Gannets

Gannets

Sunday 21 December 2014

Our final week on Landsort

So, our final week came and went!!! Quieter for birds with Kay and I ringing just 48 birds of 17 species. During the latter half of the week we spent time taking down most of the 30 nets we had been using since mid-July, so on the 30th November, our last day, we had just 5 nets open by the time we closed them for the last time at 1430. By then we had given up hope of breaking the record for a year for Waxwing, which stood at 78, with us stuck on 77!!! 

Luck was with us though, as on our last net round, as we were closing the last net we caught 3 Waxwing, taking the record to 80!! A splendid way to finish the trip, and we even got a ringing tick for Janne!!!

So, nets closed, data entered and the last few files backed up, it was time for the final bit of packing, a shower and then load most of our luggage onto the ferry ready for leaving the next day. All safely stored on board (now that is service!!) it was down to the the pub, where Hanna and Inga had laid on a farewell meal for us; traditional Swedish Christmas food, with fish and cold meats, pickles, potatoes and a cake to round it off. What a great way to end our stay there, in their company, along with Lasse, Lena, and Ellan, Janne, Monica and Tore. Really good company and a lovely night.

First thing on the 1st December were were off on the ferry at 0635 with Lasse at the helm and Monica on duty. Tearful farewells at Ankerudden before a trip to Nynshamn for some shopping and then our trip home by road began, after our breakfast stop at Rosenhill for pancakes, jam and cream.

Uneventfull trip home, with temperatues not rising above 0 degrees all the way through Europe and sometimes dropping to -4. It was dry though, so no problems with the roads. Stayed at Ljungby in Sweden on the first night before getting to Maribo in Denmark on night 2, where we picked up Smew for the birding list and a lifer for Kay. Cold walks along the lake at dusk and in the morning before leaving to get to Osnabrook in Germany, where we found the hotel after an hour or so!!!

All three hotels were comfortable, with good food, reasonably priced and WITH FLUSHING TOILETS!!! What a treat. Well done Kay for finding them. On the 4th, it was a trip to Rotterdam to get the overnight ferry before leaving Hull on the 5th, across England to Heysham for the 1415 sailing to the good old Isle of Man. Home at last by 1800. Feels good to be back, but we both miss Landsort, Sweden and all the many friends we have made there.

Safe to say, it will not be our last trip to a wonderful country and a beautiful island.


Some scenes from our last week on Landsort

Late afternoon light looking south

 Sunset looking to the village

 Afternoon light looking north

The Observatory at night with the Manx flag in the window!!!

Birds ringed on Landsort as at 30th November 2014



w/e 30th  Nov
Species As at 23rd  Kay  Chris    Total
Barred Warbler 6 6
Bearded Tit 3 3
Blackbird 98 3 101
Blackcap 267 2 269
Black Redstart 1 1
Bluethroat 2 2
Blue Tit 210 210
Blyth's Reed Warbler 1 1
Brambling 17 1 18
Bullfinch 37 2 39
Chaffinch 126 2 128
Chiffchaff 75 75
Chiffchaff abietinus 5 5
Coal Tit 14 14
Common Redpoll 229 229
Common Redpoll cabaret 129 2 1 132
Common Redpoll flammea 62 6 68
Common Rosefinch 10 10
Dunnock 36 36
Dusky Warbler 1 1
Fieldfare 10 10
Garden Warbler 67 67
Goldcrest 2607 1 2608
Goldfinch 9 9
Great Grey Shrike 1 1
Great Spotted Woodpecker 2 2
Great Tit 197 197
Greenfinch 256 2 258
Greenish Warbler 2 2
Hawfinch 1 1
House Sparrow 3 3
Icterine Warbler 44 44
Jack Snipe 1 1
Lesser Spotted Woodpecker 2 2
Lesser Whitethroat 240 240
Long-tailed Tit 177 177
Magpie 1 1
Marsh Tit 8 8
Marsh Warbler 2 2
Meadow Pipit 7 7
Nuthatch 4 4
Pied Flycatcher 31 31
Red-backed Shrike 76 76
Red-breasted Flycatcher 9 9
Redstart 36 36
Redwing 3 3
Reed Bunting 103 1 104
Reed Warbler 6 6
Robin 1027 1 1028
Sedge Warbler 6 6
Siskin 74 74
Snipe 1 1
Song Thrush 53 1 54
Sparrowhawk 15 15
Spotted Flycatcher 38 38
Starling 0 1 1
Swallow 49 49
Thrush Nightingale 20 20
Tree Pipit 15 15
Tree Sparrow 87 87
Treecreeper 181 181
Twite 5 1 6
Waxwing 53 10 8 71
Wheatear 4 4
Whinchat 1 1
White Wagtail 34 34
Whitethroat 88 88
Willow Warbler 334 334
Wryneck 1 1
Wood Warbler 10 10
Wren 127 2 129
Yellow-browed Warbler 3 3
Yellowhammer 29 1 30
Total 7489 36 12 7537

Sunday 30 November 2014

A brief note from Sweden to let everyone know we are leaving Landsort tomorrow morning, the 1st December to start our journy home.

