checking Segelstorpsstrand (20150611)

Number 2 and I checked the coastal vegetation at Segelstorpsstrand for invertebrates in the afternoon, mostly common day-flying macro- and micro-moths but the one below still eludes identification.

Unidentified micromoth from Segelstorpsstrand

three crossbill day

 Five two-barred crossbills were the highlight of three hours searching the gardens of Segelstorpsstrand for Sibes.

Inspired by Paul's find yesterday I headed to Segelstorpsstrand to search for Sibes. No joy as usual but there were a few good birds around. There were lots of mobile flocks of crossbill flying about and patiently hunting out the flocks whilst they fed led to my first parrot crossbill of the year and at least five two-barred crossbill. Searching the gardens turned up a flock of three blackcap but no other warblers. A 1K hen harrier floated south.

Two-bar

 In the late afternoon the kids and I had a look for the yellow-browed warbler but we had left it too late and came away with a hawfinch sighting.

Great spot

dead quiet

A dead common porpoise at Segelstorpsstrand was the highlight of half an hour at the end of a busy day.

Had half an hour on the beach, mostly chatting with Paul Cook. We noticed two redshank but otherwise things were very quiet. After Paul left we found a dead common porpoise and added the lower jaw to the kids nature museum.

super Sunday

Tufties in flight at Vysterborg today whilst I hunted in vain for Sympecma fusca...

Spent a large part of the day in the field today under a blazing sun. Started late but made the most of it. Stora Hultsstrand was excellent with a turnstone, bar-tailed godwit (1) and two Sandwich terns all providing year-ticks, plus the only barn swallow of the day. Ranarpsstrand had five gadwall and two resting common terns (year-tick number four). Nearby Segelstorpsstrand failed to provide anything new.

After lunch I quickly toured a few likely spots for Sympecma fusca but failed to find any. Full of hope I visited the only site I have seen a Sympecma in BK and skunked there too. It must have been a wayward individual but I am still hoping to find where it came from.

Later we checked out Dagshög quickly - gannet (1), osprey (1) and a surprise carrion crow. Next stop was Påarps Mal for gadwall (pair), shoveler (male) and 77 roosting golden plover. We BBQ'd our dinner at Ripagården picking up a solitary whimbrel south in the process.

arctic roll!

Had my first proper morning in the field for some time today and it was packed full of birds. I worked the coast between Stora Hult and Gröthögarna searching in vain for a large congregation of feeding eider but sadly failing. No king this year perhaps...

Stora Hultstrand had single Slavonian and red-necked grebe and redshank (2), as well as a decent-sized flock of common scoter (130+). Nearby Grytskären had a single flyby curlew and more redshank. Ranarpsstrand produced a single flyby white-tailed eagle, another red-necked grebe and (far inland) a flock of 200+ golden plover took to the air. Segelstorpsstrand was quiet (just five great crested grebe). At Glimminge I heard my first reed bunting song of the year and also bumped into three twite.

The king eider search continued north. I dropped into Rammsjöstrand (a rare event), no eiders here but the small birdy bay just north of the harbour had some redshank (2) and a pair of gadwall. Next stop was Påarps mal and here I got three year-ticks in no time at all. A white wagtail was feeding along the shoreline, as were at least three dunlin and back in the juniper there was a pair of linnet. Offshore at least two shags on the rocks. The rev was busy with birders when I got there but I had a quick look, counting one dunlin and 17 purple sandpipers out on the rocks before the crowds sent me scuttling on my way.

Last stop of the morning was a look at Norra Ängalag but before I got there I was stopped in my tracks by the Rålehamn redpoll flock. Back again and still containing an Arctic redpoll (this bird was last seen on 1st February) . I got reasonable views on the deck through the scope but the bird was very skittish as usual so no chance of a photo. Also in the mix, at least three twite and 25 linnets.

Very little time remained to me to examine Norra Ängalag but a quick look revealed a pair of gadwall and yet another redshank.

