back in the saddle

Been hard to get out of the office since I got back from two months abroad but got back into the field today and I am even back to blogging after a mostly moth-related hiatus! A first season of mothing became rather time-consuming!

Today I checked Påarps mal for water pipits but it was very windy from the SW and small passerines were difficult to pin down. Offshore there was a large concentration of gulls that proved to be mainly kittiwakes (at least 150), as awell as six gannets. Two dunnocks in the car park were a good reminder that temperatures were hovering near double figures in December!

To get out of the wind we headed for Båstad and enjoyed some mild December birding here too with white wagtail (2), wren (1), chiffchaff (1) heading up the notable passerines. In the harbour a kingfisher kept calling from a concealed perch. Offshore we had a flyby great northern/white-billed diver, that looked like the latter but I need better views for a BK first... As dusk approached a pre-roost gathering of hawfinches got into double figures here - my largest flock to date in BK.

As dusk approached we went for coffee at Klarningen to look for raptors. Nothing doing on the raptor front but there were still wildfowl on site, although nothing exciting.

more migrants

An SMS that there were two black-tailed godwit at Klarningen got me moving at midday for a quick look. Sure enough on arrival they were guzzling away in the eastern pool. Also here my first little ringed plover of the year, a massive 16 redshank and a green sandpiper. Nice one.

Later in the day I nipped out to Båstad to chase Sandwich terns and got a look at two feeding offshore. Lots of great looking summer plumage grebes in the bay too with five great cresteds, eight red-necked and at least 16 Slavonian grebes.

bean goose

Had a short session at Klarningen in the afternoon. En route in Båstad we had two nice roadside hawfinches (year-tick). Klarningen had a small flock of 100 greylag which included seven bean geese, otherwise just rough-legged buzzard (1) and kestrel (2).

breezy

Got out this morning and tried to add black-throated diver to my year-list again and failed again too. Checked out Yttre Kattvik first, no divers on the sea but a few red-throated divers, gannets and guillemots going west in a strengthening westerly wind. Kattvik was likewise quiet and a quick look at Båstad produced a gannet and the over-wintering white wagtail. The latter starting to look a little worse for wear. Eskilstorpsstrand proved a little too exposed so I moved on to see how the destruction of the Petersberg wetland was getting on. The main pool is now half empty - they could have done it during the wader season if they really cared! Sad to see this site going under the bulldozer's blade. Last stop was a chilly Klarningen, here three red kites suggested a slight return movement of raptors might be happening. There was definitely a touch of spring in the air but the westerly wind was now really strong so I headed home.

After lunch we all went out for a foam party at Hovs Hallar. A few gannet and kittiwake evident going past the bunker. Elemental.

hat-trick

Got three year-ticks today. In the afternoon Number 2 and I went sledging and when we arrived we had a flock of geese south which contained two white-fronted geese.

In the evening we went owling and bagged two long-tailed tits in Båstad at dusk and then spotlighting revealed a nice tawny owl at Hålehallstugan. The rest of the night-drive produced fallow deer (10, Slottet), roe deer (1, Älemossen) and lots of hares. Number 2 armed with her own spotlight enjoyed finding rabbits and hares as we drove about and we will go again no doubt but maybe spend more time listening next time!

missed the big blow

I stayed in bed this morning after a stormy night and missed a good seawatch. We did get down to Båstad in the afternoon and whilst the team enjoyed the high water, waves and associated damage I had a quick look out to sea bagging two fulmars and a little auk in just over an hour.

more weather

I took the bus down to Båstad late in the morning to see if anything was going past. It was quiet here again with just a couple of little gulls past in a sample hour. I then headed for the bus only to watch it leave two minutes early...

This prompted a four-mile walk home through Sinarpsdalen on the lookout for more year-ticks - which netted some common woodland birds but not the hoped-for hawfinch. Nearing home I got news of a grey phalarope at Torekov, so we borrowed a car and spent the last hour of light searching in vain in the stormy sea offshore. I did pick up a south-bound 2K pomarine skua for my trouble and we could look south to the the glaucous gull at the sewage works.

January seawatch

A scattering of kittiwake through Båstad today but nothing compared to the numbers logged by observers on the west coast of BK.

