two BK year-ticks

Shorelark - a scarce bird in BK, only my third record since 2007.

Got out for an hour-and-a-half after lunch and mopped up a few niggly omissions to the year-list. First stop was Stora Hultstrand where the shorelark found yesterday by Håkan J was showing well. A good supporting cast here too with a Slavonian grebe on the sea, three brent geese and a greenshank.

Just had time for a look at Ranarpsstrand and managed to find a jack snipe very quickly, allowing to time to enjoy three more Slavonian grebes and a flock of four greenshank.

 Jack

sun and plovers

  Golden plover

The sun was shining so I got out during the morning. Walked around in the woods at Segelstorpsstrand searching yet again for a stray yellow-browed warbler but failing. One day... Plenty going on overhead though, with skylark, reed bunting, brambling/chaffinch and siskin obvious and perhaps I should have paid more attention to the vismig instead of going for glory! On the ground a count of five great spotted woodpeckers suggested movement too and a crested tit was hanging about. The best birds were on the beach though, seven spanking new grey plovers.

 Seven grey plovers at Segelstorpsstrand this morning, all immatures.

Checked out Ranarpsstrand on the way home and bumped into Mikael Olofsson. We had a good old natter, apparently Siberian tits are on the move up north, which is unusual. I think it is going to be a cold winter... Ranarpsstrand was quiet but I kicked up a jack snipe along the shoreline and offshore there were three Slavonian grebes.

Jack snipe plummeting back to earth.

One of two red squirrels at Segelstorpsstrand this morning.

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.