Letter from Norwegian birdwatcher

Just received [gratefully] the following note from Norwegian birdwatcher Oivind Egeland. He provided the fine photos on this page

Downy Woodpecker [male]

Pine Warbler

,

Northern Flicker

Ruby-crowned Kinglet

Hi Marie,

I just wanted to tell you that I have been enjoying your blog over the past few weeks. I am a Norwegian birdwatcher, and I spent this weekend in New York. Going through your blog, especially the posts from mid april over the years, was both an excellent preparation and an inspiration. Birding wasn’t the reason I went to the city, but together with a friend I managed to find the time for two morning strolls in the park. I’ve never really watched birds in the States before, so coming before the major waves of migratory birds arrive was maybe just as well - it gave us the time to identify the birds we saw, and even learn some sounds. The next time, though, I will come one month later, and make birding the number one priority!

We saw pretty much what everyone else saw, and the highlights were the Palm and Pine Warblers. On our last day (April 12th), we counted around 15 pine warblers, mostly males but also a few females, in the east end of Azalea Pond. There were also two or three Palm Warblers among them. I guess at least some of them were new arrivals, and the experience gave us a taste of what is coming over the next month.

Anyway, thank you for a wonderful blog, I will be following you from now on. I’m attaching a few Pictures of Palm and Pine Warblers, a Ruby-crowned Kinglet, a Northern Flicker and a male Downy. Feel free (but not obliged!) to use them for any purpose.

Yours,

 Øivind Egeland