In the afternoon we all walked in Sinarpsdalen, the only bird of note being a single jay, although the kids made so much noise they were probably disturbing birds down on the coast...

eider know

Had a quick look through the eiders massing off Segelstorpsstrand and Ranarpsstrand this morning. No sign of a king eider yet but the build-up looks promising and many of the birds are feeding close inshore too.

A similarly quick look at the swan flock at Ängalag revealed that numbers have dropped just 217 whooper swans today and fewer geese but including at least one white-fronted goose and a limping pink-footed goose.

13102013

Things quietened down on Sunday. I arrived at Segeltorpsstrand to find not much going on overhead, although the occasional flock of siskins swept south. I walked the circuit for a while, picking up five grey plovers and going through the meagre numbe rof chiffchaff and goldcrest present. Eventually news that the five great egrets were heading south from Torekov took me back to the coast to try and catch them as they flew past. But no joy [it transpires that they hooked back onto Hallands Väderö, because seven were there this morning!].

Later in the day I was busy in the garden and looked at my SMS's too late to notice that a single great egret was at Klarningen! I got there an hour-and-a-half after the message went out and dipped pretty easily. A late hobby was reasonable compensation though and five pintail were on site. I did not stay long and headed back to domestic chores.

five great egrets!

Cranes have been a big feature of the last two days, smaller numbers through today though.

Three BK year-ticks today - a real red-letter day. Kicked off just after dawn at Segelstorpsstrand and although I had planned to walk about listening for yellow-browed warblers there was the obvious movement overhead so I dug in and got my ears on. Twelve twite on the beach were my first birds this autumn. Constant small flocks of chaffinch/brambling, great tit and blue tit were a feature this morning and in amongst the hordes heading south the occasional gem. Crossbills were also on the move in a modest way and I got great views of a small flock of parrot crossbills that stopped a while in a nearby birch. My first BK grey wagtail of the year was swiftly followed by the "twiddle-diddle" call of my first wood lark of 2013 too. Jackdaws filled the sky with their calls as large flocks headed purposely south. A goshawk materialised briefly. Birds were on the move. Heading home for a pit-stop I was soon back out at Klarningen picking up a jay in Sinarpsdalen on the way.

Klarningen was busy, a flock of 420 greylags included three white-fronted geese, and ten shoveler and two pintail remain. Overhead things were going on here with good numbers of buzzard through (200+ in an hour-and-a-half), one rough-legged buzzard and seven cranes. Passerines occasionally buzzed the tower including a total of 80+ redwing heading east and five common crossbills.

The SMS that five (!) great egrets were at Torekovs rev was well-received and we got there eventually to find them still present. My second BK record. Also here four twite and a flock of 30 cranes south.

Four of the five great egrets gracing Torekovs rev this afternoon. Mental!

sun and plovers

  Golden plover

The sun was shining so I got out during the morning. Walked around in the woods at Segelstorpsstrand searching yet again for a stray yellow-browed warbler but failing. One day... Plenty going on overhead though, with skylark, reed bunting, brambling/chaffinch and siskin obvious and perhaps I should have paid more attention to the vismig instead of going for glory! On the ground a count of five great spotted woodpeckers suggested movement too and a crested tit was hanging about. The best birds were on the beach though, seven spanking new grey plovers.

 Seven grey plovers at Segelstorpsstrand this morning, all immatures.

Checked out Ranarpsstrand on the way home and bumped into Mikael Olofsson. We had a good old natter, apparently Siberian tits are on the move up north, which is unusual. I think it is going to be a cold winter... Ranarpsstrand was quiet but I kicked up a jack snipe along the shoreline and offshore there were three Slavonian grebes.

Jack snipe plummeting back to earth.

One of two red squirrels at Segelstorpsstrand this morning.

the year-ticks keep coming

Had a busy day today, mostly ferrying Mrs B to the dentist and back again - emergency root canal work... Had some time in the field though and made the most of it. In the morning sun I checked out Segelstorpsstrand and Ranarpsstrand hoping for some passerine migrants. It was rather quiet on the passerine front, although for the first time since I got back there were plenty of migrants singing instead of feeding desperately. Perhaps spring has arrived. The only passerine of note was my first tree pipit (1). The stuttering whistles of my first whimbrel of the year announced it's progress as it headed south... Even more impressive though was a noisy flock of migrating curlew (40).

