after the storm (20150105)

A 2k kittiwake, taking time out from the open sea to grace the shores of Eskilstorpsstrand.

Tried to catch up on a few species spotted in the last four dyas, notably a good goose flock at Klarningen yesterday. No sign of any exciting geese here this morning but I did catch up with greylag (8), kestrel (1) and a nice reed bunting.

In the afternoon the kids and I checked Eskilstorpsstrand and found a stray kittiwake and 18 snow buntings on the beach.

January seawatch

A scattering of kittiwake through Båstad today but nothing compared to the numbers logged by observers on the west coast of BK.

Gale-force westerlies! With the car on the blink I got a late lift for some seawatching at Båstad and came home on the bus later. This worked quite well although I was on my own so had to find everything myself but probably missed a pomarine skua as a result. With no car I could not be anywhere else really so could not grumble. It was rather slow seawatch (typical for January) but it being the New Year everything was shiny and new. Birds through included; great northern diver (1), Slavonian grebe (7), little gull (3), kittiwake (12) and guillemot (1). In the harbour were kingfisher (1) and coot (26). Offshore I enjoyed the scaup (55) and long-tailed duck (4).

winter seawatch

 Lightly-oiled kittiwake

Little gull

Rocked up rather late for a winter seawatch this morning in a strong NW blow. Sadly I arrived 15 minutes after a possible Leach's petrel went through... A couple of hours at Yttre Kattvik did produce two fulmar, a few gannets, lots of kittiwakes and three little gulls. On the way home I got close to another (or the same) three little gulls close in at Kattvik and took photographs until my hands froze. I need some winter camera gloves!

to the sea again

Kittiwakes passage seemed to slow up today but I still logged 65 through Yttre Kattvik in two hours.

More seawatching for me this morning. I arrived fashionably late yet again at Yttre Kattvik to find no parking space in the carpark and the news that I had missed a Sabine's gull and the entire gallery had missed another great northern diver, reported at sites either side as it went west. That's seawatching! Settled down quickly and enjoyed a two-hour spell that produced; fulmar (6), sooty shearwater (1), gannet (38), knot (1), pomarine skua (1K), great skua (6), kittiwake (65) and one little auk. But still no Leach's petrels or red phalaropes, so when a significant contingent departed for Båstad mid-morning I went too and this paid off handsomely.

This time a move to Båstad was inspired and we were quickly watching a close red phalarope, followed by my first Sabine's gull of the day, this little 1K beauty.

The first hour at Båstad was incredible. Arriving we were straight on to a red phalarope just off the pier. A 1K Sabine's gull followed quickly and then the first of two Leach's petrels. Great stuff. Also here seven brent geese (west), a scaup west, three little gulls and a close little auk.

At least seven fulmar through today, including this scruffy individual at Båstad.

During the morning someone told me that a Sabine's gull had been reported on a ploughed field east of Båstad. With a sinking feeling I presumed that it was on the fields along the access track to Klarningen [and this did indeed turn out to be the case]. So when Båstad had produced the goods I nipped up to see if the Sabine's gull was still there. It had gone, but the site's first little gull (an adult) had taken it's place. A quick look at the wetland revealed nothing untoward.

Last stop of the day was a quick 40 minutes at Eskilstorpsstrand, this proved to be inspired as I shared the beach with a fantastic 1K Sabine's gull that shuttled up and down the beach.

More signs of the windy weather and it's impact on birds at Eskilstorpsstrand; this razorbill was looking peeky and apparently there was a dead little auk further along the beach.

Sabine's gull number 2 was cruising up and down Eskilstorpsstrand and was very good value.

Weekend birding

Dead quiet on the stretch of coastline I walked this morning.

Had a little time in the field today but missed all the good birds in BK today. Two great northern divers and a very late red-backed shrike were gripping. The shrike is doubtless the same slightly damaged individual that has been seen on-and-off at Ripagården during the late autumn. Might be able to catch up with the diver tomorrow hopefully.

Did get an hour walking between Vejbystrand and Ranarpsstrand in the morning. Surprisingly little of note. Two rock pipits at Vejbystrand underlined how scarce these birds are so far this season. A few flocks of greylag geese drifted south, at least ten barnacles in one group too. A dead 1K kittiwake was a reminder that autumn gales are not always fun. The only redshank seen were two at Lervik, again this species is scarce this season. Also two dunlin here and two snipe at Ranarpsstrand. So a fairly quiet walk.

In the afternoon I took the team out to try and show them a little auk, that was showing well yesterday at Torekov harbour. No joy sadly. Offshore a gannet and a couple of kittiwakes remained from the gale though. Driving away Perstorp produced a single jay, much more notable than they were two weeks ago.

Windy weather

A 1K little gull one of the highlights of today's seawatching action.

At last a gale from the west, albeit short-lived. I had to fit two sessions in around my domestic duties today but was pretty happy with the rewards. Kicked off about an hour after first light at Yttre Kattvik. We did poorly here for an hour and a half, getting gripped off from both Båstad to the east and Hovs Hallar to the west. It was nice to be able to sit in the car during the windy squalls that came through though! Highlights here included a close Slavonian grebe flying past, at least 40 kittiwake, ten guillemot and 50 razorbill.

