Lazy Sunday

Took the team to the beach at Eskilstorpsstrand for a picnic lunch in a brisk easterly wind. The continuous flow of low pressure systems and the constant high winds from different direction each day is starting to get a bit tedious...

Eskilstorpsstrand was quiet but produced a black-throated diver (1), great crested grebe (1) and a kestrel that looked like it was migrating north. Walked the beech woods at Tvehöga for an hour listening for flycatchers but no joy. A quick check of Klarningen revealed a wheatear but nothing of great note.

RBF

With a reasonable westerly blowing it was out to Ripagården for four hours before breakfast. I was hoping for some migrating waders but it did not happen. The highlight was my first kittiwake of the year - a single adult. Early on a few divers were moving; red-throated (9) and black-throated (3). Geese were evident in small numbers with brent goose (25) and barnacle goose (3) being the best of it.

In the afternoon I took the team out for a walk off-patch at Dömestorp and amazingly we connected with a very vocal red-breasted flycatcher - a male but not in full plumage. Stopped in at Klarningen briefly on the way home for whooper swan (2).

Birding - 28/05/10

Nipped out in the morning and walked a few stretches of coast. Vejbystrand/Stora Hultstrand produced six avocet, greenshank (1), common sandpiper (1) and best of all a flock of 41 brent geese. The latter species a patch year-tick and one I missed last year. Walked Grytskaren and Ranarpsstrand next and perhaps had the same flock of brent (43 this time) and two more avocet. Sandwich terns are starting to loaf around. Last stop of the morning was Glimminge which was quiet just shoveler (2) and a single great crested grebe.

In the afternoon the kids and I had to go to Helsingborg, so on the way back we stopped briefly at Hasslarpsdammar. Marsh warbler singing away here and heaps of hirundines and swallows, which received plenty of fruitless attention.

Things look good for a bit of coastal vismig action tomorrow morning.

Odds and sods

Migration continues with icterine, garden and marsh warblers coming through nicely. This red-backed shrike was new in at Torekov this morning.

Had a quick look at Torekov and Norra Ängalag this morning before breakfast. Not much doing but a few icterine, gaarden and marsh warblers singing. After breakfast Number 2 and I headed out to feed the ducks at Båstad - not much here either just two dozing goosander and only three mallard to feed! Checked out Klarningen next.

Trouble at mill. Water levels at Klarningen are dropping fast, they were tinkering with the wind-pump today. Work on the bird-tower continues, it should be finished just in time to watch the last of the water evaporate!

Klarningen was quiet, a ringed plover was new in, otherwise just the usual resident wader team. On the way home we unsuccessfully checked out a reported red-breasted flycatcher at Dömestorp, but were rewarded with a hawfinch vociferously chasing a jay and rescued a stunned blackcap from the road.

Road casualty - hope he made it.

Too tired to...

We were all too tired to do much today after getting in early this morning. Tawny owl and two thrush nightingales could be heard from the garden at one o'clock. Nipped out late for just over an hour at Yttre Kattvik in light westerlies. A few things on the move; Canada goose (50), red-throated diver (16), black-throated diver (1), red-necked grebe (2), and guillemot (2 & patch year-tick). From the trees came the songs of both icterine and garden warbler.

Postcard from Gotland

Just had a great week on Gotland with the family...

"Look Daddy - a snow owl" - it begins... We stopped on the way for lunch at the delightful, family-sized Porsbjärs nature reserve in Halland. It looks good for owls and grouse, we had a surprise wryneck and the first icterine of the year. We will return.

Spent some time at Oskarshamn, the harbour had Arctic terns and a pair of black redstart busily feeding young.

Our cottage at Puser was close to Paviken (where we had these splendid white-tailed eagles), but a little too far away from the key sites in the south.

Caspian terns were frequently observed, I am still waiting patiently for my first patch Caspian.

We watched this dark gotlandicus grass snake trying to swallow a toad for some time.

Waders were a little disappointing, I failed to find any broad-billed sandpipers, a flock of 18 purple sandpipers in good plumage were some consolation.

The incredible flora of Gotland could not be ignored and we spent quite a bit of time looking at the spring flowers. Hepatica nobilis is one of my favourites.

