Birding - 06/09/09

Tried some sea-watching this morning, the winds were a bit light (just 6 m/s) but at this time of year there is always something to look at. So I had an enjoyable 2.5 hours at Båstad but had to put up with a parade of bathing geriatrics going back and forth to the sea (most had clothes on thankfully). I thought the sea would be too cold by now...

The only seabirds proper were a single dark Arctic skua. But there was a large number of birds moving today. Raptors provided plenty of entertainment and included sparrowhawk (10), merlin (1), kestrel (3) and marsh harrier (1). Wildfowl included red-throated diver (1), black-throated diver (2, one rather educational that I mis-identified as a great northern...), Slavonian grebe (1), red-necked grebe (1), great crested grebe (1), shelduck (1), teal (7), wigeon (16), pintail (10) and velvet scoter (male). A trickle of waders was passing too with dunlin (12), sanderling (1), knot (1), ringed plover (4) and grey plover (1).

Nipped back to pick up the kids and we went for a walk at Axeltorpsravinen - no birds of note, we may have been too noisy to spot a dipper (or maybe they have yet to arrive).

Axeltorpsravinen - a very scenic small ravine (cut by a stream coming off the Hallandåsen) in beautiful beech woodland. This is a great winter site for dipper.

Put in another 1.5 hours sea-watching at Yttre Kattvik in the afternoon, whilst the kids played on the beach. Two distant Arctic skuas were mugging terns way offshore. Close in two red-throated divers and a red-necked grebe showed well in the sun (which has briefly re-appeared after a week of grey autumnal weather).

Watching the sea - just two Arctic skuas in the afternoon session. A pom and a long-tailed went through during the middle of the day...

A superb red admiral was in the garden this afternoon - a scarce butterfly here it seems.