EARLY SUMMER SNAPSHOT FROM TROMSØ, NORTHERN
NORWAY
When I recently returned from two weeks in Germany (amphipods again) the scene
at home had changed miraculously, partly thanks to a bout of very nice and
sunny summer weather (as so often happens while I am away). When I left, the
forest was still not yet completely green, and the only flowers to be found
were the yellow Dandelions along the road verges, and patches of Wood Anemone
Anemone nemorosa in Folkeparken.
Now the picture is a completely different one. All the trees are in full leaf,
with all the different greens of spring, and the Rowans Sorbus aucuparia are in
full flower. Along the roads the dandelions have got company of luxuriant Cow
Parsly Anthriscus sylvestris and Buttercups Ranunculus spp, and on shaded
slopes the beautiful yellow flowers of the Two-flowered violet Viola biflora
twinkle everywhere, with here and there the stately Globe Flowers Trollius
europaeus. In the forest, although the anemones and the sweet Wood Sorrel
Oxalis acetosella have already faded away, white is still the dominant colour,
with lots of tender Wood Stitchwort Stellaria nemorum (most of them flattened
this morning after the heavy rainfall of the night), and in the drier areas
plenty of Chickweed Wintergreen Trientalis europaea (I like the Dutch name of
Sevenstar much better than the prosaic british one, by the way; in Norway this
is Skogstjerne, the forest star, with large patches of Dwarf Cornel Cornus
suecica just coming in 'flower'. This white dominance won't last long though,
the virtual 'wall to wall carpet' of Wood Cranesbill already shows the first
pink flowers, and next week pink will be the dominating colour in Folkeparken.
Just now the good weather is coming to an end, most unfortunate, for tonight is
Sankthansaften (St John's Eve), when we celebrate midsummer with extensive
partying around bonfires out in nature. We had heavy rainfall already last
night, with puddles everywhere, the little brooklet suddenly running across the
path through Folkeparken again, and the path itself full of earthworms, no
doubt displaced by the same abundant rainfall. A Common Gull walked in the
middle of the forest and industriously collected his breakfast here. And more
rain is expected for tonight, and in fact for several days ahead.
These gulls nest everywhere in town. There is always a pair around my
house,yelling day and night, but I have never been able to figure out where
exactly those nest. But a bit down the road, at the house where the House
Sparrows were the new kids on the block' last year, a gull is faithfully
breeding on the corner of the flat roof, they spell trouble for us passers by
as soon as the young hatch. The sparrows are also stilol there, and duringthe
nice weather they often took their dust baths along the road where there were
heaps of earth because of some repair work. (This spring several sparrows also
turned up in my garden, but seemingly they did not find good nesting
opportunities there)
In Folkeparken the ambiance is also late spring-early summer. The Willow
Warblers now dominate the morning chorus, some days--but not all-- followed by
the Redwings. These Redwings intrigue me, for they seem to have switched their
dialect this year: Redwings are 'dialect songsters', with the birds from the
mainland sounding quite differently from those on the island here, and the
tromsøya birds in all years have had an ascending 'virri virri virri' as the
first loud part of the song. But this year they all sing differently, although
all birds still seem to have the same song!
The Fieldfares keep mostly quiet, unless there is a magpie or crow around, in
which case they all burst out in loud and discordant scolding and chase the
intruder. Other voices in Folkeparken are Bramblings (very few this year),
Greenfinches 8lots and lots) , Bullfinches (quiet and unobtrusive) and Great
Tits. Close to the museum two Chiffchaffs have their territory, and one eithers
hears both of them or neither. In General I have the sad impression that there
fewer songbirds in Folkeparken than there used to be---it is many years since I
heard Bluethroats there, and several years since I heard Garden and Sedge
Warblers, while also the Woodcock seems definitely to have given up the unequal
struggle with people, dogs and cats. Dunnocks and Willow Tits are undoubtedly
still present, but they don't sing any more, while sadly I can't hear the
Goldcrest anymore. There have been crossbills in Folkeparken earlier this
spring (they are very early nesters), but I have not heard them these last
months, nor have I seen any of the Banded Crossbills that have been noted
elsewhere on the island.
This is a beautiful time of year here, with 24 hours of daylight, and all
vegetation growing phenomenally fast, so that there are new flowers virtually
every week.
Wim
Vader, Tromsø Museum
9037
Tromsø, Norway
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