Highlights of a week on Gotland with the team included a staggering three Swedish ticks! I know, not difficult for me but still... Greenish warblers were located on a number of days, singing their songs from the tree-tops. I managed to time my visits to Hoburgsklippan to avoid all the good birds but still managed a self-found white-billed diver (tick Number 2). On the last night a corncrake started singing from the field behind our cottage (Number 3). Other goodies included a brief Richard's pipit on the deck, the abundant collared flycatchers, a superb perched female Montagu's harrier, penduline tit at the nest and singing rosefinches. My total of birds seen in May now stands at 179 and there are still more to come...

You savvy?

Took the kids out this morning. This seemed like a good excuse to twitch off yesterday's singing Savi's warbler at Farhult. So off we went. Walking down to the far end of the reedbed we were soon listening to the Savi's reeling away. Nice one. Also here; gadwall (pair), ringed plover (40), my first grey plover of the year, dunlin (9), spotted redshank (3) and greenshank (1).

Checked out Sandön on the way back. More gadwall (4) here, as well as bar-tailed godwit (1), little gull (1 2K) and grasshopper warbler (heard). Nearer home and back on-patch we dropped in at Ranarpsstrand for our lunch. A cool westerly kept us in the car for this but we ventured out for a short walk. Mating avocet were the highlight but we also had two sparrowhawk north.

In the afternoon Martin Åkesson rang with news of a red-footed falcon off-patch near Skottorp. I could not go straight away but headed out later to miss the bird by 3-4 minutes... On the way home dropped in on Klarningen and in a 20 minute session had one honey buzzard (my first this year) and a female merlin streaking north.

Typically the red-foot returned just as I was sitting down to a meeting at Number 1's new school... Will it stay another day?

Klarningen - water levels are up, the pump was on briefly last week and construction has started on the bird tower.

Long day - 16/05/10

Kicked off early again this morning, walking between Ripagården and Gröthögarna. Two cranes bugling right over my head woke me up. Barnacle geese (160) are still on the move. The seaweed at Dalen produced a single ruff, also two greenshank later on. Watching from the point produced plenty of razorbill (10) commuting past. Again small number sof red-throated divers on the move and two black-throated.

Took the kids to feed the ducks at Båstad after breakfast, a few scoter offshore and one male scaup (easily my latest on the patch). Headed for Klarningen next to have a good look round but the phone rang twice, Martin Ekenberg and Martin Åkesson were watching an alpine swift on Kullen (an hour south)... Alpine swift is a mega here evidently, judging by the attention this bird got. If birds like that were nearby I was determined to stay on patch and see what was about. We went up to Hovs Hallar for a look. Not much doing here in an hour and a half, just 6 swifts through!

A evening/night session beckoned as I still needed tawny and long-eared owl for the year and nightjars are in too. Started at Flytermossen where swifts were abundant (40) and a big flock of house martin (55) and barn swallow (20) were flying about. Nothing unusual in the reedbed. Checked the wetland at Norra Ängalag too, just two dunlin on the coast. Lastly I drove slowly round Älemossen - too cold for nightjars tonight, but did hear both tawny and long-eared owl.

Birding - 15/05/10

Horrible wet weather early on but out I went. Tried Gröthögarna again. More thrush nightingales in with four heard. Barnacle geese were on the move, 300 passed inland during my walk. The spotted redshanks from the other day were still present. At the point I stopped to check out migration, a little bit passing, ie a good day to sit and watch! I had a nice group of 15 red-throated divers go by that included a nice black-throated. Would have been good to stay but I had to get back.

It really started to rain after breakfast but we suited up and headed out. We recce'd a few far-flung bits of BK. I think I may have finally driven all the roads... Off-patch we tried for dipper at Benmöllan, no idea if they breed there but it looks good habitat. We had singing wood warbler, grey wagtail (1) and both pied and spotted flycatchers.

Leaving the kids with their grand-parents, Mrs B and I headed out to Sandön and Rönnen. Sandön was quiet (high water levels), although on the way back careful examination of the north side of the island revealed some godwits (1 bar-tail and four black-tailed) and 15 dunlin flew by. Rönnen was slightly better with five Temminck's stints, five ruff and a couple fo wood sandpipers.

Tripping!

With the lucky underpants freshly laundered and starched and back on, what if anything was going to happen today. Well I started with my first lie-in this month and then instantly regretted it when I realised there had been a deluge of dotterel late yesterday along the west coast. There would never be a better chance to get one in BK...

I quickly headed out to work some of the bigger fields in the Halland part of BK, but the wheat was up and growing and apart from the harrowed bit at Klarningen, I could not find any suitable habitat. Whilst I was doing this Martin Ekenberg rang to tell me there was a trip of 16 dotterel just 900 metres outside BK on the other side of the ridge (nice one Henrik!). I stuck it out though and checked all the fields and was rewarded with my first Klarningen avocet, which dropped in from on high, calling as it came.

