SWEDEN - 30th June

The ringing at Fågelsjön in the morning was cut slightly short by the first of many showers that rolled across the area through the rest of the day; it was fairly quiet with the highlights being 4 Whinchat fledglings, a couple of re-trap Thrush Nightingales and a very distinctive melanistic male Reed Bunting – all its lesser, median and greater coverts, tertials and most of its mantle were jet black with the head also more extensively black almost totally obscuring the white collar and moustachial stripe.   A Ringed Plover was the only new bird on Löten late morning before the day’s highlight came mid-afternoon when I found a singing BLYTH’S REED WARBLER at the NE corner of Fågelsjön, c200m from the ringing site which showed briefly in response to a short burst of playback otherwise staying deep in the willows.

Striking melanistic Reed Bunting - never seen the like!

A normal Reed Bunting

Great Reed Warbler

Common Tern