Farewell

Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever. - Mahatma Gandhi

All the good things finally end, but then we have to look at the best moments, the best memories. This always makes me very happy. I won't remember this time in Falsterbo for the huge numbers of birds, but yes for all the great moments living there.

I'm extremely happy to have had the opportunity to be part of the 'Flommen Team', with Stephen, Marcel and Albin. I've met a lot of very nice people as well: the 'Southwest Gangsters' -Emil, Oscar and Ulrik- (who teach me the expression 'Va fan!', that I'm sure I'll use back home!), Albin Berglund, Caroline, Linnea, Michael, Björn, Måns  Lennart, Karin, Aron, Sophie, Jonas, Gustav, P-g, Peter... Thank you everybody, I hope we can meet again very soon!!

'Flommen Team', ©Stephen Menzie

After a very good Seawatching day in 2nd September, when we saw some Northern Fulmars (Fulmarus glacialis), Black Guillemots (Cepphus grylle), 4 skua species (Great, Arctic, Pomarine and Long-tailed), 2 Common Guillemots (Uria aalge), some Black-thoated Divers (Gavia arctica), Kittiwakes (Rissa tridactyla), Little Gulls (Hydrocoloeus minutus), Common and Velvet Scoters (Melanitta nigra and M.fusca), Gannets (Morus bassanus)...

Kullaberg

... we came back to the routine in Flommen. After the strong westerly winds, that are very good for seawatch there, we had a very good migration day, specially for raptors. In Nabben, the migration counters counted 4152 Honey Buzzards (Pernis apivorus), 115 Marsh Harriers (Circus aeruginosus), 1979 Sparrowhawks (Accipiter nisus) and some other good stuff. We saw some nice numbers as well from Flommen.

The passerine migration also changed. Autumn arrived suddenly. In the lighthouse garden, 142 Robins (Erithacus rubecula) were trapped and we also caught some in Flommen. Yellow Wagtails (Motacilla flava) became the commonest species migrating (the number of Tree Pipits decreased), and also we started to see some Red-throated Pipits (Anthus cervinus). We saw also some Two-barred Crossbills (Loxia leucoptera) flocks flying around (one day more than 24 birds).

We continue trapping some Wheatears (O.oenanthe)...

And this young male Common Crossbill (Loxia curvirostra)
in the reedbed...

... as well this other juvenile male. What are they looking for between the reeds? ;)

We caught the 3rd Spotted Crake (Porzana porzana) and also the 3rd Water Rail (Rallus aquaticus) in the cages! But the best catch was one day at night, when (thanks to the extremely useful advice from Peter Olsson) we caught 106 waders (52 Dunlins, 7 Common Ringed Plovers, 18 Red knots, 4 Curlew Sandpipers, 5 Ruffs, 12 Redshanks, 6 Ruddy Turnstones ), a Common Tern and 2 Teals.

1st-year, again...

Also a 1st-year, with the postjuvenile moult already finished.

1st-year male Ruff (Philomachus pugnax)

Every day we saw some Red-throated Pipits flying around, sometimes very close to the ringing hut... But catch them seemed to be practically impossible.

After days waiting for them, on 7th September we trapped a 1st-year Red-throated Pipit (Anthus cervinus) in the cages. A really nice species for the last days!!

We had kept on waiting, and yeah, the good work is always well rewarded. The following day we caught the second Red-throated Pipit!, another first-year.

My last ringing morning, already 9th September, was a good farewell. I  finally saw a Spotted Nutcracker (Nucifraga caryocatactes) and we trapped a nice 1st-year Common Snipe (Gallinago gallinago) and some other nice stuff.

I said goodbye to the Flommen's reedbed and its Marsh Warblers (Acrocephalus palustris) and the other inhabitants. A Red-breasted Flycatcher (Ficedula parva) waited for me in the lighthouse when I went there to talk with Lennart and Karin, probably to say something like 'See you soon!'.

But the best bird, that will remain in my memories forever, was the third Red-throated Pipit, that we trapped in the Flommen cages!!

Calm days, again

We are more than one thousand birds below the average. Last days in Flommen we have trapped an average of 20 birds / day, basically Reed and Sedge Warblers, as ever. We are happy with every moult limit we can spot when we are very lucky and we trap any Whinchats or Whitethroats...

We have realized that 'the problem' is the low numbers of Reed and Sedge that we are trapping, but we don't know what could be the reason. The other day we saw and trapped some baby Reed Warblers, maybe a second brood, and a bit of expectation of a new wave of migrant warblers...

One of the baby scirpaceus that had born besides net 6
in the southern round. ©Stephen Menzie

Now the sky and the sea are also quiet, with only a few migrants passing by. An adult male Pallid Harrier (Circus macrourus) and a Red-necked Grebe (Podiceps grisegena) had been the most interesting sightings from the Flommen hut.

