Hat-trick on Öland

We all went to Öland for three days and it was fab!

The main drag through the Ottenby reserve down to the southern tip of Öland is excellent for getting close views of stuff - this fantastic grey grey shrike stopped us in our tracks as we headed down for the accentor on Day 1.

The star of our long-weekend was this MEGA black-throated accentor! It stayed just long enough for us to get amazing views down to two metres on the Friday and then disappeared overnight in time for the Saturday crowds (sounds familiar...). Team Benstead does not twitch much but this bird was truly splendid.

We rounded off Day 1 by finding this skulky reed warbler (in October!) at Sebybadet. The weather had gone wrong for continuing arrivals of Sibes sadly but the family appreciated the incredible blue-sky birding.

Sebybadet also produced my first waxwings of the autumn, they should be on-patch now too I reckon.

The highlights of Day 2 included my first Swedish dusky warbler (Triberga läge) and also my first steppe eagle (here with a white-tailed eagle). After ignominiously dipping one in Skåne with Terry on New Year' Day, it was a wonderful moment when this sub-adult bird appeared overhead with four white-tailed eagles at Ottenby.

Other highlights included a strong supporting cast of stuff at Ottenby including a good red phalarope, purple sandpiper, black redstart and bearded tit, an Arctic redpoll at Kapelludden and rough-legs were on the move throughout the island. We also saw more birders than I have seen all year. Great trip!

Birding - 31/05/09 - Mothers Day

Singing Blyth's reed warbler in Halland - twitched off today at Mrs B's request. It was Mothers Day so I could not refuse...

Mrs B called the shots this morning and asked for a quick look at the singing Blyth's reed warbler just north of Halmstad in the morning!! She is such a twitcher! We did it and it was a very obliging and educational bird. I am finding the leap from two Acros to five rather a strain and have to listen to as many as I can. Be good to find Blyth's on the patch one day... They seem to be turning up with increasing regularity in Sweden and this may be part of a westward expansion in range I suspect. Got some good recordings of the song and two types of call.

On the way home we stopped at Tönnersa for a swim and had a great time but few birds. Fishing osprey and two goosander were the highlights. Brown tiger-beetles were chased for photos and the first Calyopteryx virgo of the year appeared briefly by the car.

Brown tiger-beetle (Cicindela hybridus) - abundant in the dunes north of the Lagan River in Halland