BKK

Got our very late today - feeling grotty and I fear 'real' flu may be on the cards shortly after exposure to the infectious in-laws over Easter... With temperatures hitting the low 20s I went inland to Bösketorp pools hoping for an early Pyrrhosoma but had to settle for a manic noctule and three barn swallows flying through (my first of the year). An orange underwing (Archiearis parthenias) gave us the runaround.

I eventually got round to reading my sms messages to find that I should have been in Mats' garden for the return of last year's firecrest. Got there eventually and the bird was still entertaining the finder in fine style. I then dragged myself off to lie on a rug on the beach as the day cooled and scored two whimbrel north. On the way home we checked the pond at Lönhult and nabbed a nice common sandpiper for our troubles. Four year-ticks today despite minimal time in the field.

another odo (20140429)

Odo number two for the BK year - Pyrrhosoma nymphula at Bösketorp.

This crazy warm and sunny weather had me out again for much of the day. A quick look at Ljungbyholm before doing some housework saw me not finding dotterel again.

After lunch I nipped out to Bösketorp and easily added little grebe (4) to my year-list. Also here a few green sandpipers, common sandpiper (1) and two Pyrrhosoma nymphula for the odo year-list. Nearby at Hålehallstugan were a couple of red-necked grebe and a singing reed warbler (another year-tick).

At the end of the day I checked out Ranarpsstrand for an hour, things were quiet but five whimbrel and a similar number of greenshank livened things up a bit. Nearby in Ranarp a pair of grey partridge.

finally a full day in the field

Finally a day off and a chance to catch up with a few things that have been spotted over the last week. The day started well with an icterine warbler singing from the garden! Hit Tvehöga first and took about twenty minutes to track down the singing red-breasted flycatcher, difficult amongst the noise created by all the other songbirds in this nice patch of beech forest. A quick look at Klarningen revealed a singing marsh warbler near the tower and some fluffy moorhen chicks, but little else of note.

Driving through Hulrugered on my way to check some dragonfly sites I stopped for a roadside pair of cranes and again for a mistle thrush. Bränneslätt mire was very wet and full of Odonates, my first Leucorrhina dubia and Cordulia aenea of the year were long overdue and there were plenty of the former here as usual.

Leucorrhina dubia - my first of the year.

Next stop was the pools at Bösketorp, always good for Odonates, there was plenty to look at as usual. New for the year here were Leucorrhina rubicunda  and  Coenagrion lunulatum. Birds included my first little grebe for the year (!) and a single green sandpiper.

Leucorrhinia rubicunda - note the reddish pterostigma, completely yellow costa and the larger broader abdominal spots.

Coenagrion hastulatum

 

Coenagrion lunulatum

In the afternoon I searched Vysterborg again hoping for Sympecma fusca, I had one female here last year and have yet to repeat the feat in BK... Plenty of Odos though with Libellula depressa (male, first of year) and Brachytron pratense (ditto) taking the honours. Some bird breeding evidence here as well, with young coot and shelduck being my first of the year.

Brachytron pratense at Vysterborg

Last stop of the day was the pond at Lönhult, here there were two 2K whooper swans feeding on waste seed potatoes as well as more Coenagrion lunulatum and a single Brachytron pratense.

Whopper goose or whooper swan

Another new dragonfly for BK!

Slightly worse-for-wear but they all count. This was my first silver-washed fritillary (Argynnis paphia) of the year.

The sun was sort of shining during the middle of the day so out I went, this time to check the area around Hålehallstugan. The westerly wind was appalling and there were few large odonates on the wing. I checked through various damselflies, watched an agitated male red-backed shrike, saw my first silver-washed fritillary of the year, disturbed a grass snake and then my eyes fell on a male Leucorrhinia albifrons! A first for BK sheltering in the lee of a bramble bush. I spent some time trying to get a decent photograph of this obliging individual before checking a nearby swampy bit. On my return five minutes later I expected to be reunited with the little beauty but instead it's place had been taken by a male Leucorrhinia dubia (in rather atypical habitat). Were random Leucorrhinia species blowing past and stopping briefly? Should I have waited for caudalis?

Another BK first - Leucorrhinia albifrons! Despite the poor weather the dragonflies are still providing entertainment. This bundle of fur and pruinescence is incredibly difficult to photograph well it transpires...

Last stop of the day before the weather deteriorated again and I got hungry was a look at the pools at Bösketorp. Created for crayfish and twice emptied by the tunnel construction this site was swarming with damselflies. It last emptied in the autumn, how do the larva survive such a catastrophic event? Teneral Sympetrum danae and vulgatum were available but the best find was a decidedly chilly Anax imperator which tolerated some close-up work with the camera.

It was so cold by the time I left Bösketorp that when I found this emperor on the ground, I could just pick it up and pose it for photos.

night-birding with the family

There was a big common toad (Bufo bufo) waiting for us on the front step when we got back from our first family night-birding session.

Made the most of some afternoon sun yesterday and checked out Petersberg for dragonflies (just Enallagma on the wing). Then tried Klarningen. Still waders here with the best of it being a single whimbrel that lifted off the wetland and went south calling. Also four curlew, at least eight greenshank and the usual 20-ish wood sandpipers.

