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Birding Sweden : Falsterbo and Southern Skåne
Although Falsterbo has an awesome reputation as a migration hot spot, mid-November would normally be regarded as being a little late in the season for a visit. The bulk of the autumn migrants have long since passed through, the days are much shorter and even the ringing station has closed down for the winter. Despite the lateness of the year, my wife and I made a brief excursion to Falsterbo and southern Skåne as a birthday treat and were pleasantly surprised by the number of birds to be seen. Malmö Sturup international airport lies right out in the countryside, about 30 km southeast of the city and 30 km northeast of the Falsterbo peninsula. For a birder this is ideal, as you don’t have to fight your way through urban traffic and you are straight into excellent birding habitat. Arriving at 09.25 on the 14th November, we quickly picked up and the rental car and set off across country towards Falsterbo. It was very dull and overcast, with a thin, damp mist clinging to the fields. However, a faint brightness in the clouds to the west held promise of a break and better weather to come. The landscape was principally undulating arable farmland which levelled out towards the coast. There were a few scattered woodlands and small, reed-fringed ponds. At one of these a group of 10 Twite were feeding, whilst a small flock of Meadow Pipits fluttered in the fields nearby. A little further on and a Black Redstart flicked across the road. Approaching the Baltic coastline, a flock of 100 grey geese arrowed inland, too distant to identify. Arriving on the Falsterbo headland, you first pass alongside Fotevik Bay, classified as one of the most important Ramsar sites in Sweden. Here we found 100 Mute and 20 Whooper Swans, c100 Canada Geese, 500 Mallard, small numbers of Wigeon and Teal, over 200 Goldeneyes, 250 Coot in a dense black raft, 500 Dunlin feeding along the tide line, a few Curlew and about 20 Redshanks. Our accommodation for the first two nights was a comfortable chalet at Falsterbo Kursgård, a pleasant motel/hotel facing Fotevik Bay. From here it was just a short drive out to the tip of the peninsula at Nabben, the main observation point, where there is a golf course, a lighthouse with wooded garden, fairly extensive reedbeds and several blocks of stunted scrubby bushes. Immediately to the south lies Måklappën, a long thin sandspit partially enclosing shallow water and mudflats. The rest of the headland comprises three spacious villages, damp rough pastures, wet woodlands, a large open heath called Ljungen and several more golf courses. After depositing our luggage in the chalet, we drove into Falsterbo village and had a late lunch. Crossing Ljungen heath on the way over, we saw a white phase Buzzard in a tree and 3 Ravens. By the time we had eaten, the sky had cleared a little and a watery sunshine had appeared, although a cold easterly breeze had also begun to blow. We walked through the woods, past the bird observatory and along the seashore to Nabben. Eiders, Red-breasted Mergansers and Herring Gulls bobbed among the waves, whilst a fine Rough-legged Buzzard, a ringtail Hen Harrier and a Kestrel quartered across the dunes. A flock of 100 Greenfinches fed on rose hips and a few Twite ‘buzzed’ overhead. At the point, a mixed flock of duck on the brackish pool included 10 Pintail, 6 Scaup, 30 Pochard and 100 Tufted Duck. Being so late in the day, there was no obvious migration, just the odd Chaffinch, Linnet and Redpoll, although a circling Sparrowhawk appeared to be heading southwest. As dusk drew in we wandered back to the car, an immature Peregrine flying over near the lighthouse. Next morning the weather was considerably worse, completely overcast, very dull and quite foggy. We drove straight out to Falsterbo golf course and set off towards the point. We hadn’t gone very far when 4 Woodlarks dropped in right in front of us, all four showing well on the short rough grass. A few moments later and a small flock of Parrot Crossbills landed in some low pine trees close by. We watched them for several minutes before they took flight and headed south, their distinctly harsher calls, greyer plumage and larger beak separating them from Common Crossbill. Although there were more birds around, including small flocks of Siskins, Goldfinches and Greenfinches, there still wasn’t much migration taking place, the foggy conditions no doubt hampering movement. As we walked up the dunes towards the reedbeds at Flommen, a flock of 32 Snow Buntings twittered past and appeared to land on the beach. Wanting to get a closer look, we went after them, but they had disappeared and must have continued through. Instead, we found a small dark pipit skulking silently in the marram grass. When flushed it would fly low and fast, dropping in behind the spiky tussocks. It took a while to get a reasonable view, and even then proved difficult to identify. In the end I decided it was a first winter ‘brown type’ Tree Pipit. After lunch in Falsterbo village, we drove up to the northern end of the headland