Engerdal 11-18 June 2025 - Engerdal calling

A visit to Engerdal in June is part of the annual routine and this year was no exception. Always too long since the last visit and as ever I was keen to see what was about.

We headed up on 11th June with a stop in Hamar on the way up, just as normal. An hour or two Åkersvika gave some good species with singing Rosefinch rosenfink, Little Ringed Plover dverglo, two Osprey fiskeørn, a variety of other wader species and a Goosander laksand with 10 young.

At Heggeriset in the evening a few minutes birding gave a couple of Kestrel tårnfalk, Swifts tårnseiler and the usual hirundines.

I was up bright and early the next day doing my usual first day round. Highlights were many including a Hawk Owl haukugle, Ospreys fiskeørn (inlcluding birds on a nest) and Black Woodpecker svartspett (in the garden!) Also eight Velvet Scoter sjøorre on Galtsøen which I considered a bit strange so late in June - still waiting for somewhere to thaw or given up and moving on? Plenty of birds about in general but few waders compared to previous years.

Golden Plover heilo in the churchyard in Engerdal

Roadside Hauk Owl haukugle

I had to work all day on 13.06 but a few minutes out produced singing Icterine Warbler gulsanger at Heggeriset. A Swallowtail butterfly in the garden was a nice surprise.

A few hours walking around the Hyllsjøen / Hundsjøen area on 14th June gave some good surprises with another Hawk Owl haukugle and a male Red-backed Shrike tornskate. These in addition to the usual suspects which included a few Siberian Jays lavskrike, at least five male Black Grouse orrfugl, singing Redsarts rødstjert and more. Once again, rather fewer waders than what I used to consider normal.

Red-backed Shrike tornskate

Siberian Jay lavskrike - uncropped!!

On 15.06 I was again not really out but a Mistle Thrush duetrost at Kvilten was nice to see. Lots of Goldeneye kvinand with young on the river at Heggeriset too.

Hare at Drevsjø

Mistle Thrush duetrost at Kvilten

Pied Flycatcher svarthvit fluesnapper at Drevsjø

On 16.06 I managed a pre work foray into the hills - Svarthammaren. Here singing Tree Pipits trepiplerke as I got out of the car, Ring Ousel ringtrost playing hard to get, a surprise Green Sandpiper skogsnipe (don't often see them so high up), several of the more expected Wood Sandpipers grønnstilk, singing Yellow Wagtails gulerle, Black-throated Diver storlom on the nest, Whimbrel småspove, Golden Plover heilo and more. 

Much more surprising was a Beaver, well above the treeline. Not sure what was going on there!

Beaver above the treeline

Black-throated Diver storlom trying to hide

Pictures heavily cropped - no way was I going closer to this bird that obviously had something important going on

Wood Sandpiper grønnstilk

A very smart Yellow Wagtail gulerle

The way home produced Garden Warbler hagesanger and a nice Golden Eagle kongeørn:)

The 17th June was the last full day in this wonderful area and I spent the morning doing my usual round of Galtsjøen, Isterfossen and Drevsjø along with a little side trip to Sorken.

37 Black-headed Gull hettemåke on Galtsjøen was quite a high number - but again a bit concerning as these birds should have been breeding somewhere at this time.

Isterfossen punched above its usual weight with a Herring Gull gråmåke (strange time to see an adult bird in Engerdal), Grey Wagtail vinterle, Icterine Warbler gulsanger and more.

Other birds seen during the morning included Slavonian Grebe horndykker, Red-throated Diver smålom and several Black-throated Diver storlom.

