Waterfowl Census Part 1 - Dagshög to Torekov

This 1K golden plover hit overhead wires near Slättaröd this morning. I flash-fried the breast fillets and tiny drumsticks for a tasty snack when I got back. You would need a few for a pie though.

It's that time of year again. Time to do the September wildfowl counting. This morning I tackled the section between Dagshög and Torekov and it was rather dull really on the wildfowl front as is often the case at this time of year. The first bird I saw was a bizarre male kestrel with the chestnut back and upperwing coverts replace by the same grey as the tail. The terminal band in the tail and wingtips were perfect for kestrel but it really looked odd! The other highlight was the passerine vizmig overhead, mostly chaffinch/brambling, with plenty of siskin too and a few yellow wagtails, tree pipits and a surprising number of common crossbills. The walk also produced a single shag and the same three 1K grey plovers that were seen yesterday. A 1K hen harrier hunting the foreshore at the sewage works may also have been the same bird seen yesterday.

Duty done we headed out for a walk in the afternoon around Killeröd loop. I was hoping for more two-barred crossbill action and was not disappointed, a flock of 30 hanging around the car park were simply superb.

A flock of thirty two-barred crossbills is a good way to end the birding day.

Nice hobby

Had an hour and a half walking Gröthögarna in the middle of the day after waiting in vain for a chimney sweep to turn up. Grrrr! Gröthögarna was pretty quiet, a few terns and swallows were drifting north and I had my second whitethroat of the year. Frustratingly the first dragonfly of the year shot by - probably a Libellula quadrimaculata. The best bird came on the way home - smart hobby crossing the road at Slättaröd.

Wild swans everywhere

Spent a sunny afternoon in the field today after being relieved of child-care duty by Mrs B. First stop was the swan flock at Öllöv, it now numbers 29 whoopers but nothing else spotted in the field today. One of the features of early spring 2011 here in southern sweden seems to be the number of whooper swans on the ground. We get lots passing through normally, but this year they are stopping off, presumably waiting for the rest of Sweden to defrost.

Driving through Slättaröd I stopped to admire a flock of 25 golden plover, my first of the year. Påarps mal did not produce any shags, they seem to have moved on somewhere. But I got another year-tick in the shape of a pair of gadwall. Moving north I checked out the sewage works and town, picking up an adult white-tailed eagle over Hallands Väderö. Torekov rev produced a flock of seven purple sandpipers and an impressive gathering of 13 goosander.

Spent the last hour of my time mooching about on Gröthögarna but without much impact, 17 teal at Norra Ängalag was a sign that migration continues on. I had hoped to get a flock of cranes over in the easterly winds but having seen the first crane in NW Skåne last year it seems I will now be the last birder to see one this spring. The session ended as it started with the checking of another flock of whooper swans (37), this time at Ängalag.