Swedish tick!

Christmas came late this year - glaucous gull at Torekov, an addition to my Swedish list and therefore a most welcome BK bird.

News of a glaucous gull yesterday on Hallands Väderö sent me out the door with some optimism this morning. I searched the coast between Torekov rev and Norra Ängalag before getting an SMS that Rolf had found it feeding on a dead porpoise just north of Torekov sewage works. Sure enough there it was on arrival and it posed well as it snacked on cetacean flesh. Superb!

Other highlights were few, there seems to have been a slight influx of goosander, whooper swans are still passing, the rev had two goldcrest and offshore Vinga held a pair of resting peregrines.

white wing invasion (20140518)

Paul Cook and I had a day birding together today and headed first to Hovs Hallar. Two-and-a-half hours here produced little in the way of vismig sadly, although we had two whimbrel north and a few yellow wagtails were on the go too. A male red-backed shrike was feeding below us on the undercliff. Refuelling at Torekov we picked up four swifts that looked resident.

The sun blazed from the sky as we headed out to Hallands Väderö on the boat. Over the next five hours we kicked about. Thrush nightingales and icterine warblers were in song. The southern woods had two fantastic singing male red-breasted flycatchers and a few wood warblers. Trogging round from Kappelhamn to the lighthouse was very quiet and before we knew it we were back at the jetty. On the boat back we picked up a single razorbill in the company of two guillemots.

Two singing  male red-breasted flycatchers were the highlight of a sunny five hours on Hallands Väderö. The weather was not conducive for a fall but we missed a few migrants apparently including the first BK rosefinch of the year...

During the day huge numbers of white-winged terns had been swarming into southern Sweden and it did not come as too much of a surprise to get an SMS telling us that Martin Ekenberg had found at least ten at Klarningen. Luckily we were just about to get off the boat when this news arrived and we endured the tense 20-minute drive over to the site. On arrival though we found the white-winged tern count had reached 18, it was quite superb. An osprey was hunting over Eskiltorpsdammar. Paul and I walked over to the river for an epic encounter with the loose flock as they fed busily, completely unconcerned by our presence.

Whoar!

A last ditch attempt to see the black stork at Barramossa failed sadly but it was a good day all the same.

pinks

One of today's highlights was the huge flock of 30 purple sandpipers that is currently in residence at Torekovs rev.

Got out this morning to search along the coast between Påarps Mal and Ripagården. Plenty of year-ticks to be had, I ended up with five! I had not even got to the coast when I stopped at Slättaröd to check out my first stock dove of the year. Påarps Mal produced a flock of 19 resting ringed plovers and nearby the sewage works had my first oystercatcher. I checked out Svarteskär next for shags but there were none, instead an adult  peregrine offshore on Vinga Skär, four black guillemot on the sea and two razorbill past. The rev produced a fantastic flock of 30 purple sandpipers (my previous best of 17 blown away in the process).

Last proper stop of the day was Norra Ängalag, here a mistle thrush erupted out of the juniper and going through the greylag geese out on Tjällran produced the big surprise of the day - two pink-footed geese. A quick look at Ripagården on the way home failed to turn up anything notable.

two more BK year-ticks

An adult peregrine was scaring up the birds at Klarningen this morning. Raptors dominated the show at this site today a sure sign of impending winter.

A morning in the field felt rather luxurious after an autumn where I have been working just a little too much to keep in touch with what is going on in BK bird-wise. Decided to check for any stray seabirds at Båstad today but before that I could not resist checking Klarningen.  Plenty of water on the site and wildfowl are still a feature here. A good-sized flock of geese lifted as I arrived and I could hear at least one white-front in amongst the greylag as they departed. Around the site 90 teal, 23 wigeon and 8 shoveler were nothing unusual. Two whooper swans were my first of the autumn though. High overhead migration was happening with flocks of lapwing golden plover and wood pigeon all appearing regularly and heading resolutely south. But it was raptors that stole the show with hen harrier (1K), peregrine (adult) and two rough-legged buzzard in residence.

