Two bar!

A really exciting day today with plenty of milestones achieved. BK delivers the goods in spades as usual. Kicked off in the rain at Stora Hult. This stretch of beach has plenty of rotting weed and will be worth keeping an eye on this autumn. Plenty of waders shared between here and neighbouring (off-patch) Vejbystrand; totals included ringed plover (90), golden plover (145), knot (7), little stint (4), Temminck's stint (4), curlew sandpiper (12), dunlin (90), ruff (2), greenshank (1) and spotted redshank (1). Curlew sandpiper was my 200th bird species in BK this year.

A wander between Grytskären and Ranarpsstrand produced a few oystercatchers, three more spotted redshank, four greenshank and plenty of common sandpipers but the site was disturbed by fishermen.

After a lengthy spell of housework I nipped out again in the afternoon, chasing Aeshna subarctica. Despite overcast conditions there were a few males patrolling at the site at Bränneslätt when I arrived and eventually one found it's way into the net. My 50th Swedish dragonfly of the year! As if this was not enough two two-barred crossbills flew over calling, they were chipping away but included at least two diagnostic nasal toots on their trumpets as they went over. BK tick!

Aeshna subarctica can be tricky to identify in flight, although with practise they can be picked out. It is much easier to identify in the hand of course and the key features are illustrated in these photos. The underneath of the thorax has two yellow stripes.

No yellow spots behind the eyes, cf juncea.

The facial suture line (between the frons and the postclypeus) widens at the base (near the eye).