Ranarpsstrand looked like it was going to fail on the wader front until I flushed a jack snipe (another year-tick). A few duck here though including a male gadwall and a pair of shoveler.

Later in the day I squeezed in half an hour at Klarningen in overcast, rainy and rather blustery conditions. I was hoping the rain might have knocked some birds down and sure enough three ruff were new for the year. Otherwise little new in since yesterday.

18 BK year-ticks!!!

Barnacle geese resting at Torekov rev today.

Good to be back in BK. I missed the arrival of the early migrants whilst in Crete but caught up with a lot of the backlog today during the morning. Over breakfast I glanced out the window and got three year-ticks to get things rolling; chiffchaff, redstart and blackcap!

First stop was Klarningen which was looking rather low for breeding birds but good for wader passage. Year-ticks here were everywhere; a pair of shoveler, two noisy common sandpipers, a greenshank, seven wood sandpipers, eight swallows, two blue-headed wagtails and at least three wheatears along the access track. The wood pile had at least eight song thrushes and a wren resting in it, must remember to check it regularly.

Driving through Petersberg I was joined by two goldfinches flying alongside. A quick look at Båstad revealed two cold-looking common terns perched on the rocks near the harbour. Ripagården next, a scout around offshore revealed two adult gannets but otherwise things were quiet. I searched hoping for ring ouzels but without success. Trawling through the wood I was pleased to find my first pied flycatcher of the year and also by the stream was a lesser whitethroat. A preoccupied fox crossed the stream in front of me and sniffed about for ages just 20 metres from me before it finally made eye-contact and bolted. Magic stuff.

Torekov next on my whistle-stop tour. Flytermossen was hosting a good number of hirundines, with 20 barn swallows, five house martins and a single sand martin. The fenceline along the pond, had at least twenty chiffchaff and a few willow warblers feeding along it and later they had been joined by another pied flycatcher. I was hoping for more terns at the rev but had to settle for three purple sandpipers and a shoveler. Redstarts were singing here and a pair of wheatear were on territory.

In the afternoon we headed back out, this time to Ranarpsstrand. Curlew were on the move with 43 either flying through or resting on the rocks. No sign of any whimbrel though, just a pair of gadwall and as we drove away another pied flycatcher and willow warbler. Two more pied flycatchers at Segelstorpsstrand ended the day.

Evidence of a widespread arrival of migrants overnight, nearby Kullen had an estimated 60 ring ouzel!

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Took the kids out for a look at Segelstorpsstrand to Grytskären after school today. Good to get outside again after a week mostly spent indoors working on African images. As soon as we arrived however the snow started in earnest and we saw very little indeed. The easy highlight was a white-tailed eagle sitting out on Grytskären.

nutcracker!

The first year-tick of the day was the target of a long trudge in the snow around the Killeröd-Önnarp loop.

Went for the strenuous exercise option this morning with a walk in the snow around the Killeröd and Önnarp area. I was hoping to break the crossbill drought but they are definitely hard to find at the moment. Looking through my records I find I did not see a parrot last year and there were few common crossbills last year too. I was also hoping for a nutcracker for the year and I only had to walk 3 km before I heard one calling nearby and it popped up to have a look at me. Few other birds of note, just one singing willow tit and a calling black woodpecker.

Stopped at Slottet on my way out, picking up three long-tailed tits (another BK year-tick). Ranarpsstrand produced the year-ticks too with two skylarks through and at least eight dunlin and two knot (early/overwintering) out on Grytskären, signs that March is nearly upon us. Driving home I finally found a pheasant in BK, a female at Segelstorpsstrand. This time last year I was well over a 100 for the year, this year just 92 at the moment, cannot complain about the quality though.

all white? yeah I'm all white!

The great white buzzard of BK. This bird has been around for over 12 years now and it always amazes me how seldom I see it!

