Pouring with rain

It hammered down today, without stopping. I did some work on the house but fitted in two little sessions around my driving duties for the team. Spent half an hour looking at the 'big field' at Ljungbyholm. Not much doing here but a big flock of 235 fieldfare was nice (just three redwing in tow) and also 67 golden plver here too.

In the afternoon, Number 1 and I went shopping at the hardware shop and nipped up to Klarningen. It was blowing a gale from the south with plenty of rain. Despite this we notched up three whooper swans, 20 wigeon, no teal and a single tufted duck. Seven snipe charged about in the sky and a flock of at least 25 skylark were either side of the access track. A dull day.

Rapid assessment

Sped around a bit today trying to track down various things reported recently. As a gambit it failed completely but I still managed a few good birds of my own.

Started off at Klarningen, thin skim of ice on the place but a bit of open water which holds a dwindling number of wildfowl. Just two wigeon and nine teal remain, but one whooper swan was new in. Waiting patiently for all of 20 minutes (!) produced a large group of migrating greylag geese, that included some yelping white-fronted geese (at least 9). The flock headed west and looked interested in Laholmsbukten so I headed off to the north end of Eskilstorpsstrand. A big flock of greylag geese were out on the sea and sure enough there were 13 white-fronts in amongst them. This species has been much easier on the patch this autumn, reflected by the elevated numbers through Falsterbo this year. Also here three Slavonian grebes.

Next stop was Båstad, no sign here of any scaup or kingfishers, just two white wagtails. Moving on quickly to Ripagården, spent some time here but the site was disturbed by men with guns and dogs and more burning bushes. They have finally removed the bush that the red-backed shrikes nest in... Somehow the covey of 12 grey partridges escaped the shooters and their dogs. Over Hovs Hallar a nice rough-legged buzzard laboriously hovered.

Last stop of the day was Påarps Mal, a quick look for shags was again a failure but a kittiwake sauntered south and a superb great grey shrike was terrorising the place. Nice end to the day.

15 years ago this week

Stuck in the house doing DIY today (one hawfinch over...), so here is a little something from the diary (North Uist, October 1995):

"We were not prepared for the 20th and its events, after what was a very quiet first half of the month. Arriving at Clachan Farm I stopped by the gate and saw to my disbelief a small Catharus thrush at the end of the caravan. It hopped off and I told Cath who did not believe me. It took us 2 hours to relocate the bird in what is a very small plantation. I got two tantalising glimpses during this period and had narrowed it down to either veery or (less likely) wood thrush! Just as we were about to give up we walked towards the caravan on our way out and the bird flew up and perched in the lower branches of a pine. I locked on and finally identified it as a veery (4th for WP, 3rd for UK and 1st for Scotland).

Veery, my best UK find. Nicked this image off the internet (it's an adult).

An active little bird, which then started feeding around where we had collapsed (often down to 4 metres). Superb. Warm brown uppers, grey lores, lack of buff eye-ring, gold-tipped coverts, greyish flanks all led to identification of the bird as a veery. The bird was difficult to see after the first day – I never saw it again! Tim (Dix) and Paul (Boyer) both managed to see it over the next two days and Paul saw it once more on the 28th. Only four birders saw it in the end, no one making the effort to get over from the mainland."

Slow Sunday

Excitement today at Klarningen, the first stock (Polish red cattle) are on site, it looks more like Biebzra than BK!

Nipped out pre-breakfast to Kattvik, but the little auk was nowhere to be seen. Spent the day with the kids whilst Mrs B got on with some homework. After swimming we found a flock of 11 waxwing in the car park in Laholm. It was mild and many of them were fly-catching from the treetops.

On the way home we dropped into Klarningen. The highlight here was the arrival of the first stock on site, already at work grazing down the grass before winter and giving the sward some much-needed heterogeneity. Birds noted here included wigeon (26), teal (38), ruff (1) and snipe (2).

One last stop saw us searching for the red phalarope at Båstad, I was hoping for a better photo but the bird had disappeared. Just two Slavonian grebe (2) and one white wagtail of note here.

Mopping up?

The plan this rainy morning was to cruise around the peninsula picking up the birds I missed yesterday that may have been wrecked in the gale. The plan worked well at Båstad where a short search revealed the presence of a reasonably confiding red phalarope, pedalling along the shoreline at Skansenbadet. Patch year-tick and a great one to pull back. A search of the shoreline to the east produced a single chiffchaff but no other seabirds.

