SWEDEN - 31st August

 A cloudless, chilly morning but it turned out to be a pretty busy session in the nets highlighted by at least 5 Bluethroats (four caught – two adult males, a young male and a young female with another 1-2 seen along the path); also caught were 31 Siskins (80+ were whizzing around), a re-trap Lesser Whitethroat, 12+ Whitethroats (ten new), a Lesser Redpoll (first one we’ve caught) and five Bearded Tits.   

Other birds seen through the long, busy morning included good views of a BLACK KITE over the fields which briefly followed a tractor cutting a field before drifting off south, a flock of 13 Taiga Bean Geese which flew straight south, a Turnstone heard overhead (a Swedish tick!), a Pochard (the first one for ages), the odd Spotted Redshank, Greenshank and Wood Sandpiper flying about, 3 Ospreys – including one with a huge Pike and a couple of Tree and Meadow Pipits overhead.   

A little walk in the afternoon was quiet with just an adult White-tailed Eagle and a couple of Wheatears of note.   

Bluethroats – Adult male and young female

Peregrine

SWEDEN - 30th August

 The nets had a bit of life in them at Ason in the morning as bits included single Spotted Flycatcher, Redstart, Garden Warbler and Treecreeper while other birds in the calm, overcast conditions comprised a group of 11 Taiga Bean Geese which appeared from nowhere on the lake with some Greylags (the first returning birds), a single Grey Wagtail south, a Common Sandpiper, 2 White-tailed Eagles, 2 Black Woodpeckers, 3 House Martins and 2 Tree Pipits.   

A productive walk round the eastern part of the reserve, over by Sörön from lunchtime in the still calm and overcast conditions (feeling a bit autumnal!) produced a notable influx of c40 Pintail and 30+ Wigeon, a few waders flying around with Dunlin and Ringed Plover heard and 5 Spotted Redshanks and 2 Greenshanks seen, a few raptors comprising 2 Ospreys, 2 Sparrowhawks, a Hobby and most notably 2 Red Kites together over by Sörön (rare here and only my second in Sweden), my first Long-tailed Tits on the reserve (heard on the edge of Sörön) and a few migrants scattered around including a Garden Warbler, 2 Lesser Whitethroats, 2 Goldcrests, 4 Spotted Flycatchers, a Whinchat, 5 Wheatears, 3 Yellow Wagtails, 4 Tree Pipits, a Brambling  and a single Hawfinch by the house.   

Treecreeper – not bad for a familiaris but kind of an intergrade I guess, it had a nice, pale, frosty back and bright white underparts but the supercillium could have been better

Spotted Flycatcher

Red Kites

Wheatear

SWEDEN - 29th August

 A bit of a breeze and a few spots of rain meant we chickened out of ringing this morning (we probably would have got away with it!) but I had a good, long walk round the reserve in the morning before the real rain moved in by the afternoon; the highlights were both seen from the Hammarmaden platform where there were 2 Bluethroats seen foraging along the edge of the reeds and a Little Stint with a few Dunlin and Ringed Plover.   

Other birds included a Peregrine seen a few times over Fågelsjön, 2 Pintail, 2 Little Grebes and a Slavonian Grebe on Rysjön, 3 Spotted Redshank, 7 Ruff, a Greenshank, 7 Wood Sandpipers, an adult White-tailed Eagle and a Sparrowhawk but few passerine migrants with 2 Tree Pipits, a Yellow Wagtail, 2 Wheatears and a good total of 18 Yellowhammers seen.

SWEDEN - 28th August

 A quiet morning in the nets at Rysjön was highlighted by the first round which included 2 Bluethroats (a 1cy male and an adult female) and a new 1cy Savi’s Warbler, apart from that it was slow with just the usual warblers.   

Other birds of note comprised 2 Little Grebes and the Smew on the lake, 9 Ruff, 7 Dunlin and a Spotted Redshank flying around, 2 Black Woodpeckers, 4 Tree Pipits and a very impressive 4,000+ Swallows leaving their roost from somewhere in front of the tower from where they slowly spiralled up all calling together.   

Walked round Oset in the warm afternoon which was pretty productive with a nice spread of migrants concentrated along the middle path as totals included an excellent 23+ Whinchats (all in a loose flock), a Redstart (only the second I’ve seen in Sweden), 5 Yellow Wagtails, 35+ White Wagtails and a Tree Pipit.   

