misty morn

Horrible misty, drizzly morning but I got out for a little while. Checked Klarningen at dawn. Ducks are on the move and still using the site; mallard (77), teal (5) and a solitary pintail. Next stop was Eskilstorpsstrand, nice conditions on the sea for looking through the sea-duck but the visibility was rather poor. A close flock of 175 scaup was a treat though and in amongst them were three pochard (a real surprise) and about 35 tufted duck. Also here gannet (2), long-tailed duck (4) and Slavonian grebe (3).

hat-trick (20150213)

Had a short amount of time in the field in the morning. It was calm so I headed for Eskilstorpsstrand to check for sea-duck. Very few offshore though and those that were were mostly out of range. At Stensåns mynning I finally connected with a black woodpecker for the year - a singing male.

Last stop of the day was Klarningen where pintail (1) and barnacle goose (4) were year-ticks too. Otherwise quiet. So ducks are returning early this year by the looks of it.

breezy

Got out this morning and tried to add black-throated diver to my year-list again and failed again too. Checked out Yttre Kattvik first, no divers on the sea but a few red-throated divers, gannets and guillemots going west in a strengthening westerly wind. Kattvik was likewise quiet and a quick look at Båstad produced a gannet and the over-wintering white wagtail. The latter starting to look a little worse for wear. Eskilstorpsstrand proved a little too exposed so I moved on to see how the destruction of the Petersberg wetland was getting on. The main pool is now half empty - they could have done it during the wader season if they really cared! Sad to see this site going under the bulldozer's blade. Last stop was a chilly Klarningen, here three red kites suggested a slight return movement of raptors might be happening. There was definitely a touch of spring in the air but the westerly wind was now really strong so I headed home.

After lunch we all went out for a foam party at Hovs Hallar. A few gannet and kittiwake evident going past the bunker. Elemental.

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.

New Year New List

Spent six hours in the field today chasing a few year-ticks. Ended the day on 40 but these included the recently arrived glaucous gull (this time found at Grytskären) and the long-staying male American black duck. Bonus! Not a great deal of excitement apart from these two species, a very brisk westerly put paid to a lot of passerine action along the coast... I did see an unseasonal snipe (1, Ranarpsstrand), starling (12, Grytskären), white-tailed eagle (1, Ranarp), whooper swan (6 south at Torekov) and gannet (3, Kattvik). Finished up at an empty Klarningen before rain stopped play for the day.

kingfisher (20140924)

Whilst the car was being repaired I had a couple of hours birding around Riviera/Hemmeslövsstrand/Eskilstorpsstrand. The river at Rivieran had a kingfisher calling on it and I did not have to wait long at the bridge before it whizzed past. Only my second of the year.

Walking the beach produced a few interesting birds; black-throated diver (1 - Hemmeslövsstrand) and grey plover (1 - Eskilstorpsstrand).

The rest of the week was spent working on the roof, including Saturday which saw a great shearwater pass Yttre Kattvik... Painful but no proper birding till the roof is on.

more year-ticks (20140421)

 Not just birds were on the move today, the kids found several eyed ladybirds (Anatis ocellata) at Ranarpsstrand

Another day spent largely in the field produced another crop of year ticks and took me over 150 for the year. First stop was Klarningen. Forty minutes here produced three shoveler and a ringed plover but apparently I missed a wood sandpiper... A short listen at Petersberg produced a demi-squeal from a water rail that was enough to secure it for the year. Eskilstorpsstrand was calm and there were lots of grebes on the sea, 13 red-necked grebes being rather special but also ten great crested grebes were also present. Surprisingly no real sense of a build-up of red-throated divers ahead of the migration spectacle in early May - just seven birds feeding offshore.

