The Urban Birder
Although great birds abound among the city walls in Oslo, you will have to venture further afield to enjoy the full-range of Norway’s birdlife
David Lindo travels to the Norwegian capital of Oslo to discover its birding opportunities! Join him on
Many birders think of Oslo as the gateway to Scandinavia’s Arctic avian delights. Thus, you would be forgiven for thinking that it was possible to roll out of a warm hotel bed on a cold winter’s morning, put your layers on and go out, crunching through deep snow to the
nearest tree to find a Great Grey
Owl glaring back at you. The truth is that although there might be snow on the ground, you more likely to see a Tawny
Owl within Norway’s capital. That said, towards the end of February you may be lucky to hear calling Tengmalm’s and Pygmy Owls from deep within the forests surrounding Oslo. If you want to see the country’s classic Arctic birds, you will have to leave the city limits.
After re-setting the reality dial, you will still be left with a lot to see in this rather cool, if a tad expensive, city. Breeders within the area include Red-backed Shrike, Wryneck, Common Rosefinch, Marsh Warbler, Black and Three-toed Woodpeckers and even Capercaillie and Hazel Grouse. Waxwings are frequent visitors during the winter, plundering the city’s berry supplies. During invasion years, you might be lucky enough to encounter forest species such as Hawk Owl, Pine Grosbeak or any of the three crossbill species. Being coastal, on the shores of a fjord, one of the default birds in Oslo, especially during the winter months, is the ever-present Herring Gull. Great Black-backed, Black-headed and Common Gulls also reside, although ‘white-wingers’ like Glaucous and Iceland Gulls are surprisingly scarce. Despite this scarcity, it is still worth scanning the fjord for these birds, along with the possibility of Little Auk. However, usually to be found loafing on the coastal waters, are Eider, which is reassuringly common, as well as Goldeneye and Red-breasted Merganser. Sprinkled among them during the winter months, may be numbers of Guillemot. Sticking to the coastal theme, Akershus Festning is well worth a visit. This medieval fortress, originally built to protect and provide a royal residence for Norway’s nobility, is a great place to be positioned to enjoy the seabirds to be seen in the fjord. Watch out for scarce gull species like Sabine’s Gull and for transiting skuas. It is also a good place to look for two special Oslo birds, namely the Black Redstart and Peregrine. The former is quite a rare bird in Norway and a pair or two are seen almost annually during the breeding season. The Peregrine, another rarity, can be sometimes observed sitting on the wall of Oslo City Hall.
There are several other places to check out for urban birding. One site to try is Vigeland Park. It boasts the biggest number of sculptures by a single artist exhibited in a park, in the world. Once you have had your fill of more than 200 pieces of Gustav Vigeland’s work, after whom the park is named, the serious business of birding is to be had. The park is the largest in inner city Oslo and is heavily visited. This may seem to sound the death knell for any thoughts of birding, but look again and you notice some stands of fine old trees, plus the presence of creeks that attract Dipper during the winter, and a small lake. It’s possible to tot up upwards of 50 species on an early morning visit in May. Grey Wagtail breed here and Moorhens are a rarity in the city, so count yourself lucky when you come across them. The woodland hosts Tawny Owl along with breeding Icterine, Willow and Wood Warblers, plus both flycatchers and the three woodpecker species, familiar to us in the UK. Scarcities visiting Vigeland Park have included both Mediterranean and Glaucous Gulls.
Botanical gardens are also a must for any intrepid urban birder and Botanisk Hage, or the University Botanical Garden, is no exception. During the summer, an array of songbirds and woodpeckers are to be discovered here, including some that have already been mentioned. Dining upon them are the resident Tawny Owls. In addition, both Sparrowhawk and Goshawk regularly patrol the area. Østensjøvannet Lake is perhaps the city’s chief hotspot. It is Oslo’s richest wetland and is a bird reserve with about 15 pairs of Moorhen breeding, which is mega for this part of the world! More than 225 bird species have been discovered at this 29-hectare (72-acre) site.
Indeed, to really do the place justice you will need to allow three hours to walk around the lake. Aside from the nationally important numbers of Moorhen, more than 300 pairs of Black-headed Gull breed, along with good numbers of Great Crested Grebe. Water Rail are also possible to see while during migration periods, waders sometimes drop in. It pays to arrive early at Østensjøvannet to beat the joggers and other human visitors. Although Oslo is one of the most expensive cities in Europe, there is still one thing that is totally free: the urban birding!
Thanks to: Håkan Billing, Chairman, Norwegian Ornithological Society, Oslo and Akershus region.
And Simon Rix, the Oslo Birder. Reference guides: Collins Bird Guide – Lars Svensson, Killian Mullarney & Dan Zetterström.