Fortunately, the wader cages are working well and we had some exciting birds to survive. We trapped the second Spotted Crake (Porzana porzana), and also the second Water Rail (Rallus aquaticus) for the season, both juveniles.

These 3 Northern Wheatears (Oenanthe oenanthe) were also trapped in cages. Two of them were together in the same compartment!

From the top to below: 2+female and two 1st-years.

Probably the best bird was this adult Common Snipe (Gallinago gallinago). The night before we had been targeting them but we didn't catch anyone...

The second Sparrowhawk (Accipiter nisus) for the season was trapped also in extra ringing, in the 'Sparrowhawk's net'.

As we needed some extra excitement, we (the Flommen crew) went with Jonas Ekwall to Lilla Hammars nås, outside the Falsterbo peninsula.

Geese (Greylags and Barnacles), Cormorants and some
 other stuff in the biggest island.

The place is really good for birding. Some days ago, an adult Buff-breasted Sandpiper (Tryngites subruficollis) was found here, and we managed to see it.

Walking back to the car, we flushed some Common Snipes, and between them, two unexpected Great Snipes (Gallinago media) that Marcel found very quickly. Then, as we had been quite lucky, we went to a close area full of bushes to look for some passerines. It was a really good place and we saw the typical stuff (willow, whinchat, whitethroat...), and also we 'twitched' this male Black Darter (Sympetrum danae).

That afternoon was really good actually, but in the following morning we came back to the routine. The lack of interesting stuff makes us do things like pursue and grab some Mallards (Anas platyrhynchos) during the night... And yeah, also shitty Coots (Fulica atra), that are probably more stinky.

However, I have to say that they are quite funny and that I like them. :D

Flommen lifestyle

Wake up very early in the morning, cycle to Flommen, wear hip boots and go inside the reedbed to set up some nets. Again in the Flommen hut, I use to look south and see the lighthouse, that very soon turns off. This is the routine for the 'Flommen Team' (Albin, Marcel, Stephen and me).

Just before the sunrise, firsts Tree Pipits (Anthus trivialis) and Yellow Wagtails (Motacilla flava) appear in active migration. During all morning are usually followed by flocks of Crossbills (Loxia curvirostra), that we always check, looking for Two-barreds. Whinchats (Saxicola rubetra) and Northern Wheatears (Oenanthe oenanthe) are quite common in the bushes around the Flommen ringing hut, also the local Meadow Pipits (Anthus pratensis) and Skylarks (Alauda arvensis).

This juvenile Skylark (A.arvensis) has been trapped this
morning in the middle of the reedbed!

Between the first and the second netrounds we catch the major part of birds, mainly Reed, Sedge and Willow Warblers. Also, we have started to catch some other migrants in 'acceptable' numbers, specially of Whinchats and Tree Pipits. These are less common migrants:

Yellow Wagtails are difficult to catch, but are extremely
common migrating.

Eurasian Siskin (Carduelis spinus), a 1st-year female.

Wryneck (Jynx torquilla). We caught two!

1st-year male Red-spotted Bluethroat (Luscinia svecica svecica)

Just behind the ringing hut, the Baltic Sea use to keep some nice birds. Some Common Eiders (Somateria mollissima) are every day close to the coast, and when we spend some 'between netround time' seawatching we usually see some waders and ducks passing by.

About 10 o'clock, raptors in migration are also common above the reedbed. Common Buzzards (Buteo buteo), Honey Buzzards (Pernis apivorus), Marsh Harriers (Circus aeroginosus), Red Kites (Milvus milvus) and, of course, lots of Sparrowhawks (Accipiter nisus) are the most habitual species. Some days ago we saw an adult Black Stork (Ciconia cigra) migrating as well, followed with some Pernis. Ospreys (Pandion haliaetus) and White-tailed Eagles (Haliaeetus albicilla), are also easy to see.

1st-year Sparrowhawk (Accipiter nisus). At least we
have trapped one..!

In the reedbed world, while we are doing the netround, is easy to see lots of Edible Frogs (Pelophylax esculentus) and Viviparous Lizards (Zootoca vivipara). Some Dragonfly species are also possible to see, the commonest one seems to be the Migrant Hawker (Aeshna mixa).

This frog is also part of the routine: every day is in the same
 place, besides net 8 in the southern round.

Male

Female

Hiden between the reeds sometimes is possible to see Roe Deers (Capreolus capreolus), but the authentic mysterious species are Crakes and Rails.

1st-year Spotted Crake (P.porzana), caught on the nets.

1st-year Water Rail (R.aquaticus), caught on a wader trap.

Today, an unexpected call from the lighthouse has been probably the best of the morning. Sophie, Caroline and company had just trapped a Red-breasted Flycatcher (Ficedula parva) in the lighthouse garden. One of these species that I was waiting... It was a first-year (not a bright orange-breasted male...), but I'm very happy equally!