Shrike attack

A grey dawn saw me watching a dinky little lesser spotted woodpecker drumming away madly at the Slottet nature reserve, near Förslöv. Drove over the top hoping for ring ouzels but no sign of any thrush flocks, might do better on the coast everyone else seems to be finding them at the moment. Did get a singing male hawfinch at Tvehöga though, before dropping down into Klarningen.

Klarningen was quieter; wigeon (2), teal (70), shoveler (4), marsh harrier (pair), moorhen (back in the pond by the tower), ruff (two males), curlew (5) and wood sandpiper (2). It started to rain as I left and this continued for the rest of the morning but did little to dampen my enthusiasm. Checked Petersberg next where the big surprise was five green sandpipers, there is no edge at this site so they must have been perching on reed stems. Also here water rail and green woodpecker called.

Walked the stretch of coast between Hemmeslövsstrand and the top of Eskilstorpsstrand for my final bit of birding and it was excellent. A huge total of 53 Slavonian grebes were counted, along with two red-necked grebes and 12 great cresteds. Hemmeslövsstrand also produced at least two jays and on the return leg I followed up some mobbing calls to find a nest-hunting great grey shrike in the middle of a pile of brash. It popped out and sat for photos before heading north into Eskilstorpsstrand and away. Nice end to a productive session.

We always get a little pulse of great grey shrikes in mid April, but this was my first on the Halland coast part of BK.