Gröthögarna

Had a two hour walk around Gröthögarna in the afternoon. A thrush nightingale was singing sporadically on arrival but kept quiet when we got nearer. Otherwise rather quiet with whimbrel (1), greenshank (2), little tern (1) and yellow wagtail (1) the best of it. Invertebrates fared a little better with Libellula quadrimaculata (1) on the wing and a few small coppers fluttering about.

year-tick bonanza

Wheatear was a predictable addition to the year-list today, still only present in low numbers though with just four seen around Gröthögarna.

After nearly three weeks away on tour, a walk around Gröthögarna in the late morning produced a good crop of year-ticks. It was good to be back on patch and I enjoyed the fine weather. Highlights of the walk included; peregrine (1), gannet (4), four green sandpipers, plenty of chiffchaff and white wagtails, migrating barnacle geese, three goldfinch (at last), a male blackcap and the first swallow of the year.

News of a king eider at Eskilstorpsstrand sent me over that way later in the day and we eventually found it in the company of velvet scoter. A nice 2K male, my first in that plumage for some time and probably my first king eider in Halland too. A white-tailed eagle here spooked everything and so we headed for Klarningen and a picnic.

Klarningen was great with a good selection of waders; oystercatcher (2), little ringed plover (2), ruff (5), snipe (1), curlew (1) and green sandpiper (1). A total of eight swallows was the icing on the cake. Seven year-ticks takes the BK year-list to 136 and I am still somehow ahead of the competition.

This white-tailed eagle put many of the seaduck in Laholmsbukten to flight, including the 2K male king eider I was chasing.

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Bird of the day, an unseasonal 2K tundra swan, found by Jan and twitched off in the afternoon. Most of our tundra's come through in early spring and late autumn.

Got out early chasing a possible gyr falcon reported yesterday on Gröthögarna. Walked from Norra Ängalag to Ripagården and picked up a few good birds but no gyr. Walkign down to the coast at the start I flushed a common snipe from the side of the track. The big freeze is putting them in strange places apparently. A peregrine was out on Tjällran but there was little else of note until I reached Ripagården. Here on the seaweed bank by the harbour were nine starlings and a song thrush. Back at the car later a 2K female goshawk gave an impressive flyby.

In the afternoon we checked out Ranarpsstrand searching for pheasant (!), unseen by anyone this year in BK apparently... We saw a male! Hearing of a tundra swan found by Jan Skidell we drove up to Torekovs rev and were put onto the bird by a helpful birder. Also here at least one purple sandpiper to round off the day. The year-list hits 102 in record time, perhaps three weeks earlier than usual, although it has helped that I have actually been in Sweden during the whole of the month!

late birds

Had a very wet morning in the field this morning. Started off at Påarps Mal where the garden held a late male blackcap (my first November record in BK), mistle thrush (1) and bullfinch (3). Down at the sea there were a few passerines along the shoreline; meadow pipit (2), water pipit (1), rock pipits (6) and snow bunting (1). Offshore a single gannet and as I left a female hen harrier flew through.

Checking the coastline north produced a few teal and wigeon and there were five adult shags on the rocks off Torekov. The rev next in a downpour for a late lesser black-backed gull, my first BK bird in November. Last stop of the morning was an equally quick look at Norra Ängalag. More gannet (15), at least one kittiwake, another lesser black-backed gull and a snow bunting here.

Caspian gull

Got out in the morning after a very busy and wet day yesterday. Kicked off at Båstad first thing, chasing Bengt's great northern diver of yesterday. No joy but it was worth the effort. A herd of 18 gannets were plunge-diving enthusiasticaly offshore. Grebes were more obvious with at least five Slavonian and six great crested in the bay. Also a single scaup and a few red-throated and black-throated divers. Seventeen roosting grey herons was notable too. The best bird though came when I walked back to the car and found a first-winter Caspian gull perched on one of the offshore rocks. It did not stay long though before heading west. BK year-tick and my first in November!

With time running out I did whistle-stop assessments of Kattvik and Yttre Kattvik, more gannets, a single kittiwake and bullfinches are everywhere at the moment. Last stop of the morning was at Dalen, hoping for a snow bunting. No joy again but I did find a large noisy flock of 400 fieldfare and a few redwing.

In the afternoon I had time for a quick look in at Klarningen and logged a huge 450+ golden plover and 42 snipe in the wet fields. Best of it all though was the continued presence of the four cranes, my first in November.

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I took it easy on Monday to try and recover from a rather fatiguing virus but missed a great day in BK if other people's results with migrants are anything to go but. Tawny pipit, Med gull and ring ouzel all spotted by others!

The next day I had to take the car for it's MOT and made my annual visit to nearby Brandsvig. This stretch of farmland by the motorway has an occasionally wet wetland which was dry this year but the site always has good birds. In twenty minutes I enjoyed watching a 1K female peregrine flying about, as well as rough-legged buzzard (1) and a fly-through ringtail hen harrier.

