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Saturday, January 2, 2010

Pine fresh flash

This morning I had a quick look for the shorelark on the patch before heading for another crack at the pine grosbeak in Småland. The shorelark at Grytskaren played hard to get, frustratingly a lark flew low north past me as I walked up the beach. It appeared to drop into dead ground just around the corner but I could not relocate it. The only bird of note here was a single Slavonian grebe. Driving out we had a superb close goshawk over the road near Västra Ljungby - my third this year and still no sign of a sparrowhawk!

Arriving late in the day at Vaggeryd was chancy, but it only took me 45 minutes to track the pine grosbeak down. What a bird, well worth the wait, you can check it out here. I think it is a first-winter male. I have seen grosbeaks before, but they never fail to impress. Also here the usual mass of bullfinches and fieldfares and a single redwing.

Typically the target of yesterday's abortive search (the steppe eagle) had plenty of visitors today and showed quite well... I will have to find the time for a crack at it again - and perhaps search for the nearby short-toed treecreeper too.

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