A good day - 02/09/09

Kicked off at dawn at Torekov - a grey day with a blustery SW wind. I was busy counting waders when I found a red-necked phalarope (presumably Sunday's bird?), it flew off almost immediately and I could not relocate it. Elusive! Other waders included; redshank (5), common sandpiper (1), ruff (1), turnstone (2), dunlin (25), knot (3), ringed plover (20) and golden plover (64). Wildfowl were obviously on the move too with gadwall (2) and pintail (4) new in.

Checked out Hasslarp after breakfast with Mrs B. We sadly managed to overlook an adult black-necked grebe which was reported just five minutes before our arrival (I must get that pager soon it seems!). But we had a good session here nevertheless. The easy highlight was a string of eight honey buzzards migrating over the site. A few wildfowl evident here too, with teal (160), shoveler (20) and pochard (2) noteworthy. Not many waders though with just ruff (6), wood sandpiper (1) and snipe (5).

An hour at Sandön produced a large number of geese (800 barnacle and 350 greylag). Searching through the goose horde looking for neck-collars I was surprised to find a small cackling goose (minima). It was obviously paired with a barnacle and they flew off together towards Rönnen after a decent grilling. Educational, but plastic as all hell. In amongst the geese were Slavonian grebe (3), grey plover (2), bar-tailed godwit (9) and oystercatcher (1).

Nipped into Ranarpstrand on the way home (4 bar-tailed godwit south) and took the kids to play at Hålehall stugan (25 common crossbill). Shame about the black-necked grebe but a top day nevertheless.