We all took a walk later around the Killeröd loop walk. I finally laid coal tit to rest for the year, they are singing well now and I also heard singing willow tit which is always a pleasure. Finally we checked Ljungbyholm en route to Ranarpsstrand, it was quiet. Ranarpsstrand however was interesting with greenshank (1) flushed on arrival and a house martin coming in-off. Also here of note were a pair of shoveler and a male gadwall.

year-tick bonanza

Wheatear was a predictable addition to the year-list today, still only present in low numbers though with just four seen around Gröthögarna.

After nearly three weeks away on tour, a walk around Gröthögarna in the late morning produced a good crop of year-ticks. It was good to be back on patch and I enjoyed the fine weather. Highlights of the walk included; peregrine (1), gannet (4), four green sandpipers, plenty of chiffchaff and white wagtails, migrating barnacle geese, three goldfinch (at last), a male blackcap and the first swallow of the year.

News of a king eider at Eskilstorpsstrand sent me over that way later in the day and we eventually found it in the company of velvet scoter. A nice 2K male, my first in that plumage for some time and probably my first king eider in Halland too. A white-tailed eagle here spooked everything and so we headed for Klarningen and a picnic.

Klarningen was great with a good selection of waders; oystercatcher (2), little ringed plover (2), ruff (5), snipe (1), curlew (1) and green sandpiper (1). A total of eight swallows was the icing on the cake. Seven year-ticks takes the BK year-list to 136 and I am still somehow ahead of the competition.

This white-tailed eagle put many of the seaduck in Laholmsbukten to flight, including the 2K male king eider I was chasing.

hat-trick (20140321)

Friday saw me bagging a hat-trick of BK year-ticks by chasing down a few glaring omissions. The day started well with a flock of 200 golden plover at Ljungbyholm whilst chauffeuring Mrs B to work in the morning.

After that it was hunting for grebes. The sea off Båstad was rather quiet (just one long-tailed duck and singing chiffchaff) but from here it was apparent that most of the action was to be found off Eskilstorpsstrand, so that is were I went next. Quite a few duck offshore including big numbers of scoters (both velvet and common) and 170 scaup. In amongst them after quite a search I finally found my first Slavonian grebe of the year. Another singing chiffchaff was an indication that this species has now arrived on a broad-front, but still no wheatears???

Last stop of my short session was a look at Petersberg. The tufted duck flock has built to an 280 individuals and my first BK red-necked grebe of the year briefly emerged from the reeds. A jay here was interesting, are they moving at the moment?

back in the rain

My first hen harrier of the year. Spring has definitely sprung whilst I have been away.

Had two hours in the field with Mrs B today which was a bit luxurious. We sat in the tower for the first half of this short session. I got three year-ticks in the first three minutes and then things calmed down considerably. Hen harrier (male), skylark (1) and 50-strong flock of lapwing were the year-ticks. Also here four shelduck, a few wigeon and teal and a kestrel. Later we checked out Eskilstorpsstrand for 100+ scaup.

kingfisher

A morning birding netted another three year-ticks. First up was the often elusive kingfisher at Båstad, which gave itself up in less than five minutes luckily. Hemmeslövsstrand produced three superb flyby redhead smew and a calling black woodpecker, but the light was too poor to go through the assembled scoter with any confidence. Last stop of the morning was at an icy Klarningen which surprisingly produced some passerines in the shape of a flock containing one reed bunting and four meadow pipits.

goshawk kill

Highlight of this morning's session was flushing a goshawk off it's breakfast. You have to admire the economy and the systematic nature of this bird when it feeds. The goshawk obviously started at the head of the rabbit and worked it's way towards the rear. The skull (bottom right) when examined had been completely scraped free of flesh and a neat hole cut in the back to allow the removal of the tasty brain!

A bitterly cold southerly wind greeted me at dawn this morning at Klarningen. Not much going on on site, just a lone whooper swan and a fly-through white-tailed eagle of note. Nearby Petersberg produced a brace of year-ticks, first up was a huge flock of 160 tufted duck on the pit and then I flushed a fantastic adult goshawk off a rabbit.

