wildfowl count - part 2 (20140920)

The second part of my September wildfowl count produced some great birds including two BK year-ticks - nice to get a reward sometimes.

Getting out of the car at Torekovs rev just after 0800 was greatly enlivened by a close flyby Richard's pipit, calling well as it flew low south (just flushed from golf course?). Only my second BK record and my first self-found bird. Excellent. The rev was otherwise quiet although six shoveler were present, barnacle geese were obviously moving in modest numbers and a single bar-tailed godwit was only my second of the year...

Next stop was Rålehamn where a brief glimpse of a wryneck was confirmed by a sudden, surprising and very brief burst of song. The rest of the count up to Hovs Hallar passed without further excitement.

jays (20140919)

A few jays over the roof this morning were indicative of a small movement noted at nearby coastal watch points during the day.

wildfowl count - part 1 (20140917)

Did the first half of my September wildfowl count this morning. Finally lost the battle to save the tooth damaged by sinusitis this morning and so wandered the coast trying to stem the bloodflow from my jaw! Unpleasant...

The coast was rather quiet with few wildfowl available to count and little else of note really. Highlights though included: shag (2 - Torekov), peregrine (1 adult on Vinga Skär), greenshank (1 - Påarps Mal),  Sandwich tern (2 - Dagshög) and calling crossbills at Torekovs rev.

Klarningen (20140915)

An hour in the afternoon produced just one record of note, a huge flock of 121 ruff on site, roosting on the pools or feeding out in the fields with lapwing.

poorly (20140913)

Bronchitis/asthma laid me during the week but it was good to get out for a breath of fresh air. Torekovs rev for an hour provided highlights in the shape of a nice merlin and two sanderlings. Nearby at Påarps Mal were at least six shags.

emptying

Had 40 minutes at Klarningen this afternoon, as I drove over the hill it was obvious that many migrant passerines have gone south for the winter over the last week. Klarningen was rather quiet too with just a greenshank (1), snipe (12), wheatear (2) and whinchat (3).

eagle

2K white-tailed eagle over Klarningen this morning

Had an hour at Klarningen part of a bid to take a day off from the roof and try and get over the virus that has been dogging me for weeks. A white-tailed eagle perched up for a while was the easy highlight of the session which also included little grebe (1), shoveler (1) and ruff (4). Rather quiet.

roof birds and a BK tick

Been on the roof again this week but most of the hammering and noisy machine work is finished and so the ear-defenders are off and I have become a birder again. Birds have been on the move this week with migrants obviously passing over the house most mornings. Crossbills and hawfinches have been regularly heard and in amongst them I have had the toy-trumpet call of the two-barred crossbill on two occasions. Not bad.

My weekly visit to Klarningen today ended with a single penduline tit call coming from the poolside willows behind the tower just as I had to leave to pick up the kids. A BK tick nonetheless. Otherwise plenty of wildfowl on site but the afternoon light made going through them problematical. Waders present included ruff (22), wood sandpiper (3) and green sandpiper (1). Passerines on the gorund included yellow wagtail (3), whinchat (7) and wheatear (5).

pochard

Still busy re-roofing the house but had 30 minutes at Klarningen this afternoon and year-ticked pochard at last (single male), which took me to 195 in BK for the year. Will I Get to 200? En route over Hallandsåsen there were notable numbers of migrant passerines including yellow wagtail, whinchat, pied flycatcher and red-backed shrike. Klarningen was full of water and had a a good number of wildfowl and a few waders. Other than the pochard other notables included shoveler (1), ruff (3), green sandpiper (1), wood sandpiper (2), greenshank (2) and redshank (2).

wader go

 My first grey plover of the year...

With rain forecast for most of the day I stayed off the roof and went birding instead. Been a while. Torekov was the obvious location as a number of potential wader year-ticks have been recorded there recently, the best of it being two broad-billed sandpipers. It took me a while to nail the main flock of waders down but I found a couple of sanderling on the beach and had three curlew sandpipers briefly whilst I was searching. The wader flock also contained a grey plover, a little stint, two broad-billed sandpipers and three knot. Ended the session with six year-ticks!

Nearby at Norra Ängalag it was pretty quiet, just 8 dunlin but evidence of passerine migration with showy redstart and spotted flycatcher available.

Nice

 Needed

more broad-bill

In the afternoon I engineered some time at Klarningen. Waders here too with spotted redshank (1), ruff (3), dunln (1), wood sandpiper (2) and green sandpiper (1) being the best of it.

lesser spot

Still busy on the roof but managed a calling lesser spotted woodpecker from the breakfast table this morning. An overdue BK year-tick.

nutcrackers

Still busy putting a roof on the house and in the longest spell of non-birding since I met Mrs B all those years ago. That said I could not fail to notice the two nutcrackers that flew over the car at Sinarpsdalen today.