SWEDEN - 6th September

 A decent morning but still a bit breezy; the nets were very quiet at Rysjön but they did contain a nice variety of species which included an influx of 3 Red-backed Shrikes (the first ones we’ve caught for two weeks – don’t think I’ve seen any in this period either), a young female Bluethroat, another 2 Dunnocks, a Tree Pipit (the first one we’ve caught), a Garden Warbler and 5 Blackcaps while notable for their absence were both Reed and Sedge Warblers, only a single of each were caught.   

Other birds of note comprised a ringtail PALLID HARRIER in the distance over the other side of the lake (I guess technically it should be put down as a Pallid / Montagu’s Harrier as I couldn’t say for sure which it was but Pallid is the most likely!), a Hobby, a Peregrine, c60 Barnacle Geese flying around and single Little Grebe and Slavonian Grebe on the lake while at least 6 Tree Pipits, 2 Brambling and a Redpoll were overhead.   

A walk along the ‘Moose Road’ to the north of Kvismaren in the windy and showery afternoon was pretty quiet but there were good numbers of raptors around including a White-tailed Eagle, an Osprey and loads of Buzzards, one good feeding flock which contained, amongst others, 2 Willow Tits, 2 Crested Tits, a few Northern Long-tailed Tits and a Black Woodpecker and my first Swedish Red Squirrels.   

Tree Pipit

Nuthatch

Red Squirrel

Travelling back from GEDSER - 21st to 24th November

The second stop on the journey back consisted of a couple of nights in Hamburg; the parks running north - south through the middle of the city were quite productive really as I managed 40 species in two morning visits.   The highlights were good numbers of Short-toed Treecreepers and a flock of 4 Hawfinches along with other birds including Kingfisher, Buzzard, Sparrowhawk, Grey Wagtail, Blackcap and Brambling along with a good haul of colour ringed Black-headed Gulls (more of which later).    Many tame and confiding Red Squirrels (of varying reddish hues) were also a highlight.

The next stop was one night in Bremen but this was much quieter for birding with the only things of note being a Polish ringed Black-headed Gull and 600+ White-fronted Geese heading SW very high over the city during a couple of hours in the morning of the 24th.

Short-toed Treecreeper

Smart 'black' Red Squirrel; don't think I've seen one this colour before!

A slightly darker than usual one

and a 'normal' coloured Red Squirrel

Buzzard in the city centre

GEDSER - 27th August

The settled weather continued but the wind (not that there was much) had switched round to the NW which did wonders for the numbers of birds caught through the morning as 121 new birds were trapped; the total was highlighted by the second Grasshopper Warbler of the autumn and another juvenile Red-backed Shrike while the bulk of the birds were made up of 29 Lesser Whitethroats, 17 Whitethroats, 20 Blackcaps and 15 Willow Warblers.   There were a few Sparrowhawks whizzing around with several of them migrating off to the south while a flock of 9 Crossbills were the only other birds of note seen through the morning.

                A Woodlark in one of the newly created stubble fields to the north of Birkemose was the only bird of note during a drive round in the afternoon before an Osprey circled low over the point in the evening, thought about heading out to sea but decided it was too late in the day and drifted back inland.

 

Grasshopper Warbler

Osprey

Heron

Yellow Wagtail

Red Squirrel

 

16th November

My final full day here at Lista!   Due to various other jobs and the howling NW wind with extended spells of very heavy rain I only really got out and about from mid-afternoon but there were still a few birds around with the highlights being a lost looking Greenland White-fronted Goose in the stubble fields at Vågsvollmarka, 2 Woodlarks in Vatnemarka and the Great Grey Shrike still around Vågsvoll.

                Other birds included 2 1^st winter White-tailed Eagles, a female Scaup on Vågsvollvåien, a Woodcock in Lebeltet, a Sparrowhawk, the Chiffchaff still around the lighthouse, a Dunlin, 5 Lapwings and a good count of 283 Mallard on the flooded Vågsvollvåien.   A little look in the harbours also produced 3 Slavonian Grebes, 3 Little Grebes and a Little Auk.  

 

Greenland White-fronted Goose

Cheeky!

 

HEDMARK - MOOSE!

The other major highlight for me with five sightings through the trip including a female with a small calf near Lindmyra on 14^th and two huge bulls crossing the track in front of me near Høgsjøen on 18^th – brilliant beasts!

This Red Squirrel turned round to scold me after I very nearly ran him over!

8th May

Fairly quiet today, no doubt attributed to the strong, cold NW wind; it was very sunny though so it was warm and pleasant along the sheltered side of Lebeltet where there was the same selection of migrants with 30+ Chiffchaffs, 7 Whinchats and 6 Lesser Whitethroats increasing from yesterday while most other things were down including 2 Pied Flycatchers, 3 Redstarts, 6 Tree Pipits, a Garden Warbler, 6 Blackcaps, 25 Willow Warblers and 4 Whitethroats with a singing Wryneck in Lebeltet Nord the highlight.

                The other birds of note were all around Vågsvollvåien in the late afternoon where there was 20 Whimbrel, 2 Wood Sandpipers, 6 Common Sandpipers, a drake Gadwall, the female Garganey (I didn’t see the drake), 3 fine male Grey-headed Wagtails, a British Yellow Wagtail and a Peregrine.

 

Blue-headed Wagtail

Blackcap

Lesser Whitethroat

Peregrine

Red Squirrel

 

7th May

Blustery and rainy through the morning but there were a few breaks to allow us to do stuff; caught a few birds in a brief spell first thing including a Garden Warbler, Whitethroat and a handful of Willow Warblers.   Birds heading north at sea included 7 Pintail, 64 Common Scoter and 70 Gannets while a summer plumaged Great-northern Diver was off Ronodden while a few bits in Vågsvollvåien through the morning comprised a little influx of ducks with 3 Gadwall, 4 more Pintail, 2 Shoveler and the pair of Garganey and a few waders including 5 smart breeding plumaged Knot which dropped in mid-morning, 3 Greenshank and 4 Common Sandpipers.

                Other things in the morning included a nice selection of Yellow Wagtails with a flavissima, 3 thunbergi and 4 flavas and 6 Twite with the Linnet flock while out on the fields there was a big increase to 289 Golden Plover, a Wood Sandpiper, 4 Dotterel on a bare, recently tilled field (different to the four birds that were out on Steinodden a few days ago) and two singing Sedge Warblers.

                The wind was now a pretty strong north-westerly so I kept to the sheltered side of Lebeltet in the afternoon where there was a fine selection of migrants including 7 Pied Flycatchers, 10 Tree Pipits, 32+ Blackcaps, 30+ Willow Warblers, 7 Whitethroats, 4 Lesser Whitethroats, 3 Redstarts and 2 Whinchats.

 

Redshank having a bit of a display

Gadwall - pretty scarce here only the second I've seen at Lista

Plenty of Blackcaps and Pied Flycatchers around today

Red Squirrel