SWEDEN - 9th August

 Warm, still and largely clear conditions again meant the ringing was again busy for the first few hours but tailed away significantly when it got too hot; the highlight was a lovely young female Kingfisher caught in the net furthest out over the water whilst other birds caught included a good 12 Marsh Warblers (all juveniles), 4 Red-backed Shrikes, a new, un-ringed juvenile Great Reed Warbler, 3 Lesser Whitethroats, the first new Thrush Nightingale for several weeks and a Whinchat.   

Other birds seen through the morning included 4 Great White Egrets, an increase in Yellow Wagtails and Tree Pipits in the big field opposite, 8 Golden Plover, 6 Curlew, 2 Spotted Redshanks and 2 Greenshank.   

A walk to Löten / Rysjön in the very warm afternoon was quiet but did produce 5 Ringed Plover, 6 Ruff, a Redshank (the first for ages), 2 Spotted Redshank and the 2 Slavonian Grebes.   

Kingfisher

Great Reed Warbler

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

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

15th May

At Grafham Water from first light but it was pretty quiet despite (or because of) the fine, calm, sunny weather with single Black Tern and Arctic Tern with 40+ Common Terns the only things of note really.    So after a few hours I nipped down the road to Paxton Pits and had reasonable, if a bit distant views of a singing GREAT REED WARBLER as it loudly belted out its tunes and chased Reed Warblers around; there were also several Nightingales singing away, one of which showed really well on the return trail.

Great Reed Warbler

Nightingale

and a Tufted Duck!