hat-trick

Got three year-ticks today. In the afternoon Number 2 and I went sledging and when we arrived we had a flock of geese south which contained two white-fronted geese.

In the evening we went owling and bagged two long-tailed tits in Båstad at dusk and then spotlighting revealed a nice tawny owl at Hålehallstugan. The rest of the night-drive produced fallow deer (10, Slottet), roe deer (1, Älemossen) and lots of hares. Number 2 armed with her own spotlight enjoyed finding rabbits and hares as we drove about and we will go again no doubt but maybe spend more time listening next time!

spoonbill hunting

Woke up late this morning and checked the computer for bird info as a matter of course. Normally there is nothing to deflect me from my intended course of action but a spoonbill was being ticked off as it flew south down the coast of Halland and an appearance in BK seemed likely. I headed for Klarningen. No sign of the spoonbill sadly, if I was on the Swedish bird alarm system I would have known that the bird had pitched in for a rest a little bit north of BK. Klarningen appeared quiet initially but birds started coming out after a while, including three Temminck's stints, greenshank (1) and a good count of four little ringed plovers.

Went home over the top and this paid off with honey buzzard (1 - BK year-tick) and a flyby common crossbill (ditto, male - incredibly scarce this year but presumed resident) at Brödalt. Lya Ljunghed was interesting with a pair of green sandpipers on site, as well as the usual displaying snipe (2 males).

With an appointment at ten at Salomonhög I headed that way and on arrival was rewarded with a singing male rosefinch. The spoonbill meanwhile pitched up just across the motorway from Klarningen in Skottorps dammar and may well have been visible in flight from BK as it made it's way there... C'est la vie.

woodlark

Terrible weather over the weekend but we dashed out at midday for a quick walk locally, the easy highlight being a flyover woodlark at Salomonhög, a BK year-tick no less.

Crane fly

This lone crane circled the field at Klarningen a few times but decided not to land in the end and continued on north.

Finally a day in the field. Kicked off at Klarningen which was rather quiet but enjoyed a reasonable amount of passing trade which made it all worthwhile. Wildfowl on the ground included three female pintail, eight shoveler (mostly male) and the elusive male garganey. Four coot have taken up residence, which I am slightly sad to say excites me greatly, it feels like a proper wetland now! Waders present included a single little ringed plover, two ruff and two greenshank. Many of these had moved on by the time I left though. Flybys included a single crane, an osprey and a 2K little gull.

Petersberg produced my first BK crested newt this morning. This site is slated for development if they ever finish the tunnel under Hallandsåsen, be interesting to read the Environmental impact assessment. Do not build on it - would be my advice. Unmanaged land and open water are at a premium in BK.

Next stop was Petersberg (the hunt for a BK water rail continues...). A singing male redpoll was an over-looked year-tick here but the main action came from the herps, with a fiesty grass snake and a great crested newt in the bag (the latter my first in Sweden). Also moor frog singing here. In 2012 I am targetting the herps of southern Sweden as well as birding and doing my dragonfly atlas work so it should be interesting (for me anyway!).

A quick look at Stensåns mynning revealed a number of scoter offshore but the easterly wind was cutting up the surface and made detailed examination of the birds difficult. If we get a calm day I will go back though, scoter numbers are good along this stretch and there must be something rare lurking in amongst them. From here I could see terns off Båstad so I checked it out. Two Sandwich terns were resting on offshore rocks and hawking over the sea were at least 13 common terns. Nice to have them back. A boat put up the duck offshore and revealed at least one Slavonian grebe panicking amongst the velvet scoter.

Had lunch up at Salmon Heights (Salomonhög), not a bad place for a house really, drumming snipe and displaying curlew overhead in the garden, very atmospheric. Nearby I had a pair of marsh harrier (breeders or migrating birds?). Last stop of the day was the tiny Lönhult dämm, this site rarely fails to surprise me and today it produced my first common sandpiper of the year.

