autumn

Got some pond-dipping in with the team in the afternoon by carefully dodging the downpours whilst driving between sites. We tried the small pond at Petersberg first and caught some water beetles that looked seriously confusing to the untrained eye. Not sure what this one is yet but am going to have to work out a good way of photographing them, I may have to build a small tank for on-site underwater photography. This one is so shiny that you can see a reflection of both me and Number 2 in the photo!

Actually got out early this morning for a look at Klarningen. It really felt autumnal just after dawn and birds were on the move. The access track held yellow wagtail, wheatear and whinchat and a small flock of 21 golden plover was present in the fields. Greylag geese are massing too with over 300 on site this morning. Working through the wildfowl produced a couple of pintail and two shoveler. The spotted crake was still dashing about like a mad thing along the edge of the large Juncus bed. Everything spooked briefly when a sub-adult hobby (2K?) flew down the river. Waders included some dunlin (6), ruff (1), common sandpiper (1), spotted redshank (2), greenshank (4) and 11 wood sandpiper. At least 68 yellow wagtails left the site and headed south during the session perhaps the most memorable event of the day.

Checked out Petersberg and heard what may have been a brief snatch of song from a great reed warbler, I tried tape-luring to confirm but got no response...

Mid-morning saw us all out dodging heavy rain showers whilst doing some pond-dipping. The sunny spells produced some great dragonfly action. At Petersberg we had three Aeshna species bombing about and we turned up a great crested newt and a grass snake. The pond at Frestensfälla was busy too with Sympetrum danae and Aeshna juncea all busy breeding. But more rain threatened so we headed for home a lie-down.

Low-level pan-species listing continues to provide both headaches and enjoyment, this lovely hopper (Cicadella viridis) at Frestensfälla gave itself up pretty easily but many identifications elude me and the list of TBI is growing daily. Just have to hope we get snowed in this winter I guess.

Lestes sponsa are present in good numbers at most waterbodies in BK. Still no sign of a breeding location for Lestes virens though.

Lestes we forget

Having missed that splendid time in mid-June when just Lestes dryas is flying it was time to re-learn the differences between female sponsa and dryas in the hand. The ovipositor on sponsa (top picture) just reaches the end of S10, on the much more robust dryas below it storms past the end of S10.

Field-tested my new net today and found it to be splendid. Will do a review when I have given it a thorough working over. The sun shone today so we headed out into the field in the afternoon for some dragonfly survey work. Despite the sun things remained on the cool side with the temperatures just breaking 15 degrees!

Hit the pond at Mäsinge first and walked the shallow Equisetum-choked mire, hoping for dryas with the kids chirping behind me - no sign of any Lestes! The nearby pond was better but still low numbers of stuff and nothing unusual, except for the first sponsa of the year. Next we tried the excellent series of small mires at Rammsjöstrand and here the first damselfly we saw was a dryas! We found at least three in the end and plenty of recently emerged sponsa too. A few Aeshna flushed out of the mires too.

Male Lestes dryas, present no difficulties in the hand.

Grey

Both Lestes sponsa (pictured here) and Lestes dryas were sitting around in the gloomy weather this morning at Gröthögarna.

Stuck under a low pressure system at the moment which looks like it is here to stay. Makes dragonfly atlas work rather tedious, just damsels flying and the birding has gone quiet too. Managed to crawl out of bed for an 0830 (!) look at Torekov rev this morning. Fairly quiet although a single whimbrel resting at the tip was nice. A greenshank sped south calling mournfully, these failed breeders are a downer! The rev was very quiet, I think all the breeding birds have left already or failed.

Next up was a walk around Gröthögarna, which was very quiet, just two noisy pairs of redshank and a collared dove. The sedgy wetland did produce a single Lestes dryas and a small number of Lestes sponsa. It looks like Lestes dryas is going to turn up in suitable habitat throughout BK with some searching.

Later I picked up the team and we went for a wet picnic in the tower at Klarningen. A few waders present including ruff (2), spotted redshank (3) and wood sandpiper (1). It kept raining though and in the end we headed home.

Birding - 7/7/10

Dragged myself out for a look at Torekov this morning before breakfast. Flytermossen was buzzing with a spotted flycatcher greeting me on arrival. The wetland had calling young marsh harriers in the reedbed (about to fledge I suspect), as well as one calling water rail. The rev was quiet and almost covered with water with just a couple of dunlin to recommend it. The woods behind had two singing wood warblers, they must be going for a second brood.

In the afternoon took the team out to look for blueberries at Frestensfälla, but we were too early, looks like 2010 is still two weeks behind last year, despite all the hot weather lately. Great spot this though. Heard at least two honey buzzards and siskin were buzzing about. The dragonfly pond had Leucorrhinia dubia, Coenagrion hastulatum, Pyrrhosoma nymphula and Lestes sponsa in a quick look. Nearby at Älemossen we stopped briefly for a group of 15 swifts and a pair of red-backed shrikes.

The business end of a Lestes sponsa, lower appendages long and straight.

Had our first BBQ at Klarningen at tea-time. Work continues on the tower, it might well be ready for the autumn at this speed. The vegetation is now so high that you can see little open water from the carpark now. Although we had no time to check the site thoroughly we had a flyover yellow wagtail and at least 20 swifts here too.

The tower at Klarningen is starting to take shape. Will it be tall enough? Will I have to buy a x60 eye-piece? Will there be BBQ facilities?