Båstad did not disappoint, I was hoping for some stray seabirds after yesterday's blow and perhaps a black redstart or a kingfisher for my year-list and it worked out quite well. Off the harbour a number of tired 1K gannets looked good and a few others drifted west. All was quiet otherwise until a little auk buzzed past close in going west. Nice and just what I needed after yesterday's poor decision to spend the morning at Båstad! Still no sign of a little gull for me this year though... Walking back through the harbour a silent kingfisher whizzed off, a difficult bird in BK these days. The last three winter's have taken their toll and this was my first BK bird for 21 months. So very welcome!

Before lunch I managed to fit in a quick look at Torekovs rev. Things were rather quiet here, two adult white-tailed eagles were sitting out on an island off Hallands Väderö and a gannet cruised by. Met Nick Gräntz here, he has lost his mojo this autumn but doubtless will find it again somewhere.

got jack!

Finally got a photo of an obliging jack snipe this afternoon, this was my first ever at Torekov rev and as always a really smart bird. 

Nipped out late today for a six-hour session in the snow. Checked out Glimminge first which produced another brief water pipit. Up to Torekov next. Påarps mal was rather quiet, just two dunnock along the edge of the oat crop. A quick look at the sewage treatment works produced nothing but Svarteskär had two shags. 

Then it all came together at the rev with a nice run of good birds. A redshank called as I got out of the car, a species that has got steadily scarcer in winter in BK as the recent cold winters have taken hold. A jack snipe flushed from the edge of the dunes and I tracked it to it's 'hiding place', getting a great photo at very close range. Nearby another dunnock called from deep cover. Out on the rev the best birds were a pair of gadwall. Offshore three white-tailed eagles flew north in a rather scattered but purposeful formation. A sparrowhawk terrorised the small birds eking out a living on the frozen shoreline.

My last planned stop of the day was at Norra Ängalag, pretty quiet here apart from the continued slow and steady trickle of mute swans overhead in small flocks. They never go at the same time as the whoopers!

On the way home close to dusk I got a pager message that some shorelark had been spotted at Vejbystrand. On the off chance that they had strayed north into BK I checked them out but sadly they had strayed a long way and I never found them. Maybe they are wintering?

One of three white-tailed eagles that sallied out from Hallands Väderö in the late afternoon. I caught this juvenile heading back later over Norra Ängalag.

First day of autumn

Male Sympetrum danae or black darter, quite a few still flying on Hallands Väderö this weekend.

Spent the 1st of the month with the team on our annual pilgrimage to Hallands Väderö, it is sadly too pricey to visit often but we always enjoy our day here each year. For a change nothing turned up on mainland BK to make us regret the journey. I think a light fall of common migrants may have taken place we certainly found spotted flycatchers and redstarts in every bush. Fifteen yellow wagtails were flying around the Kapelhamn area and that was about it. We spent most of our time looking for invertebrates but failed to find any brown hairstreaks. A painted lady was my first of the year though!

 I think this is Arion rufus, although the complex is tricky to identify.

Painted lady at last!

 Managed to identify this fly (Tachina fera), the larvae feed on noctuid moth caterpillars.

At the end of a long day walking the island the 'Nanny' was a welcome sight and somehow accommodated the huge number of people leaving the island on the last boat out!

thrush

I seem to be off the pace this year and chasing other people's birds, this song thrush (a great February find) was spotted by others yesterday at Ripagården.

Spent a day in the field today. Kicked off at Ripagården for a look around. The song thrush reported yesterday was still feeding on the seaweed bank by the harbour and whilst I watched it I heard skylark migrating north overhead! Also a male hen harrier past.

Torekov was amazing, the brisk northerly and the mild conditions conspiring to break up the sea-ice and send it streaming south through the sound. The noise of the ice-laden rollers breaking on the reef was like a passing jet. Bird-wise the highlight was the pile of seaweed, which was busy with four redwing, seven fieldfare and ten starling, as well as the usual dozen meadow pipits. No sign of any rock pipits today. Out on Vinga a lone white-tailed eagle looked out over the mess of ice.

