Gardening - oh yes!

Thought I'd better get some work done in the garden today ahead of what looks like a busy week in the field. I have been hearing crossbills occasionally in the mornings as we get into the car on the school run and it was nice to spend some time in the garden. It all paid off just after lunch when five crossbills sat up in some nearby spruce trees. I ran for the scope and the first bird I looked at was my first ever male two-barred crossbill. Red! The air was thick with expletives, what a bird! Two trees along a female. Superb and a mega garden tick. This invasion really is big.

For tea we all piled down for a BBQ at Ripagården, taking advantage of a complete lack of wind and fine, sunny weather. The obvious thing here was a huge flock of 220 siskins in the seeding spruce trees. A single common crossbill flew through and somewhere in the wood there was at least one crested tit. The flat calm sea revealed five guillemots and a 1K little gull.

Thomas Wallin worked BK during the day and reported a pallid/Monties ringtail and yet more two-barreds. I will be back out there tomorrow.

Finding Lestes macrostigma on the Île de Ré

Just a quickie with a link to the site where we found Lestes macrostigma this year on the Île de Ré. It is the small wetland nestling in the fork.

Watching the sea

The weather forecast looks incredible for next week, I could be sea-watching for days on end I reckon. So Number 2 and I got some practice in today in a light westerly. We chose Yttre Kattvik in the morning, a site that allows Number 2 to set up a camp in the car whilst I attempt to watch birds, answer questions and help with 'tent' construction.

En route we had two marsh harriers at Hov and yet another merlin (an immature male) perched close by the road at Kattvik. Two-and-a-half hours of watching here produced some good birds with the highlights being fulmar (1), arctic skua (1) and little gull (2 2K). More raptors here too with three merlins and a marsh harrier in-off crossing the bay. Other notables included black-throated diver (3 west), Slavonian grebe (2 west), Arctic tern (1 west) and at least 14 guillemot west. Along the road a steady stream of siskin passed west, they are really starting to move in numbers now.

After lunch and with Number 1 on board we headed out again, this time in the bright sunshine and therefore to the markkedly more sheltered Kattvik harbour. It almost felt like summer for a while. Four beautiful black-throated divers were in residence just offshore and stuff was still moving on the sea. A 1K Arctic skua passed by very close and a total of five little gulls went past in singles during the two hour watch. Perhaps the best bird though was the 1K black redstart feeding quietly in amongst the huge boulders that make up the breakwater at this site.

Cuckoo!

I must be bonkers because it was not until after tea last night that I finally went down for the last hour of daylight and what would have been an epic seawatch if I had missed my tea and gone straight away! Highlights were my first skuas of the year, a dainty 1K long-tailed skua that angled in from the NW and bounced off again and at least two Arctic skuas. I managed to miss at least one sooty shearwater and a red phalarope, ho hum. Hopefully more of them later, if the autumn weather continues on in the same vein we could have a bumper year for seabirds. Two grey plover past close were nice. Got home to find that Martin Åkesson had found a 2K Mediterranean gull just up the beach and off-patch of course...

Today I decided to walk the beach between Båstad and Eskilstorpsstrand, in case the Med gull was still around and to see if any wrecked seabirds were present. Highlights on this long and often wet walk were as follows; osprey (1, Båstad), Arctic tern (3), guillemot (2 plus another dead), knot (singles at Båstad and Eskilstorpsstrand), little stint (1 south at Hemmeslövsstrand), sanderling (1, Eskilstorpsstrand) and little gull (4 1K birds south at Hemmeslövsstrand and another resting there on the way back). A fall of wheatears was very evident all along the stretch walked.

Moving on I headed for Torekov, picking up a cuckoo over the car at Lugnet, just outside town. The rev was looking pretty busy. At least 35 wheatears grounded here, quite a spectacle. Waders hanging about included; golden plover (84), grey plover (3), knot (1) and bar-tailed godwit (2). As I watched a magic merlin shot along just above the sea and bumped a flock of starlings feeding in the seaweed, emerging somehow with a greenfinch! A neat trick! Looking south I could see a lot of calidrids feeding on the weed by the harbour. Closer inspection revealed a flock of 60 dunlin which included four little stints. After two sparse years for this species I seem to be back on track.

Last stop of the day was Glimminge Plantering, the beach here produced a single shelduck, seven knot, five dunlin and a brace of greenshank. Then it started to rain again...

Burning up Brandsvig

With the car at the doctors having it's wheels aligned, I walked out of Ängelholm to nearby Brandsvig - a wet farmland site I enjoy birding on occasion. Plenty happening on arrival with a raptor playing merry hell with a flock of waders that included golden plover (21), knot (1!), dunlin (2), ruff (35) and greenshank (3). Not a bad little haul for an inland field. Also here a few passerines including yellow wagtail (1), redstart (1), whinchat (10) and lesser whitethroat (1).

Spent an hour at Ljungbyholm the afternoon, but nothing notable seen as I hunkered down in the wind and rain-lashed car reading the Owner's Manual...