The car passed and I was off to walk Gröthögarna. On the way I picked up a flock of nine jays heading south. I started at Ripagården and spent some time checking the site. Frustratingly I could hear two-barred crossbills in the plantation but could not get good views. Despite numerous encounters with this species this autumn I have yet to see one well! Otherwise migrants were rather thin on the ground; blackcap (2), chiffchaff (1) and redpoll (3) being the best of it. A full circuit of Gröthögarna produced a few other birds including redshank (1) and peregrine (1).

Typically perhaps the best sighting of the day came when I picked up the kid's in Förslöv in the late afternoon and three nutcrackers flew over the village.

snow goose

Today's 1K white-tailed eagle, moments later it scragged an eider and drowned it before tucking in.

Managed to drag myself out into the field just before 0800 today. Hit Ripagården for an hour but there was very little moving overhead here and not much on the ground. A 1K white-tailed eagle cruised past and grabbed a male eider, calmly drowning it before tucking into breakfast. A black woodpecker called in the plantation and bouncing around in the tops of the pines a flock of ten crossbills was predictable enough this autumn. A jay to the south on Gröthögarna was another sign of autumn. Little moved on the sea but two red-necked grebes heading south were notable.

Next stop was Norra Ängalag, a large gathering of gulls was checked thoroughly but yielded nothing. A single wheatear feeding n the seaweed-covered shore another reminder of autumn and colder days to come.

Torekov rev was strangely deserted (disturbance?). Only birds of note a single rock pipit and a flyby red-throated diver.

In the afternoon we all headed out to Klarningen, a snow goose had been reported yesterday and it was still present today. Plastic fantastic! Also here 21 ruff and a dunlin. Later we walked Eskilstorpsstrand but nothing could we find. Strangely quiet at the moment, most migrants have bugged out and there seems to be slim pickings on the eastern front.

huge day counting ducks

Big raptor day in BK today with several merlins, a peregrine and this 1K goshawk at Torekov.

The September duck count was not a chore today, as it was punctuated by several good birds including a heard-only BK tick. I worked the coast between Dagshög and Hov Hallar as usual and typically there was not much to count on the wildfowl front, although wigeon numbers were perhaps a little higher than normal. The best duck a single pintail at Ripagården.

But it was migrating passerines that dominated my attention. At Torekov mid-morning I finally heard the flight call of a red-throated pipit and looked up to see it travelling high overhead. A short while later a two-barred crossbill called on the edge of town but I had no time to look for it. [It was seen later with common crossbills by the sewage works]. Despite this scattering of exciting birds there was no large scale movement going on, just odd groups of chaffinch moving south and occasional calls overhead from tree pipit, yellow wagtail and reed bunting.

A scattering of raptors also kept me entertained with two merlins, a peregrine and an immature goshawk during the long walk. Waders were few and far between but did include a single grey plover at Torekov rev. A great day out in the field.

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After a long weekend of rain and overcast skies spent inside we finally dragged ourselves out for a walk and BBQ in the best of the weekend's weather. Had a look at Gröthögarna first, nothing out of the ordinary here but two gadwall and two razorbill were noteworthy...

Later we rocked up at Ranarpsstrand and were treated to four brent geese and three male wigeon before the heavens opened and we scampered for the car and home.

birthday birding

Our campsite on Öland was infested with red-breasted flycatchers

Started the 9th of May with an early session around Gröthögarna and then relocated for a long weekend on Öland. The morning session produced five BK year-ticks in the shape of sedge and reed warbler, icterine warbler, spotted flycatcher and rather embarassingly redpoll! A reasonable showing and a small fall evident but no big surprises.

Travelling to Öland took up the remainder of the day and we arrived at our campsite at Stenåsabadet in time to put up the tent and connect with at least four red-breasted flycatchers and a singing male firecrest. A peregrine flew low overhead as the sun dipped towards the horizon and the coast revealed a year-tick turnstone. Stenåsabadet is located on the east coast and has a few clumps of trees that pull in the birds and is set to become a favourite location of mine when visiting the island.

ring ouzel madness

 In my first six years of birding in BK I recorded just seven ring ouzels, today I saw seven more!

After a lazy morning we headed out for a walk and a picnic around Gröthögarna. At Norra Ängalag a skulky ring ouzel dived into cover and disappeared. Song thrushes were everywhere. There were a few migrants around the car park here including single blackcap, lesser whitethroat and pied flycatcher. The walk around the headland was rather quiet although another year-tick finally materialised in the shape of a single confiding male whinchat.

Meanwhile Mats had found two more ring ouzels at Vasaltheden so we headed that way to check them out and get a site-tick. I braked just short of the gate because there were at least four ring ouzels grubbing about in the trees either side of the gate! In the end we counted at least six but I think there may have been more. Many moved out onto the bare fields nearby to feed, whilst others skulked inside the juniper. Superb!