In the afternoon I tried walking the Killeröd loop for birds but it was rather tiring in the snow and I saw no birds. I did hear common and two-barred crossbill though. A drive around to Hålehallstugan produced my first-ever February great grey shrike, a confiding and rather satisfying bird. Also here a pair of bullfinch and a single female common crossbill. A good day out, the BK year-list finally creeping over the ton.

Finally a February great grey shrike for the boy. I found this one from the car at Hålehallstugan at the end of the day. Always excellent.

Back in time for BK MEGA

Despite very cold temperatures overnight, this eastern black redstart made it onto my BK list this morning. This race has an excellent chance of being split I reckon. Last autumn produced a bumper crop of this subspecies, with seven here in Sweden (if you include this individual) and the UK had it's first record too.

Tanzania was great but it caused not a little alarm when I realised just before I got home that BK was hosting a huge bird - Sweden's seventh eastern (phoenicuroides) black redstart! I need not have worried though as this morning it was behaving impeccably at Rålehamn to a small but appreciative audience. I checked out Torekov afterwards hoping for purple sandpipers, but came away empty-handed. Just white-tailed eagle (1) over on Hallands Väderö, two oystercatchers, a flyby black guillemot and a 2K shag.

Kattvik was devoid of gulls and I could not find the over-wintering chiffchaff. Last stop was Båstad where I watched with a certain amount of horror as an adult white-tailed eagle dispatched a male eider over 15 long minutes. The eagle kept harrying the eider, hooking a talon into it's head or neck whenever it could, until the blood loss and continual diving ensured an unpleasant drowning... At least 44 whooper swans sheltering here and the sea is starting to freeze already!

This white-tailed eagle killed a male eider at Båstad this morning. Killing the bird over 15 minutes and then waiting patiently for the corpse to drift into the shore.

Wildfowl count - Dagshög to Torekov

Spent the morning walking the stretch of coast between Dagshög and Torekov. This stretch in January usually produces a few winter specialities but today it was quiet, although I did finally year-tick teal! The highlights being just a white-tailed eagle hunting over Hallands Väderö, four adult shags on Svarteskär, and a black guillemot near Torekov harbour. Not a sniff of a grey wagtail or a water pipit, and just one meadow pipit. Eleven waxwing flew into Torekov as I left.

I checked the rev and Norra Ängalag before going home for lunch but all was quiet here too although the latter site did have five meadow pipits and two rock pipits feeding on the seaweed.

Klarningen is full of water at the moment, as are the adjacent wetlands, shame it is freezing up for the winter. Looks like a decent-size complex now and there is much more across the motorway (right of shot and outside BK). It is going to pull birds in.

In the afternoon we checked out Eskilstorpsstrand, spent most of the time looking through the large number of gulls here off Stensåns mynning. No sign of any white-wingers though. The flat calm seas allowed a leisurely perusal of a flock of at least 195 scaup and the oystercatcher was still present. Last stop of the day was Klarningen where I finally added rough-legged buzzard to the year-list and we also watched the hen harrier (female) eating a mouse. The sub-zero temperatures last night have put a decent skim of ice on the water and only 38 mallard toughed it out on the main lake.

Quiet wildfowl count - Torekov to Hovs Hallar

Spent the best part of the day walking the coast between Torekov and Hovs Hallar doing the mid-January wildfowl count. It started well with a quick look at the rocks south of the harbour where two shags were resting, further offshore on Vinga was a nice white-tailed eagle.

The count proper though was rather quiet, low numbers of most species and no surprises. Highlights were few and far between but I did see two gannets and a red-necked grebe. Very few passerines encountered, with just five rock pipits and four meadow pipits of note.

Swedish tick in BK!

