marsh warbler (20150604)

Managed to get to Klarningen today for a sniff around. A hobby and Martin Ekenberg greeted me on site but otherwise the short session was notable for me finally getting marsh warbler on my year list. Afterwards Number 2 and I headed to Eskilstorpsdammar for a look around. We were hoping for a diurnal snatch of grasshopper warbler song but had to make do with more marsh and reed warblers. The highlight for me though was my first Mother Shipton (Euclidia mi)!

Klarningen (20150221)

Half an hour at Klarningen produced more birds. Twelve lapwing were resting on the island today and other stuff new-in included a pair of shelduck and four teal. Over on the fields near Eskilstorpssdammar in a small greylag flock were two white-fronted geese.

woohoo! Coenagrion armatum in BK!

A dream Odo - a trip out to Eskilstorpsdammar this morning hoping for Sympecma instead turned up a single male Coenagrion armatum. I was completely stunned. A first for BK that takes my Odo list in the municipality to 41!

Heading out the door this morning to make the most of a sunny morning turned out to be a great idea, despite a huge amount on the the 'To Do' list... Checked out Klarningen first for birds, water levels continue to drop out of proportion to neighbouring wet areas, when will they fix the leaks? Birds were in short supply with a female merlin that landed briefly in the tree behind the tower the standout highlight. Also gadwall (male) and shoveler (pair).

Next I walked into Eskilstorps dammar where birds were more exciting; a singing garden warbler and a visible (for once) grasshopper warbler being BK year-ticks. Also here a nice hobby through and a singing sedge warbler. But it was the Odos that excited me. Unbeknownst to me the day I left for Öland the flood gates opened and Odos appeared en masse in Skåne, so I was rather surprised to find so much going on around the pools. Pyrrhosoma nymphula and Coenagrion pulchellum were emerging in numbers. A single Coenagrion hastulatum was perhaps the first reported this year in Sweden. Larger stuff was on the wing too but disobliging in the strongish wind, Cordulia aenea, Libellula quadrimaculata and Leucorrhinia rubicunda all gave UTVs. But the big surprise came on the return leg when a re-working of the small pools near the holiday huts turned up a single male Coenagrion armatum. Happy days, my 41st Odonate in BK, I was on cloud 9. What a stunning result.

sick note

 

Great to be back in Sweden and the sun is out at last. Warmer than Turkey this is! Lots of dragonflies on the wing, including plenty of Coenagrion hastulatum to wade through to find lunulatum...

First things first this morning, having stepped off the plane in Turkey two weeks ago with ears that no longer worked and got no better it was time for a trip to the doctor's. Big infection apparently, should have gone sooner! Dosed up with antibiotics now so things should improve hopefully. Being pointed in the right direction for singing birds by sprightly 75-year olds whilst in Turkey felt distinctly topsy-turvy but I took the embarrassment like a man!

First up was a trip to Klarningen. Jan Skidell found a calling spotted crake last night and I was hopeful but not confident. Will try and get back at a better time tomorrow. Water levels have dropped at Klarningen but the birds remain. There are now a fantastic total of six garganey (one pair) and eight shoveler, also two whooper swans dropped in and a pair each of wigeon and teal remain. Waders included Temminck's stint (1), dunlin (3 and a year-tick!), at least 20 ruff and two wood sandpipers. Four black-headed gull nests have magically appeared.

The hairy one (Brachytron pratense), plenty flying at Eskilstorpsdammar today.

Walked into Eskilstorpsdammar next for dragonflies but got lucky with birds picking up the last few migrants I still need for the year. Cuckoo, marsh warbler and garden warbler were all nice. At least three red-backed shrikes and stacks of icterine warblers on site too. I also thought there was a brief snatch of rosefinch song from the riverside trees, there has been one lurking at Klarningen lately and maybe this was the same bird. Dragonflies included all the usual suspects, with eight species on the wing, including Cordulia,  Brachytron and a few Leucorrhina rubicunda. Also map butterfly on the wing here.

Leucorrhinia rubicunda is mostly found on the higher ground in BK but occurs in small numbers at Eskilstorpsdammar. Note the costa is yellow all the way to the base of the wing

Last stop of the day was a rapid transect through Bösketorp pools, had a quick skim through the Odonates but again no surprises and no lunulatum. Some frisky common newts though.

