SWEDEN - 29th and 30th September

 A frustrating couple of days ringing wise with two attempts made to ring at Ason but despite (or because of) the super flat-calm conditions, persistent, thick, very wet, drizzly fog forced us to close the nets both morning’s after a short time; there were signs that there were birds around as well with a trickle of Goldcrests and Robins caught in the time the nets were open adding to the frustration.   

It was a bit better on the 30th with the sun trying to force through which it did later in the day but not quick enough to prevent us having to stop ringing for the day and the season and a few bits did move south including a flock of 12 Northern Long-tailed Tits.   

A walk over to Vallen in the very fine and warm afternoon produced a great array of raptors with at least 5 Rough-legged Buzzards floating around (there could have been more as there seemed to always be a couple of the horizon as well as birds flying overhead!), 12+ Buzzards, a ringtail Hen Harrier, 2 Marsh Harriers, 2 White-tailed Eagles high in from the north and a Kestrel as well as good numbers of Skylarks and Meadow Pipits.   

Rough-legged Buzzards

SWEDEN - 28th September

 Similar conditions of yesterday but slightly less drizzly, dank and windy so we managed to open the nets at Fågelsjön which turned out to be a good session, highlighted by a cracking Jack Snipe caught at first light – an expected Swedish tick!   

Other birds in the nets included 30 Reed Buntings, 15 Bearded Tits, a fine male Brambling, the first Redwing we’ve caught, a Blackcap and a few Chiffchaffs, Robins and tardy Reed Warblers; there wasn’t too much else flying in the poor weather but other bits seen included a Whooper Swan, 3 Goosander and single Marsh Harrier, Hen Harrier and White-tailed Eagle.   

An hour’s watch from the bridge at Ason in the evening was predictably quiet but there was a nice flock of 9 Northern Long-tailed Tits in the bushes – the first ones I’ve seen here.   

Jack Snipe

Brambling

SWEDEN - 27th September

 Drizzly, dank and windy conditions cancelled the day’s ringing for the second day in a row with a subsequent walk along the ‘Moose Road’ producing not much apart from good views of 3 Moose and a decent flock of 18 Mistle Thrushes while 4 Redwings and 2 Reed Buntings were added to the site list.   

A few bits around the house were the only other things of note which comprised a late Wheatear along the track where there were also 55+ Skylarks in the fields, 2 Hen Harriers floating around and a Great-spotted Woodpecker watched caching pine cones in a crack in a telegraph pole – the first time I’ve seen them doing this, perhaps a more Scandinavian tactic than back in the UK.   

Some blurry, grabbed shots of some Moose in the dark, brooding Scandinavian Pine forests

Barnacle Geese

Caching Great-spotted Woodpecker

SWEDEN - 25th September

 A good, long day at Ason with light southerlies at the start which swung round into the NE halfway through the morning; the nets were busy (but not as busy as two days ago) with the highlights being 14 Chiffchaffs, a Willow Warbler and a Sedge Warbler along with a few Nuthatches, Treecreepers, Goldcrests, Reed Buntings etc.   

The day’s highlight though was some good raptor passage, mainly heading SW across the lake cutting across the island of Ason halfway up (or further north – hence most things were distant) concentrated around lunchtime but bits going through all day; totals included 2 Honey Buzzards, 2 Rough-legged Buzzards (one distantly over the north shore, one SW over the lake), a good 46+ Buzzards – with big kettles of spiralling birds of 29 and 7 distantly over the north shore and a trickle of birds heading SW across the lake, 5 Hen Harriers SW across the lake (including an adult male), 8 Sparrowhawks, 2 Marsh Harriers and a Kestrel plus at least 6 White-tailed Eagles floating around and a monster female Goshawk which zoomed up the road as I was closing the nets.   

Other birds seen included a Shoveler (an Ason tick!), a Goosander, 2 adult Great Black-backed Gulls, a Bittern seen landing in the reeds on the east side, the usual Black Woodpecker calling and 33 Jays heading south along with 8 Ravens, 9 Coal Tits, 110+ Blue Tits, 40+ Great Tits, 36 Skylarks, 16 Bearded Tits (including an ace flock of 8 really high up heading south), 40+ Chaffinches, 20+ Brambling, 20+ Redpolls, 150+ Siskins and 7 Yellowhammers.  

Redpoll sp. – if I caught this bird on North Ronaldsay I would call it a Mealy but I’m not too sure, I think I’d call it a Mealy now as well, with a wing of 75 but they lump them all here in Sweden so who cares!

Goldeneye

The Mute Swan brood that we’ve watched grow up on every visit to Ason with its three normal cygnets and two ‘polish’ ones (a distinctive white colour morph)

Great Black-backed Gull

Cormorant

SWEDEN - 24th September

 A nice morning ringing at Rysjön, calm and bright but the wind did pick up later; the nets were pretty busy, especially at the start with a good turnover of Chiffchaffs, Blackcaps, Goldcrests, Robins, Dunnocks, Redpolls, Siskins and Reed Buntings but there were no real stand-out birds in the catch.   

