Swedish tick - third time lucky!

After a leisurely start to the day Team B headed north off-patch to nearby Påarp, our third attempt in as many years to twitch a nearby black scoter. This attempt differed though in that we actually saw the bird, albeit at long range! Nice bird and with just 20 common scoters. It should come round BK on it's way south... Strong supporting cast this morning at Påarp with a staggering 950 oystercatcher and 75 whimbrel. Seventy-five! Other wildfowl included gadwall (pair), pintail (16) and shoveler (6). Superb.

Some observers counted 1700 oystercatcher at the site in the morning. I could not get the roosting flock present during my time at the site over 950 though and photos back this up.

The huge flock of 75 whimbrel at Påarp was rather fluid with birds heading east on migration and others dropping in. The volume of calls was wonderful. Great birds.

After Påarp there was time to check the dunes at Tönnersa strand. I yomped up and down recording a few notable birds; red-necked grebe (10), crane (9 north), black woodpecker (heard) but no interesting migrants.

We had to stop at Klarningen briefly as we were passing, water levels still declining and wood sandpiper numbers may also have peaked, just 20 today. Other waders of note; little ringed plover (1), ruff (4) and greenshank (2). Also a 2K lesser black-backed gull and two yellow wagtails here. Driving home over the top we had a pair of cranes at Atteköp and a soaring goshawk over Sinarpsdalen. Great Sunday birding.

Big arrival

A nice fall greeted me this morning, pied flycatchers were the stars but also plenty of lesser whitethroats, tree pipits and redstarts.

Had a sunny early morning session at Gröthögarna this morning. Arriving at Norra Ängalag, the small block of tall trees here was buzzing with activity - a bucket-load of migrants had dropped in. At least three pied flycatchers flitted about, my first of the year. Plenty of blackcap in too and another year-tick in the shape of the first of many lesser whitethroats for the morning. Redstart and tree pipit were also about in small numbers. Walking on the coast produced shoveler (pair), dunlin (2), little tern (2, another year-tick) and common tern (4). Ripagården delivered a singing reed warbler and more common passerine migrants and a calling greenshank.

Took Team B offpatch for a BBQ at Påarp in the afternoon. Påarp was great as usual - I just wish I could move this reef a bit further south! The highlights were; oystercatcher (110), avocet (2 briefly), golden plover (8 dropped in), whimbrel (7), curlew (24), redshank (20) and little tern (4). A quick look at nearby Trönninge ängar revealed garganey (male), four little ringed plovers and wood sandpiper (3).

Last stop of the day was Klarningen. Duck numbers have dropped way down now, just 18 teal remain. Waders included ruff (5), curlew (3), greenshank (1) and wood sandpiper (3).

Birding - 20/12/09

The garden had at least 15 brambling this morning and three redwing were feeding in the rowan. Dropped the family at the swimming pool in Laholm in the morning and went for an hour long walk at Påarp, well off-patch this and rather quiet today! A single redwing being the only bird of note. Back at Laholm, an excellent red kite flew over.

Drove back the long way through Mellbystrand and Skummeslövstrand. Stopped near some fruiting trees at the latter site and had at least 6 more redwing and a small flock of redpoll (7). Last stop of the day was Eskilstorpstrand where we slid about on the sea-ice. Just a few more redwing, a calling dunnock and five whooper swans south here. Back at home at least 20 redwing roosted near the garden at dusk. A quiet day.

Birding - 07/06/09

Påarp - sandbanks and rocks just offshore attract a variety of waders and other waterfowl. Today's highlight was the first brent goose of the year. They pass through in small numbers at this time of year and a few drop out. The bulk of the brent migration seems to go round the south end of Sweden and into the Baltic.

A day out with the family took us north to Trönninge ängar where I had hoped to finally year-tick garganey. No joy again, although two excellent spotted redshank made up for the journey off-patch. We did not spend long here though (hides feel claustrophobic these days) before moving on to have lunch at nearby Påarp. Plenty of good birds here with brent goose (1, year-tick), knot (1), dunlin (2), bar-tailed godwit (1) and a singing rock pipit. Also at least 100 common scoter offshore amongst the eider.

Got home to discover that the redstarts next door had hatched and the 'parents' were busy feeding young. You may recall that our male redstart died, hitting one of our windows in May. After that we heard no more song but it was obvious pretty quickly that the female was still incubating and later that a male was still present in the territory. Did she somehow enlist help from another male? We have seen a few extra-pair matings in the garden this spring by different species, was this male lurking in the background? Some of the chicks could be his I guess if so. In the garden nestboxes I think we have two female pied flycatchers nesting but I am not sure yet if this is right, they are still incubating and hard to keep track of.