Worked quite hard today with little reward. Kicked off near Grevie kyrkby by having a look at the splendid leucistic buzzard that lives in these parts. Just a little brown on the nape, otherwise clean white. 

Spent two hours working the woods along the shoreline at Segelstorpsstrand. Bumped into a big flock of 40+ goldcrests and had one chiffchaff. Plenty of tits about too with 8+ long-tailed tits indicative of some movement (457 through Kullen this morning!!) and a few thrushes around too including my first redwing of the season. But I could not find anything good, just two grey wagtails to write about.

Tried Öllövsstrand next but same result here, the best bird a male blackcap, although a flock of 60+ tree sparrow, with a good number of chaffinch and brambling was nice to see.

After lunch I decided to try the stubble south of Klarningen, but a good boot around reveal a dearth of birds, just a few meadow pipits, reed buntings and skylarks. The flooded pools had ruff (1) and golden plover (2) and these attracted the attentions of a peregrine at one point, resulting in a tense three minute chase that had me on the edge of my seat. From the tower things looked quiet with wigeon (55), teal (55) and shoveler (3) the best of it. The lone shelduck remains on station, must be damaged.

Last stop of the day was a sunny Eskilstorpsstrand which produced four white-fronted geese and two long-tailed ducks. Winter is upon us...

One of two grey wagtails at Segelstorpsstrand this morning.

papa's got a brand new camera

Spent most of the day playing with my new camera, things are going to be a bit macro for a while! Syrphus torvus btw.

Spent an hour at Klarningen this morning, plenty of waders about, including three greenshank, a spotted redshank and quite a few wood and green sandpipers. Young waders too with fluffy redshank and little ringed plovers indicating successful breeding. Wildfowl present included a male wigeon and a pair of shoveler. A quick look at Petersberg revealed two great crested newts.

In the afternoon we walked Vasaltheden, hoping for a dragonfly to photograph, no luck there and very few invertebrates about after all the cold weather. The heath at Segelstorpsstrand was better with a rapid grass snake, a few hoverflies and a few idas blues on the wing.

Coreus marginatus

A Sciapus sp. (Dolichopodidae) at Segelstorpsstrand, it transported me back to Borneo watching the antics of this fly on an oak leaf, I may never leave BK again.

A tatty female idas blue at Segelstorpsstrand, several were flying over the small area of heathy vegetation today. Only my second record in BK, presumably I am overlooking them.

Springy

Plenty of singing going on this morning, not least from yellowhammers.

Chasing a three day-old report of firecrest at Segelstorpsstrand I headed out pretty close to dawn this morning. No sign of the 'crest but curlews were moving (111 north) and filled the air with their wild, abandoned song. Also a few barnacles through north too (44). Thrashed the bushes and conifers hoping for the crest but the best stuff was offshore with one summer-plumaged Slavonian grebe and 14 great crested grebes and four red-necked grebes. Had a quick look at Ranarpsstrand before home, fairly quiet here but a pair of shoveler and gadwall were nice. A big flock of resting oystercatcher (74) was present here though, the first of the second migratory wave of this species destined for northern Scandinavia no doubt. Offshore around Grytskären there was a female scaup and on one of the smaller rocks five purple sandpipers.

The team dropped me off at Klarningen just before lunch and I had a pleasant 4 hours here. Wildfowl included a single white-fronted goose, the usual five pintail, male garganey and four 'new-in' shoveler. A peregrine (2K female) shot through chasing a lapwing but failed to kill. A crane drifted over south. Waders had picked up again with at least five ringed plovers, a ruff (year-tick), nine green sandpipers and a single spotted redshank. Six swallows graced the airspace over the wetland. On the way home we drove over the top and took in Lya ljunghed, flushing a great grey shrike from the roadside as we went. Nice one and probably the last of the season?

Hard work

As Mrs B will tell you I do love a bird with a sense of porpoise.

A mild, calm, perpetually grey day. I was out all day getting some walking in ahead of an upcoming panda thrash in China. I hope I will be fit enough, bamboo always grows on such steep slopes... and pandas only grow on bamboo!

