Sun at last

My mate Sam rang me yesterday excited about the sand martin colony in the gravel pit at Förslöv. So the first thing Ma B, Number 2 and I did today was drive down and check it out. It was bustling with activity and there must have been 350 nestholes in the sand-face. Nice one!

Next we went for a short walk around the Killeröd loop, not much bird action here just plenty of singing tree pipits and goldcrests and a single siskin.

Today's sun brought out the insects again, a morning walk aroud the Killeröd loop track produced a few grizzled skippers.

Small coppers are commonly encountered at the moment.

I still find the dubia/rubicunda species pair hard to call, this is dubia (black pterostigma, goodish size black spot in base of forewing). Other good pointers I have noted are the shape of the antehumerals and the distribution of colours on S2 and S3, and the hind wing patches are blunter on dubia (at the trailing edge).

In the afternoon we all checked out Rönnen, hoping for broad-billed sandpipers. We skunked out, despite 16 being reported earlier in the day. We did connect with a pair of garganey, recently hatched lapwings, three Temminck's stints and single bar-tailed godwit, common sandpiper and greenshank. Nearby Sandön was really quiet with just a curlew and three Sandwich terns.

Birding - 12/07/09

Small copper Lycaena phlaeas - lovely butt

Lots of meadow browns Maniola jurtina on the wing at the moment

Nipped out for a beach BBQ this evening. Commander Nutbeam and I were dropped off first at Ranarpstrand and had a great little half hour here. Best of it was a close adult Temminck's stint, the supporting cast included greenshank (2), redshank (3), green sandpiper (7), wood sandpiper (1), common sandpiper (4), dunlin (1), whimbrel (1) and curlew (1). Nearby at Grytskaren we had a nice turnstone (only my third of the year) as well as more common sandpiper (4) and another dunlin.

Birding - 03/05/09

An early morning session at Toreov was fairly quiet. Two little terns rested out on the rev, a couple of common sandpipers were goofing around and 55 barnacle geese migrated past. Nearby Flytermossen produced the first patch reed warbler of the summer and a squealing water rail.

Small copper - first of the year at Grytskaren

In the afternoon we had a BBQ on the beach. Ranarpstrand producing single whimbrel and greenshank. At Grytskaren two flocks of barnacle geese, totalling 190 birds went through north.