Twitching with kids

Magic birds grey wagtails, even when they are playing hard to get.

With Mrs B stuck in a meeting all morning, the kids and I went twitching to nearby Lagaoset. It's a beautiful spot and the kids always enjoy it here. The male stonechat behaved too, surrendering as soon as we had walked the short distance to the back of the dunes. The only other notable bird in our lightning visit was a/some crossbill heard in the pines.

On the way home we checked Klarningen of course, but it remains quiet, there were more snipe about though and the curlew total has hit five. Over on Eskilstorpsdammar were two grey heron. Woo-hoo! Did finally meet Jan Skidell though which was good.

In the afternoon the entire team accompanied me up Sinarpsdalen. It seemed 'quiet' on the way up, just one grey wagtail. But once I had waved off the team and headed back to pick up the car the place came alive with birds. Funny that! Kicked through a mixed flock of thrushes that refused to contain a redwing, but resulted in a flushed woodcock (my first of the year). Another grey wagtail flew overhead, and a line of cherry trees yielded a hawfinch. High in a birch a great grey shrike peered about and down in the valley bog (and the biggest surprise of all) I heard my first water rail of the year.