Gale-force westerlies! With the car on the blink I got a late lift for some seawatching at Båstad and came home on the bus later. This worked quite well although I was on my own so had to find everything myself but probably missed a pomarine skua as a result. With no car I could not be anywhere else really so could not grumble. It was rather slow seawatch (typical for January) but it being the New Year everything was shiny and new. Birds through included; great northern diver (1), Slavonian grebe (7), little gull (3), kittiwake (12) and guillemot (1). In the harbour were kingfisher (1) and coot (26). Offshore I enjoyed the scaup (55) and long-tailed duck (4).

grey day

An hour at Båstad late in the day produced no seabirds but got nice close views of long-tailed duck - here a male.

 A female.

Managed to get out for a couple of hours in the afternoon, after a busy morning watching the kids show off their equestrian skills. Båstad was rather quiet and grey but I got close to some long-tailed duck (3) in the harbour. Afterwards checked out Petersberg quickly in the rain for two little grebe - only my fourth record this year in BK.

Common or harbour seals (Phoca vitulina) have started pulling themselves out on the rocks at Båstad. They do this all round the coast but usually in more peaceful locations.

seaduck spotting

Quite a few Slavonian grebes in the bay at the moment.

Checked the sea at Yttre Kattvik in the morning for divers, plenty of red-throated (3) and one black-throated. Also one Slavonian grebe. There were plenty of feeding cormorant offshore and at least 14 gannets and a harbour porpoise joined the show. Herring shoal? More of the same at nearby Kattvik (including two more Slavonian grebes) and then I headed to Malen to go through the seaduck assembled just offshore. I waded laboriously through the large flock coming up with 1100 velvet scoter, 550 common scoter 230 scaup, 30 tufted duck  and one long-tailed duck. Not a sniff of anything unusual. Lots of grebes though with at least another five Slavonian grebes here.

late seawatch

The big forecast storm fixzzled out overnight but it still provided reasonable seawatching condition today. Sadly I spent a lot of the night up with a poorly child watching re-runs of Strictly Come Dancing... The sacrifices of parenthood... (although as a quick aside I think Pixie Lott deserved better).

So it was not until 1250 that I rolled up to Båstad to find most observers packing up for the day. Things were still going on though, a very distant sooty shearwater appeared in the north and was a good test for my fantastic new optics (I recently splurged on the ATX95...). Over the next two hours I was joined by Paul Cook and we watched an equally distant pomarine skua (1K) and Paul found me the great northern diver (in flight briefly) that had presumably been lurking all day in the bay amongst a good number of red-throated diver (25) and black-throated diver (2). Otherwise rather quiet with just two gannet of note, some close-in seaduck in the corner of the bay including at least 75 scaup and three species of grebe.

yellow-browed!

At least four snow buntings at Torekov this morning, my first of the season.

After eight days in the UK it was great to be back in the field in BK today, despite the soggy weather. I checked out Påarps Mal first but there was little to see. Further north in Torekov proper I tried to find yesterday's little auk in the harbour but it had already departed. Four shags on the rocks here though and a peregrine paid a brief visit unsuccessfully hunting a starling. At the rev the easy highlight was four snow buntings and a redshank. Checked Ripagården for the reported parrot crossbills without success.

Wondering if I was destined to get a year-tick for my troubles I decided to head for Båstad harbour for another crack at little auk. Unfortunately there was way too much disturbance here with the harbour basin still being dredged and the damage from last winter's storms being repaired. So I figured on Klarningen next but Paul Cook rang me just as I got out of town, he had seen a yellow-browed warbler briefly in his lunch break and needed the id confirmed. Where was he? Only in the grounds of the dagis my daughter went to for three years!

Meeting up with Paul, he filled me in and I walked off down the footpath finding the bird quickly just where he had left it earlier, despite it remaining completely silent. What a great bird. I put the news out once I had got some decent images and Kent and Håkan popped out to have a look at it whilst I waited in vain for the bird to call and tried to get images. In the end I had to drag myself away to pick up the kids.

Yellow-browed warbler, one of my most-wanted BK birds finally falls.

skuas at last

Still too busy to bird but could not resist an hour-and-half of seawatching at the end of the day. With Number 1 off school sick and needing the doctor I spent most of the day indoors but then we wrapped up and sat in the car down by the sea to see of we could nab a skua or two. Embarrassingly any species would be a year-tick for me! In the end I came away very happy, with three species under the belt.

