One good tern...

News of a white-winged tern at Sandön got me a little edgy. Having seen black tern today - it had a certain symmetry about it to go see a white-winged too. Mrs B gave the OK (an early birthday present) and I headed out the door. As I was driving past the turning to Ranarpstrand however, an inner voice told me to just check it out. I did this and found four avocet by the car park, they are regular here in early May it seems but never stick long. A patch year-tick. Driving off I felt a little better about leaving the patch to go twitching again - twice in one day.

Arriving at Sandön I was slightly concerned to find the site devoid of birders. But then I remembered I was in Sweden and went and found the bird. In the UK if the car park was empty on arrival at a twitch you would know that the bird had been killed by a cat/car/sparrowhawk or simply flown off! Here you just get to find the bird yourself. Twenty minutes later I was back on the road. First stop was on-patch at the new wetland at Klarningen. A few birds are being attracted in to the shallow pools that are already present. Highlights here were a couple of wheatears (breeding?), a pair of curlew and a single little ringed plover.

Klarningen - under construction and already attracting birds

Last stop of the day was nearby Eskilstorp pools where the grasshopper warbler was reeling away and the big surprise was an early marsh warbler.