Herring Gull gråmåke at Isterfossen

Slavonian Grebe horndykker

A pre-breakfast walk on the last morning saw me on the edge of Kvisleflået. Just a couple of female Black Grouse orrfugl and a couple of singing Mistle Thrush duetrost of note.

xxx

Engerdal 18.10-24.10.2024 - Getting ahead of the invasions

Several days spent bucking the trend by heading east instead of staying put lost me a few good birds on the home front but at the same time put me in touch with a number of species that are impossible to see in Øygarden. I saw around 50 species there, several of which had not been reported thus far this year in Engerdal. I managed to get out for a few mornings in this magical area where I always have the feeling something can turn up:)

Partly due to low cloud and poor visibility it was hard going for some of the time but obviously still plenty of birds about and the first hints of some interesting stuff on the move - for example small numbers of Waxwings sidensvans starting to show and a single Pine Grosbeak konglebit seen and heard at Isterfossen.

On 18th October I started with my usual Engerdal round - checking a few of the lakes and surrounding areas to get a feel for what was about. Best bird was a female Scaup bergand at Vurrusjøen where there was also a decent flock of Goosander laksand. Otherwise it was just the usual species including several Whooper Swan sangsvane, a couple of Black-throated Diver storlom, Dippers fossekall and so on.

Scaup bergand at the Drevsjø end of Vurrusjøen

The following morning I headed a bit higher up to Hyllsjøen but low cloud and poor visibility up here meant things were a bit hard going. Nothing special at all, just small numbers of thrushes and a few Waxwings sidensvans. Back down in the valley a flock of six Waxwing sidensvans at Heggeriset and some good flocks of Redwing rødvingetrost, Fieldfare gråstrost and Starling stær in downtown Engerdal.

Part of a flock of at least 32 Starling stær in downtown Engerdal - probably the biggest flock I've seen of this species in the area

Waxwings sidensvans at Heggeriset

Sunday 20.10 was spent mostly at the house but a flock of 57 Pinkfeet kortnebbgåas heading south was a good sighting and later in the afternoon I connected with a late Robin rødstrupe and a Wren gjerdesmett along with a nice flock of charming Long-tailed Tits stjertmeis.

Long-tailed Tit stjertmeis at Heggeriset

No birding the next day but on Tuesday 22.10, another cloudy day, I kept in the lowlands again. The Scaup bergand remained at Drevsjø where I also heard Waxwing sidensvans and had a distant flock of around 150 geese heading south - presumably Pinkfeet kortnebbgås. I also managed to pick up Treecreeper trekryper and Crested Tit toppmeis in the Drevsjø area - neither of which I see every time I am in the area.

I then tried some promising areas on the edge of the Kvisleflået nature reserve where I was rewarded with good views of a female Capercaille storfugl from the car. A walk in the woods produced almost no birds at all but, just as I returned to the car feeling a bit disappointed a couple of Siberian Jays lavskrike turned up and put on a real show - saving the day by a long way:)

Typical view of Capercaille storfugl

Siberian Jay lavskrike - just love this species, what a character and the places in which it resides are just wonderful.

The morning of my last full day was spent doing pretty much the same as I did on my first day - a "goodbye" round. This was quite a productive trip with singing (!) Black Grouse orrfugl at Volbrenna, a roadside Willow Grouse lirype near Galten, more Waxwings sidensvans, a flyover Pine Grosbeak konglebit at Isterfossen where I also had a Mistle Thrush duetrost, a small flock of Parrot Crossbills furukorsnebb (the only positively identified crossbills this time around), a couple of Goldfinch stillits at Drevsjø where I also had a flock of 28 Goosander laksand.

Dipper fossekall at Galten

Goldfinch stillits at Drevsjø

Goosander laksand at Galten

Roadside Willow Grouse lirype moulting into winter plumage

On the way home downtown Engerdal produced a late Blackcap munk and good numbers of thrushes and finches.

Fieldfare gråtrost

Redwings rødvingetrost

The last morning was spent in and around Heggeriset, a distant aythya duck proved too far off to identify conclusively but was either Tufted Duck toppand or Scaup bergand. Plenty of Brambling bjørkefink still around, along with Whooper sangsvane, Goldeneye kvinand, Mallard stokkand and a Wigeon brunnakke on the lake.

Blackbird svarttrost

Brambling bjørkefink