skuas! (05112013)

The comedy moment of the seawatch today came when Bengt informed us that he had passed a brent goose on the track out to Yttre Kattvik and it was coming our way. Sure enough half an hour later it paddled west past us with great determination. No Svalan code for migrating this way funnily enough...

We were promised half-decent westerlies today so I headed out to Yttre Kattvik after my domestic taxi-run this morning. Wind direction stayed a little to the south of west I suspect and we did not get the strength that was forecast but there was still stuff to be had, including a brace of year-ticks for me.

The four-hour session was notable for the number of kittiwake out in the bay (at least 150 being logged but perhaps many more) and I counted at least 60 gannets too. Skuas were occasionally spotted feeding a long way out in the bay and dark juvenile great, pomarine and even a late Arctic were logged. The latter was a year-tick and was joined at last by an adult little gull. Everything was rather distant though and surprisingly little else was moving. Sea duck went past in very small numbers but included two long-tailed duck. Five snow buntings came in-off and a brent goose paddled past west (only my second record of bernicla this year in BK).

A 2K white-tailed eagle really tried hard to catch something at Klarningen today, putting up the best goose flock of the season in the process...

After four hours I was done and headed to Klarningen for a check, picking up a hunting goshawk on the way. The move paid off well as I connected with the four cranes (over-wintering attempt?) as they flew between Eskisltorpsdammar and Skottorp as I drove up the access track. Then at the hide I just had time to go through a large assemblage of roosting geese before a young white-tailed eagle stormed on site and put them to flight. In amongst 650+ greylag were 45 barnacle geese, at least five white-fronted geese, one Taiga bean goose and what I initially thought were six tundra bean goose were actually pink-footed geese (thanks Jan...). Amongst the geese and unafraid of the eagle was a single adult tundra swan, my first of the autumn. Later two more adults migrated past. Nice session.

On the way home I looked unsuccessfully again for the great grey shrike at Älemossen but did pick up a huge flock of 17 long-tailed tits.

swifts!

A better shot of the pale-bellied brent goose today, it is obviously in poor shape and may stay a while.

The school-run produced two swifts - a welcome sight in BK. Worked mostly in Torekov during the day, more swifts (2) and hawfinch (2) over during the morning. Another lunch half-hour at Torekov rev produced the pale-bellied brent goose once again but little else of note during this short session.

lunch hour birding

Pale-bellied brent at Torekov rev - the May run of good birds continues

Had half an hour in the field today whilst labouring in the gardens of the rich and famous. Hit Torekov rev, picking up a lonely-looking female marsh harrier over Flytermossen on the way. The rev was rather quiet but almost the first bird in the 'scope was a pale-bellied brent goose! Brents are always noteworthy (under 20 records for me in BK so far) but this was my first pale-bellied in Sweden, a sub-species I am not that familiar with. No other birds of note, although a reasonable passage of yellow wagtails was apparent over Torekov during the morning.

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).

Birding (nearly) - 15/10/09

A single brent goose at Vejbystrand was today's highlight, presumably part of the flock of five reported on the 11th. Not exactly Corvo round here at the moment. Just outside the patch! Frustratingly I could see the BK border just 300m from the bird. Whilst taking this photo I chivvied the bird in the right direction, but it was not going to walk in for the patch-year tick so I left it in peace.

Packing the kids in the car in the morning, had 12 redwing over the garden (at last!). Next was a slow shuffle around Öllövstrand for just over an hour, picking up treecreeper (1), siskin (50) and chiffchaff (1). On the sea were two black guillemots. Driving to Vejbystrand stopped at Ranarp to look at two excellent rough-legged buzzards (migrating?). A belated report on the internet yesterday told of five brent geese at Vejbystrand, so checked out the beach field there. Found one goose remaining, surprisingly hard to spot in a mixed flock of corvids! Nearby Stora Hultstrand had a single Slavonian grebe, whilst Lervik, Grytkaren and Ranarpstrand were very quiet in very quick sessions.

That was quite enough for me for the day (although the healing process is surprisingly rapid), just had to take the little swines for their flu vaccination in the afternoon.