The king is back!

Warm and fine today, our first chance to appreciate the warmth of the spring sun. Did a bit of essential gardening in the morning. Two white wagtails went low over the garden before lunch.

In the afternoon we went to Haga for a walk but surprisingly little was moving (not just the garden then), one chiffchaff was singing and song thrushes were evident too. Quickly moved on to Kattvik and Yttre Kattvik but very quiet here too, just a few black guillemots bobbing on a mirror calm sea. Visibility was awful though so I soon got itchy to move again.

Next stop was Ripagården which at least had some birds to look at. At least five chiffchaffs here, they really have come in strongly over the last two days. Also a pair of wheatears (yesterday's bird was my earliest Swedish bird so far) and a couple of white wagtails. Just as we arrived home I got an SMS from the excellent Martin Åkesson, a king eider had been found at Grytskaren. It was the work of just half an hour to nip up and cosh it off and get back for tea. Shame I didn't find it (thanks again Håkan), but I am not grumbling, a great bird!

Stuff is moving

Got out on my own this morning about 2 hours after first light for a thrash around the Halland part of BK. Kicked off at Eskilstorpsstrand for an hour to see what was moving. A lot of wildfowl on the go with whooper swan (14), wigeon (31), teal (37), pintail (6) and tufted duck (4) all heading through. A few passerines over too, mostly chaffinches but also rock pipit (1), white wagtail (1), mistle thrush (1), a flyby chiffchaff and common crossbill and brambling heard.

Lots of cranes migrating today. These two were part of a total of 14 through Klarningen this morning.

Petersberg was still completely frozen over but a few birds moving through here too. Again mostly chaffinch but also white wagtail (2), mistle thrush (3), brambling and linnet. A singing chiffchaff here was nice and there were at least three more feeding along the river. Other residents included a host of reed buntings, a redpoll and a dunnock.

No surprises that Klarningen was next on the list. The thaw here is more-or-less complete and birds are dropping in. Wildfowl included shelduck (4), wigeon (4), teal (130) and goosander (5). Along the access track on on the pools were my first green sandpipers of the year, a total of 8 in all. Snipe (16), white wagtail (1) and linnet (20) are back on site too. Fourteen cranes drifted through. Walking around I was able to view across to Eskilstorps dammar and find an amazing array of wildfowl; wigeon (6), teal (50), pochard (4), tufted duck (2) and best of all a superb pair of smew. Good morning out.

In the afternoon we all went out for a play at the seaside. En route Ljungbyholm had a good flock of golden plover (136) and 13 whooper swans. Ranarpstrand was quiet but did have gadwall (3), white wagtail (2) and the first wheatear of the year. Up at Segelstorpsstrand a single Slavonian grebe was close in and Number 1 pointed out a flock of 16 cranes going north.

Not much birding - 24/03/10

Not much time for birding today either, just half an hour split between Ljungbyholm in the morning and Sandön in the afternoon.

The field at Ljungbyholm continues to hold birds; whooper swan (38), oystercatcher (4), ringed plover (6), golden plover (60) and curlew (1). Still no sign of any Bewick's swans on the patch though.

Sandön in a quick look produced a good number of avocet (41) and six redshank dropped in. No sign of any ospreys yet though for me.

Bits and bobs - 23/03/10

Five redwing over the house in the morning were the first of the month for me.

Not much time for birding today but managed a half hour visit to Hasslarpsdammar which is defrosting nicely. The Egyptian goose had moved from Sandön to here just to pollute my optics again. Not much doing here, I was hoping for an early chiffchaff. A buzzard movement was evident overhead and included at least one sparrowhawk. A cold looking redshank huddled on the edge of the water looking lonely and yet another single meadow pipit was recorded. It seems ages since I saw a flock of meadow pipits. Reed bunting sang from the reedbed and coot and tufted duck jostled on the open water.

On the way home we stopped at Ljungbyholm where the flock of 29 whooper swans were present together with curlew (3), ringed plover (6), golden plover (20), dunlin (2) and oystercatcher (1). With tractors still unable to work the land this field could be excellent over the next few weeks.

The weather looks good for spring over-shoots on Thursday and Friday so could be a good weekend in southern Sweden.

Birding with Mrs B - 22/03/10

Mrs B and I headed out for another walk between Lervik and Ranarpsstrand this morning. En route we checked the big field at Ljungbyholm again and were rewarded with not one but two year-ticks. First up was an adult lesser black-backed gull, resting by the side of one of the many pools in this poorly-drained field. Nearby a flock of at least fifty golden plovers provided our second year-tick. Also here at least 100 lapwing, a single curlew, seven oystercatcher and a small flock of whooper swan (19, increasing to 31 on the return journey).

The coastal walk was good too, with the sea flat-calm. Eider were everywhere, at least 1000 between Lervik and Grytskaren. Lervik produced two redshank and a surprise purple sandpiper. Ringed plovers were displaying and overhead a few reed buntings were heard as they migrated north. A flock of 80 starling was easily the largest of the year so far.

Grytskaren was rather quiet, examination of the eider flock again drew a blank for other eider species but turned up a solitary Slavonian grebe. Behind us a green woodpecker called. Ranarpsstrand produced a third year-tick, a fine pair of gadwall. Two cranes silently flew north.

In the afternoon we took the kids out for a run to Glimminge. Highlights here included at least 12 Slavonian grebes (they are obviously on the move) and seven common crossbill. The ugly male wigeon x mallard hybrid was still around.

Sunday outing

With a brisk westerly ruling out a comfortable walk by the sea, we headed inland to Älemossen this morning. En route we spotted bullfinch (1), hawfinch (2) and a flock of perhaps 500 woodpigeon.