It was dark and the bird was flighty, this was the only shot I got!

Next stop was Kattvik harbour. I was pretty sure a little auk was holed up here but despite a good search of the harbour from various angles and walking the rocks to make sure it was not close in and out of sight I could not find it. It must have been asleep amongst the boats or even under the jetty because I walked away empty-handed only to discover later in the day that it was being seen and photographed. It looks tired so hopefully will carry on recuperating, allowing me to see it tomorrow. Also here black-throated diver (1) and another chiffchaff.

Last stop of the morning was a quick look at Torekov rev, just five grey plover (late this year) and one redshank of note.

In the afternoon we gathered up the kids from their grand-parents and took them for a detox walk between Vejbystrand and Ranarpsstrand. I invariably start this walk just off-patch from Vejbystrand, this allows walking the whole stretch with the light behind you, it would also be churlish to avoid the stretch of beach north of the harbour, it may be off-patch but it is good. Another reason is that occasionally as you walk north you can flush something good into BK. It did not work that way today, ten metres before the fence that marks the boundary a shorelark picked up and flew into the southerly wind away from BK... Rats! Walked back to get a good look at it, nice bird but just metres away from being excellent. Still it was a year-tick and my first self-found Swedish bird too.

Scuttling into BK before something worse happened, we walked the beach at Stora Hult, nothing doing here just a curlew and a red-necked grebe. Ranarpsstrand also had a red-necked grebe (arrival yesterday?), a grey plover, five snipe and three redshank. Great day.

Windy weather

A 1K little gull one of the highlights of today's seawatching action.

At last a gale from the west, albeit short-lived. I had to fit two sessions in around my domestic duties today but was pretty happy with the rewards. Kicked off about an hour after first light at Yttre Kattvik. We did poorly here for an hour and a half, getting gripped off from both Båstad to the east and Hovs Hallar to the west. It was nice to be able to sit in the car during the windy squalls that came through though! Highlights here included a close Slavonian grebe flying past, at least 40 kittiwake, ten guillemot and 50 razorbill.

When the rain stopped I headed over to Båstad and straight away we were into new birds. Far out my first sooty shearwater of the day was shearing madly (perhaps three during the session to midday). Also here the only gannet of the day, one adult little gull west, and more kittiwake, guillemot and razorbill. Walking back to the car, I searched the shoreline finding two more little gulls and about a dozen kittiwakes loafing about (all offering photographic possibilities at last).

Adult little gull

Most of the kittiwakes involved in the today's action were 1K birds as usual.

Had to nip back to do the school run and then Mrs B and the team dropped me off at Eskilstorpstrand for the final late-afternoon session. Missed the red phalaropes at Båstad by making this decision but as ever Eskilstorpsstrand produced some great birds; had a pomarine skua going high east and a puffin north almost straight away but the wind was dying and things quietened down a lot after that. A solitary snow bunting kept me company.

Happily ignorant of the red phalaropes at Båstad I checked out Klarningen last thing. The wind had dropped away to almost nothing, and so have the numbers of wildfowl at Klarningen. I think the site must be being disturbed. Just 25 wigeon and 25 teal this evening. The four tufted duck remain, as do the pair of mute swan (no doubt having arrived they will never leave).

First snow bunting of the season all on its own at Eskilstorpsstrand this afternoon.

Not a bad day, dipped little auk (small numbers through during my midday break) and the two grey phalaropes. Will try for both tomorrow, they may hang about...

Chuffing freezing

Had a waxwing in the garden briefly this morning. After dropping everyone at school-work I went ot Segelstorpsstrand and had a kick about. Still two chiffchaff here, despite the sub-zero temperature, but my Sibe hopes are receding as the winter seems to be taking an early grip on the land. Vis mig was apparent this morning with plenty of chaffinch on the go, also a few skylark, brambling, greenfinch and yellowhammer in the mix. When it's cold like this morning you really get a feeling that these migrants are fleeing ahead of something bad, occasional hordes of jackdaw going south looked panic-stricken. The beach had one curlew and five redshank (the latter have been scarce in BK this autumn and this is the largest gathering I have seen for some time). Looking north on to Öllövsstrand produced one sorry-looking barnacle goose. Walking back to the car I bumped into another autumn flock of long-tailed tits (10).

Dodging the hail squalls I drove up to Torekov for a quick look at Påarps Mal. Had a great flock of 120 brambling on the ground feeding in a recently harvested maize field. They stuck close to the car and were spooky but still one managed to get taken by a sparrowhawk... Påarps Mal produced no shag, my main reason for going, but a black guillemot (1) and a black woodpecker (heard only) made the trip worthwhile.

