SWEDEN - 5th August

A busy morning ringing at Fågelsjön – at least for the first few hours anyway produced some decent highlights, consisting of 2 Blyth’s Reed Warblers, both juveniles – one, the re-trap from three days ago plus a new bird (presumably from the same brood), a good 4 Red-backed Shrikes (an adult female and three juveniles), a pristine juvenile Lesser Whitethroat, 5 Marsh Warblers – all juveniles and a re-trap Thrush Nightingale.   

A brief look at Löten at lunchtime produced 2 Temminck’s Stints, 14 Ringed Plovers, 2 Little Ringed Plovers and 3 Ruff.   

This is the second Blyth’s Reed Warbler, new today with better photos showing the wing formula, the wing was top end at 65mm but its clearly emarginated on P4 and even a bit on P5 (much more obviously than on the previous bird) with a longish notch (12.0mm) and P2 equalling P5/6.   

The overall colour is also distinctive (although not 100% accurately represented in the photos) being somewhat in between Reed and Marsh Warblers with limited rufous tones – apart from the rufous wing panel visible in some photos which is a good feature of Blyth’s Reed and also lacking the yellowish / olive colour of a fresh juvenile Marsh Warbler.   The head pattern is also spot on for Blyth’s Reed but is not completely diagnostic.   

I don’t if its written anywhere else but I found that as soon as I held both the Blyth’s Reeds that I could tell they were different (!), the bird just felt softer and fluffier than the hundreds of Marsh and Reed Warblers that I’ve been handling over the last month.   It felt similar to other northern species that I’m familiar with such as Waxwing, Hornemann’s Arctic Redpoll and Northern Bullfinch where the feathers are naturally looser, giving a softer feel to allow warmer air to trapped next to the skin more readily in response to the colder conditions they experience.   I swear I’m not making this up but it would make sense as they are a more northerly breeding Acrocephalus species however, I certainly did not notice this on the five or six October vagrants I’ve handled on Fair Isle and North Ronaldsay.   

This is the original Blyth’s Reed Warbler re-trapped this morning, while still obvious, it was not as clear cut as the above new bird – maybe because I’ve got my eye in and am more aware of the features.   

Lesser Whitethroat   

Adult female Red-backed Shrike   

Thrush Nightingale

SWEDEN - 2nd August

A busy morning ringing at Fågelsjön produced the highlight of a very fresh juvenile Blyth’s Reed Warbler – not an age class that I’m at all familiar with, so I wasn’t totally sure but all the measurements fitted and I quickly ruled out Marsh and Reed.   

Other birds included 2 Red-backed Shrikes (both juveniles – presumably the siblings of the two we caught last time) and 5 Marsh Warblers – four new juveniles and a re-trap adult.   

Other birds seen around the reserve during little looks at a few sites included the Smew on Rysjön along with 2 Slavonian Grebes (a Kvismaren tick!) and a Great White Egret, limited waders on Löten comprising 2 Temminck’s Stints, 12 Ringed Plover (my peak count so far), an adult Little Ringed Plover and 2 Ruff and an adult White-tailed Eagle and 200+ Cranes over at Hammarmaden early evening.

Blyth's Reed Warbler

NORTH RONALDSAY - 3rd October

Blessedly calm in the morning after a truly horrendous day yesterday (force 9 WNW and heavy showers), in fact, shortly after dawn it was almost flat calm!   Opened the nets first thing with the first I caught being a smart BLYTH’S REED WARBLER, it was unfortunately very weak though and after ringing I fed it some sugar water and released it ASAP but it was found dead later in exactly the same place it was released; a Blackcap was the only other migrant caught along with a re-trap Redwing which had been ringed in April – must be the bird that over-summered.

                The Brides census route was then not too bad but there was limited new arrivals, just very pleasant in the calm conditions (a real rarity in the last month!) as birds included single Peregrine, Kestrel and Merlin (chased a Wheatear which landed right next to someone in their garden to escape!), a northwestern-type Redpoll at Kirbest, a Song Thrush at Southness, a Lapland Bunting, 3 Snow Buntings, 11 Reed Buntings, a Short-eared Owl which drifted north and a Grey Plover at Howar while offshore in the calm conditions were 10 Red-throated Divers, 3 Great-northern Divers, 2 Red-breasted Mergansers and an adult Arctic Skua.

                Persistent but fairly light rain moved in by mid-afternoon and I went out round the Obs coast but it was very quiet with the exception of an impressive flock of 60 Snipe which seemed to come in off the sea.

Blyth's Reed Warbler

Common Redpoll

Eiders

Gannets of various ages

NORTH RONALDSAY - 26th September

An awesome day with the moderate SE wind still blazing across the island; I got a few nets open first thing and on the first-round I caught a cracking BLYTH’S REED WARBLER, followed by an ‘Eastern’ Lesser Whitethroat presumably a blythi bird along with a Redstart, 4 Blackcaps, 2 Redwings, a Chaffinch, single Chiffchaff and Willow Warbler and a Swallow.   I was then about to head up to the northern census route but we quickly went over to the northern edge of the airstrip to have fantastic views of a stunning SIBERIAN STONECHAT showing brilliantly on the wall.

                I finally got up to the northern census route where the highlights were a smart Little Bunting in the fields behind Rue and an equally smart Red-breasted Flycatcher at Garso; other birds included single Spotted Flycatcher, Redstart, Whinchat, Willow Warbler, Chiffchaff, Blackcap and Robin, 7 Song Thrushes, 6 Redwings and a Kestrel in off the sea at Trolla.    Nets in the evening produced a Blackcap, a Garden Warbler, 2 Song Thrushes, a Chaffinch and a Brambling.

Blyth's Reed Warbler

Siberian Stonechat

Eastern Lesser Whitethroat

Red-breasted Flycatcher

NORTH RONALDSAY - 25th August

A dry day, mainly cloudy with a moderate easterly breeze; the day’s highlight was great views of a smart BLYTH’S REED WARBLER which showed well at Sandback, sometimes alongside a Reed Warbler (the first of the autumn).  Didn’t really stick to any census route through the day and birds included the Greenish Warbler still round the Obs, 2 Whinchats, 7 Willow Warblers, 2 Greenshank, 29 Black-tailed Godwits, a Whimbrel, 3 Ruff, 2 Wigeon, 22 Teal and 5 Herons – a bit of a disappointing day in a way, loads of slogging around for not much reward!

Blyth's Reed Warbler

together with a Reed Warbler

Wheatear

Ruff

LATVIA; photos #2

 

 

Half grown Hazel Grouse walking nervously along a branch

 

 

White Storks were all over the place

Displaying Tree Pipits

White-tailed Eagle

Pied Flycatcher

Blyth's Reed Warbler

Roller record shots

Blue-headed Wagtail