The first birds at Älemossen were a pair of jays, quickly followed by the bird we hoped to see - a splendid great grey shrike. A pair of red kite prettied up the place and we also heard a calling green woodpecker. Sadly the snow was too deep and underlaid by water so we abandoned our walk and headed to Klarningen.

Klarningen was being raked by the wind and we did not last long here. Two curlew and a reed bunting were new-in but most of the action was overhead. In the short time were here a flock of 35 eider came over, taking the short-cut to the Baltic and a very high flock of 100 jackdaw flew over north-east.

Spring has sprung!

The feeders had a single dunnock this morning at breakfast, a sure sign of spring hereabouts. We managed to get out of the house before nine for the first time in a long time this morning. We headed off-patch to Sandön, stopping briefly at Ljungbyholm en route for four fantastic, but skittish, white-fronted geese.

Sandön was very good, the sea-ice has broken up, open water is everywhere and more signs of spring were evident here too. A flock of 16 avocet was a most welcome sight, even if against a backdrop of gulls floating past on chunks of sea-ice. I found an Egyptian goose almost straight away - this scarce species seems to plague me here, my ability to find them only matched by my hatred for them. Still if you are micro-birding, they all count and so it went out on the pager system (via Mikael Olofsson, who was finding real birds down south). Other notables at Sandön included smew (pair), goosander (16), bearded tit (heard) and singing reed buntings.

Next stop was Farhult, good birding here too, the highlights here; pintail (1), pochard (pair), smew (pair), oystercatcher (79), avocet (1), dunlin (1) and white wagtail (1, and perhaps the fourth year-tick of the day).

On the way home picked up mistle thrush (1) at Södra Utmarken and stopped again on-patch at Ljungbyholm for whooper swan (16) and oystercatcher (8).

Bad twitch and great patch birding

With the now-usual pre-twitch feeling of foreboding, we all drove up the E6 to Falkenberg on a mission. A ring-necked duck had been spotted yesterday and we fancied a go. Although the bird was apparently present in the morning, we failed to connect with it in a cold and foggy couple of hours at the site. I got bored about the same time as the kids and we drifted back south. Plenty of birds on the move today though, with flocks of lapwing flying up the E6 and plenty of evidence of movement by reed bunting, chaffinch and skylark. If we could just shift the remaining snow and ice, it might start to feel like spring.

Rough-legged buzzard on the deck at Eskilstorpsdammar.

On the way home we stopped at Klarningen. The access track produced 11 bean geese, which flew over to Eskilstorpdammar and a host of skylark (65) and a single meadow pipit. Klarningen is starting to defrost and had a flock of 20 starling and a scattering of lapwing and greylag on it. Seeing a flock of mallard take to the air over at Eskilstorpsdammar had us trudging over for a better look, the kids enjoying the experience greatly. We were rewarded with at least four white-fronted geese, the bean geese (13) and seven migrating cranes. Patch is best as usual.

The purple sandpipers are back in town -17/03/10

Mrs B and I had a quick look at Torekov this morning. The rev was looking pretty good with 11 purple sandpipers back on station. Also oystercatcher (25), ringed plover (4), dunlin (1) and redshank (1). Looking from the harbour we had three razorbill - a year-tick (at last).

After more firewood exercise we took lunch at Grytskaren, pretty quiet here, still nothing in amongst the big flock of eider but a single meadow pipit was noteworthy.

Odd and sods - 16/03/10

Grabbed a few minutes birding in a busy day today. The garden had four lapwing over north in the early morning and unusually siskin (2) were present at the feeder. Drove through Barkåkra twice today, picking up a hunting rough-legged buzzard on the first pass and two grey partridge on the way back.

Dragged the kids out kicking and screaming in the afternoon to Önnarp, but they soon settled happily into a half hour snow games session. Over the din I could just hear a black woodpecker calling near the army camp.

Walking the coast again - 15/03/10

Another white-tailed eagle today, they have been plentiful on-patch this winter.

We took the loop walk between Grytskaren and Vistorpshamn this morning. A bitter NW blowing in off the sea made for a chilly coastal section and we probably missed stuff. Ranarpsstrand was good, we imediately dipped-in on a superb adult white-tailed eagle, which flew off south. Also here were two female smew, a few teal and oystercatcher, plenty of singing skylarks and single rock and meadow pipit. On the way back we flushed the first song thrush of the year from a roadside garden. Grytskaren was quiet apart from the flock of eiider (350) and a single goldfinch.

We took lunch out at Hovs Hallar. Two red-throated divers were offshore - amazingly my first of the year. Also here a superb hunting peregrine, trying to get the better of a very plucky lapwing, which eventually made good its escape

Hares are busy displaying at the moment, but I failed photograph any of the action.

Birding solo - 14/03/10

The lone goldfinch was at the feeder this morning. The team decided that they wanted to go into town by bus today so I opted out for a long walk along the coast. Driving in I stopped at Ljungbyholm, the huge field here is often good for swans and geese and produced a few birds today; whooper swan (8), Canada goose (121), lapwing (12) and skylark (50). Birds are setting up territories despite 30-50% snow cover, spring will arrive.

Walked the stretch from Vejbystrand to Grytskaren, a blue sky day with a light NW wind. Highlights included Slavonian grebe (1), good numbers of shelduck and teal, small numbers of wigeon, oystercatcher and ringed plover, as well as curlew (2) and dunlin (2). A calling green woodpecker at Vejbystrand was nice to hear and I flushed a single meadow pipit (very scarce at the moment). Grytskaren was busy with eider (at least 400), a few go-throughs produced nothing unusual, apart from six coot. Walking back a few migrating raptors were evident, including two superb strandline-hugging red kite and a single sparrowhawk.