Arriving finally at the dotterel site, I was staggered to find a 2K female Montagu's harrier quartering the fields in front of me. A Swedish tick and further proof of the power of the pants! The trip of dotterel took a little longer to find but we were soon watching them too. They are always good to see in spring and incredibly they constituted another Swedish tick! I will be able to join Club 300 one day at this rate!

Perfect spring dotterel field, if only there had been a field like this in BK this spring I might have been a contender. Still 16 dotterel is an impressive number (a NW Skåne record apparently) and if I turned round I could see the one-true kommun which was strangely comforting and slightly galling at the same time. How long will I have to wait to get Montagu's harrier and dotterel on the patch?

Giving Mrs B the afternoon off I took the kids swimming. On the way home we dropped into Klarningen for 20 minutes. No sign of the avocet (no feeding opportunities I suspect at this stage, but they will breed next year I bet) but we had not been there five minutes when a white stork appeared over towards Båstad and slowly worked its way directly overhead, slowly drifting north. BK tick number 232. Get in!

White stork going north over Klarningen, plugging away at this fledgling wetland is paying off.

Bank holiday blues

Nipped out early to Ripagården this morning to see what was about. Two cranes called from Gröthögarna as I got out of the car. The wood produced a few new migrants including wood warbler (1) and spotted flycatcher (2). Walking north produced four yellow wagtails and a singing thrush nightingale. Overhead my first BK swifts of the year (5). Slightly disapppointed I headed back to the car. From the carpark I could see a birder peering into a bush towards Dalen, I walked over and found him looking at a male bluethroat. Nice! Went home for breakfast determined to return to Gröthögarna with the team for a good look around.

A birder called Morten showed me this after an unproductive hour-and-a-half at Ripagården. Bluethroat number one today!

The kids managed to walk right round Gröthögarna from Dalen to Torekov during the day and we saw some good birds. Almost immediately we bumped into another superb singing bluethroat that sat up and allowed us all scope views.

Bluethroat number 2 on Gröthögarna was watched by the whole family through the scope as it sang in full view.

Other good birds seen on the walk included two excellent spotted redshanks, four wood sandpipers, another bluethroat (three in one day!) and a few spotted flycatchers. Walking back for the car, I bumped into the two cranes heard earlier in the day as they flew in to roost.

Dead fulmar

One of a pair of cranes currently using the wetlands on Gröthögarna.

Picking up the team at Torekov rev later on, I had time to look at the place quickly. Plenty of disturbance out on the rev today, but this seemed to push the birds nearer and we got great views of two turnstones and my latest-ever purple sandpiper.

Grasshopper!

Up again early and out the door to look at the Halland part of BK; the main aim being to check various sites for grasshopper warbler. Dawn at Eskilstorpstrand was clear and quiet, a few red-throated divers remained but they hardly bothered with attempting to migrate as the skies darkened and rain threatened soon after dawn. An osprey drifted north with an entourage of irate gulls.

Whooper swan at Petersberg, a pair seem to have taken up residence in the chain of wetlands in this bit of Halland. Sadly the Petersberg brown-field site is scheduled for housing so I will lose this excellent little wetland in due course. Shame!

Petersberg had a confiding whooper swan and the high pitched flight-call of a hawfinch alerted me to its progress overhead. Walked into Eskilstorps dammar next and right at the far end heard a faint and apparently distant snatch of grasshopper warbler song. Looking around I was surprised to find two birds just behind me in the short grass, they dived off into a clump showing streaky undertail coverts. Sub-song? Walking back two spotted flycatcher were out in a bare field, hawking from clumps of earth. As I left it started raining and it set in for the day. This did not stop me visiting Klarningen; not much there though unless you like copulating curlews.

Before I went home I tried for the penduline tit seen yesterday at Skottorp's wetland, typically I failed to appreciate where the bird was and left empty-handed.

Eskilstorpsdammar - water levels are dropping fast here too, but not as quickly as at Klarningen across the river. I think Klarningen is leaking, either through undisabled former drainage pipes or maybe they struck a lens of sand during the land-forming process. The good news is that the windpump is connected up, so it may be operational. The system at Eskilstorp is rainwater dependent (it takes drainage water from agricultural areas to the west), so in dry springs it can be very low.