Watched a resident pair of honey buzzards today too.

wryneck

Our walk into Eskilstorpsdammar was livened up by a nice fall of whinchat, my first common whitethroat of the year and a nice view of a wryneck. Bonus!

Finally some sun! Ate breakfast admiring the garden's latest arrival - a new-in and very feisty pied flycatcher. Also the first garden lesser whitethroat of the year too.

Took the kids for a walk out to Eskilstorpsdammar in the afternoon, hoping for some early dragonfly action. No joy on the Odo-front but we did well for birds. The blackthorn hedges en route to the pools produced a flock of ten-plus whinchat and a singing male whitethroat. Walking the pools we were pleased to find a superb wryneck, a pair of garganey and a singing grasshopper warbler. Not a bad return for the effort of walking into the place.

struggling

Leaving half the team ill in bed, Number 2 and I headed out in the afternoon to check out a few birds reported recently. First stop was Axeltorps ravine where it took an hour to locate one of the dippers (a year-tick). We lay in the snow and watched it swimming about, which was great.

Next stop was a walk into the game-cover crop grown near Eskilstorpsdammar, Olofsson had some larks here yesterday but we could not scare any up. A noticeable thaw was evident since out last visit three days ago. The finch flock has dwindled to just 60+ chaffinches and a few brambling and tree sparrow. Three stock doves flew by whilst we worked and we could see a ringtail hen harrier hunting over at Klarningen.

It was Klarningen that was our last port of call, chilly here in a brisk southerly wind and we saw little in the short time we were here. A buzzard migrated north and a flock of 55 starlings whizzed past north too.

Walking with the pink monkey

Took Number 2 on the walk out to Eskilstorps dammar this morning, chasing Jens' birds again. This time reed bunting was on the menu, a difficult winter bird here usually found in big finch flocks as it proved today. I was also hoping for a stock dove, this area seems to throw up winter records and it did today too!

The walk out on treacherous black-ice was fun for all and Number 2 soon warmed to the task in hand. We found the flock of finches, mainly chaffinch, quite quickly and picked out a nice male reed bunting when they flushed up into trees on the side of the field. A flock of spooked woodpigeon also produced the distinctive shape of a stock dove. Job done.

We walked on to the pools though and were rewarded with a nice half an hour with a great grey shrike, that sallied out from small trees and fenceposts nearby. Over the rank grassland area my first BK kestrel of the year hovered briefly. A productive session but over too quickly as we had to move onto mundane domestic chores...

Wet morning

A horrible wet dawn greeted me this morning and the weather got worse during my two-hour session. Kicked off at Klarningen where scoping across the river to Eskilstorpsdammar produced a good flock of feeding geese that included 18 barnacles, two white-fronted geese and yesterday's flock of 25 bean geese.

Next stop was Hemmeslövsstrand where an oystercatcher was tripping along the beach and 17 waxwing bombed past south. The last stop of a day was a quick look around Båstad harbour where the easy highlight was a kingfisher flushed from under the walkways. It took me 12 months to see one last year but predictably was much easier this year.

Night-birding

Well I did manage to stay up till it got sort-of-dark and headed back to the Smedje in Lahom kommun. I arrived just before 2300 and I could hear the river warbler chuffing away as I drove past the bridge to park. An incredibly powerful song. Also here a quail in song.

Driving back into BK I stopped for a while at Klarningen, just grasshopper warblers here with one on site and another across the river at Eskilstorpsdammar. Drove home slowly listening at a few spots but just scored a nightjar at Ehrenstorp for my troubles.

More dragging

Another sunny day so I went out searching for Odonata, inspired by yesterday's effortless score. Today though was different, I worked hard for little gain. Spent most of the day in Halland too so it did not count towards the Atlas! The morning was spent walking into Eskilstorpsdammar and searching through the many ponds on this impressive man-made site. I had thought I might have missed some species last time but this visit produced many of the same species and only added Orthetrum cancellatum and Calopteryx splendens into the mix. No surprises then. Bird-wise things were quiet, just a single singing male grasshopper warbler.