and went for a walk out to Knösen. There were very few passerines about, but the shallow waters off the coast held many thousand wildfowl, including 300 Whooper Swans, 150 Greylag Geese, huge numbers of Wigeon and Mallard and several hundred Goldeneye. The fog didn’t really clear all day, and as it grew dark we returned to Flommen to see if any Hen Harriers would roost in the reeds. At least one bird came in, quickly dropping out of view in the fading light as a Water Rail squealed nearby. Saturday the 16th November dawned much brighter, still overcast although not so dull and at least the fog had gone. Today we had decided to move on for our final two nights at Smygehuk on the southern most tip of Sweden, but first we would head over to Nabben for one last visit. The possibility of some real migration this morning looked promising, when small groups of Chaffinches and then 3 Common Crossbills flew over the chalet as we packed the car. Our expectations were heightened on the drive over to Falsterbo, as flocks of Woodpigeons, Rooks and Jackdaws drifted over the village. At Nabben we met the warden of the observatory counting birds as they flew over the point. We chatted for a while, breaking off periodically to count passerines or to watch less common species such as 3 Shore Larks flying down the beach, a skein of distant Barnacle Geese heading for Denmark and an immature Little Gull on Måklappën. And all the while a small but steady stream of finches, buntings, pigeons and corvids passed overhead. After an hour or so, we walked up to the lighthouse, finding 9 Woodlarks, 5 Bean Geese, 4 Sparrowhawks and 2 Rough-legged Buzzards. In the gardens bordering Flommen reedbed and the golf course, we found several tit flocks and small parties of thrushes. The passage had all but died down by midday, so we called in for a quick visit to Ängsnäset before setting off along the south coast towards Smygehuk. Ängsnäset is a large shallow coastal lagoon on the southern side of the peninsula. There were many swans and ducks out on the water, including two Bewick’s, but we didn’t stay for long due to the biting wind. Leaving Falsterbo behind, we turned south and east, passing a superb Rough-legged Buzzard feeding at the roadside on a dead Pheasant. A little further on was a lovely adult Little Gull quartering back and forth across some coastal grassland and then a Red Kite flapping lazily over the fields, whilst a lone Brent Goose was found at Trelleborg. Nearby, a flock of Greylags heading inland contained two Pink-footed Geese. All along the rock-strewn Baltic coast were countless numbers of Mallards, as well as many Eiders, Red-breasted Mergansers and small groups of Long-tailed Ducks. We reached Smygehuk shortly before dark, a brief walk along the tideline revealing a White Wagtail and a single Lapland Bunting. On the 17th, my birthday, I was up at first light to go seawatching. Our accommodation was the Smygehuk Youth Hostel, and being attached to a lighthouse, it fronted the Baltic. Unfortunately it was raining, having started just after dark the previous evening. It was also quite cold, with a moderate north-easterly breeze. I didn’t stay out very long, but still found a Black Guillemot, a briefly seen diver of some kind, 7 Great Crested Grebes, several Long-tailed Ducks and a bull Grey Seal. After breakfast we took the coast road to Kåseberga and the amazing standing stone ship of Ales Stenar. In some flooded fields a flock of Lapwings were joined by about 100 Golden Plovers, whilst 2 Rough-legged Buzzards sat miserably in trees nearby. The Fyledalen Valley, famous for its wintering raptors, was a washout, with little to be seen except 5 Red Kites, 3 Buzzards, a few Chaffinches and c20 Bramblings. At our final destination of the day, Lake Krankesjön, the rain was really pouring down and most of the wildfowl were sheltering on the far side. Nevertheless, I did find 11 redhead Smew close to the hide and about 20 Goosanders a little further out, whilst a ringtail Hen Harrier quartered the reeds. As we drove back to Smygehuk in the late afternoon the rain eased a little and several Roe Deer came out into the fields to graze. In the morning we returned across country to the airport. Although the rain had now stopped, it was another dull overcast day, and the mist had reappeared. At Lake Börringesjön en route, a quick count of the wildfowl included over 1000 Mallards, a single drake Pintail and at least 10 Goosanders. Finally, as we waited for our flight, I scanned the countryside round about the airport, counting 3 Red Kites, 4 Rough-legged Buzzards and 32 Lapwings. With nicer weather, I imagine we would have seen even more species, making a trip in mid-November very worth while for a short autumnal break. For example, I missed Sweden’s 4th Blyth’s Pipit of the year (flyover on the 15th), a Crested Lark (16th), Great Grey Shrike, Black Woodpecker and White-tailed Eagle, whilst a couple of day’s earlier the warden had seen Waxwings and Nutcracker. For more information on latest sightings check out the Falsterbo observatory website on www.skof.se Systematic List
Diver sp. Gavia sp.