This morning (another sun-drenched affair) we took our annual outing to Hallands Väderö, we had been on the island for all of 15 minutes when the phone rang, it was Martin Åkesson telling me that there was a hoopoe at Burensvik (back on the mainland and a much-wanted BK tick for me)...

En route to Torekov and the ferry to Hallands Väderö with Team Benstead I had a single house martin at Västra Karup, my first of the year. The mirror-calm sea allowed views across to Vinga Skär from the mainland before we got on the boat. Many auks loafing off the end of the island or standing about on shore, including guillemot (20), razorbill (20) and black guillemot (25). From the boat we had a close view of Vrenen which had a massive 70 black guillemot around it.

After an SMS from Martin Åkesson almost as soon as we got on the island, telling us of a hoopoe at Burensvik, we only had time for a walk up to the lighthouse and back along the Tångakärret trail before taking penultimate boat off the island. Hallands Väderö is a magical place, no doubt, and of course there must have been some mega lurking somewhere but we did not find it. Instead we enjoyed the clamour of the gulls, the spring bird-song, the 12 grass snakes sunning themselves along the edge of one of the pools and the glorious views and weather. There were few surprises but it was nice to see rock pipit (they vanish from the mainland in mid-April) and a woodcock flew past us near the lighthouse. I tried not to fret but it was great when the ferry hove into view and we could get back to have a crack at the hoopoe (after buying ice-creams...).

Håkan Johansson had kindly been keeping me updated on the hoopoe's movements and whilst flighty it sounded nailed down to a particular area. I arrived just as the gallery was starting to break up and everyone was drifting off back to their cars. They pointed me in the right direction and I snuck up on the bird. Fantastic and we all enjoyed the next hour and a half searching it out and watching it feed. A ring ouzel was calling occasionally from the juniper but I never saw it.

My first BK tick this year and what a beauty!

Wild swans everywhere

Spent a sunny afternoon in the field today after being relieved of child-care duty by Mrs B. First stop was the swan flock at Öllöv, it now numbers 29 whoopers but nothing else spotted in the field today. One of the features of early spring 2011 here in southern sweden seems to be the number of whooper swans on the ground. We get lots passing through normally, but this year they are stopping off, presumably waiting for the rest of Sweden to defrost.

Driving through Slättaröd I stopped to admire a flock of 25 golden plover, my first of the year. Påarps mal did not produce any shags, they seem to have moved on somewhere. But I got another year-tick in the shape of a pair of gadwall. Moving north I checked out the sewage works and town, picking up an adult white-tailed eagle over Hallands Väderö. Torekov rev produced a flock of seven purple sandpipers and an impressive gathering of 13 goosander.

Spent the last hour of my time mooching about on Gröthögarna but without much impact, 17 teal at Norra Ängalag was a sign that migration continues on. I had hoped to get a flock of cranes over in the easterly winds but having seen the first crane in NW Skåne last year it seems I will now be the last birder to see one this spring. The session ended as it started with the checking of another flock of whooper swans (37), this time at Ängalag.

Shelducks!

Managed to spend the morning in the field today, despite the evil easterly wind. Headed over to Klarningen first to to check the fields for swans and geese. Nothing doing on the ground but a lot of birds flying east - Canada geese (695), greylag geese (65) and whooper swan (2) in 45 minutes. Two stock doves over on Eskilstorps dammar were my first for the year.

Checked out Eskilstorpsstrand next and was unsurprised to find a large flock of Canada geese (500) in the bay. Also here tufted duck (9), scaup (40), common scoter (20) and velvet scoter (25). The bushes produced a noisy flock of 6 bullfinches. Walking south produced a single long-tailed duck off Båstad.

Drove over to Torekov next chcking the rev for shelduck (5), smew (1), purple sandpiper (14) and black guillemot (2). Not a sniff of a passerine on the shore, a cruel hard winter. Three white-tailed eagles mucked about over Hallands Väderö.