Luck of the Irish

Had my first BK swift at last as I came over Salomonhög at midday. The Scandinavian high has broken down now and we have cloudy unsettled weather. Still warm enough for dragonfly action though so after lunch I headed out to Hålehallstugan.

In June 2008 I found a single male Coenagrion lunulatum (my first) at Hålehallstugan and have seen none since. I went back this afternoon and found about 35 individuals at the site. So far the only colony known in BK.

Cordulia aenea were emerging too, these guys wander away from the shoreline to emerge. The furthest exuviae today were about 20 metres from the water's edge!

My first female Coenagrion lunulatum - a plumage tick, that blue S8 mark is a good tell.

It was a good session, because I confirmed the presence of a colony of Coenagrion lunulatum (only the second time I have seen this species). Also here Libellula quadrimaculata and Cordulia aenea. Birds noted included a green sandpiper, 30-odd sand martin, sedge and reed warbler singing and a monster hawfinch just over my head. On the way home I checked out Ranarpsstrand, but I don't think I have ever seen it quieter, just one male gadwall and a flyby little tern.

A brace of year-ticks

Nipped out early this morning to search for both ring ouzel and wryneck recorded near my house on the 1st. No joy but did get grey wagtail at Sinarpsdalen, they obviously breed here, but no sign of any black redstarts this morning.

Spent an hour at Torekov rev too, where my first turnstone of the year was strutting up and down the jetty, other highlights here; the flighty little ringed plover again, purple sandpiper (2), a wood warbler and another grey wagtail.

In the afternoon, I managed an hour-and-a-half divided between Sandön and Rönnen. At Sandön I was oblivious to a nearby stonechat and so did not see it, but that kept things pure at least! Some good birds here as usual with a fine osprey struggling with a large sea-trout, four bar-tailed godwits, five greenshank and three excellent little gulls. Rönnen was better with a nice pair of garganey, little ringed plover (1), Temminck's stint (1 - another year-tick), dunlin (2), spotted redshank (1), greenshank (2) and wood sandpiper (1). Five or six blue-headed wagtails looked superb tripping about on the short sward.

Redstart!

Nipped out in the morning before breakfast for a walk between Öllövsstrand and Glimminge. This was rather a quiet affair until I turned south to head home at Glimminge and a female hen harrier migrated past overhead - amazingly my first of the year. Before leaving the plantation I tracked down my first redstart of the year too - a singing male.

Back at home 13 redwing passed low over the house, reminding me that I must get out after ring ouzels soon.

In the afternoon we all went for a walk up past Bösketorp pools. Plenty happening here with six cranes stealing the show but also four green sandpipers, four little grebes and 13 tufted duck. An evening drive through of the Sinarpsdalen circuit produced a pair of curlew at Salomonhög

Natty red

I was told about a singing black redstart in Sinarpsdalen last spring but never connected. I was not too surprised therefore, but still delighted, to find a pair of them on site today.

The Sinarpsdalen walk starts close to our house, so I left the car in the drive and walked down into the valley this morning. Over the house a low flock of 40 whooper swans split to avoid the TV aerial! Chiffchaffs have arrived in numbers this weekend, with 8 singing males recorded this morning on the walk. Hawfinches were in 'song' too, which looked and sounded painful. No sign of my target lesser spotted woodpecker but on the walk back up the road I bumped into singing male black redstart which lead me eventually to a female. Black redstarts used to breed in the factory in the village until they renewed the roof. It is tempting to think that the pair may have relocated here? Otherwise there may be more pairs lurking in the farmyards on the high ground? Yesterday I could not find a wheatear on the coast but today they were on territory, song-flighting. More evidence of the huge movement of birds that has taken place this weekend.