Other birds comprised a good selection of waders with a smart juvenile Little Stint with 13 Dunlin, 4 Ringed Plover, 17 Ruff, 5 Spotted Redshank, 6 Greenshank and 6 Wood Sandpipers, a Hobby and a White-tailed Eagle being relentlessly mobbed by an Osprey out over the lake.   

Savi’s Warbler – quite a well-marked individual

Bluethroat

White-tailed Eagle vs Osprey

SWEDEN - 27th August

 Birds in the nets at Fågelsjön in the morning (very cold start giving way to a warm day) included 5 Lesser Whitethroats and 2 Marsh Warblers while other birds of note comprised a Bluethroat flushed off the path, 3 Tree Pipits, a Fieldfare, a young female Peregrine chasing Jackdaws in the distance, 2 adult White-tailed Eagles over, 3 Ospreys, a Sparrowhawk, a good flock of 15 Spotted Redshank and 2 Greenshank.   

A walk round the reserve in the warm afternoon then produced a few migrants (mainly concentrated around Öby Kulle) including 6 Spotted Flycatchers, 2 Pied Flycatchers, 2 Whinchats, a Wheatear, 3 Tree Pipits and 10+ Willow Warblers while waders were highlighted by 19 Ruff with a steady stream of very high Crane flocks heading south – the sky was full of echoing honking, trumpeting calls, brilliant!   

Cranes near and far

Ruff

Spotted Flycatcher

SWEDEN - 26th August

 Another quiet morning at Ason both in the nets and overhead, lovely though – flat calm with a stunning sunrise; in the nets the highlights were single Marsh Warbler and Lesser Whitethroat, both firsts for the site this year.   

Overhead, highlights comprised 2 Hobbies, 3 Hawfinches, 3 Brambling and 4 Tree Pipits while c40 White Wagtails were on the bridge first thing and a Goosander, 2 White-tailed Eagles, single Spotted Redshank and Redshank and 2 Common Sandpipers were on the lake.   

It clouded over in the afternoon and a walk along the dirt roads to the north of Kvismaren produced a single Red-backed Shrike, a cool flock of 20+ Northern Long-tailed Tits, 3 Tree Pipits, a Spotted Flycatcher, 120+ Siskins and a steadily trickle of high Crane flocks heading south (6+6+23+11+5).   

There’s one particular Heron at Ason that fishes by flying low over the water and plunging in to catch fish, like a poor man’s Osprey, its pretty successful though!

Juvenile Swallows gathering on the bridge

Awesome Northern Long-tailed Tits

SWEDEN - 25th August

 Clear skies and the advancing season led to the first properly cold, autumnal feeling morning of the year so the nets at Rysjön were slow and steady but there was a really nice mix of species caught which included 2 Marsh Tits, 2 Savi’s Warblers (an adult female and a super young, super late, still downy fledgling), a monster big young female Sparrowhawk (with a wing of 242), 3 Nuthatches, a good 11 Robins (mostly fully moulted juveniles – migrants?) and a new Thrush Nightingale (the first new one for ten days).   

Overhead, birds included 10+ Tree Pipits and a Redpoll, a Spotted Flycatcher was in the trees and on the lake, there was a Little Grebe and the Smew which reappeared again.   

Fledgling Savi’s Warbler

Sparrowhawk

SWEDEN - 24th August

 A breezy morning led to a quietish ringing session at Fågelsjön but there were highlights including a juvenile Great Reed Warbler, another Red-backed Shrike, a good 5 Lesser Whitethroats (two re-traps) and 3 Marsh Warblers.   

Other birds of note comprised a few waders overhead with 10 Spotted Redshanks, 12+ Dunlin, 2 Greenshank, 2 Redshank and a Golden Plover, 3 Ospreys (with the juveniles giving that surprising little call that bizarrely sounds like a Lapland Bunting!), 2 Sparrowhawks and 300+ Swallows and 25+ Yellow Wagtails leaving their roost.   

Another little look at Hammarmaden in the evening was impressive with 1,200+ Cranes gathering pre-roost (a small fraction of the number which will be here soon!) while waders included 4 Ringed Plover, 8 Ruff, a Green Sandpiper (my first for ages), 2 Spotted Redshank and a Common Sandpiper.   

Too many Crane pictures