osprey!

Today's highlight was this hunting osprey found in the afternoon at Stora Hultsstrand and drifting it's way north.

Had a walk in the morning around Öllövsstrand and Vasaltheden. The easy highlight being my first whimbrel of the year, hugging the coast as it flew north silently. Also here grey partridge (pair) and a few wheatears, including a female.

Later we checked out Ljungbyholm for nine ruff and nearly 40 shelduck on the flooded bits of the big field. Nearby Stora Hultsstrand produced an osprey drifting north and looking for food on the go.

bits and bobs

Exit stage left.

Yesterday, I managed a fit in a little birding into the working day. A quick look at Båstad harbour produced very little - six goosander. Spent my lunch break at Klarningen where there were quite a few passerines around; wheatear (5), whinchat (14) and reed bunting (3). A few waders around too, six ruff being the highlight. Later in Båstad a honey buzzard snuck through. Not seeing HB's in any numbers in BK so far this autumn.

Today I spent the hour after dawn at  Öllövsstrand, a few waders were present in the bay by the harbour, including 8 greenshank and there were a few common passerine migrants about. Later we all went to Sandön, a trawl through the available waders here produced little of note but we all enjoyed watching the fishing osprey here.

Pallid falls in BK!

Raptors very much on the menu today, this 2K male marsh harrier went south through Vasaltheden in the morning.

This morning I went out with the intention of bagging a BK pallid harrier and guess what, I actually did! Sweden is groaning under an unprecedented invasion of mostly 1K birds at the moment, incredibly there have been 27 pallid harriers through Falsterbo to date this autumn! The chances of finding one yourself have never been better and I got the ball rolling by finding one off-patch last week.

I started off just after dawn at Ljungbyholm. Two kestrels in the air here and quite a few more were noted during the morning at various sites, a definite influx. A merlin was still dashing about here but and hour here failed to produced any harriers, other than a single 1K marsh. Ranarpsstrand next for a quick look, two grey wagtails were nice, they seem scarce this autumn.

Last but not least I headed for Öllövsstrand and walked into Vasaltheden. A marsh harrier migrated through straight away and there was an osprey on the deck eating a fish. More kestrels (2) here and at one point a merlin dashed south with a crow in hot pursuit. The heavens opened and I just had to stand there and take it as the lightning streaked about. Afterwards I watched a great grey shrike dry himself off and start hunting - BK's earliest autumn record and a hideous reminder that winter is next.

Walking back I was dragging my heels when I was overtaken in Öllövsstrand by a superb 1K pallid harrier. Apart from the 'thing' I saw at Falsterbo I have been really lucky with my views of ringtails this autumn and this bird was very close but heading southwards on a mission. Short but sweet. Result!

Osprey south through Klarningen in the afternoon.

After lunch some of the team accompanied me to Klarningen, water levels are higher than I have ever seen them but there is little use of the site, just two pintail, one teal, three wigeon and a handful of mallard today. Overhead was better with a sub-adult white-tailed eagle and an osprey through together during the hour long watch. At least 20 whinchat on site and the fields along the access track had a dozen wheatear. A great day.

Swedish tick - pallid harrier!

Those of you who read this blog regularly will know that I stray out of BK (my beloved recording area) grudgingly and with some trepidation. But the area just to the south of me in Skåne is very good birding and it would be churlish not to have a look occasionally... The problem is I occasionally find birds I would give my eye-teeth for in BK. Today was one of those days...

Team logistical reasons suggested a trip to work the coast between Farhult and Sandön today and the sun shone for the first time in ages. Happy days. I kicked off at Farhult just after nine o'clock and this proved to be inspired. Within ten minutes I was watching a juvenile harrier. Picked up as a rufous ringtail coming in-off - I got excited. The bird was heading away in the scope and I prayed for it to thermal and show itself well, which luckily it quickly did. Check out that boa! Pallid! Great bird, a Swedish tick and one of my most wanted BK birds. Shame I wasn't there! But mustn't grumble, I have not been troubling the scorer's much this year, so I was just glad of the find. I forgot to photograph it though, being too busy enjoying it through the scope! Quite a large number of waders here too, in amongst the 175 dunlin were; knot (2), sanderling (6), little stint (10) and curlew sandpiper (4).

