Back in Sweden

Knackered after Poland, I managed to get out for a couple of hours in the early morning. Walked between Lervik and Ranarpstrand and got some good birds. Finch migration was going full bore with flocks of chaffinches passing continually and at many levels. Occasionally buzzy brambling calls and skylark were in amongst them. A red-throated pipit called once on its way south. On the ground got grey plover (2 1K birds) and grey wagtail (2 1K birds). Managed to read another Danish mute swan darvic - which is always nice, even if they have not come far.

The nice warm feeling engendered by being back on-patch changed when I got to Ranarpsstrand and noticed this...

Usual apologies re quality, but what a bird. Anyone know what it is? Industrial melanism? Structurally quite good for a 'yellow-legged' gull but the plumage! Is it atlantis? Has it just got a dirty face? The real video is much better if anyone wants it let me know.

Biebzra update - Poland

Management problems at Biebzra are being solved with some serious machinery. This tracked cutter and trailer had several of us drooling and reaching for our cameras. Some consolation for the fact that the management work had scared away all the wildlife.

Just finished two days at the incomparable Biebzra Marshes in NE Poland. Just like Bialowieza Forest this is a must-see destination for the serious naturalist. At this time of year we chase elk, look for eagles and enjoy the landform and geomorphology. We had great views of three elk (male, female and yearling) close to the road at Osowiec. Eagles appeared suddenly on Day 2 after a few distant false starts and we got great views of two spotted and one lesser spotted eagle. At one fish pond we watched an osprey being deprived of its catch in mid-air by a wily white-tailed eagle.

Raft spider (Dolomedes fimbriatus) - both this species and plantarius are easy to see in Poland.

Penduline tit - we had a close encounter with these charismatic little passerines. Plenty of old nests found too.

Beaver time

Beaver has been re-introduced into Poland and thrives. We had good views of a family on our first morning. It's impact on riparian habitats is massive. Here a stream has been reduced to a trickle choked with Elodea by the presence of a dam upstream.

A deadwood area in the pond just upstream of a dam. These beavers had made use of raised road embankment and had impounded an unnatural amount of water as a result. The subsequent tree die-off is a boon to woodpeckers.

Beavers are not shy about tackling large trees. Successful re-introduction into the UK will be an interesting exercise...

Hornets!

Hornets abound here in Poland and can frequently be found sun-bathing in the early mornings.

This nest was found under the stairs up to a watch tower. Hornets are pretty docile creatures. The nest reminds me of a Skånish speciality - a cake (spettkaka), the only difference really being that the hornets nest tastes better and has a higher nutritional value... :)

Poland - Bialowieza update

Four days at Bialowieza completed and we have not done too badly. Skunked out seeing bison though for a second time... Found abundant sign this year at two locations and got close but could not get to grips. The best mammal was a family of beavers watched as they returned to their lodge in the half-light of dawn. The forest here is awesome though and you never leave empty-handed. The stars were the woodpeckers; we managed to see white-backed (2), great spotted (common), middle-spotted (common), lesser spotted (3), three-toed (2), black woodpecker (common) and green. Only grey-headed eluded us (again). Other good birds included a superb encounter with a hazelhen (scope views perched and awesome flyby) and a few nutcrackers. The real star at Bialowieza though is the strictly protected forest reserve, a visit to which should be on every naturalists 'to do' list. It is just amazing. Still wading through the fungi spotted...

European bison - it's starting to get personal. One day I will see one in the field.

Three-toed woodpecker, one of seven species of woodpecker encountered this week at Bialowieza

Sympetrum pedemontanum, one of the highlights of today's look at Siemianowka reservoir - a curious little dragonfly with poorly-known habitat requirements. This was a decade tick for me, last seen in Georgia in 1998.

He's off

Can you guess? Yep Phil's off to Poland for large mammals. Hopefully some posts will materialise, if not have a great fortnight and I will be back at the end of the month.

