100!

Bird of the day, an unseasonal 2K tundra swan, found by Jan and twitched off in the afternoon. Most of our tundra's come through in early spring and late autumn.

Got out early chasing a possible gyr falcon reported yesterday on Gröthögarna. Walked from Norra Ängalag to Ripagården and picked up a few good birds but no gyr. Walkign down to the coast at the start I flushed a common snipe from the side of the track. The big freeze is putting them in strange places apparently. A peregrine was out on Tjällran but there was little else of note until I reached Ripagården. Here on the seaweed bank by the harbour were nine starlings and a song thrush. Back at the car later a 2K female goshawk gave an impressive flyby.

In the afternoon we checked out Ranarpsstrand searching for pheasant (!), unseen by anyone this year in BK apparently... We saw a male! Hearing of a tundra swan found by Jan Skidell we drove up to Torekovs rev and were put onto the bird by a helpful birder. Also here at least one purple sandpiper to round off the day. The year-list hits 102 in record time, perhaps three weeks earlier than usual, although it has helped that I have actually been in Sweden during the whole of the month!

Merlin magic

Two tundra swans at Klarningen again this afternoon but no sign of the pink-footed goose.

The feeders in the garden produced two nice birds today in the form of a male redpoll and a brambling, the latter have been strangely scarce this month and this was my first. Driving back from Ängelholm I diverted to look at Brandsvig. This 'variably wet' wetland has had plenty of water this winter and levels are up. Conditions that had attracted a big flock of 95 whooper swans and two tundra swans. I checked the rocky stream above Margretetorp next picking up three dippers but no sign of any grey wagtails.

Klarningen was great, producing two year-ticks. It seemed quiet at the start but things kept popping up. Two tundra swans flew in, just after I arrived, along with 35 whooper swans. Duck numbers were well up with 160 teal stealing the show, but also 125 mallard, nine wigeon and eight shelduck. Whilst watching a hunting kestrel, the unmistakeable shape of a charging male merlin disappeared off into Laholm kommun. I prayed for it to return and ten minutes later it buzzed the tower. Smashing little bird, hopefully it will stay around and fatten up for a while on Klarningen's skylarks before heading north to breed. Being sure of covering this large site for waders during a short visit is never guaranteed and it took me some time to notice the green sandpiper in the back corner, my earliest by four days and maybe the first in NW Skåne this year? It did not hang around long before heading off. On the way home I dropped in to check Petersberg, still icy here but the first song thrush of the year was welcome indeed.

Larking about with the kids

Numbers 1 & 2 are still off school with a bug, the antibiotics are being pumped in and they seem to be responding. Today we ventured out to Klarningen where I built them a huge nest in the bird-tower. En route we headed over the hill picking up several flocks of fieldfares, six mistle thrushes and best of all we caught up with Ekenberg's flock of 12 (yes, twelve!) woodlark at Ehrenstorp. An amazing record and always great to see.

Whooper swan numbers are still building at Klarningen, with 70 on site and another 14 on nearby Eskilstorps dammar.

Klarningen over three hours was almost as good, the goose flock produced two taiga bean geese, the whooper swan flock had built to 70 and still included the two tundra swans. A solitary crane dropped in unnoticed and commenced feeding along the back - at last! Another year-tick popped up in the shape of a single snipe. No sign of any ringed plovers today, were they just passing through? Raptors featured too with rough-legged buzzard (1) and my first kestrel this month, the latter almost certainly migrating. A stiff easterly blew throughout the day and seems to have reduced the flow of migrants in the last few days.

The tundra swans gave us a flyby too this morning.

Bullfinch bonanza

While the family snoozed and had a late breakfast, I got out and walked the stretch of coast between Rammsjöstrand and Påarps Mal. I neglect this bit and I hoped that a water pipit might be lurking there, in that I was right but the real excitment was the number of bullfinches on the move. I did not get big numbers (nearby Kullen had over 3000 through today!!) but it was a great spectacle nevertheless. Bullfinch is a species that I scratch around for most of the time and I usually see a few more in the autumn on the coast. The scale of this years movement is unbelievable. They can be heard over the garden almost all the time...

Highlights of the walk included white-tailed eagle (1K?, Burensvik), goshawk (1, Burensvik), Slavonian grebe (1, Dagshög), waxwing (60+), water pipit (1, Burensvik, great bird and first of the season), bullfinch (total of 34), parrot crossbill (5 south, Dagshög) and snow bunting (1 south Burensvik). Also small numbers of redpoll, twite and yellowhammer on the move. Great stuff.

After lunch took the team for a drag up the beach at Hemmeslövsstrand and Eskilstorpsstrand. A few bullfinch still on the move and five more parrot crossbill (do I keep seeing the same five everywhere?). Otherwise the best of the rest was a superb kingfisher (my first sight record this year...), at least 75 scaup and two Slavonian grebes.

Noctule-type bat hunting during the afternoon at Hemmeslövsstrand.

Last stop of the day was Klarningen (of course), the access track produced a patch year-tick (5 tundra swan), a great way to end a satisfying day in the field. The weather was nice too.

A family party of five tundra swans at Klarningen was a great way to end the day.