Last stop of the day was Klarningen. Things had quietened down considerably here since yesterday, although it is always a difficult site to work against the light in the afternoon. Water levels continue to drop alarmingly... Best birds here were greenshank (1) and my first lesser black-backed gull on site this year.

wildfowl counting

The boring fog finally lifted and I headed out for a day in the field to do some wildfowl counts between Dagshög and Hovs Hallar. Good to be out again and predictably I picked up eight year-ticks. Highlights of the session were two gadwall, a gannet past Norra Ängalag, five shag at Torekov, two white-tailed eagles, a goshawk at Norra Ängalag, and the water pipit at Påarps mal. Ripagården was almost devoid of birds and I saw no alcids anywhere!

Afterwards I checked out Yttre Kattvik and Älemossen without result.

cake!

It all got a bit Test Match Special here in BK today. The best part of the day was receiving a cake from one of my regular readers. Superb Christmas nut loaf Janice!

Nipped out for a very rapid look at Gröthögarna and Torekov, hoping for the gyr. No joy yet again, but it must be out there somewhere.

Norra Ängalag produced nine gadwall and a peregrine was sitting on the usual rock out on Tjällran. I searched the surrounding fields for sign of the recently reported snow buntings but it looks likely I may miss this species for BK this year! Torekov rev was full of mallard and the single redshank and dunnock remained. No sign of any purple sandpipers today though, they are being rather elusive this winter.

No rain was forecast so we went for a BBQ at Ripagården at lunchtime. It started raining of course and we grilled away in drizzly rain... A short walk revealed nothing outstanding.

Lapland!

After two days of working in the house I broke out today to make the most of a blue sky and almost zero wind. Things got a little chilly (-11 at dusk just off-patch) but it was a glorious day of winter birding.

Kicked off at Norra Ängalag chasing yesterday's dusk report of the 1K gyr falcon (fast becoming my nemesis BK bird). Straight off I spotted a falcon sitting out offshore on Tjällran - a female peregrine... I watched it for some time and eventually it hauled itself off the island and set off purposefully. It had it's eye on a jackdaw and unlike many peregrine chases it was quickly obvious what the outcome was going to be and sure enough after the third attempt the peregrine lightly hijacked the jackdaw and flew towards me to feed on the shore nearby. Superb. It mantled the prey and killed it and almost immediately was fending off a male peregrine (the other half) that appeared from nowhere! It was not going to share though and ate it's prize in a leisurely manner over the next hour. The male sulked over on Tjällran.

In the background during all this was a light passage of red-throated divers south and even a gannet. Walking back through the car park (which was blocked with snow) I disturbed three hawfinches from the farmyard feeders.

Next stop was Torekov rev. Stomping about here produced a few more good birds. A dunnock crept about in the snow. The redshank was still quietly feeding in the shallows and I flushed a snipe by the stream outflow. No sign of yesterday's reported water pipit amongst the meadow pipits but I did find a skylark feeding on the foreshore. Sea levels were really low (often the case after easterlies) and it was not until I was about to drive off that I noticed a small offshore table-sized reef regularly washed by the tiny waves that had three purple sandpipers on it. Offshore on Vinga an adult white-tailed eagle surveyed the sound. A quick listen at Flytermossen failed to turn up any reedbed specials so I moved on to Ripagården.

Ripagården had some good birds too, I flushed a 1K goshawk from the foreshore near the car park and a Lapland bunting flew over calling (the best bird of the day without a doubt). Also here two black guillemot, a species that seems rather scarce this winter for some reason. A great session despite the fact that gyr falcon remains to found. 

got jack!

Finally got a photo of an obliging jack snipe this afternoon, this was my first ever at Torekov rev and as always a really smart bird. 

Nipped out late today for a six-hour session in the snow. Checked out Glimminge first which produced another brief water pipit. Up to Torekov next. Påarps mal was rather quiet, just two dunnock along the edge of the oat crop. A quick look at the sewage treatment works produced nothing but Svarteskär had two shags. 

Then it all came together at the rev with a nice run of good birds. A redshank called as I got out of the car, a species that has got steadily scarcer in winter in BK as the recent cold winters have taken hold. A jack snipe flushed from the edge of the dunes and I tracked it to it's 'hiding place', getting a great photo at very close range. Nearby another dunnock called from deep cover. Out on the rev the best birds were a pair of gadwall. Offshore three white-tailed eagles flew north in a rather scattered but purposeful formation. A sparrowhawk terrorised the small birds eking out a living on the frozen shoreline.

My last planned stop of the day was at Norra Ängalag, pretty quiet here apart from the continued slow and steady trickle of mute swans overhead in small flocks. They never go at the same time as the whoopers!