Birding - 15/09/09

Two dunlin at Klarningen this morning were the first I have seen at the site.

Clear skies overnight and a chilly dawn greeted me this morning. Checked out Klarningen before breakfast and it was well worth the effort. Found not one but two red-throated pipits, feeding together at the north end. They were furtive and more difficult to flush than meadow pipits and gave reasonable views as they scurried about, usually feeding close to, or along the vegetated edge of, channels. Needless to say it was the call that drew my attention to them, they would be easy to miss in a casual scan I reckon. Other new birds for Klarningen were Canada goose (7 over) and two cracking 1K dunlin. Otherwise two reed warblers were nice and the river reeds were full of reed buntings. I texted out the red-throated pipits to Martin Åkesson and he almost immediately rained on my parade by texting back that he had just had a two-barred crossbill go over. I nipped back to the coast for fifteen minutes but I suspect it was long gone. Good bird here.

After sorting out the conveyancing on the in-laws new house in Ängelholm, Mrs B and I headed for a quick twitch to Farhult. Great spot this and one I do not get to enough. The easy highlight was the 1K broad-billed sandpiper that has been hanging about for a few days in a large flock of dunlin. Also in attendance during cursory scans elsewhere were grey plover (3 1K), greenshank (3), bar-tailed godwit (12) and curlew sandpiper (1 1K). A water rail squealed in the reeds. Offshore a 1K red-throated diver bobbed about and the large flock of barnacle geese (1000+) was terrorised by the arrival of a subadult white-tailed eagle.

Today's 1K broad-billed sandpiper was a little stunner. It was present in the flock of dunlin on arrival but then disappeared. I walked in over the flats and scanned for quite a while before I noticed it again - it had been hiding behind the only bit of cover for hundreds of metres.

Took the kids down to Eskilstorpstrand to enjoy the sun and sea in the afternoon. They splashed about happily for an hour and I got a bit of birding in. A few waders were present with ruff (2), dunlin (14) and bar-tailed godwit (1). Close inshore a raft of 54 Canada geese and separately a bit further out ten common scoter (mostly male).

Footage of the phalarope

Just found this video of the red-necked phalarope on the 5th September at Klarningen on my camera...

Birding - 14/09/09

Took the kids out for a walk for an hour this morning during a busy day. We walked into the Älemossen area from the western end of the track. A new bit of path for us all. My main hope was to finally find a bullfinch on the patch for 2009. Amazingly 50m up the track we bumped into three calling bullfinches - job done. The only other birds of note were several jays - another bird you have to go searching for here, although it is common enough in the right places. No sign of any nutcrackers but a bunting that sounded like an ortolan flew over south... The struggle to bring myself up to some sort of speed as a vizmig birder continues! The kids enjoyed the sun and blueberries (fantastic season this year).

Unlucky 13 - birding Falsterbo

Star of the raptor parade today for us at Falsterbo was this rough-legged buzzard. Others made do with a 1K pallid harrier. Oh the shame!

Went down to Falsterbo last night to stay with Terry (Birding Copenhagen) and three of his mates from East Anglia. They had evicted the Seven Dwarves and were living in a tiny cottage in the woods. Luckily there was just enough floor space for me. During the evening they gripped me rigid with tales of their second day at Falsterbo - short-toed eagle, black kite.... We hoped for more of the same on their third day.

Common buzzard - gentle trickle of birds through during the middle part of the day.

Rain overnight and a breezy northerly did not bode well however and we had a 'mare of a day. We somehow managed to miss all the good birds - Falsterbo has quite a complex geography and it is easy to be in the wrong place, unless you opt to sit at the end all day. We started at the end (Nabben) in the early morning. A few honey buzzards drifted south. The lagoon here was crammed with waders and we spent some time trying to find a broad-billed sandpiper in the throng of dunlin. No joy, but our searching turned up at least two little stint and a curlew sandpiper (the latter my first 1K bird of the year). A white-tailed eagle terrorised the local cormorants for a while and sparrowhawk were regular overhead. Several squalls came through whilst we waited here and we got wet! Passerine highlight came in the form of a single grey wagtail, although a few meadow and tree pipit were heard overhead. We elected for breakfast and a move to the heath to await raptors.

