Taken on 11/06/2020
I discovered the bird in the shade by the path in the wood just before 08:30 AM. It sat on a branch about 11 meters from me and revealed a conspicuous rufous tail and rump. I jumped in surprise when the bird suddenly pumped it´s tail up and down. The tip of the tail was hidden behind a tree-trunk and so prevented me from studying the tail´s outer parts. As I realized that I had found a rare bird, my mind raced trying to identify it. Trembling with excitement I photographed the bird. It appeared shy, but tolerated my silent presence. It was not vocal. Suddenly it took off and landed in a tree closer to me, as if to check me out, the tip of the tail still hidden, now behind leaves. One minute later it flew further into the wood and disappeared. On my way back to the car I met birder Simon Rix and I discussed my find with him. After some consideration we secured the ID. I had found the incredibly rare rufous-tailed scrub robin, the first report of this species in Norway in 45 years (1975). I believe the bird belongs to the sub-species syriacus. I reported my find to the Norwegian Ornithological society and many birders found their way to the location and got to see the bird, who stayed for just this one day.
3 likes
1 comment