Effectively covered the stretch of coast between Vejbystrand and Glimming plantering today. That's a lot of mileage and with minimal return today sadly. Highlights were the long-staying 1K great skua (still happily married to his porpoise corpse) at Stora Hultstrand, nine twite at the same location, two redshank, a wheatear and a Lapland bunting at Ranarpsstrand and a curlew at Segelstorpsstrand. At the turning point at Glimminge I bagged a chiffchaff. Still plenty of invertebrates about and a good show of late migrants, but nothing to compare with the isabelline wheatear on nearby Kullaberg.

Patch work

I do not need much inspiration to work my patch hard, but yesterday's events underlined the great pleasure of finding your own rarities. Rolf's well-deserved and splendid dowitcher here in NW Skåne was eclipsed by the news back home in Norfolk of Rob Martin's equally well-deserved and simply awesome rufous-tailed robin. Read Rob's account on the punkbirder website. Magic stuff.

That said, I put some time in today and nothing amazing materialised just some nice birds. Kicked off at Klarningen at first light. The pools held 11 whooper swans, which moved on fairly quickly once the sun got going. The greylag goose flock pulled down a single white-fronted goose during the hour I spent going through the wildfowl. Fifteen shoveler remain and the teal flock numbered 250 this morning. The great grey shrike remains and was chasing fieldfares today, it seems particularly pugnacious this one. I spent another hour tramping about in the stubble, hoping for something good but had to settle for linnets and skylarks, before heading for Eskilstorppstrand. Nice flattish sea here but nothing offshore and little overhead action either. Looking north into Skummeslövsstrand produced more in the way of seaduck including 17 scaup and one long-tailed duck.

In the afternoon we al went for a walk along the shore between Ranarpsstrand and Segelstorpsstrand. A peregrine was sitting out on Grytskären and the foreshore had a small number of twite, my first of the autumn. Offshore at least five Slavonian grebes, keeping company with a brace of red-neckeds. The sunny weather produced a red admiral sighting, going south. Best bird here though was my latest BK wheatear, a very rusty 1K individual that was not from round here. Segelstorpsstrand had another Slavonian grebe and the gardens produced two chiffchaffs.

On the way home we stopped briefly at Ljungbyholm for 350 golden plover and a great grey shrike.

First frost

Out again for sunrise at Klarningen this morning. Just 1 degree and frost on the ground. No sign of yesterday's reported Lapland buntings sadly, despite a good hoof around the stubble fields south of the wetland. Plenty of skylark (50) and linnet (ditto) though. With a light easterly wind blowing there was little evidence of much migration going overhead but the hedgerows produced a few migrants including an impressive 48 goldcrests, two blackcaps and 12 song thrushes. Viewing the wetland from the tower produced my first Klarningen great grey shrike, madly chasing starlings. A hen harrier went through high and south, my first at the site this autumn I think.

After some taxi-driving I headed out to Segelstorpsstrand to look for yellow-browed warblers. There are not many YBW's around in Sweden at the moment so this was likely to be fruitless and indeed it was! Just four chiffchaff and a handful of goldcrests for my troubles.

After lunch we all took a walk between Båstad and Hemmeslövsstrand along the beach and back through the woods and gardens. Båstad produced a couple of grey wagtails and a chilly looking Arctic tern and at Malen there were four barn swallows briefly. We said goodbye to the latter and wished them luck.

Speed birding

Not much time for birding today. Stopped off at Sinarpsdalen for five minutes hoping for a drumming lesser spotted woodpecker. Again no luck. Behind me a starling gave reasonable mimicry of that white noise/radio static bit of black redstart song. Where did he learn that from? Yes, the male black redstart! Which blasted around the corner of a barn chasing a moth. I guess they are here to stay then.

In the afternoon I took the team for a very quick look at the sea at Segelstorpsstrand. Number 1 was running hot though so we went home after just 15 minutes, this virus never ends! I did have time for four great crested grebes, a Slavonian grebe and five smart goldfinches.