It took a while for them to come round but a 'huge' flock materialised in the corner of the bay. At least nine pomarine skuas (including some fully-plumaged adults), six Arctic skuas and one great skua. Other birds of note during the session included a gannet, three Slavonian grebes and a black guillemot.

hat-trick (20140321)

Friday saw me bagging a hat-trick of BK year-ticks by chasing down a few glaring omissions. The day started well with a flock of 200 golden plover at Ljungbyholm whilst chauffeuring Mrs B to work in the morning.

After that it was hunting for grebes. The sea off Båstad was rather quiet (just one long-tailed duck and singing chiffchaff) but from here it was apparent that most of the action was to be found off Eskilstorpsstrand, so that is were I went next. Quite a few duck offshore including big numbers of scoters (both velvet and common) and 170 scaup. In amongst them after quite a search I finally found my first Slavonian grebe of the year. Another singing chiffchaff was an indication that this species has now arrived on a broad-front, but still no wheatears???

Last stop of my short session was a look at Petersberg. The tufted duck flock has built to an 280 individuals and my first BK red-necked grebe of the year briefly emerged from the reeds. A jay here was interesting, are they moving at the moment?

wot no beans

Been trying to secure a bean goose for my BK year-list for some time this spring but no dice again today. Another session at Klarningen this morning failed to deliver the goods but the white-fronted goose flock had built up to an amazing 140 birds. Easily my highest total in BK. In amongst them were nine barnacles but I managed to miss the pink-footed goose reported by others later. The pintail (male) and gadwall (2) remain on site.

Båstad next for a quick look on the sea, somehow I am missing both red-necked and Slavonian grebe this year too. But again no joy, but seven long-tailed duck looked fantastic as they always do. Later whilst shopping I picked up some fly-by crossbills at Petersberg. Finally a year-tick!

kingfisher

A morning birding netted another three year-ticks. First up was the often elusive kingfisher at Båstad, which gave itself up in less than five minutes luckily. Hemmeslövsstrand produced three superb flyby redhead smew and a calling black woodpecker, but the light was too poor to go through the assembled scoter with any confidence. Last stop of the morning was at an icy Klarningen which surprisingly produced some passerines in the shape of a flock containing one reed bunting and four meadow pipits.

wildfowl count - Torekov to Hovs Hallar

Another morning duck counting, this time in much milder conditions, between Torekov and Hovs Hallar. In between the counting I found a few good birds. A male pintail popped up at Rålehamn. I finally found a raven (!) for the year, one flying noisily around Norra Ängalag. Ripagården produced a treecreeper in a small flock that also included three goldcrest. Tjällran had a roosting peregrine.

After the count I headed for Båstad to have a quick look for the oystercatcher, no sign but 18 whooper swans in the bay. Klarningen next hoping for the great grey shrike that has been reported occasionally over the winter. It was quiet on site but amazingly on the way home I picked up a great grey shrike as I drove up Sinarpsdalen. Year-tick number four for the day but as I opened the door I added another as ten waxwing swept over the front garden.

Day 1

A new year and a new year-list. Finished 2013 on a fairly creditable 215 for BK. Hope to top 200 again this year if I have the time.

A slow start though today with the garden providing the first new birds of the year, including robin, brambling and wren. A short walk around Axelstorpsravinen was enough to bag dipper for the year, as well as nuthatch and marsh tit. A drive over the top to Klarningen bagged a few more common species but great grey shrike eluded us both on the high bits and at Klarningen. Last stop of the day was Båstad where short walk netted more species but nothing notable. 34 species for the day!

just a vacancy

Number 2 was ill today, so we spent most of the day wrapped up on the sofa watching Dr Who. But we did manage to get down to Båstad to feed the ivory gull only to find the usual spot devoid of rare gulls. Looks like it has moved on and my bid to get ivory gull on my 2014 year-list with a steady supply of tasty fish has failed...

feeding the ivory

One from the stock-file, this was taken on the day the ivory gull arrived, it looks much stronger now. Will it stay to January 1st?

Nipped out this morning to feed the ivory gull. The east pier has really been chewed up by the storm but one thing had not changed it still hosts a very hungry ivory gull. The bird flew around me, it's wings almost brushing my face whilst I unwrapped it's fish and then I left it in peace.

Checked Klarningen before home. It was predictably quiet, just nine whoopers and a kestrel. A big flock of 65 starlings though was a nice indication of the mild weather we are experiencing this winter. Over the top I looked for great grey shrikes on Älemossen, no joy but three jays flew by.