Last stop of the day was Eskilstorpsstrand, the big flock of scaup (182) provided another year-tick and a couple of long-tailed duck and a gannet passed by.

blue sky birding

With blue skies forecast for today I abandoned my computer and house work and shot out the door, it has been awfully grey lately and I am not used to being at home at this time of year...

Hit the beach between Hemmeslövsstrand and the top of Eskilstorpsstrand, hoping for a great northern diver, my bogey bird this year. Reported a few days ago, it failed to put in appearance yet again. The big surprise was the huge number of herring gulls feeding along the shoreline and it did not take long to find at least two 1K caspian gulls in amongst the flock. There may have been more!

Meanwhile the flat calm conditions and good light were good for a look through the available seaduck. Highlights included a nice close flock of at least 110 scaup and a Slavonian grebe, an oystercatcher flew south at one point and the beach had six feeding snow buntings. The oystercatcher was my first BK bird in December.

Afterwards I had lunch at Klarningen. A little action here with whooper swans on the move - 34 through and ten on the ground. They are moving late this year. Otherwise quiet, a kestrel and rough-legged buzzard in residence and just three mute swan, four tufted duck and a goldeneye representing the other wildfowl.

geese

Had a morning in the field at long last today. It was quite windy with just a hint of westerly in the northerly wind so I decided to check out Eskilstorpsstrand. On the way I picked up a nutcracker in Sinarpsdalen that flew alongside the car for 200 metres. At Eskilstorppsstrand a kittiwake floated past and got me excited but the wind direction made my the site uncomfortable so I relocated to Båstad. I swear the wind veered north whilst I drove round because when I got sat down on the breakwater I was still in the wind! Nothing doing here anyway in an hour, just ten grey heron east.

Checked out Klarningen next. Plenty of birds here with 1200 greylags topping the bill. Careful searching revealed at least eight white-fronted geese (three 1K) and four tundra bean geese. Also present were 43 barnacle goose, two shoveler and three pintail. A 1K marsh harrier here was my latest BK bird and 1K hen harrier put in a performance too.


On the way home I checked out Älemossen and was rewarded with great views of a great grey shrike, six red kite (a big migration day for them) and three jays.

In the afternoon, the kids and I just had time to check Stora Hultsstrand and kicked up two more jack snipe for the already large BK total this autumn.

061013

Struggling with a virus made for some poor birding today. I hit Torekovs rev in the morning but things were quiet (one chiffchaff) and I spent some time looking at large gulls... Later I walked Rålehamn and Norra Ängalag which was equally quiet (one chiffchaff) and four feeding curlew on the fields behind the coast.

In the afternoon I checked out Klarningen. More going on here with pintail (3) and shoveler (8) and at least 47 ruff feeding on the wetland and the former pea-field which has now been tilled. Walking the remaining stubble produced a big flock of 65 linnets and lots of skylarks but no buntings. Overhead a rough-legged buzzard went through south and buzzard and red kite were prominent. The calls of crossbill and water rail penetrated my virus-muddled mind before I headed for Eskilstorppsstrand. Here the beach was quite busy too with a single ringed plover being my latest BK bird ever and also single dunlin and six 1K grey plover. Not much offshore with flyby red-throated diver (1) and velvet scoter (5) only. Laholmsbukten has been empty this summer/autumn for some reason.

snow goose

Today's 1K white-tailed eagle, moments later it scragged an eider and drowned it before tucking in.

Managed to drag myself out into the field just before 0800 today. Hit Ripagården for an hour but there was very little moving overhead here and not much on the ground. A 1K white-tailed eagle cruised past and grabbed a male eider, calmly drowning it before tucking into breakfast. A black woodpecker called in the plantation and bouncing around in the tops of the pines a flock of ten crossbills was predictable enough this autumn. A jay to the south on Gröthögarna was another sign of autumn. Little moved on the sea but two red-necked grebes heading south were notable.