Over the last few days the ringing has been quieter, but it has allowed us to spend some time enjoying some rare November sunshine, as well as getting some paperwork finalised and taking down most of the nets. We have caught a lot of Waxwing this month and today, just as we were closing the last net for the last time we caught our final 3 which made 2014 the best year ever for the species here.

Tonight we have been invited to dinner with Hannah and Inga who run the shop and pub here, jsut a few locals and the two of us, and this is so typical of the way we have been treated here by everyone: welcomed and made to feel part of the small community that lives here.

Just like last year it will be hard to leave, although nice to get home to the Isle of Man again, arriving on the 5th. No time for pictures or a ringing update this week and, as we are travelling for a while it won't be until after the 5th that we will get the chance.

Monday 24 November 2014

Nearing the end of our trip

It has been a couple of weeks since we updated the blog with a bit of chatter. Not been that busy ringing, but time just seems to be slipping past as we head towards the end of our trip. In fact a week today will have left Landsort and should be settled into over-night digs in southern Sweden for the night.

But back to the last couple of weeks. Some good birds caught, even if numbers have not been so great. A late Chiffchaff was quite pleasing, but these can stay late into the year. What was more surprising was a VERY late Willow Warbler, caught on the 19th November and the latest record ever for the species this far north in Sweden. By now it should be munching flies in Africa, so it is going to have a tough job getting far enough south to survive. So to is the Hume's Leaf Warbler that has been here for the last 8 days, deftly avoiding the nets. This tiny Warbler should be in Asia now, but is here having headed west instead of east as it left it's northern breeding grounds. 

Other good catches include a female Hawfinch, a species we had been hoping to catch and a ringing tick for Chris. The Waxwings are still moving through the island in varying sized flocks, and so far we have caught over 50, a pretty good year and with calm(ish) weather forecast we might get more yet. 

Today has been very windy - over 20 metres per second - Force 8, so have been going through some of the end of season paperwork with Gunilla, the Secretary to the organisation, as well as taking some of the nets down and working on some year-end statistics. 

On Saturday we had an unexpected trip out on their boat with Lasse and Lena, island residents. We headed off from West Harbour and toured round some of the outliying islands; next stop Latvia!!!

Saw a few seals, as inquisitive as ever, a few White-tailed Eagles and a flock of 170+ Purple Sandpiper, which we learnt later to be the largest flock ever recorded in the Nynashamn municipality.

So, our trip is almost done, hopefully able to ring every one of the remaining 6 days and reach our self-imposed goal of 12,000 birds for the year.

Some pics from the last couple of weeks

 Two White-tailed Eagles leaving their lookout 

 Close up of a Hawfinch bill - it crushes cherry stones!!!

 Silver-gray panels in the secondaries show this is a female

 A lovely bird, and a ringing tick for Chris

 One of the 50+ Wawing ringed in the last two weeks

 A flock of over 160 Purple Sandpiper, the largest flock ever recorded in the Municipality