In the afternoon I squeezed in half an hour at Vejbystrand and Stora Hultstrand for shelduck (5), wigeon (31) and goosander (1). No sign of this weather breaking so I guess I will have to get used to it. It is amazing to me that shelducks are turning up when the weather is so poor. Last months lapwings obviously decided to head south again, will these shelduck melt away too?

Counting ducks

Snow overnight meant plenty of tracks to look at. I think this was a pine marten dragging something. I followed it for ages to a lone juniper but could not get it out! Also mink, stoat and fox tracks seen during the day.

Across the sound to Hallands Väderö from Påarps mal (Torekov).

Time to do the mid-winter wildfowl count again. There were so few birds around I managed to do both my count sectors in one day for the first time - Dagshög to Hovs Hallar - 12km occasionally through drifts and on thinly covered black ice. Good exercise. Predictably as there were few birds of any kind, there was little of interest although I did manage four white-tailed eagles (three on Hallands Väderö, a rough-legged buzzard (Torekov still), a peregrine (perched on Tjällran), twelve black guillemots off Torekov and the grey wagtail at the sewage works (Torekov). More notable were the absentees; again no shags but also no grey herons or water pipits and just one rock pipit and three wigeon in the whole stretch. Tough times.

Walking

Headed out for a walk between Rammsjöstrand and Dagshög. En route I was amazed to find a flock of 12 grey partridge in someone's garden at Rammsjö! The walk was rather quiet, highlights included a scattering of goosander, two white-tailed eagles, a dozen fieldfare, three rock pipits, two meadow pipits and a flock of 23 starling.

Headed round to Torekov next. Påarps mal was devoid of cormorants and very quiet, just goshawk (1), kestrel (1), fieldfare (7) and redpoll (15). I decided to check the rocks south of the harbour next and this was indeed where all the cormorants were. Going through the group produced 11 shag (including 2 1K and 1 2K), as well as two purple sandpipers. Out over Hallands Väderö the two white-tailed eagles were hunting duck. A quick look at the rev produced another 1K goshawk but no more purple sandpipers. The latter seem to be very mobile at the moment.

Last stop of the day was a quick look for the flock at Vråen, near Ripagården, a few redpoll were noted but by this stage of the day I was ready for lunch and headed home.

The purple sandpipers are back in town -17/03/10

Mrs B and I had a quick look at Torekov this morning. The rev was looking pretty good with 11 purple sandpipers back on station. Also oystercatcher (25), ringed plover (4), dunlin (1) and redshank (1). Looking from the harbour we had three razorbill - a year-tick (at last).

After more firewood exercise we took lunch at Grytskaren, pretty quiet here, still nothing in amongst the big flock of eider but a single meadow pipit was noteworthy.

Birding - 06/03/10

Another day out in the field with the family, more blue sky and sunshine. Kicked off at Torekov sewage works, which produced some great birds. The best was a crane, which was circling out to sea on our arrival before drifting off slowly south, perhaps the first in NW Skåne this year (?). Also here teal (7), smew (1 female), grey partridge (2), lapwing (1) and grey wagtail (1). Walking south to Påarps Mal, we had lunch in the lee of a pillbox and spotted a few things on the sea. Three red-necked grebes were new in (no doubt) and just one Slavonian grebe underlined how scarce this species has been in Bjäre this winter. Out on Hallands Väderö, all the birds got up as two white-tailed eagles flew about a bit.

Moving to the harbour produced a couple of black guillemots and four goosander. A long-range effort looking over to the rev from here secured shelduck (29), velvet scoter (1, scarce at the moment), coot (9), oystercatcher (16) and redshank (1, very scarce at the moment). Our last port of call was Rammsjöstrand, because yesterday I had noticed from Glimminge that the eider flock was building up nicely. Last year there was a king eider here so it seemed like a good idea to check the flock. At least 650 eider just offshore which was nice but plenty of scanning failed to reveal anything else. Also here; greylag goose (150), shelduck (37), teal (4), goosander (2) and coot (19).