BKK

Got our very late today - feeling grotty and I fear 'real' flu may be on the cards shortly after exposure to the infectious in-laws over Easter... With temperatures hitting the low 20s I went inland to Bösketorp pools hoping for an early Pyrrhosoma but had to settle for a manic noctule and three barn swallows flying through (my first of the year). An orange underwing (Archiearis parthenias) gave us the runaround.

I eventually got round to reading my sms messages to find that I should have been in Mats' garden for the return of last year's firecrest. Got there eventually and the bird was still entertaining the finder in fine style. I then dragged myself off to lie on a rug on the beach as the day cooled and scored two whimbrel north. On the way home we checked the pond at Lönhult and nabbed a nice common sandpiper for our troubles. Four year-ticks today despite minimal time in the field.

hot and windy

 Dragonflies were the order of the day, despite the windy conditions and the fact that I would probably of been better off birding! My first Coenagrion puella were on the wing at a number of sites.

Out and about again today in the hot sun and windy conditions. Hit Drängstorp first hoping for Coenagrion armatum but instead had to settle for a huge emergence of Coenagrion lunulatum and my first Leucorrhinia rubicunda for the Atlas square.

 Coenagrion pulchellum

Next stop was Boarp, which was disappointing as the  water level in the ordinarily shallow and very good fourth pond was way up. Did get more puella here though and Coenagrion pulchellum, but very small numbers and no sign of any emergence at the site.

 Hovs Hallar produced at least seven migrating honey buzzards in a one-hour watch

Hovs Hallar for an hour in the middle of the day was good for honey buzzards (seven through) but the hoped-for rosefinches failed to sing. After lunch I had a quick look at the pool at Lönhult but it was too exposed for a reasonable odo-survey.

 Mute swan

Last stop of the day was another speculative listen for rosefinch at Öllövsstrand, again no joy, just a noisy thrush nightingale. The stars here though were two territorial map butterflies.

 Map butterfly

Driving out I glimpsed a male black redstart around the farm buildings at Öllöv and Number 1 and I returned later finding the nest-site and watching both adults shuttling to-and-fro with food for the hungry chicks. Nice find.

Last bird of the day was perhaps the best find, a breeding pair of black redstarts feeding young at Öllöv

finally a full day in the field

Finally a day off and a chance to catch up with a few things that have been spotted over the last week. The day started well with an icterine warbler singing from the garden! Hit Tvehöga first and took about twenty minutes to track down the singing red-breasted flycatcher, difficult amongst the noise created by all the other songbirds in this nice patch of beech forest. A quick look at Klarningen revealed a singing marsh warbler near the tower and some fluffy moorhen chicks, but little else of note.

Driving through Hulrugered on my way to check some dragonfly sites I stopped for a roadside pair of cranes and again for a mistle thrush. Bränneslätt mire was very wet and full of Odonates, my first Leucorrhina dubia and Cordulia aenea of the year were long overdue and there were plenty of the former here as usual.

Leucorrhina dubia - my first of the year.

Next stop was the pools at Bösketorp, always good for Odonates, there was plenty to look at as usual. New for the year here were Leucorrhina rubicunda  and  Coenagrion lunulatum. Birds included my first little grebe for the year (!) and a single green sandpiper.

Leucorrhinia rubicunda - note the reddish pterostigma, completely yellow costa and the larger broader abdominal spots.

Coenagrion hastulatum

 

Coenagrion lunulatum

In the afternoon I searched Vysterborg again hoping for Sympecma fusca, I had one female here last year and have yet to repeat the feat in BK... Plenty of Odos though with Libellula depressa (male, first of year) and Brachytron pratense (ditto) taking the honours. Some bird breeding evidence here as well, with young coot and shelduck being my first of the year.

Brachytron pratense at Vysterborg

Last stop of the day was the pond at Lönhult, here there were two 2K whooper swans feeding on waste seed potatoes as well as more Coenagrion lunulatum and a single Brachytron pratense.

Whopper goose or whooper swan

more ouzels

Just ten in one flock today at Dagshög!

Nipped out fairly early for a sniff around after more ring ouzels and perhaps a wryneck. Walked the stretch of coast between Rammsjöstrand and Dagshög and was not too disappointed. Rammsjöstrand produced little out of the ordinary but it was a different story at Burensvik. Here I heard a ring ouzel call and tracked it down to the lawn of one of the holiday homes along the shoreline. Glancing up I noticed another sitting on juniper to the north and walked up to it flushing a total of nine from the bushes in the end. How many there really were is anyone's guess but it was great to see so many in one place. The bushes here held good numbers of redstart (9), lesser whitethroat (8) and whinchat (4)

On the way home I stopped briefly to scan Lönhult damm and picked up a cheap year-tick - a pair of moorhen.

In the afternoon we headed down to Båstad hoping for terns and were rewarded with a single Arctic tern, sitting on the rocks offshore with a brace of commons. Next stop Klarningen where nothing inspiring seemed to be occurring. Trönninge ängar just to the north is currently hosting a blue-winged teal, pink-footed geese and Bewick's swans and had a black tern yesterday and a pair of Med gulls recently... The fact that the blue-winged teal has been present since I got back from Crete and I have yet to surface a need to see it, suggests that my detwitchification is complete!

Last stop of the day was Älemossen where three kestrels were knocking about and a cursory glance around produced three whinchat. Number 1 and I searched hard for adders but dipped.