Leucorrhinia rubicunda near Baramossa (Halland).

Nipped home to pick up the team and a big picnic and we headed out. A quick stop at Ehrenstorp produced nothing unusual and then we stopped for lunch at Perstorp enefälad. More false heath fritillaries here and today purple-edged coppers were also on the wing. Driving on we checked a small pond near Baramossa which had more purple-edged coppers and the day's only Leucorrhinia rubicunda. Last stop of the day was another look at the lake at Pennebo. I was hoping to discover Epitheca here, but none were flying today. Are they there? We did see plenty of Calopteryx virgo in the outflow stream and also had a single Brachytron, both species not noted last visit.

Garden century and more dragonflies

The aptly-named variable damselfly (Coenagrion pulchellum) - one of a bunch of Odo year-ticks at Eskilstorps dammar today.

The day started well with a shelduck whizzing past the house and then whizzing back the way it came just for good measure - species number 100 on the garden list!

Dropped in on Petersberg and sat by the river for a while at lunchtime (hoping for kingfisher) but had to settle for two common sandpipers and a pair of grey wagtail. Walked into Eskilstorps dammar next hoping for some Odonata action on a baking hot May day. Everything is early this year and I was not disappointed. The walk in resulted in at least 8 whinchat and five wheatears. This chain of pools situated alongside the river looks like it has great dragonfly potential and certainly produced some interesting early species today; Pyrrhosoma nymphula (1), Coenagrion pulchellum (50), Coenagrion hastulatum (1), Enallagma cyathigerum (10), Brachytron pratense (4), Cordulia aenea (2), Leucorrhinia rubicunda (4) and Libellula quadrimaculata (10). Also map butterfly on the wing here. A few birds noted too with little ringed plover (pair), wood sandpiper (8) and sedge warbler (1). Over on Klarningen a single male shoveler caught the eye but then I had to yomp for the car and get on with other things...

Twitching with kids

Magic birds grey wagtails, even when they are playing hard to get.

With Mrs B stuck in a meeting all morning, the kids and I went twitching to nearby Lagaoset. It's a beautiful spot and the kids always enjoy it here. The male stonechat behaved too, surrendering as soon as we had walked the short distance to the back of the dunes. The only other notable bird in our lightning visit was a/some crossbill heard in the pines.

On the way home we checked Klarningen of course, but it remains quiet, there were more snipe about though and the curlew total has hit five. Over on Eskilstorpsdammar were two grey heron. Woo-hoo! Did finally meet Jan Skidell though which was good.

In the afternoon the entire team accompanied me up Sinarpsdalen. It seemed 'quiet' on the way up, just one grey wagtail. But once I had waved off the team and headed back to pick up the car the place came alive with birds. Funny that! Kicked through a mixed flock of thrushes that refused to contain a redwing, but resulted in a flushed woodcock (my first of the year). Another grey wagtail flew overhead, and a line of cherry trees yielded a hawfinch. High in a birch a great grey shrike peered about and down in the valley bog (and the biggest surprise of all) I heard my first water rail of the year.

Larking about with the kids

Numbers 1 & 2 are still off school with a bug, the antibiotics are being pumped in and they seem to be responding. Today we ventured out to Klarningen where I built them a huge nest in the bird-tower. En route we headed over the hill picking up several flocks of fieldfares, six mistle thrushes and best of all we caught up with Ekenberg's flock of 12 (yes, twelve!) woodlark at Ehrenstorp. An amazing record and always great to see.

Whooper swan numbers are still building at Klarningen, with 70 on site and another 14 on nearby Eskilstorps dammar.

Klarningen over three hours was almost as good, the goose flock produced two taiga bean geese, the whooper swan flock had built to 70 and still included the two tundra swans. A solitary crane dropped in unnoticed and commenced feeding along the back - at last! Another year-tick popped up in the shape of a single snipe. No sign of any ringed plovers today, were they just passing through? Raptors featured too with rough-legged buzzard (1) and my first kestrel this month, the latter almost certainly migrating. A stiff easterly blew throughout the day and seems to have reduced the flow of migrants in the last few days.

