that flu by

Had yet another look at the 'eastern' black redstart at Rålehamn this morning, it looks in good health and was as confiding as usual, allowing a close approach.

Got out for the first time after eleven days laid up with 'real' flu, the whole team went down with it so it got pretty messy. Mrs B also contracted pneumonia and so the road to full recovery is looking long. The only bird noted whilst poorly was a garden tick stock dove blazing north on 23/2. But nice weather tempted us out for the first time today for some low-energy sitting in the sun and looking at birds.

Skylarks have successfully returned in numbers in my absence and both shelduck (13) and oystercatcher (14) made showy additions to the avifauna at Torekov rev. These three species are the earliest returnees every year. We tried but failed to find a ringed plover during the morning, another early bird. The rev also had a superb 2K peregrine sitting on it and fifteen bean geese migrated north overhead.

Moving on we checked out Rålehamn and found the eastern black redstart to be as obliging as usual. Driving round to Ripagården produced a great grey shrike at Norra Ängalag but Ripagården was quiet, although we were really running out of steam by this stage. Spring has begun though and hopefully we will soon be back in the thick of it.