Great Crested Grebe Podiceps cristatus
Cormorant Phalacrocorax carbo
Grey Heron Ardea cinerea
Mute Swan Cygnus olor
Whooper Swan Cygnus cygnus
Bewick’s Swan Cygnus columbianus
Bean Goose Anser fabalis
Pink-footed Goose Anser brachyrhynchus
Greylag Goose Anser anser
Canada Goose Branta canadensis
Barnacle Goose Branta leucopsis
Brent Goose Branta bernicla
Shelduck Tadorna tadorna
Wigeon Anas penelope
Teal Anas crecca
Mallard Anas platyrhynchos
Pintail Anas acuta
Pochard Aythya ferina
Tufted Duck Aythya fuligula
Greater Scaup Aythya marila
Eider Somateria mollissima
Long-tailed Duck Clangula hyemalis
Goldeneye Bucephala clangula
Smew Mergus albellus
Red-breasted Merganser Mergus serrator
Goosander Mergus merganser
Red Kite Milvus milvus
Hen Harrier Circus cyaneus
Sparrowhawk Accipiter nisus
Buzzard Buteo buteo
Rough-legged Buzzard Buteo Lagopus
Kestrel Falco tinnunculus
Peregrine Falcon Falco peregrinus
Pheasant Phasanius colchis
Water Rail Rallus aquaticus
Coot Fulica atra
Golden Plover Pluvialis apricaria
Lapwing Vanellus vanellus
Dunlin Calidris alpina
Common Snipe Gallinago gallinago
Curlew Numenius arquata
Redshank Tringa totanus
Little Gull Larus minutus
Black-headed Gull Larus ridibundus
Herring Gull Larus argentatus
Great Black-backed Gull Larus marinus
Black Guillemot Cepphus grylle
Stock Dove Columba oenas
Woodpigeon Columba palumbus
Collared Dove Streptopelia decaocto
Great Spotted Woodpecker Dendrocopos major
Woodlark Lullula arborea
Skylark Alauda arvensis
Shore Lark Eremophila alpestris
Tree Pipit Anthus trivialis
Meadow Pipit Anthus pratensis
White Wagtail Motacilla alba alba
Wren Troglodytes troglodytes
Black Redstart Phoenicurus ochruros
Fieldfare Turdus pilaris
Blackbird Turdus merula
Song Thrush Turdus philomelos
Redwing Turdus iliacus
Mistle Thrush Turdus viscivorus
Goldcrest Regulus regulus
Blue Tit Parus caeruleus
Great Tit Parus major
Nuthatch Sitta europaea
Treecreeper Certhia familiaris
Magpie Pica pica
Jackdaw Corvus monedula
Rook Corvus frugilegus
Hooded Crow Corvus cornix
Raven Corvus corax
Starling Sturnus vulgaris
House Sparrow Passer domesticus
Tree Sparrow Passer montanus
Chaffinch Fringilla coelebs
Brambling Fringilla montifringilla
Bullfinch Pyrrhula pyrrhula
Greenfinch Carduelis chloris
Goldfinch Carduelis carduelis
Siskin Carduelis spinus
Linnet Carduelis cannabina
Twite Carduelis flavirostris
Lesser Redpoll Carduelis flammea
Common Crossbill Loxia curvirostra
Parrot Crossbill Loxia pytyopsittacus
Lapland Bunting Calcarius lapponicus
Snow Bunting Plectrophenax nivalis
Yellowhammer Emberiza citrinella
Reed Bunting Emberiza schoeniclus
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Mammals
Andy Warren
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