The tundra swans gave us a flyby too this morning.

Shelducks!

Managed to spend the morning in the field today, despite the evil easterly wind. Headed over to Klarningen first to to check the fields for swans and geese. Nothing doing on the ground but a lot of birds flying east - Canada geese (695), greylag geese (65) and whooper swan (2) in 45 minutes. Two stock doves over on Eskilstorps dammar were my first for the year.

Checked out Eskilstorpsstrand next and was unsurprised to find a large flock of Canada geese (500) in the bay. Also here tufted duck (9), scaup (40), common scoter (20) and velvet scoter (25). The bushes produced a noisy flock of 6 bullfinches. Walking south produced a single long-tailed duck off Båstad.

Drove over to Torekov next chcking the rev for shelduck (5), smew (1), purple sandpiper (14) and black guillemot (2). Not a sniff of a passerine on the shore, a cruel hard winter. Three white-tailed eagles mucked about over Hallands Väderö.

In the afternoon I squeezed in half an hour at Vejbystrand and Stora Hultstrand for shelduck (5), wigeon (31) and goosander (1). No sign of this weather breaking so I guess I will have to get used to it. It is amazing to me that shelducks are turning up when the weather is so poor. Last months lapwings obviously decided to head south again, will these shelduck melt away too?

2011 begins

It was blowing so hard yesterday I delayed my start to the birding year. The garden produced an excellent hawfinch though.

Looking north from Finsbo. Ice is creeping slowly out into Laholmsbukten, making seaducks hard to find.

This morning I headed out to look at the Halland part of BK, knowing full well that the good bits of the patch would be well-covered by year-listing non-residents today. Kicked off at Hemmeslövsstrand, at the outfall of the river there was a patch of open water with a few wildfowl including five tufted duck. Offshore just nine eider and 15 velvet scoter, as well as over 50 goldeneye. The garden feeders here had crested tit and marsh tit.

Next stop was Eskilstorp, which produced three collared dove and then I walked into to Eskilstorpsdammar hoping for a finch and bunting flock. Sadly just 15 chaffinch here and a waxwing heard. Driving back over the ridge produced a single sparrowhawk and very few other birds. A slow start to the year year predictably but plenty to go for still.

Taking stock

Had a dozen waxwings streaking south during the school-run this morning, they have got much scarcer up here of late.

After completing my chores I headed out to have a look at Eskilstorps dammar. The weather ameliorated slightly toda and the temperatures went over zero for the first time in ages. No thaw though but it felt positively balmy. Wading through the snow I bumped into a trio of redpoll, they too have become much scarcer as the cold weather has got a grip. Raptors dominated the avian fare as usual during the walk with goshawk (1), sparrowhawk (1), buzzard (2), rough-legged buzzard (1) and kestrel (1). The star bird though was my first December stock dove (1), looking a little lost but joining the finches and buntings in the large game cover crop of maize and sunflowers that is a feature of this site in the winter. The passerine flock consisted of about 70 brambling, 30 chaffinches and 35 yellowhammers. Also spotted whilst I did the circuit were marsh tit (1), nuthatch (1) and jay (1).

Stopped in on Petersberg for bullfinch (2) and a flock of at least ten redpoll. Nearby at Hemmeslövsstrand a flock of ten whooper swans were loafing and offshore was the flock of scaup (100) and a considerable number of velvet scoter (250+).

Another garden tick!

Had Number 2 under my wing this morning so we went birding in the snow. We did a two hour walk along Eskilstorpsstrand. The light and conditions (light snow) were not conducive to seeing everything but luckily many of the seaduck were unusually close in. The scaup raft was right offshore and showing well, as with last year good views allowed the number of tufted duck contained within it to be assessed accurately. We ended up with about 100 scaup and 30 tufted duck. Also here 350 velvet scoter and perhaps 75 common scoter (but maybe more). One long-tailed duck flew past. We also had a strange encounter - a possible all-white velvet scoter, it was at long-range and the conditions as I have mentioned were poor, but it was all white and dived (ruling out I guess a domestic mallard, the shape was right for scoter too). Be good to track it down under better conditions but I would rather have a surf scoter.