On the way home close to dusk I got a pager message that some shorelark had been spotted at Vejbystrand. On the off chance that they had strayed north into BK I checked them out but sadly they had strayed a long way and I never found them. Maybe they are wintering?

One of three white-tailed eagles that sallied out from Hallands Väderö in the late afternoon. I caught this juvenile heading back later over Norra Ängalag.

wildfowl count

 Two brent goose at Torekovs rev were the highlight of a rapid wildfowl count this morning. A BK year-tick.

It's that time of year again and before jetting off to Mexico I had to dash round counting the wildfowl between Dagshög and Hovs Hallar. September counts are always much lighter than January ones in terms of numbers, so this made the task easier. I normally enjoy the walk but with time running out I had to do it by car for the first time. Highlights along this stretch of coast were; brent goose (2 at Torekovs rev), pintail (2 at the rev), shoveler (2 at Norra Ängalag), bar-tailed godwit (3 at the rev) and three grey plovers (Torekov).

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 Ovipositing Aeshna mixta, the most common dragonfly on the wing at this time of the year.

Had a great walk out on Monday morning last but have been too busy doing office-work and getting the garden in shape ahead of my trip to northern mexico next week to blog it out. Walked Gröthögarna up to Ripagården and back. The highlight was a poor encounter with the bluethroat near Norrebrohamn, whiclt trying to find it though a red-throated pipit flew over south. The bushes were not exactly heaving with migrants but there was a steady trickle of sub-saharan stuff and finches were noticeable for perhaps the first time this autumn...

 Aeshna mixta

 A common wasp chewing the head off a Lestes sponsa!

In the afternoon taking advantage of some quite warm weather I hunted dragonflies at a few sites around BK - Aeshnas were dominant with grandis, cyanea and especially mixta on the wing at all the sites checked. Best bird was a hobby over Vysterborg but no sign of any Sympecma here despite a good kick about.

Bluethroat!

Still undone by flies, anyone know what this hump-backed beauty is?

Nipped out early in the morning for a good walk thrashing the area between Rålehamn and Ripagården. A few common migrants around but nothing obviously going on. The bird of the day was a superb female bluethroat in the rough vegetation around the stream mouth near the harbour at Ripagården. It showed well and was my first autumn bird in BK. More mysterious was the odd crake-like call emanating from the nearby reedbed here. If I knew how to embed an audio file, I would let you hear it. Will try and work out how to do it later.

Later we all went for a walk around the Killeröd loop, picking up the usual suspects; jay, willow and crested tit and hawfinch. But no sign of any nutcrackers today.

Weak migration and another longhorn

 Number 1 found my first Stictoleptura rubra for me this afternoon on a walk around the Killeröd-Önnarp loop with the team. This is the female and we watched it egg-laying on a conifer log.

Got out a bit late this morning to look for migrants around Gröthögarna. Nothing much doing just a few tree pipits, three red-backed shrikes and a scattering of warblers and chats. Nearby Torekov rev produced a few waders, notably three sanderlings, but no big surprises.

In an overcast afternoon we all headed out to walk the Killeröd-Önnarp loop. Birds were few and far between but included a black woodpecker heard and a spotted flycatcher sallying out into a clearing. Invertebrates were good but a bit of sun would have helped matters. Even so number 1 found me a brace of Stictoleptura rubra - a new longhorn beetle for me. Later I had fun trying to photograph Aeshna juncea in flight but was defeated by the low light levels.

Number 1 managed the double, finding me a male Stictoleptura rubra later on! Longhorns can exhibit surprising sexual dimorphism.

Aeshna juncea captured in flight in poor light, you can just make out the yellow spots behind the eyes, a diagnostic feature when trying to rule out subarctica.

Back again!

After five days in the UK attending the Bird Fair I had a pleasant and productive day in the field today.  Kicked off at Klarningen where things appeared fairly quiet until I noticed a manic 1K spotted crake dashing about on the edge of the Juncus, whilst checking through the waders from the stock gate. My 250th BK bird I think and a welcome addition to the list. Spotted crakes were heard sporadically here in the spring but my money is on this being a migrant. Also here plenty of snipe (26), two spotted redshank, four wood sandpipers and two ruff. Three whinchat and a tree pipit were knocking about too.

Torekovs rev had some birds in too with waders making up the majority of the notable stuff; 70+ rosting golden plover, one grey plover, at least 15 knot (some amazing adults), a little stint, a bar-tailed godwit and some shanks. Similar species noted at Gröthögarna too in smaller numbers but the show was stolen by an immature red-backed shrike and a brief view of a wryneck.

Last stop of the day was at  Ripagården where things were quiet until a goshawk arrived and put the fear of raptor into every bird along the coast. When everything flushed I craned around trying to find an eagle only to discover the goshawk later sitting on a rock in the bay. Nice end to the day.