SWEDEN - 29th June

The morning’s ringing at Rysjön produced the highlights of an Icterine Warbler and a just out-of-the-nest Treecreeper while birds from the tower included 2 White-tailed Eagles (an adult and a 2cy again), the 2 Great White Egrets and an increase to 27 Tufted Ducks.   Visited Löten and Hammarmaden in the afternoon and while there was nothing really different totals included 73+ Wood Sandpipers, 412+ Teal, 250 Swifts, 7 Little Ringed Plovers, 5 Curlew, 24 Ruff, 6 Spotted Redshank, 6 Greenshank, 2 Hobbies, 4 Osprey and another Icterine Warbler.

Fledgling Treecreeper

Yellowhammer

Silver-washed Fritillary

SWEDEN - 28th June

A pretty quiet morning ringing at Fågelsjön with three Thrush Nightingales (two re-traps) and a dispersing juvenile Coal Tit the highlights with the only other thing of note being a flock of 12 Curlews over at first light.   

A very productive walk out to Löten in the afternoon (it had clouded over with a fresh breeze and a few spots of rain) then produced probably 4 White-tailed Eagles – two adults and two first-summers with two of them hunting over Rysjön, a cracking CASPIAN TERN fishing over the canal and Rysjön, the Quail singing again, single Wheatear and Stock Dove new for my Kvismaren list (it’s the first time I’ve ever seen Black Terns mobbing a Stock Dove!), 2 Hobbies, a Peregrine (also new for my Sweden list) and the two Great White Egrets along with the usual selection of waders on Löten including 125 Lapwing, 4 Little Ringed Plovers, 3 Curlew, 22 Ruff, 2 Snipe, a Green Sandpiper, 46+ Wood Sandpipers, 6 Redshank, 2 Greenshank and 5 Spotted Redshank.

White-tailed Eagle (and various things attacking it)

Caspian Tern record shots

Sedge Warbler

SWEDEN - 27th June

A few more birds were caught at Rysjön in the morning with fledglings beginning to make up a higher percentage of the catch, juveniles today included Pied Flycatcher, Thrush Nightingale, Willow Warbler, Robin, Chaffinch and Reed Bunting.   There wasn’t too much new from the tower as birds seen included my first Swedish Green Woodpecker, a singing Icterine Warbler, the Savi’s Warbler giving a little burst of song and a Curlew.   A look at Löten late afternoon produced 7 Pochard, a singing Quail in fields nearby, 7 Little Ringed Plovers, 2 Curlew, a Green Sandpiper, 6 Spotted Redshank, 40+ Wood Sandpipers, 15 Ruff and 3 Redshank.

Willow Warbler fledgling

Juvenile Pied Flycatcher

Thrush Nightingale fledgling - I really don't know how or why this got into a net!

SWEDEN - 26th June

A similar ringing session at Fågelsjön in the morning produced the highlights of 3 Great Reed Warblers (one fully colour-ringed with a data-logger, one just with a metal ring [wandering female ringed last autumn] and an un-ringed male), 2 Thrush Nightingales, the first juvenile Willow Warbler of the year and a ten-year-old re-trap Reed Warbler; other bird seen included 55 Cranes, a Greenshank, the first bit of visible migration of the ‘autumn’ with a flock of 15 Curlew heading high south in migration formation, the two Great White Egrets and two singing Marsh Warblers.   A walk round to Löten in the still hot afternoon didn’t produce anything new but counts included 2 Garganey, 2 Pintail, the 2 Pochard, 370 Lapwing, 3 Little Ringed Plover, 15 Ruff, 2 Green Sandpipers, 5 Spotted Redshank, 50+ Wood Sandpipers and good views of a Bittern on the deck.

Crane

Whinchat

Brilliant Emerald

SWEDEN - 25th June

A nice morning ringing at Rysjön produced a Thrush Nightingale and the first fledgling Sedge Warblers and Reed Bunting; birds seen from the tower included a female Montagu’s Harrier which flew across the back, my first two Swedish Pochard, the two Great White Egrets, a calling Wryneck, at least four Cuckoos going mad with lots of female bubbling calls heard, a brief reeling Savi’s Warbler and a Hobby.   A little look at Löten in the evening saw slight increases in wader numbers including 48+ Wood Sandpipers, 8 Spotted Redshank, 5 Redshank, a Little Ringed Plover, 22 Ruff, a Green Sandpiper, a Greenshank and the first post-breeding flock of 85 Lapwing that I’ve seen.

Fledgling Sedge Warbler

Thrush Nightingale

Male Blue-headed Wagtail

Female Blue-headed Wagtail

Red-necked Grebe

Common Tern

Hobby

SWEDEN - 24th June

A quiet but nice morning ringing at Fågelsjön where birds caught included 2 Whinchat, 2 Bearded Tits, two re-trap (and colour ringed) Great Reed Warblers and the first fledgling Blue-headed Wagtail and Whitethroats; other birds seen around and about comprised 40+ Cranes, some nice male Ruff feeding in a recently cut field, 2 Green Sandpipers, the two Great White Egrets and a brief singing Savi’s Warbler.   A little look at a lake called Hällebosjön just to the south in the afternoon produced good views of two smart summer plumaged Black-throated Divers – which have been present since early spring but don’t seen to be doing anything breeding wise.

Great Reed Warbler

Juvenile Blue-headed Wagtail

Whinchat

Very small fledgling Whitethroat - how did it even get into the net!

Sunrise

SWEDEN - 23rd June

Another scorching day after a nice, cool, misty (very early) morning; ringing at Rysjön in the morning was steady, highlighted by 2 Thrush Nightingales and an Icterine Warbler.   We were packed up by 09:00 as the day heats up very fast, halting much activity and very few juveniles are out yet, giving us just adults to catch, there were a couple of things on the lake as seen from the tower including a female-type Red-breasted Merganser (not annual here and a funny time of year for one!) and 2 Great White Egrets.

Icterine Warbler

SWEDEN - 22nd June

A perfect morning for the first standardised ringing session at Fågelsjön – calm and clouding over by mid-morning; we managed a very pleasant 61 birds as we got used to the set up which included a single Marsh Warbler and 11 Bearded Tits (with a couple of smart, un-ringed adult males), it was great early in the morning with 40+ Cranes flying and trumpeting around and three Ospreys over the water.   

I had a look at Rysjön late afternoon in the now drizzly conditions and it was clear there were some new birds dropped in comprising a Dunlin (a Swedish tick!), 6 Greenshank, 6 Spotted Redshank, 32+ Wood Sandpipers, 2 Redshank, 4 Garganey, 7 Red-necked Grebes, a Herring Gull which flew up the canal (also a Swedish tick!) and big numbers of 300+ Swifts, 150+ Sand Martins and 70 Swallows low over the pools.

Bearded Tits - adult male

Bearded Tits - juvenile male

Bearded Tits - adult female

Yellowhammer

Roe Deer fawn