pinks

One of today's highlights was the huge flock of 30 purple sandpipers that is currently in residence at Torekovs rev.

Got out this morning to search along the coast between Påarps Mal and Ripagården. Plenty of year-ticks to be had, I ended up with five! I had not even got to the coast when I stopped at Slättaröd to check out my first stock dove of the year. Påarps Mal produced a flock of 19 resting ringed plovers and nearby the sewage works had my first oystercatcher. I checked out Svarteskär next for shags but there were none, instead an adult  peregrine offshore on Vinga Skär, four black guillemot on the sea and two razorbill past. The rev produced a fantastic flock of 30 purple sandpipers (my previous best of 17 blown away in the process).

Last proper stop of the day was Norra Ängalag, here a mistle thrush erupted out of the juniper and going through the greylag geese out on Tjällran produced the big surprise of the day - two pink-footed geese. A quick look at Ripagården on the way home failed to turn up anything notable.

Postcard from Gotland

Just had a great week on Gotland with the family...

"Look Daddy - a snow owl" - it begins... We stopped on the way for lunch at the delightful, family-sized Porsbjärs nature reserve in Halland. It looks good for owls and grouse, we had a surprise wryneck and the first icterine of the year. We will return.

Spent some time at Oskarshamn, the harbour had Arctic terns and a pair of black redstart busily feeding young.

Our cottage at Puser was close to Paviken (where we had these splendid white-tailed eagles), but a little too far away from the key sites in the south.

Caspian terns were frequently observed, I am still waiting patiently for my first patch Caspian.

We watched this dark gotlandicus grass snake trying to swallow a toad for some time.

Waders were a little disappointing, I failed to find any broad-billed sandpipers, a flock of 18 purple sandpipers in good plumage were some consolation.

The incredible flora of Gotland could not be ignored and we spent quite a bit of time looking at the spring flowers. Hepatica nobilis is one of my favourites.

Highlights of a week on Gotland with the team included a staggering three Swedish ticks! I know, not difficult for me but still... Greenish warblers were located on a number of days, singing their songs from the tree-tops. I managed to time my visits to Hoburgsklippan to avoid all the good birds but still managed a self-found white-billed diver (tick Number 2). On the last night a corncrake started singing from the field behind our cottage (Number 3). Other goodies included a brief Richard's pipit on the deck, the abundant collared flycatchers, a superb perched female Montagu's harrier, penduline tit at the nest and singing rosefinches. My total of birds seen in May now stands at 179 and there are still more to come...

Thanksgiving - 26/11/09

One of the things to be thankful for is ring-reading (I love it) - I got close to a leg-flagged purple sandpiper on the 21st at Torekov, it was almost certainly ringed at Sørkappøya, Svalbard this autumn by Kjell Mork Soot. Get in touch with him if you manage to read the code on a flagged bird (kjellmorksoot@fugler.com). I failed to relocate the flagged bird today...

I suppose I should be thankful for the swine flu vaccination provided yesterday by a cautious and considerate Swedish government, but I feel rough as dogs today! With no meaningful DIY likely, I sat at Torekov rev for an hour and a half this morning and had a great session. Three shags were fishing in a tight gang just offshore. My first rev Slavonian grebe was bobbing about in the waves. A stiff southerly was blowing and flying into it, occasionally dipping into the water to feed, was a sublime adult winter little gull. Further out a few gannets (7) were fishing and a steady progression of kittiwakes headed south (at least 150 during the session). My main aim was to try and find the flock of purple sandpipers that had included a leg-flagged bird on the 21st, but I could only find two birds, both unmarked. At least 11 redshank kept them company. From the woods behind five parrot crossbills occasionally erupted, calling loudly. A brief foray inland failed to locate them sadly (very few cone-bearing pines on site).

On the way home, dropped in on Ripagården for an hour. Much quieter here, but did manage black guillemot (1) and reed bunting (1) - both scarce in November here.