Number 2 had a doctor's appointment in the afternoon and the team gave me half an hour at nearby Klarningen before we went home. Plenty of new birds in here. Not only my much-wanted gadwall (2 at last!) but also shoveler (4), dunlin (1), ruff (4), green sandpiper (1), redshank (2), white wagtail (3) and chiffchaff (1).

15 minutes of fame - 30/12/09

The article on me in the local paper came out today and bizarrely I was recognised in the supermarket on a number of occasions as a result of it! Mrs B is struggling to come to terms with her WAG status. The basis of the article is that I have recorded more birds in BK this year than anyone else - which may or may not be true...

After shopping in the morning, took Numbers 1 & 2 out for a walk at Ripagården. They enjoyed the ice, skidding and sliding about and exploring the coast. We found a huge number of starling (35), a flyby mistle thrush (1) and the plantation had a splendid black woodpecker and my first bullfinch (a male) for the site. Bonus! Raptors were obvious with single kestrel, sparrowhawk and red kite during the session. On the way home drove back via Salomonhög, where we saw six grey partridge and, more exciting for the kids, a man walking a skittish llama on a lead.

The empty reedbed at Ripagården on a gorgeous sunny day (-5 degrees).

Birding - 15/04/09

Took No. 3 for a long walk along the road to Yttre Kattvik, this morning. She fell asleep and I had a good two-and-a-half hours watching stuff migrate. Noticeable finch movement during the morning with small parties either heading north directly over the sea or hugging the coastline and passing overhead. Mostly chaffinch, but small numbers of siskin, linnet and brambling. Also overhead at least two tree pipits calling in flight - my first of the year. Behind us in the woods a black woodpecker gave its territorial song.

Out at sea things were going on too. The easy highlight was a male smew, trying to sneak through in a flock of curlew! Curlew were on the move today with small flocks passing every now and again.

After lunch we took a blanket up to Salomonhög and sat in the sun to see if any passerines were moving through the valley. They were and we saw several flocks of finches and meadow pipit before we had to leave.

More birding - 20/03/09

The view south from Salomonhög

Had an hour up on the hill behind the house this afternoon. A brisk wind from the south kept things decidely cool. Nothing much doing until the last fifteen minutes when 52 cranes went through north in three groups. The peak of the passage through our area is next week, which I will miss sadly, so glad to see some before I go. Common crane is a widespread species (recorded in over 80 countries) but I never tire of watching these magnificent birds heading to the breeding grounds.

Common cranes going north

Birding - 09/03/09 - cranes!

The big twitch - there was scarcely room at the end of the pier!

Torekov rev today - two migrating common cranes and three gadwall were the highlights, if you do not count the sausages we BBQ'd on the beach.

Ripagården - looking a bit gloomy but a great site. Not much doing today though.

Checking Salomonhög last thing produced these four cranes heading north, I think it will be a good vismig site (better than the garden which I can nearly see from there).

My big plan to check out Salomonhög (just up the hill behind my house) at dawn for vismig purposes failed when I woke to frost and heavy fog. I tried to climb above the fog but ran out of hill. I had hoped for a flock of disoriented cranes but had to settle for a few skylarks! As I came down the fog lifted of course.

Took Team Benstead to see the male king eider at Rammsjöstrand - and got the videoclip below for my troubles. It was showing really well (honest) - my videos always turn out very Blair Witch.

Headed to Torekov rev for our lunch and quickly had a small charcoal fire going on the beach and the sausages on the go. This allowed me to check through the denizens out on the rev. The usual flock of 14 purple sandpipers was present, spooked into a countable flock by a passing sparrowhawk. Three gadwall were new in. Migration was much in evidence during our two hour stint, with 47 whooper swans in total, 13 barnacle geese and best of all my first cranes of the year (2).

After dropping off the team I headed back out to Ripagården but things here were very quiet, the highlight being two reed buntings. Driving home checked Salomonhög again and in half an hour had eight whooper swan, four cranes and three starlings through. I think this will prove to be a great spot and I cannot wait for the raptors to start moving.