Late Temminck's

Had the middle part of the day in the field today. Tried Klarningen hoping for a red-throated pipit but despite flushing quite a few tree and meadow pipits as I walked the northern half there was no result. The sheep pen held a spotted flycatcher that looked, well sheepish I guess. Nearby a dozen whinchat and a few wheatears looked more at home. Water levels continue to rise here and the flooding is making the site attractive to wildfowl again; wigeon (15) and teal (75) on site today. Waders included a total of 21 ruff and three dunlin together with a single Temminck's stint flew through at one point. Snipe numbers remain curiously low with just two recorded.

Raptors were on the menu again with a light passage of buzzards and marsh harriers going on and a nice adult peregrine came through too. Nearby just inside Laholm kommun whilst checking a large lapwing flock I found a fantastic adult male merlin perched up by the road.

Drove over the top to Ljungbyholm, without any birds of note. Ljungbyholm was quieter, still 80 golden plover in site and a female or immature merlin was chasing the only wheatear present all over the place.

Grotty Gröthögarna

Terrible weather today, the wind went south and we were deluged with yet more rain. Got out in the afternoon for two hours and walked Gröthögarna. Plenty of migrant passerines around with good numbers of blackcaps and redstarts and small numbers of other Sylvias, spotted flycatchers and red-backed shrikes, but no sign of the hoped-for wryneck or better still a barred warbler. Overhead a 1K hobby and a swift were noted.

BK tick - the harriers keep coming!

With strong SE winds forecast today it was always going to be interesting in BK, but could I cash-in? I tried Eskilstorpsstrand first thing for a couple of hours. Things were slow overhead here so I went for a walk north to the border and back down the road. A few things were moving notably an osprey loafing north and a black woodpecker heading south. The woods were better with a pair of crested tits and a frustrating two-barred crossbill that called a couple of times before melting away.

Klarningen next. The access track had at least 75 yellow wagtails and 11 wheatears. Water levels rising here with the electric pump on at last but no birds. Fly-through ruff (15) and golden plover rejected the place! Eventually I cracked and walked the site, this confirmed the lack of birds but did produce eight species of Odonate including six Ischnura pumilio, the first multiple occurrence in BK (and Halland). Back at the tower a pulse of raptors went through, including a nice male honey buzzard and an osprey. The phone went too, pallid harrier west through BK at Rammsjöstrand... Bugger!

Klarningen must have a colony of Ischnura pumilio, although I found no proof of breeding today. This is only the third Halland record of this species.

In the afternoon I did some taxi driving and then headed straight back to the patch and the 'big field' at Ljungbyholm. This is as big as the fields get in BK and I have high hopes that one day a dotterel will appear. Instead the first thing I saw when I set my scope up was a rufous 1K ringtail harrier passing very close to me. I willed it to be pallid, but it lacked the pale collar and boa, and instead I had to accept the fact that it was a Montagu's! Either would have been BK ticks so I could not complain. There are just five previous records of this species in BK so it is a hard bird to get. I was pleased and watched as the first of five marsh harriers came through in a busy 20-minute period. Out in the field sat two merlins. Magic stuff but things quietened down quickly and after 1.5 hours I moved on.

Last stop of the day was a date with some two-barred crossbills. They had to be in the larch trees around the Killeröd loop trail and sure enough right at the start near the green hunting hut I heard the first trumpet call. It took a full hour to track down a view but I eventually had four birds perched up in the 'scope. Also here a 1K hobby, willow tit and my best view of a nutcracker this year. A fantastic end to a great day in BK.

Aberrant guillemot

Found this dead, aberrant guillemot on the beach at Båstad on 27/8. The bare part colouration is fantastic. The bill was really pink and the legs are paler than normal too. There have been several recent records of yellow-billed guillemots in the UK in recent years. Would have been nice to see this one alive, but so many of the unusual August influx of guillemots are turning up dead at the moment.

Falsterbo!

A much slower day today with brisk SE winds coming into play. We did have a lovely pulse of about 25 honey buzzards over the heath at one point though.

A slow start to my day this morning was a bad idea. I missed two pallid harriers (including a male) and two tawny pipits at the point early on. We all had a nice time though today, watching both Nabbben and the heath for raptors and visiting the Falsterbo Bird Show. Raptor watching produced another black kite and nice views of migrating merlin and hobby.

Yesterday

Two dead guillemots at Torekov rev this morning and this one which did not look too clever.

Spent a couple of hours yesterday, with Mrs B and Number 2, looking at Påarps Mal and Torekov rev. Påarps Mal had a few grounded migrants including a nice garden warbler and several blackcap, whitethroat and redstarts. The coastline produced a flock of 210 golden plover, a ruff and ten dunlin.

The rev had more golden plover (60), six knot, five dunlin and a single guillemot (close in and looking un-oiled but poorly). A nearby freshly dead guillemot was emaciated.

In the afternoon we drove down to Falsterbo for a night's camping. We missed a cracking morning with multiple pallid harriers and both greater and lesser spotted eagles... But we did manage a few nice raptors in the closing hours of play including two 1K black kites going through together, a pallid/Montagu's juvenile and a nice selection of common raptor migrants.

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.