Red kites never failed to entertain, 30-odd birds passed us today.

Typically as we settled into our comfy chairs and waited for the raptor parade, the phone went. Martin Åkesson had found a Lapland bunting back in BK... The movement of raptors today was rather poor, although it included a splendid rough-legged buzzard, two hen harriers, another or the same white-tailed eagle and perhaps thirty red kite. A crane flew silently overhead but a white stork gave us the slip out to the west. A few crossbill and siskin were apparent. Out on the lagoon, four avocet will probably be my last of the year. With more rain in the offing I decided to head back to BK for a crack at the bunting. Tramping back over the heath produced a nice marsh gentian which somehow eluded me photographically.

An hour and a half later I was strolling through sunny fields in a light breeze back on the patch (Eskilstorp) - a phenomenal change in weather. Queen-of-Spain fritillaries were booted from underfoot and despite walking the field for an hour I could not find the bunting. Too bad, but I got home in time for a fish-and-chip supper.

Wildfowl counting - 12/09/09

Sloe birding today - very few waterfowl to count during the survey. I was surprised by the low numbers of eider and red-breasted merganser. Very little passerine migration either, Sweden may have emptied overnight (light winds and clear).

Had a wildfowl count to do today, despite the fact that I was supposed to be at Falsterbo, with Birding Copenhagen and his crack British team. They may have scored big (short-toed eagle and black kite reported) but I will get down there tonight and find out.

Walked the coast between Dagshög and Hovs Hallar (some ten kilometres). There was very little to count and numbers of all species were surprisingly low. I do this count in January as well and it is rammed with waterfowl then and lots of additional interest too (water pipits being a favourite). Highlights were few and far between considering the mileage but included a confiding peregrine, two pintail and a shag at Torekov and two whooper swans at Ripagården. Despite calm sea conditions only six alcids seen; with two each of black guillemot, guillemot and razorbill. No grebes or divers at all! Amazing.

Another atrocious hand-held digi-nightmare from the boy-Benstead. If you squint it gets quite arty. But you get the idea no doubt, what a stunner.

The other good thing about January counts is that the duck look nice.

Counted a few of these today.

We have had a few whooper swans on patch all summer this year, failed breeders no doubt. The southward migration has yet to begin.

Birding - 11/09/09

Barnacle geese heading north? What is that about? And where do these barnies come from and where do they winter?

Torekov rev, looking good but wader numbers have been poor here this autumn.

Got out reasonably early for an hour at Torekov rev. Some geese moving with greylag (101 north) and barnacle (185 N). Other waterfowl included teal (7), wigeon (12) and single shoveler and pintail. A poor selection of waders included redshank (8), common sandpiper (1), ringed plover (6), golden plover (31) and dunlin (31). Not much vismig but grey wagtail (1S) and siskin (12) were migrants. Bashing the bushes produced a single chiffchaff, reed bunting (2) and yellowhammer (3). Further north in Halland, Lapland buntings and bluethroats were dropping out, so there is hope for tomorrow.

A message in a bottle. I find one or two a year in Bjäre. Last year I sent one back from Sabah, just for fun...

After breakfast walked the stretch between Vejbystrand and Lervik with Number 1 and 2. They enjoyed looking for 'treasure' and we had a good time. It was quiet bird-wise with a couple of bar-tailed godwits and redshank. Spotted some thermalling raptors on the move, two marsh harriers and a splendid hobby. Lervik had a few yellow wagtails, two whinchat and 90 golden plover flew by (doubtless from nearby Ranarpstrand).