autumn. The first Bohemian Waxwings have arrived in town to help eat
the berries, but I have not yet seen any Pine Grosbeaks. Otherwise the
woods are silent, except the fussing of Greenfinches along the edges and in
the larger gardens, and the occasional flocks of tits (Mostly Great and
Willow Tits, but after a few years absence I have also heard a few Coal
Tits---otherwise primarily a bird of the inland pine forests.)
On the fjords and the sounds along the island large flocks of Eiders
congregate---our local eiders are mostly residents--, and one even hears
some half-hearted cooing and courting by the now once more immaculately
dressed black and white males. The other ducks that will make up the
wintering population here: King Eiders, Long-tailed Ducks and scoters are
also slowly arriving from their more northerly or more inland summer
residences, and they will augment our local stock of Red-breasted
Mergansers, as well as the Mallards that will soon be driven by frost and
ice from the freshwater lakes to the sea shore, where they winter in the
hundreds. Also the number of Cormorants is steadily increasing; most nest
elsewhere, but our region is a favourite wintering area.
All in all this is a quiet and beautiful season; long may it last before
winter really breaks loose!
Wim Vader,
Tromsø Museum
9037 Tromsø,
Norway
Birding-Aus is on the Web at
www.shc.melb.catholic.edu.au/home/birding/index.html
To unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message
"unsubscribe birding-aus" (no quotes, no Subject line)
to
|