We were saving our energy for the big event though, a night drive around BK looking for nightjar and the two common owls that have been eluding me successfully so far this year. The kids were very keen and we arrived early at Killeröd, getting eaten by midges as we looked through a bewildering selection of micro-moths. As dusk fell we heard at least two male nightjars and Number 1 and I headed uphill to listen to them more closely. Here we had a very close encounter with a long-eared owl that tried to land on my head and Number 1 spotted the nightjar whizzing past at close range. Returning to the car we did not have to wait long for another very good view of a nightjar, courtesy this time of Mrs B (her first in Sweden!).

The kids did not last long on the drive-round, quickly falling asleep under a pile of sleeping bags. It was eerily quiet, a few roe deer calling and a quick glimpse and a couple of calls from a 1K tawny owl. But mission accomplished - all three potential year-ticks in the bag.

sick note

 

Great to be back in Sweden and the sun is out at last. Warmer than Turkey this is! Lots of dragonflies on the wing, including plenty of Coenagrion hastulatum to wade through to find lunulatum...

First things first this morning, having stepped off the plane in Turkey two weeks ago with ears that no longer worked and got no better it was time for a trip to the doctor's. Big infection apparently, should have gone sooner! Dosed up with antibiotics now so things should improve hopefully. Being pointed in the right direction for singing birds by sprightly 75-year olds whilst in Turkey felt distinctly topsy-turvy but I took the embarrassment like a man!

First up was a trip to Klarningen. Jan Skidell found a calling spotted crake last night and I was hopeful but not confident. Will try and get back at a better time tomorrow. Water levels have dropped at Klarningen but the birds remain. There are now a fantastic total of six garganey (one pair) and eight shoveler, also two whooper swans dropped in and a pair each of wigeon and teal remain. Waders included Temminck's stint (1), dunlin (3 and a year-tick!), at least 20 ruff and two wood sandpipers. Four black-headed gull nests have magically appeared.

The hairy one (Brachytron pratense), plenty flying at Eskilstorpsdammar today.

Walked into Eskilstorpsdammar next for dragonflies but got lucky with birds picking up the last few migrants I still need for the year. Cuckoo, marsh warbler and garden warbler were all nice. At least three red-backed shrikes and stacks of icterine warblers on site too. I also thought there was a brief snatch of rosefinch song from the riverside trees, there has been one lurking at Klarningen lately and maybe this was the same bird. Dragonflies included all the usual suspects, with eight species on the wing, including Cordulia,  Brachytron and a few Leucorrhina rubicunda. Also map butterfly on the wing here.

Leucorrhinia rubicunda is mostly found on the higher ground in BK but occurs in small numbers at Eskilstorpsdammar. Note the costa is yellow all the way to the base of the wing

Last stop of the day was a rapid transect through Bösketorp pools, had a quick skim through the Odonates but again no surprises and no lunulatum. Some frisky common newts though.

Watched a resident pair of honey buzzards today too.

More lunulatum found

Spent a couple of hours at Torekov this morning. A pair of little ringed plovers seem to be in residence, explaining the odd flyby sightings of late at the rev. The woods had at least two garden warblers singing amongst the nearly complete ensemble of songsters. Round the back of Flytermossen was a singing thrush nightingale and a hunting hobby.

Checked out the pools at Bösketorp for dragonflies at midday, picking up my first spotted flycatcher of the year in the process. Conditions were less than perfect - quite windy and patchy sun and occasional rain - but I was pleased to find another colony of Coenagrion lunulatum. Also here a few Libellula quadrimaculata, including one watched leaving the water and emerging.

Another colony of Coenagrion lunulatum found today this time at Bösketorp pools. They will probably prove to be widespread in BK. The lack so far can be explained by the fact that I am usually birding solidly until the end of June.

That John Hurt moment - an adult Libellula quadrimaculata emerges at Bösketorp pools.

In the afternoon Team B headed for Rammsjöstrand. The sedge marsh here looks famous for dragonflies but again conditions were less than ideal. Nevertheless it produced small numbers of Coenagrion hastulatum, my first Coenagrion puella of the year, a single Coenagrion pulchellum and the inevitable Libellula quadrimaculata. I think this site is outside any of my Atlas squares but I am going to keep an eye on it all the same. Nearby at the new wetland I was pleased to find at least three little ringed plovers and a couple of wood sandpipers.

Another look at Coenagrion hastulatum, this one from Rammsjöstrand.

Female Coenagrion pulchellum are variable!

My first Coenagrion puella of the year was kicked up at Rammsjöstrand today.

Redstart!

Nipped out in the morning before breakfast for a walk between Öllövsstrand and Glimminge. This was rather a quiet affair until I turned south to head home at Glimminge and a female hen harrier migrated past overhead - amazingly my first of the year. Before leaving the plantation I tracked down my first redstart of the year too - a singing male.

Back at home 13 redwing passed low over the house, reminding me that I must get out after ring ouzels soon.

