Two bar!

A really exciting day today with plenty of milestones achieved. BK delivers the goods in spades as usual. Kicked off in the rain at Stora Hult. This stretch of beach has plenty of rotting weed and will be worth keeping an eye on this autumn. Plenty of waders shared between here and neighbouring (off-patch) Vejbystrand; totals included ringed plover (90), golden plover (145), knot (7), little stint (4), Temminck's stint (4), curlew sandpiper (12), dunlin (90), ruff (2), greenshank (1) and spotted redshank (1). Curlew sandpiper was my 200th bird species in BK this year.

A wander between Grytskären and Ranarpsstrand produced a few oystercatchers, three more spotted redshank, four greenshank and plenty of common sandpipers but the site was disturbed by fishermen.

After a lengthy spell of housework I nipped out again in the afternoon, chasing Aeshna subarctica. Despite overcast conditions there were a few males patrolling at the site at Bränneslätt when I arrived and eventually one found it's way into the net. My 50th Swedish dragonfly of the year! As if this was not enough two two-barred crossbills flew over calling, they were chipping away but included at least two diagnostic nasal toots on their trumpets as they went over. BK tick!

Aeshna subarctica can be tricky to identify in flight, although with practise they can be picked out. It is much easier to identify in the hand of course and the key features are illustrated in these photos. The underneath of the thorax has two yellow stripes.

No yellow spots behind the eyes, cf juncea.

The facial suture line (between the frons and the postclypeus) widens at the base (near the eye).

Subarctica in Skåne!

One of at least three red kites flying through Klarningen this morning. Clean look, shallow tail fork and pale-tipped greater and primary coverts make this a 1K bird.

My first male hen harrier of the autumn, a fly-through at Klarningen. One day my pallid will come.

Number 2 and I headed for Klarningen tis morning for a two and half hour session in a brisk easterly. A few raptors on the move with red kite (3-5), marsh harrier (3), hen harrier (male), sparrowhawk (1) and kestrel (1). A flock of five barnacle geese dropped in briefly before heading off again - my first at the site. Otherwise wildfowl numbers have dropped away with just one greylag, seven wigeon and 47 teal. Likewise waders are getting scarce with just ruff (3), snipe (2) and greenshank (2) and no lapwing! A little passerine vismig noticeable this morning with small numbers of tree pipits, yellow wagtail, chaffinch and siskin evident. A short walk secured a fine male Sympetrum flaveolum but no sign of the recent red-throated pipits. The numbers of wheatear (9) and whinchat (5) along the access track continue to build.

After lunch we all headed out to check a likely wetland near Bränneslätt, it proved to be a little gem of a bog pool, complete with a pack of male Aeshna subarctica. Also here Aeshna cyanea, Sympetrum danae and Lestes sponsa.

My recent prediction that I would sadly be unable to find Aeshna subarctica in the Skåne part of BK has been shown to be so much b**locks, and all in just five days! I am often wrong but rarely demonstrate it so quickly... A great find though.

Across the road at Bjäred våtmark we found a good number of Aeshna juncea and small numbers of Enallagma cyathigerum and Sympetrum sanguineum and vulgatum flying and brought the Odonata daylist to 9 species.

Across the road in Bjäred våtmark Aeshna juncea was flying - allowing a timely comparison.

An egg-laying female Aeshna juncea was hard to resist - I am not that familiar with this plumage.

Subarctica!

Nipped out before breakfast for a quick look at Ripagården and this proved to a be a good idea. Not much vismig on the go, but a few low-flying and grounded migrants. The easy highlight was a red-throated pipit low over the site gong north, plenty of swallows going north too this morning and a grey wagtail... A noisy black woodpecker was present and gave fleeting views along the hedgeline. The reedbed had a large and vociferous roost of 3000 starlings, that left as soon as the sun hit them.

After I had shovelled hot pancakes into the ever-hungry brood at home, we all headed out to Älemossen on the usual combined blueberry/Odonata walk. A few birds about (willow tit calling and single honey buzzard migrating) but the dragonflies stole the show. Perhaps 7-8 male Aeshna subarctica on the wing, the most I have seen here. No sign of any females though. Also ovipositing Aeshna grandis, two Sympetrum danae and two male Aeshna cyanea.

It always surprises me to find Aeshna cyanea in peat bogs, but two males were flying today.

The dark destroyer - Aeshna subarctica, one of the better dragonflies on the kommun list and apparently discovered by me! Due to BK's hybrid nature (one of the the seven parishes is in Halland, the rest in Skåne) this species and Somatochlora arctica are unlikely to feature in my Atlas returns sadly.

Catching Aeshna subarctica is always a high-risk occupation. They only occur in areas with liquid 'Sphagnum soup' pools on floating bogs!

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.

Dragging - 22/08/09 and another wryneck

We all got out of the house mid-afternoon and headed out to Älemossen. The sun was shining, so I made sure the dragonfly net was in the bag.

The only wet areas remaining at Älemossen are clustered together and look artificial; possibly the result of a last-ditch (!) excavation of pools to ensure the continuation of a wetland flora and fauna in this rapidly drying former bog complex. Whatever, the floating sphagnum moss in the pools is fantastic acid-loving dragonfly habitat.

Bird-wise the bog was quiet, a few redstart called from the bushes as we walked in. On arrival at the wet pools, we noted a few hawkers patrolling over the soupy sphagnum, making the most of the late afternoon sun. I quickly got into position and soon had my first ever Aeshna subarctica safely in the net. I had predicted this species presence at the site, but last year had visited in July and only managed Aeshna juncea I think juncea may have been flying today as well, but never managed to confirm it. The only other odonate identified was a single Lestes sponsa.

Aeshna subarctica - nice to have on the patch. This was a tick for me! The frons-clypeus suture widens as it approaches the eyes on this individual. Costa brown not yellow. Two pale marks on the underside of the thorax too. Looked darker and less impressive than juncea in flight.

Comparison shot of Aeshna juncea, same site but a month (27/07/08) before today's sighting of subarctica. The suture between the frons and clypeus narrows markedly as it approaches the eye. This individual also showed pale spots behind the eyes.

On the way home we looked for the cranes at Ehrenstorp but they have moved on. As we bumped down a track to the lake, we nearly ran over a wryneck, which flushed rather hesitantly right in front of the car, before flying off idly and perching for great views. Nice one!