marsh warbler and some odo action

Got out really early this morning for a change. Checked Sinarpsdalen (male red-backed shrike) en route to Klarningen. The latter had a singing marsh warbler and a calling garganey but little else of note.

In the afternoon I grabbed an hour in the sun at Bränneslätt and chased a few Odos and butterflies. Coenagrion hastulatum, Leucorrhinia dubia and Pyrrhosoma nymphula were all new for the year. Three species of butterfly were identified, the best a mint male pearl-bordered fritillary, lot sof green hairstreaks and a few holly blues. Birds were represented by an unseen calling crane and a brief glimpse of an osprey overhead.

Coenagrion hastulatum

 Green hairstreak

Pearl-bordered fritillary

 Pyrrhosoma nymphula

Teneral and rather monochromatic Coenagrion hastulatum

the weekend that was

 Rhagonycha fulva (a type of soldier beetle) is everywhere at the moment in BK.

The trouble with pan-species listing is that the learning curve is so steep it makes your brain hurt a lot and the identification process for even the common things can get rather lengthy! Spent the weekend walking and photographing mostly on Hallandåsen. Did a bit of birding with Klarningen being rather disappointing on Saturday (water levels too high for waders after the rain) but had some nice encounters with young red-backed shrikes just out of the nest at Älemossen. Sunday saw some serious invertebrate searching in Sinarpsdalen near the house and we found a nice male black woodpecker (amazingly my first BK bird of the year!!) as well as a possible first for Skåne in the shape of a huge female sawfly Xeris spectrum. An afternoon picking blueberries at Älemossen produced more invertebrates including a monster puss moth caterpillar.

Nice to see a few familiar invertebrates during the weekend, such as this Coenagrion hastulatum.

Number 2 found this nice Chrysomela populi at Sinarpsdalen.

Bee beetle (Trichius fasciatus).

The big one, the nationally near-threatened sawfly Xeris spectrum, this may constitute the first record for Skåne, a great find in Sinarpsdalen yesterday.

Black woodpecker, whistled in for good views at Sinarpsdalen but difficult to capture with a macro lens!

Top beast at Älemossen was this enormous puss moth (Cerura vinula) caterpillar caught wriggling feverishly across the trail.

A presumed female ichneumon at Älemossen yesterday. Anyone?

Number 1 found me this roosting four-spotted footman (Cybosia mesomella) at Älemossen.

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.

All quiet on the western front

Headed out to tramp around Gröthögarna this morning. I gave it a good go but the highlight was three singing icterine warblers. Also though an increase to four thrush nightingales, the pair of cranes and a hawfinch. The 'best' bird though came at the end near the car park at Norra Ängalag, a flyby collared dove - a new bird for Gröthögarna.

We all headed out for lunch at Klarningen, but they were working on the site with tractors... Ground-nesting birds get pretty short shrift here sadly. At least they did not harrow them this year I suppose. The best birds were a pair of grey partridge, a species hard hit by last winter and these were my first this year and the first reported in BK too. Good to have them back at this regular site. Whilst we lunched I spotted single greenshank and wood sandpiper and a pair of cranes migrated overhead. Water levels continue to drop, why don't they turn the wind-pump on? I guess I will have to ask!

The rest of the cool and overcast afternoon was spent looking for dragonflies in hardly ideal conditions. We checked out the lake at Pennebo, thinking it was in Skåne and would count for the Atlas, only to find out later that it was in Halland! It looks a great site though and we will go back. Dragonflies on the wing here were Pyrrhosoma nymphula, Coenagrion hastulatum, Leucorrhinia rubicunda and Libellula quadrimaculata. The weather and time got the best of us but we dropped in on Gånarp too for more Coenagrion hastulatum, Leucorrhinia rubicunda and Libellula quadrimaculata. Another off-patch site to revisit next month.

Plenty of teneral Coenagrion hastulatum at Pennebo and a few good males.

Leucorrhinia rubicunda was seen at both sites covered today, this one at Gånarp.

Here be dragons!

First brood of goldeneye this morning at Petersberg. Aaaah!

Kicked off quite early at Eskilstorpsstrand this morning. Plenty going on here with more red-throated diver migration evident (just 100 knocking about off BK but bigger numbers just to the north). Three summer-plumaged long-tailed ducks were nice to see although distant. The best bird was a male garganey hammering south - is that it then? Eight little gulls came in close and landed nearby for a while too, magic birds. Other notables included; black-throated diver (2), great crested grebe (5), and greenshank (1).

Klarningen next, where a big wader influx has occurred since I last looked in. Pick of the crop were four fantastic Temminck's stints, but also 12 ruff and 35 wood sandpipers in this morning. Other birds here included little ringed plover (2 pairs) and a calling cuckoo. Dropped in on Petersberg in time to see a goshawk being escorted off the premises by two irate hooded crows. Also here a singing sedge warbler and a fly-over hawfinch.

Spent the rest of the day with Team B tramping around a few wetlands in the sun and scaring up four species of Odonata; Leucorrhinia dubia at Bränneslätt mosgöl, Pyrrhosoma nymphula at Frestenfälla and Coenagrion hastulatum and Libellula quadrimaculata at Lya. It seems too early for all these species!

Quite a few emerging Leucorrhinia at Bränneslätt mosgöl today, all the ones we got a look at were dubia.

Pyrrhosoma on the wing to, here at Frestenfälla, a reliable site for this species.

Number 1 spotted this grizzled skipper at Frestenfälla and shouted 'Do I get an ice-cream?' Mmmm ice-cream moments.