Could not resist a look at Klarningen, whilst we were nearby but it was barely worth it, I was hoping for at least a rough-legged buzzard but had to settle for a couple of commons. In the distance in the game cover crop near Eskilstorps dammar was a big flock of at least 200 yellowhammer. Will have to trudge out there soon and check it out.

Spent the middle part of the day doing the family-taxi role thing and went shopping in Grevie after we had everyone on board. Coming out of ICA I was pleased to see a superb rough-legged buzzard flying past in brilliant light. My brain, like some shambling mammal struggling to come out of hibernation, eventually realised several things:

1) on its present course it would pass over the garden in just two minutes,

2) I needed rough-legged buzzard for the garden list and

3) I was two minutes drive from house.

We bundled into the car, lost the bird for a nerve-wrecking whole 90 seconds, turned the last corner and there over the house was the bird, looking fantastic as they do. I was pleased.

October!

Enough sun this morning to get the last few Sympetrum danae at Klarningen on the wing.

Well we got to October, conditions look excellent for a 'patch' yellow-browed warbler but can I find one?

Nipped put to Klarningen for two hours before lunch. More work being done on site so after a brief look from under the tower (stairs nearly done!), I went for a walk. The main pool was still hosting the flock of 40 barnacle geese, as well as equally stable counts of wigeon (86), teal (105) and pintail (2). Waders included golden plover (5), dunlin (5), ruff (16) and snipe (6).

The highlight of the walk around the north end was a single jack snipe flushed twice and seen well in flight before it flew across the river to Eskilstorps dammar. Looking over into Eskilstorps dammar produced a single gadwall in amongst the mallard. I still need this for Klarningen but it looked settled today! A glance through a flock of flying wigeon produced a single shoveler. The riverside trees were as usual during migration periods quite good for small birds and produced 5-6 goldcrests, already looks like we are going to see more of these little chaps this year than last autumn.

On the way home more evidence of migration with a hawfinch over the road at Eskilstorp and a jay in Sinarpsdalen. The latter moving in good numbers apparently this autumn.

After lunch went out to pick sloes at Norra Ängalag - rather quiet, although a nice flock of 160 goldenplover on the inland fields. A quick stop for shag at Påarps Mal failed but the garden at the end of the lane had four crossbill and a blackcap.

Scratching about

With Number 2 off her food and slightly feverish yesterday, it was time to take things easy. We did head out in the afternoon though and squeezed in half an hour at Sandön before some shopping. Sandön was quiet with oystercatcher (1), dunlin (2), snipe (4) and bar-tailed godwit (5).

I nipped out for the last couple of hours of the day on my own. Tried Klarningen, forgetting that the sun would be right in my eyes. Couldn't use the tower anyway because of the ongoing work, so went for walk. Water levels have gone up again since my last visit and are starting to look respectable. The birds like it too with the following counted; barnacle goose (40), wigeon (94), ruff (33), snipe (12) and best of all a late spotted redshank (my first this month). A few passerines knocking about including a lone brambling, 15 skylark and seven fieldfare.

Kingfisher!

Pheosia gnoma or lesser swallow prominent, found in the house today. I like the Princess Leia hair-do.

After a day working on the house (chopping out an oil-tank...I may never hear goldcrests again), I nipped out for more saw-blades and a look at Klarningen. Not much water and the whole site has been mown, flocks of crows and at least two red kites were picking through the short sward for dead things. The tower is nearly finished though, I wonder who will cut the ribbon?

A few birds about, although most of the resident waders have moved on, hopefully the fledglings got off safely last month. A big flock of 150 lapwing was present and smaller numbers of other migrants; snipe (2), greenshank (3) and wood sandpiper (2).

Halfway round I was stunned to hear a kingfisher travelling up the river. Ever since the long, hard second winter period I have been hoping for one and this was amazingly my first of the year. They must have been hit awfully hard by all that ice, maybe I will get a dipper too this year after all.

Over on Eskilstorpsdammar a single osprey drifted past, there were also a small number of buzzard that may have been migrating in a rather languid fashion. The final highlight came in the form of a female red-backed shrike, sitting next to a bush with some rather noisy (and rather late) nest-bound youngsters. Nice one!