Next stop was Rönnen. A huge flock of barnacle geese in here - at least 2200, and all up in the air at one amazing point. Never found the culprit, but a peregrine appeared just afterwards. Waders much in evidence here too with knot (3), little stint (15), curlew sandpiper (14), a massive 16 spotted redshank and two woood sandpipers.

Adult peregrine at Rönnen.

Sandön provided more raptors with two white-tailed eagles and my first merlin on the autumn. Osprey and marsh harrier on the move too. Waders here included nearly 50 knot and six more sanderling. Two juvenile black terns hunted just off the boardwalk.

Osprey and white-tailed eagle over Sandön.

One of two juvenile black terns at Sandön.

Decided to check Halsarevet next, a site near Jonstorp that I have never visited but that has been hosting a few red-necked phalaropes lately. The birds were apparently present earlier but I dipped badly. As I arrived a sparrowhawk did a pretty comprehensive number on the place and every wader was up and off. A few things returned including seven little stints, a wood sandpiper and a turnstone. Great site though and one I will return to.

It was time to guiltily speed-thrash a few sites in BK, quickly worked the coastal stretch from Vejbystrand to Ranarpsstrand but with little effect. Just one migrating osprey at Lervik of note.

virens!

Sandön is always good for an osprey or two.

Number 2 and I headed out to work the coast between Sandön and Rönnen this morning. Sandön was packed with birds and very exciting. Ducks were few and far between but did include five pintail. Waders held my attention for longer with a large flock of calidrids including a number of great birds. Two sanderling darting about quickly caught my attention and skulking in amongst a huge flock of over 100 snipe was a single dark and mysterious adult broad-billed sandpiper. It stuck out like Johnny Cash at a Hari Krishna get-together. Amazing numbers of little stints too with 17 counted and probably more. Just six curlew sandpipers and a small flock of 35 knot rounded off the action. Overhead two ospreys searched for fish and a 1K black tern hawked about.

Rönnen in a quick look produced more waders, notably a single avocet and eight curlew sandpipers.

After lunch we all went for a quick look at the sedge-mire at Gånarp. Fifteen minutes here was enough to secure Lestes virens for the year-list. Plenty of Aeshna juncea flying here too despite light rain and overcast conditions. A pleasant end to the day.

Lestes virens is a smart little damselfly. I just need to find a colony in BK...

Mmmm... stunted lower appendages!

Sea-watching and other stuff - 18/08/09

Ospreys popped up a few times today, probably all the records relating to this one individual, which has been hanging around Båstad for a while now.

Up and about for dawn again, hoping for more seabird action. Tried a rather windy and almost spectacular Eskilstorpstrand for three hours first thing. The easy highlight was a superb male hen harrier going south through the surf and an osprey just overhead. Seabirds included a single dark Arctic skua, three kittiwakes and a single Arctic tern. A trickle of waders tested my mettle as they came fast along the strandline in front of me - grey plover (6), knot (4), redshank (3) and dunlin (4).

Moved on to Yttre Kattvik as they had seen more skuas (a great and a pomarine) in the early morning. Things quietened down sadly for the rest of the morning but the watch was not without interest. The raptor theme continued with a great male merlin (as I sat down) and a peregrine in-off later on. Wader passage still ongoing here with grey plover (2), golden plover (22), redshank (4), knot (3) and oystercatcher (61).

Took the kids out in the afternoon. Malen had a fly-over osprey and after the kids had a swim we went on to Klarningen. Here we had another (or the same?) osprey, a marsh harrier, ruff (3), greenshank (5), snipe (2), whinchat (6) and wheatear (2).

Driving home we bumped into the same family party of cranes as the other day at Ehrenstorp (photo and video below).

Another shot of one of the cranes currently using road-side fields at Ehrenstorp. I should get a better camera really... In the video below the plaintive cries are from Number 3 - it is not some previously undescribed juvenile crane call.

Birding - 13/04/09

Osprey - took this on the patch last year, possible breeder, kept flying inland with fish...

A late morning session with the kids in tow, produced my first osprey of the year, slightly late this year due to my being away at the start of the migration period. After lunch we searched around Älemossen, looking for a reported ring ouzel - no joy, this is a massive patch bogey bird for me and the cause of much heartache last spring. Let's hope that this spring is different... A small consolation came in the form of my first barn swallow this year.

A play on the beach at the end of the day was good for a few common and Arctic terns, the kids being bundled back into the car in blankets. They will not stay out of the sea.