pm session

Had a look around on the hill this afternoon, bumping into two pairs of crane, a spotted flycatcher (year-tick) and three whopper swans. A quick look into Klarningen produced a lifer red fox for Number 1. Also here hobby (2), shoveler (20), ruff (5), little ringed plover (2) and lots of swifts (at last!).

finally a self-found firecrest! (20150524)

Phwoar!

Went out looking for invertebrates with the team in the afternoon during a patch of sun. Slowly walking the long loop at Killeröd produced some nice stuff and a few birds too. BK has experienced an influx of firecrests this spring and so it was no surprise that I finally found one of my own today when a male started singing right next to me. I have spent so many days in previous springs listening near suitable stands of spruce without success so this bird was very well-received. There are perhaps three or four males singing in BK at the moment! Other birds included a few cuckoos and some singing tree pipits (an overdue year-tick!).

bugging and honeys arrive

Took the kids out bugging at Greviebackar after school. When they weren't accidently whacking each other with the net things went quite smoothly in a rare patch of sun. We found several new micromoths, a new hoverfly and enjoyed being out and about. As usual the haul will take some time to fully identify... The easy bird highlight was two honey buzzards migrating overhead at the start but icterine warbler was skulking about and singing sporadically too.

 Number 2 earned an icecream by finding this smart little cantharid (Cantharis decepiens) at Greviebackar today. New for BK.

Honey buzzard falls at last, two migrated overhead at the start of our walk.

micro magic

Found this little micro (and I mean little) in the garden settled on a Salix leaf near our big birch trees. Apparently an Ectoedemia occultella, a leaf-miner on birch. May saw me start to pan-list in earnest and I have got my BK list to 544 already! What will the total be by the end of the year?

Spent most of the day in and around the house. Lunch time found me prowling the garden for my first Ectoedemia occultella - a really dinky micromoth. An afternoon session with Number 1 had us searching the beech woodland at Tvehöga for the singing red-breasted flycatcher. No sign but great to hear the wood warblers here. A quick look at Klarningen produced three ruff, two wood sandpipers and a common sandpiper. Recently-hatched goldeneye fluffies were on the water and a pair each of shoveler and gadwall were of note.

Arctic

My first Arctic terns for some time straggled through Yttre Kattvik heading west today

Got up early for a chilly and occasionally wet seawatch at Yttre Kattvik that failed to deliver despite some ferocious westerly winds. Finished a five-hour session with totals of: fulmar (1), black-throated diver (3), merlin (1 north), kittiwake (3), Sandwich tern (2) and best of all Arctic tern (34 west). Disappointing not to bag a shearwater.

On the way home I checked out Lya ljunghed for singing cuckoo and a pair of red-backed shrikes. Driving up Sinarpsdalen was greatly improved by a hobby flying alongside the car for a while.

late purple sandpipers

Had a quick look at Torekovs rev today which turned up five late purple sandpipers but not much else.

quick Klarningen (20150514)

A quick fifteen minute session at Klarningen revealed just a pair of shoveler and a scouting adult white-tailed eagle.

Cory's dip (20150513)

Flying home I was unsurprised to find that I had dipped Cory's shearwater yet again. This species is really giving me the runaround! I spent three hours in the afternoon at Yttre Kattvik but without success, the bird presumably long gone as the westerly wind decreased. I did get a fulmar, five kittiwakes and four gannets for my trouble though.

failed twitch - UK DK (20150511)

With a trip to the home country on the cards, the news the day before I left that the UK's second citril finch had pitched up in Holkham Pines caused a sense of twitchy excitement. Flying in and shooting straight out to pick up Ed Parnell, we headed up to check the site, knowing that the bird had only been seen early morning and not shown since. We arrived well after lunch and had a look along the edge of the pines but did not hold out much hope. Eventually we called it a day and headed for some nearby dotterel. I will draw a veil over the birding abilities I displayed here but I learnt a lot about what flying dotterel look like low, at range and in harsh light. Hopefully this will stand me in good stead at some point as I still have to find this species in BK...

great hobby (20150509)

Had a quick birthday birding session after going through two largely empty moth traps (frost overnight!). Checked Ripagården en route to Hovs Hallar. A little ringed plover was singing in the carpark, together with a cuckoo and the first of three thrush nightingales. Walking the site suggested a light fall overnight with plenty of wheatears, a single redstart and a few lesser whitethroat on the ground. Offshore a single black-throated diver and three red-necked grebes. Walking back to the car I was overtaken by a hobby powering inland.

double shift (20150507)

I did a quick morning look-in at Klarningen and bagged a few year-ticks. I love this time of year. A scan though the waders produced two Temminck's stint, two wood sandpiper, a greenshank and a common sandpiper. In amongst the swirl of hirundines halted by the cool conditions were at least five sand martins. In the UK sand martin was always the first hirundine on my year-list each year but here it has been the last every year...

In the cool and blustery evening I returned to Klarningen chasing Martin E's great snipe from last night, whilst I waited for dusk I enjoyed a nice session. A crane greeted me on the access track. The female merlin was still buzzing about. A pair of gadwall and shoveler were on site and a few water rails were squealing in the Juncus. Two greenshank and a glorious summer-plumaged spotted redshank fed in front of the tower. Eventually and just as I was starting to feel despondent the great snipe broke into song. Nice.

Not said much about my mothing on the blog, just finished my first month of light-trapping and the learning curve has been very steep. I will start posting the best-looking species soon when it gets a little calmer. This scarce prominent (Odontosia carmelita) fell to my mobile UV trap at Bränneslätt after dark. A great looking species.

On the way home I snoozed in the car at Bränneslätt whilst my mobile UV moth trap did some work. An hour-and-a-half was enough to net me a new moth - two splendid scarce prominents (Odontosia carmelita).

sylvias (20150505)

Hit the coast today trying to catch up on the flush of migrants that have come in whilst I was away. First up was a wander around Öllövsstrand, where I quickly mopped up the three common Sylvia warblers and got a bonus pair of grey partridge to boot.

Påarps mal next and the expected pair of little tern were available and a greenshank flew past. Also here a few yellow wagtails and a common sandpiper.

In the afternoon either side of a meeting with my accountant I checked Klarningen (nice female merlin and 13 wood sandpipers in 15 minutes) and Petersberg (low water here produced a single green sandpiper and the what's left of the reedbed had a singing reed warbler).

back on patch

After travelling home overnight from Corfu I was feeling a bit groggy but managed to get out for 40 minutes at Klarningen. Lots of new stuff in - a singing wood sandpiper was a first and also here 15 ruff, two spotted redshank and a handful of yellow wagtails. Five gadwall were present too.