Back on the school-run I had a blackcap at Förslöv (my latest patch bird but with me at home all autumn, I am sure I can do better).

Båstad!

Busy day today but had to take Number 2 to the dentist in Båstad, which allowed time for duck-feeding (Number 2) and searching for yesterday's reported little auk (me). The birding started at the dentist's though with 35 excellent waxwing in the 'garden'. Being a UK-conditioned birder I still take an inordinate amount of pleasure from seeing things like waxwings, hawfinches and rough-legged buzzards. It's great! The harbour later had black-throated diver (1K), great crested grebe (8), gannet (2) and nine razorbill (but no micro-auk or even the long-tailed duck of yesterday...).

Nipped into Klarningen quickly en route to our next assignment. Been watching this site for over a year as it has developed and filled up with water and finally a pair of mute swan have deigned to visit. They must be really fussy, the first whooper swan arrived when it was just a muddy idea of a wetland! Obviously wildfowl are still moving, four tufted duck were new, otherwise wigeon (50), teal (67) and goldeneye (4) numbers were stable. They are still working on the bird tower but it is starting to look like we may be able to take up residence soon.

Dirty twitcher!

Addictive stuff this twitching, instead of thrashing the patch this morning I let myself down gently after Öland by going to see the pectoral sandpiper at Rönnen. Had to do the school run first though and had five waxwing new-in on patch at Förslöv.

The pec was a great bird. Also here a lone shelduck, one dunlin, two greenshank and four curlew. Pretty quiet. Checked Sandön on the way home for hen harrier (1), grey plover (3), waxwing (15) and bullfinch (2). Managed 20 minutes on-patch at Ranarpstrand before the DIY beckoned. Very quiet here with just teal (5), wigeon (30), snipe (4) and linnet (1).

Hat-trick on Öland

We all went to Öland for three days and it was fab!

The main drag through the Ottenby reserve down to the southern tip of Öland is excellent for getting close views of stuff - this fantastic grey grey shrike stopped us in our tracks as we headed down for the accentor on Day 1.

The star of our long-weekend was this MEGA black-throated accentor! It stayed just long enough for us to get amazing views down to two metres on the Friday and then disappeared overnight in time for the Saturday crowds (sounds familiar...). Team Benstead does not twitch much but this bird was truly splendid.

We rounded off Day 1 by finding this skulky reed warbler (in October!) at Sebybadet. The weather had gone wrong for continuing arrivals of Sibes sadly but the family appreciated the incredible blue-sky birding.

Sebybadet also produced my first waxwings of the autumn, they should be on-patch now too I reckon.

The highlights of Day 2 included my first Swedish dusky warbler (Triberga läge) and also my first steppe eagle (here with a white-tailed eagle). After ignominiously dipping one in Skåne with Terry on New Year' Day, it was a wonderful moment when this sub-adult bird appeared overhead with four white-tailed eagles at Ottenby.

Other highlights included a strong supporting cast of stuff at Ottenby including a good red phalarope, purple sandpiper, black redstart and bearded tit, an Arctic redpoll at Kapelludden and rough-legs were on the move throughout the island. We also saw more birders than I have seen all year. Great trip!

Quick look at Klarningen

Number 2 and I checked out Klarningen this morning. They are still working on the tower hide so we went for a walk. The wetland has gone quiet, just 50 teal and four goldeneye. The silage bales still scattered about probably spook the geese I guess. The walkabout produced 18 snipe, including one with an odd nasal call (?). Quite a few finches around including six twite, two redpoll and 65 brambling. The best bird though was a late wheatear (1K).

Stopped briefly at Båstad, a brisk NW wind produced three guillemot and a red-throated diver in 20 minutes and probably deserved more time but we were on a mission...

Garden tick!

Spent the morning in the garden, doing autumn jobs. My main hope was that I would finally secure a jay out of the big influx this autumn for the fledgling garden list. Sure enough at 11 o'clock two flew north quite high. Result!

After lunch I nipped out for a couple of hours and had a look at Ripagården. No wind and the sea mirror calm. Still struggling for alcids though, just one great crested grebe of note on the sea. Two grey wagtails were feeding in the harbour area. A thrash around in the woods and bushes produced blackcap (1), chiffchaff (3), willow tit (1), coal tit (1), jay (1) and redpoll (2).