When the rain stopped I headed over to Båstad and straight away we were into new birds. Far out my first sooty shearwater of the day was shearing madly (perhaps three during the session to midday). Also here the only gannet of the day, one adult little gull west, and more kittiwake, guillemot and razorbill. Walking back to the car, I searched the shoreline finding two more little gulls and about a dozen kittiwakes loafing about (all offering photographic possibilities at last).

Adult little gull

Most of the kittiwakes involved in the today's action were 1K birds as usual.

Had to nip back to do the school run and then Mrs B and the team dropped me off at Eskilstorpstrand for the final late-afternoon session. Missed the red phalaropes at Båstad by making this decision but as ever Eskilstorpsstrand produced some great birds; had a pomarine skua going high east and a puffin north almost straight away but the wind was dying and things quietened down a lot after that. A solitary snow bunting kept me company.

Happily ignorant of the red phalaropes at Båstad I checked out Klarningen last thing. The wind had dropped away to almost nothing, and so have the numbers of wildfowl at Klarningen. I think the site must be being disturbed. Just 25 wigeon and 25 teal this evening. The four tufted duck remain, as do the pair of mute swan (no doubt having arrived they will never leave).

First snow bunting of the season all on its own at Eskilstorpsstrand this afternoon.

Not a bad day, dipped little auk (small numbers through during my midday break) and the two grey phalaropes. Will try for both tomorrow, they may hang about...

Wrecked!

About 35-40 kittiwakes were feeding along the seafront at Båstad this morning. Drop outs after yesterday's big blow.

Today was always going to be challenging. Unlike yesterday I had the car, unlike yesterday I also had three kids and Ma B (the latter suffering from shingles). Conditions for sea-watching looked better than yesterday... In the end we made a decent go of it and I got another patch year-tick.

We headed to Båstad for a walk after breakfast, near the play-ground we found a large flock of unhappy looking kittiwake feeding just off the shoreline. I checked carefully through them for anything interesting and scanned the outer harbour. A gannet flew past close-by. As we played happily, the Cory's shearwater flew past an admiring gallery, just as I was pretending to be a dolphin probably. I am sure I am going to see this bird this autumn, but today was not the day (again). We walked on to check the inner harbour. But this time the nearby kittiwake flock included a superb, but very scruffy 1K Sabine's gull! Nice one.

1K birds outnumbered adults by 7 to 1.

Nothing beats a close-up view of a pelagic bird.

Very adolescent, the bird gave a pathetic begging call all the time.

The only flight view I managed. Nice though.

Unfortunately as we approached the harbour we met some birders, they gripped me rigid (Manx and Cory's shearwater) and I told them about the Sabine's gull. It seemed an unfair exchange of information somehow. From the pier I spotted four pomarine skuas, two fulmars and two sooty shearwaters. Things were obviously still very good. Moving the kids onto the beach, I hunkered down for ten minutes at Skansenbadet. I told the guys there about the Sabines's and most of them left to see it. Amazingly in the ten minute watch, I found a Leach's petrel, not a close one, but unmistakeable. So not a bad walk, just glad to have got out and been a part of it really. Leach's was my 7th patch year-tick in two days, bringing the BK year-list to 213. Last year I got 208, so I am chuffed to have raised the bar. It ain't over yet though and that Cory's is still out there...

The Sabine's twitch later in the day. I have found megas that got smaller total crowds than this.

Oh I do love a blow!

BK got visitors from all over Sweden and Denmark today, the forecast winds did not let us down and brought a fantastic number of seabirds.

Wind speed picked up during the day, flooding out a variety of animals, the most surprising call during the day was "American mink going left". It trotted along the path right in front of us!

Small numbers of kittiwake were present throughout most of the day, a few IK Sabine's gull were also in the mix.

If you had told me I would be able to sit down for 11 hours sea-watching last year, I would have laughed a lot. But that is what happened today at Båstad and I actually enjoyed it. The forecast winds arrived and birds appeared in good numbers about two hours after dawn. Totals for the day: red-throated diver (10), black-throated diver (3), Slavonian grebe (1), great crested grebe (1), red-necked grebe (3), fulmar (2), sooty shearwater (12), storm-petrel sp. (1 - would have been a Leach's but they behaved badly off Båstad today), gannet (25), merlin (1), bar-tailed godwit (2), dunlin (44), golden plover (6), great skua (3), pomarine skua (3-5), Arctic skua (1), long-tailed skua (5 1K), kittiwake (50), Sabine's gull (2 1K), Sandwich tern (5), Arctic tern (3), little auk (1), puffin (1), guillemot (35) and razorbill (1). Superb day - missed a few things though (great northern diver, Manx shearwater and Leach's all reported from Båstad today). A little further west at Hovs Hallar and Yttre Kattvik they many more birds in the morning but Båstad is better for prolonged views of stuff stuck in the corner of the bay, ideal for a seawatching tart like myself.

A great bonus for me during the day was when Tommy Holmgren and Greg McIvor pointed out a passing 'yellow-legged' gull - examination of Tommy's photographs proved it to be my first patch Caspian gull (1K). I have got to get a better camera!