In the afternoon we all went for a walk up past Bösketorp pools. Plenty happening here with six cranes stealing the show but also four green sandpipers, four little grebes and 13 tufted duck. An evening drive through of the Sinarpsdalen circuit produced a pair of curlew at Salomonhög

Misty morning

Woke up to find the garden shrouded in mist, at least 12 siskins in amongst the chaffinch and one bramblin gtoo. Things had dropped out in the night. Drove over the top to Klarningen, picking up small numbers of redwing in amongst the other thrushes. Also here the occasional brambling in large flocks of chaffinch. Spring migration seems to involve lengthy stop-overs with us this year for a number of species. Yesterday there were a staggering 7,200 cranes at one site in southern Skåne!

Klarningen was bitterly cold again in a bracing westerly. Little new to report although a green sandpiper was good to see, numbers of everything else remained stable. After yesterday's glut of gadwall at Ranarpsstrand I had hoped some might be present here but no joy. A quick look at Eskilstorpsstrand was quiet, although eider are starting to get antsy and flying around the bay. Many eventually fly overland to the Baltic coast and I guess north from there.

Petersberg had defrosted and produced two fabulous pairs of red-necked grebes. They still seem an exotic breeding species to me, even after four years. I was surprised to flush a snipe from under a birch tree here. A grey wagtail flew downriver as I left. Sad to think the whole site is scheduled to be bull-dozed soon.

In the afternoon the team headed for Farhult, picking up two cranes at Ängeltofta and a rough-legged buzzard at Södra Utmarken. Farhult was very windy but I finally managed to catch up with the bar-tailed godwit that has been haunting the area since last month. Redshank are finally arriving in numbers (nine here) and we also had dunlin (2) and avocet (14). The reeds were thrashing about but occasionally I could hear bearded tits, they must have been on the ground!

Last stop was Sandön where we had two gadwall, 14 avocet, a redshank and some annoying fishermen.

Sun!

Another pre-breakfast session saw me checking out Storahultsstrand, Vejbystrand and Ranarpsstrand. Storahult had three Temminck's stints that were quite confiding and a scattering of other waders including 25 common sandpipers and a single bar-tailed godwit. Walking off-patch to Vejbystrand produced my first 1K curlew sandpiper of the year (together with an adult and 20 dunlin). The weed was covered in white wagtails and at least four yellows.

Last stop before home was Ranarpsstrand, fairly quiet there though three shoveler, eight greenshank and 15 wood sandpipers were nice.

After breakfast we went to Bösketorp and checked out the wetlands, mostly for dragonflies. Birds appeared inevitably though with a fast hobby through at the start (always a good sign on a dragonfly mission), four excellent and small 1K little grebes, a honey buzzard (possibly migrating), a single green sandpiper and a couple of 1K red-backed shrikes.

Bösketorp had four half-pint little grebes, the first time I have proved breeding in BK. I am not very familiar with this plumage, which seems strange but is very true.

Female Sympetrum vulgatum. Oooh, look at the vulvar scale on that!

Dragonflies here were predicatable enough with a single Anax imperator taking the honours, amongst a collection of commoner species.

Windy weather

Spent the morning doing stuff around the house, I was too horrified at dawn by the strong NW wind to go out. Tomorrow might be different though, rain overnight might drop some migrants on us. It stayed windy all day...

Did get out in the late afternoon for a brief look at Slottet (marsh tit and pied flycatcher but again no lesser spotted woodpecker) and checked out the pools at Bösketorp. Plenty going on here with little grebe (pair nest-building), moorhen (1) and a brooding common crane.

Birding - 28/11/09

This grey weather is not conducive to early rising and we staggered out for a late walk in the morning. Checked out Frestensfälla for an hour, getting some good birds. Eight long-tailed tits were most welcome and we heard a crested tit. Overhead a sparrowhawk appeared briefly and then we went home for lunch.

After lunch I headed out for an hour and half. First stop was Axelstorpsravinen were I found a dipper in just two minutes by the bridge. Result. Time saved was spent at Bösketorp, where a staggering 8,740 bramblings flew over to a roost somewhere nearby. We had a heavy beech mast crop this autumn but where are these birds feeding? Other birds included a good selection of thrushes, including 20 redwing and 5 mistle thrushes, as well as bullfinch and black woodpecker heard.

A little way inland there have been reports of up to 20,000 bramblings this winter! Good news too if you are thinking of coming this way soon, the adult gyr falcon was seen at Farhult today, it's back!

Birding - 02/05/09

The last two summer's have been so poor - that this green hairstreak was a patch tick for me

Libellula quadrimaculata - flying on the patch today

Not much birding today. Took the kids and Mum for a walk around a nice little wetland at Bösketorp. Plenty to see in a small site here, with a crane skulking about, a displaying green sandpiper, a few snipe and a pair of little grebe. Green hairstreak and Libellula quadrimaculata were superb. Insects have been so poor both summer's that I have lived here, that it is amazing to see what is here at last.

In the afternoon, whilst the kids played on the beach I checked out Petersberg, pretty quiet although a fly-over black woodpecker was nice and several common whitethroats and whinchat were singing away. A teneral Enallagma cyathigerum was a surprise so early in the season.