Do you see this in Oslo? Do like erik

Erik Holm (30) was out for a walk when he passed a kindergarten at Carl Berner in Oslo on Saturday 7 November. There he saw something out of the ordinary:

– I saw a big bird next to a fence in kindergarten. At first I thought it was a seagull, but I went over to see what it was, says Erik.

It was not a seagull at all, but a kind of bird that I had never seen in Oslo before. Erik says he found out he could call Bird Aid, and they knew tips:

– They said it was a guillemot that came to Oslo with strong winds. They cannot fly until they have a great distance in the water. There were probably several hundred birds of this species that had made an emergency landing in the city, he tells Dagbladet.

For 45 minutes, Erik walked with the bird in his arms on his way to rescue in the Oslo fjord.

BIRD ASSISTANT: Erik Holm with the guillemot in his hands. Photo: Private
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– It wasn’t that hard to catch, and it relaxed quickly after a few attempts to pinch me with its beak, he says.

Holm says she got a lot of funny looks while walking with the special bird in her hands.

But the fate of the guillemots in Oslo is dark:

“In recent days, dead guillemots and algae have been found in Frognerkilen and other parts of Oslo. These rare seabirds have been carried by the wind from the Skagerrak and the Norwegian Sea. “

The Oslo Urban Environment Agency writes a post on Facebook.

“On land they are defenseless, they have to go to the sea to find food (fish) and take off.”

When Erik had gone down to the Oslo Fjord, he documented the guillemot’s journey out of Oslo.

• Check out the video on the top of the case.

He looked around for a few seconds, before swimming underwater. It was a nice sight, says the 30-year-old.

Erik Holm documented the finding in a Facebook post to encourage others to be aware. In less than 24 hours, the publication has received almost 4,000 shares.

– It’s good that people take it seriously.

Erik also has an appeal to others in the area:

– It is not a problem to pick it up, and it is always a good feeling after helping animals or people.

Fortunately, the guillemot had a longer life thanks to Erik’s vigilance.

The Urban Environment Agency reports on the following measures, in case you also come across a guillemot:

• If you find a lost bird on the ground, transport it to the sea, preferably in a cardboard box.
• If necessary, report to the Falck Animal Ambulance at tel. 02222 so they can transport the bird to the sea (Falck works on behalf of the Urban Environment Agency).
• Don’t feed auks bread, they only eat fish and shellfish.
• Inform the Urban Environment Agency if you find any more dead auks. They can be delivered directly to the Tøyen Museum of Natural History.