Next stop was Norra Ängalag, a large gathering of gulls was checked thoroughly but yielded nothing. A single wheatear feeding n the seaweed-covered shore another reminder of autumn and colder days to come.

Torekov rev was strangely deserted (disturbance?). Only birds of note a single rock pipit and a flyby red-throated diver.

In the afternoon we all headed out to Klarningen, a snow goose had been reported yesterday and it was still present today. Plastic fantastic! Also here 21 ruff and a dunlin. Later we walked Eskilstorpsstrand but nothing could we find. Strangely quiet at the moment, most migrants have bugged out and there seems to be slim pickings on the eastern front.

hobby

Managed to oversleep this morning but still scraped myself into the field at Eskilstorppsstrand at 0630. Not much doing here, very little moving overhead and just a gannet and a scattering of red-throated divers moving offshore.

Had two hours at Klarningen on the way home. Surprisingly few birds here too, the highlight being a 2K hobby circling around before shooting off on a mission. My only year-tick of the day. New birds in included a pair of moorhen and single ruff and greenshank remained.

Walking to the river I gazed enviously across the border in Laholms kommun. The wetland here is holding water (unlike Klarningen which is obviously still leaking badly) and a good-sized black-headed gull colony is building. Such colonies are the beating heart of any wetland, protecting other breeding birds by continual gull-pestering of potential predators. Black-headed gulls tried to breed at Klarningen last year but most nests were left high-and-dry and got predated by foxes. I cannot blame them for not trying again. Anyway the pools north of the river held a shoveler pair and I bet they will hold garganey this year, if they do not already...

In the afternoon we all headed out on a local walk around Sinarpsdalen. This proved to be rather good with a black woodpecker flying about and then three ring ouzels flew in and landed in front of us at one point. The low point was a nearly wryneck, flushed from the base of a stone wall and disappearing forever in the juniper.

the sun shines

Got out nice and early this morning for a walk around Klarningen and a quick look at Eskilstorpsstrand. The highlight was a BK year-tick in the shape of a merlin north through Klarningen and the sunshine and blue sky (even if it was -8). Migration has really come to an abrupt halt and the year-list (which has struggled all year) is really looking rather woeful at 111. The sea is starting to freeze over again in the corner of Laholmsbukten, not really what you want to see at this time of year...

glaucous gull dipping again

Born to dip, that's me. No sign of the glaucous gull again in a a morning session that dragged on rather. The weather has gone cooler again with winds from the east. Staking out Eskilstorpsstrand produced a ringed plover this morning and after a side-trip to Klarningen a white-tailed eagle was out in the bay terrorising the scoter flocks.

Klarningen was nearly ice-free and wildfowl have responded, with five tufted duck and nine goldeneye new in. The gadwall pair remains and five whooper swans had a rest before heading northwards. A rough-legged buzzard looked in on the place and my first hen harrier of the year, a female, passed by too.

glaucous smawkous

I got round to checking Svalan this morning over breakfast to discover that the glaucous gull was still showing and has moved south into BK! It is still obviously showing only occasionally though as yet another session there this morning failed to turn it up. Whooper swans were on the move though and offshore from Eskilstorpsstrand were a few velvet scoters to go through and at least 18 tufted duck and a female smew. My only year-tick here was a heard-only curlew.

I took a break at Klarningen halfway and was pleased to see open water at last, although most of the site remains iced up. The water had attracted in some wildfowl, including two wigeon, a pair of gadwall and at least nine teal. Five lapwing were dotted around.

Dipping again I headed home, picking up three waxwing and my first hawfinch of the year in Båstad. Later whilst working in the garden I had another hawfinch 'pixing' overhead.

In the afternoon I returned to Båstad with Number 1 and we fed the ducks and checked through the gulls. Just another pair of gadwall here sadly. More gulling tomorrow for me I guess.