45 minutes at Klarningen

All beak and no trousers, yet another photo of a white-tailed eagle.

Had a short session at Klarningen in the afternoon. Rather quiet on the migrant front. The teal flock has built to 55 but there were no other notable wildfowl species. The stars of the show were a rough-legged buzzard hunting all the rough ground and diving spectacularly at times. The buzzard went high at one point as a white-tailed eagle came through and tried to catch a teal. Two reed buntings were new-in.

Rough-leg back at Klarningen after being absent for most of the winter.

Bloody kingfishers

A big flock of 300+ waxwing at Båstad was a great start to the day.

Hit Båstad at dawn today hoping for a kingfisher year-tick but the little bugger is proving incredibly difficult. It has been reported daily for about a week, but it must be hiding up under the wooden walkways or flying in occasionally from the Stensån because I cannot find it. Frustrating.

But a thorough going over of the harbour did produce some good birds; the surf scoter and little auk remain entertaining numerous visitors, also here a huge and noisy flock of 300+ waxwing, a black redstart, and late chiffchaff and blackcap.

Rough-legged buzzard at Klarningen. Klarningen is the only reliable site for this species in the winter in BK.

Klarningen was pretty quiet, the flock of teal (180) also contained a few wigeon (5) and shoveler (3). Two ringtail hen harriers hunted over the wetand and a rough-legged buzzard hovered out the back. On the way home I dropped into Petersberg for a quick look and was surprised to find 47 tufted duck in residence and the flock included a single female scaup (my first freshwater one in BK). Two little grebe here too. Six hawfinch passed over high, calling that high-pitched "tsrrii" flight-call that is often a giveaway to their presence overhead.

In the afternoon we all headed out to look at Farhult and Sandön. Farhult was quiet, no geese here just 9 Slavonian grebes and a lonely shelduck of note. Driving round to Sandön via Stureholm produced a single great grey shrike and again no geese. However when we got to Sandön we found plenty of geese. At least 1000 barnacles and 500 greylag but the only other species I could find were white-fronted geese (about 44).

Bad twitch and great patch birding

With the now-usual pre-twitch feeling of foreboding, we all drove up the E6 to Falkenberg on a mission. A ring-necked duck had been spotted yesterday and we fancied a go. Although the bird was apparently present in the morning, we failed to connect with it in a cold and foggy couple of hours at the site. I got bored about the same time as the kids and we drifted back south. Plenty of birds on the move today though, with flocks of lapwing flying up the E6 and plenty of evidence of movement by reed bunting, chaffinch and skylark. If we could just shift the remaining snow and ice, it might start to feel like spring.

Rough-legged buzzard on the deck at Eskilstorpsdammar.

On the way home we stopped at Klarningen. The access track produced 11 bean geese, which flew over to Eskilstorpdammar and a host of skylark (65) and a single meadow pipit. Klarningen is starting to defrost and had a flock of 20 starling and a scattering of lapwing and greylag on it. Seeing a flock of mallard take to the air over at Eskilstorpsdammar had us trudging over for a better look, the kids enjoying the experience greatly. We were rewarded with at least four white-fronted geese, the bean geese (13) and seven migrating cranes. Patch is best as usual.

Walking it off - 07/03/10

Klarningen got a new windpump whilst I was away.

More fresh air and exercise to keep the demons at bay for me today. Whilst the team went swimming I did a big walk from Klarningen to Båstad. The track to Klarningen is passable now, but Mrs B dropped me by the road and I walked in. Six taiga bean geese rested in the field on the way in, stuff is on the move. Also here my first patch rough-legged buzzards of the year, two young birds (photos below), lapwing (10), skylark (8) and treecreeper (1).

Walked the river past Eskilstorpsdammar. Long range viewing of the site produced whooper swan (7), greylag goose (60) and a flock of at least 16 stock dove. The crow trap had at least two buzzards in it, I wonder what will happen to them? Nearing Eskilstorp I was surprised to see a female smew on the ice before it flew downriver. Trudging on to Petersberg across the fields I was rewarded with a grey wagtail and a singing green woodpecker. Mrs B picked me up on her way through and we stopped just once in Båstad, for a flock of 19 waxwing.