Other birds seen included a confusing array of Geese on the lake which included at least 19 Pink-footed Geese and c20 Tundra Bean Geese in amongst 250+ Taiga Bean Geese but despite great views there were several that I couldn’t really put a name to, a Little Grebe, a Grey Plover heard overhead, 2 Ruff, a Bittern flying across the back, at least 3 Hen Harriers quartering the back fields including an adult male, a White-tailed Eagle and at least 2 Tree Pipits still in the fields.   

I didn’t do too much else but an hour spent on the bridge at Hammarmaden in the evening was productive with my first Swedish White-fronted Goose (a single adult) with 600+ Taiga Bean Geese and 1,800+ Barnacle Geese, 2 Great White Egrets, 2 Hen Harriers, 2 distant Rough-legged Buzzards, my first 4 Mistle Thrushes for Kvismaren and a decent flock of 65+ Goldfinches.   

White-fronted Goose

SWEDEN - 23rd September

 Nice and calm for the session at Ason with the sun not coming out until mid-morning meant the nets were very busy throughout the morning with good numbers of Reed Buntings, Siskins, Redpolls and Tits along with a Snipe, 4 Blackcaps, 2 Willow Warblers, 9 Chiffchaffs and 4 Goldcrests.   

Although I didn’t have too much time to have my eyes to the sky there was a trickle of birds heading south (but no big numbers of anything) as bits of note included 7 Taiga Bean Geese, 2 Hen Harriers (two ringtails which came across the lake together), 3 Marsh Harriers, a Sparrowhawk, a Grey Plover, a Peregrine, 7 Jays, 200+ Blue Tits, 6 Bearded Tits, 12 Fieldfares, 3 Grey Wagtails, 4 Hawfinches, a single Parrot Crossbill, 30 Redpolls, 250+ Siskins and 35+ Reed Buntings.   

A walk in the late afternoon along the ‘Moose Road’ was pretty quiet with the exception of my first Great Grey Shrike of the autumn.   

Snipe

Migrating Bearded Tits and Blue Tits

Great Grey Shrike

Yellowhammer

SWEDEN - 22nd September

 Very windy in the morning but we still opened some nets at Fågelsjön, needless to say we didn’t catch too much bar a couple of Reed Buntings and a smart male Lesser Redpoll.   

There were a few bits seen though including plenty of Barnacle and Taiga Bean Geese flying around, 2 Pintail, 10 Goosander, a little group of 3 Smew flushed off Öbymaden where there were also 14 Dunlin and 3 Ringed Plover, a Spotted Redshank, 5 Great White Egrets, a few raptors comprising 3 White-tailed Eagles, a Rough-legged Buzzard, 3 Marsh Harriers, 5 Buzzards and a Kestrel and 40+ Skylarks with some birds moving south.   

A walk round Oset in the decreasing wind early afternoon produced good views of a Red-throated Pipit along the central path, a single remaining Whinchat, 31 Dunlin, 2 Ringed Plover and at least 4 Chiffchaffs.   

Lesser Redpoll

Red-throated Pipit

Great White Egrets

SWEDEN - 21st September

 Breezy and overcast at Rysjön in the morning with a slow ringing session just saved by a few more Siskins (easily the highest ringing total for this species in over 40 years) and most interestingly, a re-trap adult female Savi’s Warbler – originally ringed on 25th August accompanying that very late, young fledgling and coming to the end of a very mixed, interesting summer-partial moult.   

A good array of other bits were seen through the morning including 2 Pink-footed Geese which came onto the lake with some Taiga Beans (a Swedish tick!), a big female Goshawk over the other side playing with a range of other raptors and Ravens such as the 6 Marsh Harriers and a Rough-legged Buzzard, 3 Goosanders, a Little Grebe, 3 White-tailed Eagles sat together at first light and a lingering Tree Pipit.   

Savi’s Warbler – this bird was originally ringed on 25th August as a breeding female and was accompanying an extremely young fledgling which had almost certainly left the nest that morning from close by to give a fairly accurate timeline for it moult (not that I know how soon after their chicks fledging that they begin their post-breeding moult).   

The moult is very interesting and as far as I know typical for Savi’s Warbler although most probably leave and start on migration before starting primary moult – perhaps the lateness of this birds breeding exacerbated the need for it to moult before migrating; primary moult started at P7 and worked outwards leaving three old inner primaries with the secondary moult following a similar pattern, starting at S3 and working outwards.   There was one retained, old primary covert corresponding to the new moulted primary and the tail looked like it was replaced. 

Adult female Yellowhammer