 Settled ready to start feeding

Close up of a Waxwings head

Birds ringed by Chris & Kay w/e 23rd November 2014



w/e 23rd  Nov
Species As at 16th  Kay  Chris    Total
Barred Warbler 6     6
Bearded Tit 3  
3
Blackbird 93 1 4 98
Blackcap 267     267
Black Redstart 1     1
Bluethroat 2     2
Blue Tit 207 1 2 210
Blyth's Reed Warbler 1     1
Brambling 17     17
Bullfinch 32 3 2 37
Chaffinch 119 7   126
Chiffchaff 74 1   75
Chiffchaff abietinus 5     5
Coal Tit 14     14
Common Redpoll 219 10   229
Common Redpoll cabaret 120 9   129
Common Redpoll flammea 52 9 1 62
Common Rosefinch 10     10
Dunnock 36     36
Dusky Warbler 1     1
Fieldfare 8 2   10
Garden Warbler 67     67
Goldcrest 2607     2607
Goldfinch 5 3 1 9
Great Grey Shrike 1     1
Great Spotted Woodpecker 2     2
Great Tit 197     197
Greenfinch 236 14 6 256
Greenish Warbler 2     2
Hawfinch 0   1 1
House Sparrow 3     3
Icterine Warbler 44     44
Jack Snipe 1     1
Lesser Spotted Woodpecker 2     2
Lesser Whitethroat 240     240
Long-tailed Tit 177     177
Magpie 1     1
Marsh Tit 8     8
Marsh Warbler 2     2
Meadow Pipit 6   1 7
Nuthatch 3 1   4
Pied Flycatcher 31     31
Red-backed Shrike 76     76
Red-breasted Flycatcher 9     9
Redstart 36     36
Redwing 3     3
Reed Bunting 103     103
Reed Warbler 6     6
Robin 1012 13 2 1027
Sedge Warbler 6     6
Siskin 65 9   74
Snipe 1     1
Song Thrush 53     53
Sparrowhawk 15     15
Spotted Flycatcher 38     38
Swallow 49     49
Thrush Nightingale 20     20
Tree Pipit 15     15
Tree Sparrow 87     87
Treecreeper 181     181
Twite 5     5
Waxwing 5 32 16 53
Wheatear 4     4
Whinchat 1     1
White Wagtail 34     34
Whitethroat 88     88
Willow Warbler 333   1 334
Wryneck 1     1
Wood Warbler 10     10
Wren 123 2 2 127
Yellow-browed Warbler 3     3
Yellowhammer 27 1 1 29
Total 7331 118 40 7489

Tuesday 18 November 2014

Great Grey Shrike

 Our only Great Grey Shrike of the autumn, showing some of the features consistent with the Eastern race homeyeri
 Extensive white in the primaries and secondaries
 Pale feathering over eye and bill

Pale rump, though the amount of black in the outer two tail feathers is not typical of homeyeri

Juvenile male Black Redstart of the race phoenicuroides

This splendid young male of the eastern race of Black Redstart was a bit of a bonus on a quiet day!

 Not often you see such a well marked bird

You can see the 5 old greater coverts which indicate it was a bird born this year.

Birds ringed w/e 16th November 2014



w/e 16th  Nov
Species As at 9th Kay Chris  Total
Barred Warbler 6     6
Bearded Tit 3  
3
Blackbird 85 3 5 93
Blackcap 266   1 267
Black Redstart 0 1   1
Bluethroat 2     2
Blue Tit 199 7 1 207
Blyth's Reed Warbler 1     1
Brambling 17     17
Bullfinch 26 5 1 32
Chaffinch 114 5   119
Chiffchaff 74     74
Chiffchaff abietinus 5     5
Coal Tit 14     14
Common Redpoll 219     219
Common Redpoll cabaret 119 1   120
Common Redpoll flammea 50 2   52
Common Rosefinch 10     10
Dunnock 36     36
Dusky Warbler 1     1
Fieldfare 8     8
Garden Warbler 67     67
Goldcrest 2607     2607
Goldfinch 5     5
Great Grey Shrike 0 1   1
Great Spotted Woodpecker 2     2
Great Tit 185 9 3 197
Greenfinch 227 4 5 236
Greenish Warbler 2     2
House Sparrow 3     3
Icterine Warbler 44     44
Jack Snipe 1     1
Lesser Spotted Woodpecker 2     2
Lesser Whitethroat 240     240
Long-tailed Tit 170 7   177
Magpie 1     1
Marsh Tit 8     8
Marsh Warbler 2     2
Meadow Pipit 6     6
Nuthatch 3     3
Pied Flycatcher 31     31
Red-backed Shrike 76     76
Red-breasted Flycatcher 9     9
Redstart 36     36
Redwing 3     3
Reed Bunting 102 1   103
Reed Warbler 6     6
Robin 997 12 3 1012
Sedge Warbler 6     6
Siskin 64 1   65
Snipe 1     1
Song Thrush 53     53
Sparrowhawk 15     15
Spotted Flycatcher 38     38
Swallow 49     49
Thrush Nightingale 20     20
Tree Pipit 15     15
Tree Sparrow 85 1 1 87
Treecreeper 177 3 1 181
Twite 5     5
Waxwing 4 1   5
Wheatear 4     4
Whinchat 1     1
White Wagtail 34     34
Whitethroat 88     88
Willow Warbler 333     333
Wryneck 1     1
Wood Warbler 10     10
Wren 122 1   123
Yellow-browed Warbler 3     3
Yellowhammer 26 1   27
Total 7244 66 21 7331