3K rough-legged buzzard, probably male. Mewing away and interacting with the other bird present on site.

2K rough-legged buzzard.

Birding - 15/11/09

One of two rough-legged buzzards spotted at Klarningen this evening.

Spent the morning mucking out the garden at my kids daycare place. Highlights included a showy black woodpecker and a calling green woodpecker. In the late afternoon nipped down to Klarningen to get some more exercise in the last hour of light. The big flock of 50 snow buntings is still on site and a flock of 35+ goldfinch was notable. At least two rough-legged buzzard present too, with hen harrier (ringtail) also hunting the site. The highlight came at the end of the day, as dusk gathered around me I heard an unfamiliar and rather irate call. Peregrine! It had been robbed of a black-headed gull kill by a rough-legged buzzard and was very pissed off. Great views on the deck (sub-adult bird) and as it got really dark the bird started flying to an fro in front of me. My first for the site and a great encounter to boot.

Black-headed gull - whacked by a peregrine and eaten by a rough-legged buzzard. Life can be harsh.

Unlucky 13 - birding Falsterbo

Star of the raptor parade today for us at Falsterbo was this rough-legged buzzard. Others made do with a 1K pallid harrier. Oh the shame!

Went down to Falsterbo last night to stay with Terry (Birding Copenhagen) and three of his mates from East Anglia. They had evicted the Seven Dwarves and were living in a tiny cottage in the woods. Luckily there was just enough floor space for me. During the evening they gripped me rigid with tales of their second day at Falsterbo - short-toed eagle, black kite.... We hoped for more of the same on their third day.

Common buzzard - gentle trickle of birds through during the middle part of the day.

Rain overnight and a breezy northerly did not bode well however and we had a 'mare of a day. We somehow managed to miss all the good birds - Falsterbo has quite a complex geography and it is easy to be in the wrong place, unless you opt to sit at the end all day. We started at the end (Nabben) in the early morning. A few honey buzzards drifted south. The lagoon here was crammed with waders and we spent some time trying to find a broad-billed sandpiper in the throng of dunlin. No joy, but our searching turned up at least two little stint and a curlew sandpiper (the latter my first 1K bird of the year). A white-tailed eagle terrorised the local cormorants for a while and sparrowhawk were regular overhead. Several squalls came through whilst we waited here and we got wet! Passerine highlight came in the form of a single grey wagtail, although a few meadow and tree pipit were heard overhead. We elected for breakfast and a move to the heath to await raptors.

Red kites never failed to entertain, 30-odd birds passed us today.

Typically as we settled into our comfy chairs and waited for the raptor parade, the phone went. Martin Åkesson had found a Lapland bunting back in BK... The movement of raptors today was rather poor, although it included a splendid rough-legged buzzard, two hen harriers, another or the same white-tailed eagle and perhaps thirty red kite. A crane flew silently overhead but a white stork gave us the slip out to the west. A few crossbill and siskin were apparent. Out on the lagoon, four avocet will probably be my last of the year. With more rain in the offing I decided to head back to BK for a crack at the bunting. Tramping back over the heath produced a nice marsh gentian which somehow eluded me photographically.

An hour and a half later I was strolling through sunny fields in a light breeze back on the patch (Eskilstorp) - a phenomenal change in weather. Queen-of-Spain fritillaries were booted from underfoot and despite walking the field for an hour I could not find the bunting. Too bad, but I got home in time for a fish-and-chip supper.

Taking the rough with the smooth

After this morning's twitch it was time to get out and do some real birding in the afternoon. I decided to try one of my favourite local spots (Ripagården). A short walk here produced a stunning encounter with a 2K rough-legged buzzard, which hunted happily nearby and even caught and ate something at one point. A classic winter bird, scarce on the patch in winter but we get more through on passage in April.

Ample evidence that spring is round the corner too with seven lapwing flying by on the way home and other observers reporting an influx of skylarks. Can't wait.