Tag Archives: gulspurv

Silent Spring / Den Tause Våren

Rachel Carsons Den tause våren er her i Malvik, iallefall på jordene rundt Malvik sentrum og Vikhammer, men jeg har ikke kunne lese noe om dette i avisene. For meg som følge tett med naturen og særlig fuglene våre er det dramatisk! For første gang siden jeg flyttet til Malvik i 1981 (43 år) er et av de vakreste sangene HELT BORTE fra lydbildet. Det dreier seg om storspoven, en stor fjære- og dyrkamark tilknyttet fugleart (se videoen helt nederst for å forstå hva som er borte):

Av Ken Billington – Eget verk, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=12307666

Dette er en fugl jeg gleder meg til å høre hver vår når den dukker opp vanligvis i første uke i april og ofte hver dag frem til begynnelsen av juli hører jeg den nede i Malvikbukta eller trekkende over huset mot Vikhammer. Den etterhvert eneste par i Malvik kommunen har letet etter mat både på dyrkamark og i fjæra, nedenfor huset mitt i Malvikbukta og på Vikhammer. I år var ankomsten rekord tidlig og jeg hørte sangen allerede 29. mars, men det er blitt helt stille siden, noe som gir meg stor natursorg. Hva som er årsaken til dette vet jeg ikke sikkert, men nedbygging av dyrkamark på Vikhammer, økt ferdsel i fjæra der og motorveiutbyggingen ved Leistad jordene der det mistenkes at fuglene har hekket i en årrekke har sikkert alle bidratt. Jeg har vært urolig for at dette kunne skje i flere år. Vi mistet en annen fugl tilknyttet dyrkamark for ca 8 år siden – vipe, en art som er nå regnet som kritisk truet i Norge . Ifjor 8. august oppdaget jeg noe merkelig i at en ung storspove satt på et hustak nedenfor huset mitt i Malvik sentrum mens foreldrene letet etter mat på mudderflatene nedenfor (video)! Forhåpentligvis blir ikke dette den siste storspove-unger i Malvik….

Av Alastair Rae from London, United Kingdom – Northern Lapwing, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=39994556

Jeg savner stort lyden av storspove og vipe! Jeg savner også sangen av låvesvalen over hagen min, en art som nå er helt bort som hekkefugl fra Malvik til Hundhamaran siden det ikke lenger er hekkeplasser å oppdrive for arten, stæren har også blitt en sjeldenhet og gulspurv er kommet på rødlista som sårbar. Nedbygging av dyrkamark på Vikhammer kan også truer det største overnattingsted for kaiene (en liten kråkefugl) slik jeg har skrevet om tidligere. Fellesnevnen for alle disse artene er at de er tilknyttet dyrkamark og er avhengig av vår hjelp!
KONKLUSJONEN: DEN TAUSE VÅREN HAR ALLEREDE KOMMET TIL MALVIK…
Til slutt en liten minne av storspove sang tatt fra huset mitt i Malvik like før soloppgang  20. april 2020 der man kan høre en rekke andre fuglearter i hagen like før soloppgang! Jeg håper at politikerene i Malvik gjør alt mulig for at dette er noe fremtidig generasjoner også vil kunne glede seg til!

A Charm of Goldfinches

With heavy wet snow overnight weighing down all the plants in the garden together with plummeting air temperature, a flock of goldfinches (stillits) (collectively known as a Charm) were at the bird feeder this morning. I guess it’s more difficult for goldfinches to get at their preferred food, burdock seed (Arctium spp.) in these conditions. 
With bramblings (bjørkefink), greenfinch (grønnfink) and yellowhammers (gulspurv).

Helping Yellowhammers

The yellowhammer (gulspurv) has been showing a worrying decline in Europe (some 40%) and almost 20% in 10 years here in Norway where it is a breeding bird over most of the country where there is agriculture. Doing my little bit by putting out grain (barley / bygg) to help them. A flock of up to 20 birds have been visiting for the last few weeks. Nice to see them now in full sunshine.

Is feeding birds a good thing?


Feeding birds in winter isn’t necessarily a good thing and at least one study has shown that birds lay lower numbers of eggs when fed well, perhaps due to an unnatural unbalanced oil-rich diet: https://blog.nature.org/science/2015/01/05/winter-bird-feeding-good-or-bad-for-birds
However, there are many studies showing the opposite. But is good winter survival and artificially high populations necessarily a good thing apart from entertaining us and increasing awareness of the natural world.
Then there’s the spread of disease at bird feeders as with the greenfinch (grønnfink) in the UK (populations plummeted and bird feeders no doubt contributed to the spread).  That birds are discouraged from migrating and stay in the same area year round can also lead to greater exposure to disease.
But what about the production of bird food? That happens often in large fields, mostly using conventional BigAg non-organic systems which directly impacts local bird populations by pesticides and habitat loss. Here in Norway, little of the bird feed is grown in-country. 
For these reasons, I try as far as possible to provide natural food for the birds so that they can find alternatives and I can delay putting out food as long as possible. Home grown apples are put out for the thrushes, I tidy seed heads in spring and nettle seeds loved by finches are allowed to hang all winter. Local grain can also be put out for yellowhammers (gulspurv).
In the case of goldfinches (stillits), their main food is burdock (borre) and I have introduced Arctium lappa (greater burdock / storborre) to my garden for them and greenfinches (grønnfink). However, at this time of year they tend to move over to the birdfeeder.
Here’s a couple of videos from the weekend of these beautiful birds that once were rare in this part of Norway, but are becoming more common each year. See other goldfinch posts here: https://www.edimentals.com/blog/?s=goldfinch



Yellowhammer song

Despite the deep snow, a yellowhammer (gulspurv) was intent on defending its territory against a second singing male behind me (stopped just as the video starts)

Goldfinch flock returns

They’ve been absent for some time apart from a single bird occasionally. A flock of 6 birds were in the garden most of yesterday:

1) …with Yellowhammers (gulspurv), tree sparrows (pilfink) and house sparrow (gråspurv)

2) ……with greenfinch and yellowhammers (grønnfink og gulspurv)

3) …with a nuthatch doing neck exercises (taken from a film)

Greenfinches sunbathing

Greenfinches (grønnfink) enjoying the sunshine in the garden with a few yellowhamers (gulspurv) amongst the aspen (osp) buds!

Yellowhammers

With deep even snow covering all the fields, grain eaters are hungry. I put out some grain and rolled oats today and it didn’t take long for 50 yellowhammers (gulspurv) to turn up for lunch! But, grain attracts also crows, just as hungry just now!

Grain eaters

With 40-50cm of snow in the farm fields, grain-eating birds are desperate for food. Today, some 30 yellowhammers (gulspurv) and many hooded crows (kråke) and jackdaws (kaie) were at the bird feeder where I’d put out some grain this morning!

First day of spring sign!

The first day of spring, snow showers and, right on the dot, I heard my first yellowhammer singing this morning whilst I was in the outhouse….managed to capture one short “Little bit of bread” phrase.
“1896, Edward Marston, By meadow and stream: pleasant memories of pleasant places
It is delightful to hear the yellowhammer’s song — his only song : “A little bit of bread and no cheese.”
1937, Lovely places I remember (in The Rotarian, volume 50, number 2, February 1937)
“A little bit of bread and no cheese!” cry the yellowhammers petulantly. But no one takes any notice of them.”
In Norwegian they sing:
En-to-tre-fire-fem-seks-syv) with weight on syv.