Map butterflies are smart little chaps, again Frestenfälla is a reliable site for this species too.

A new site near Lya looks like it might have potential, this Coenagrion hastulatum was another year-tick.

We watched this Libellula quadrimaculata in the final stages of emergence. Furry little fellows!

Wings pumped and ready for flight. The dragonfly season is off!

What a drag!

Took the team for the annual blueberry/dragonfly walk today. I love this day, I potter about catching odonates and listening to the kids mucking about and scoffing berries.

Sympetrum vulgatum (female) - a big emergence of Sympetrum was underway at Bjäred våtmark, the first site on our itinerary.

First up was a rare visit to the man-made wetland near Bjäred. Number 1 and I did a circuit picking up a few good birds, including green sandpiper (2) and a pair of honey buzzards. But it was dragonflies we concentrated on, picking up Anax imperator (a recent colonist to southern Sweden), Libellula quadrimaculata, a patrolling male Somatochlora metallica, Lestes sponsa, Erythromma najas, Enallagma cyathigerum, Coenagrion puella and Ischnura elegans.

Driving past Ehrenstorp we spotted a pair of cranes feeding in the wet valley near the lake. A red kite cruised past.

The pools at Frestensfälla were our next destination. The weather was a bit unkind at this point and the sun hid behind clouds a lot. Nevertheless we managed a few more dragonfly species; Sympetrum danae, Leucorrhinia dubia and rubicunda, Coenagrion hastulatum and Pyrrhosoma nymphula.

Coenagrion hastulatum, showing the diagnostic S2 'arrow-head' mark.

An early Aeshna subarctica was a great find at Älemossen.

Our last stop was Älemossen which gave us three more species, bringing the total recorded during the day to 16, not bad considering the weather. I think 25 would be a good day total and I may try next year. The new species were a brief Aeshna grandis in the woods and then the small very dry Sphagnum pools provided one teneral Aeshna subarctica and an egg-laying Somatochlora arctica. A brilliant end to the day and the blueberry crumble was superb!

My second ever Somatochlora arctica was this egg-laying female, it flew with its anal claspers and S10 up in the air, you could see the eggs building up in a ball before they were slapped into the wet Sphagnum.

Caught this male Somatochlora arctica at Älemossen on 27/07/08, it was my first. The site was a lot wetter that year, huge volumes of water are being lost at the moment to the rail tunnel currently being drilled through Hallandåsen. The site is drying rapidly and will never be the same I fear.

Same individual, showing the fantastic 'earwig-style' male appendages.

Club-tail

A day out with the kids to give Mrs B a break turned into an invertebrate session. We started at Klarningen where we booted out the first patch Odonates of the year - my first club-tailed dragonfly in Sweden and a nice beautiful demoiselle too. The only bird highlight was a lonely-looking golden plover.

Club-tailed dragonfly (Gomphus vulgatissimus) - a nice, if predictable tick at Klarningen this morning.

Beautiful demoiselle Calyopteryx virgo, Klarningen

After a quiet spell on the beach we headed round Älemossen (red-backed shrikes and whinchats) to the dragonfly pools at Frestensfälla. Here we had yet more species of Odonata; both Leucorrhinia rubicunda and dubia, Libelulla quadrimaculata, northern damselfly and large red damselfly.

Another patch first for me at Frestensfälla was this map butterfly.

Northern damselfly Coenagrion hastulatum at Frestensfälla today.

Large red damselfly Pyrrhosoma nympula at Frestensfälla today.

Birding - 06/08/09

Klarningen - more water (we missed a lot of rain whilst on holiday). Ruderal growth has been good over the late summer and as the site floods up it will be rich in seeds and very good for duck. No aquatic macrophytes yet but plenty of aquatic invertebrates scooting about in the warm shallow water.

After a bit of a lie-in, I nipped out for a morning in the field to get my eye back in after the holidays! Klarningen looked great and produced some waders including Temminck's stint (2), greenshank (1), spotted redshank (2), wood sandpiper (4), common sandpiper (1), ruff (5), snipe (12) and lapwing (110). A wheatear (1) along the access track signalled autumn for real. Dragonflies were much in evidence in the warm weather with Anax imperator, Aeshna mixta, Aeshna grandis, Sympetrum striolatum, Ischnura elegans, Enallagma cyathigerum and Lestes sponsa. A big surprise was a superb female Onychogomphus forcipatus sunning itself on the bare substrate at the water's edge (my first in Sweden).

Sympetrum striolatum - present in good numbers and ovipositing at Klarningen

A big surprise at Klarningen was this female Onychogomphus forcipatus

Before lunch I nipped up to Frestensfälla to check out the dragonfly pools. The sun unfortunately went into cloud but I managed to get Aeshna cyanea, Aeshna grandis, Sympetrum danae, Coenagrion hastulatum and Lestes sponsa. Butterflies were good too and included silver-washed and high brown fritillary.

Silver-washed fritillary at Frestenfalla, flying with high brown fritillary today

Aeshna cyanea - caught patrolling over a small Sphagnum-choked pool in the forest

Coenagrion hastulatum are getting thin on the ground at Frestenfalla

In the afternoon we headed out to Torekov rev, which was jam-packed with sun-worshippers. The kids got into the water and I checked out the waders. Not bad here considering the crowds with a scattering of stuff including; dunlin (25), greenshank (3), spotted redshank (1), common sandpiper (5), bar-tailed godwit (1), grey plover (1) and little ringed plover (1). Last stop was Ripagården where there were few waders - wood sandpiper (1) and common sandpiper (5) but the sea off the breakwater was refreshing.