Our
BOS event leader, Alec, organized a trip for eight BOS members to travel to Falstero, Sweden and experience the incredible fall migration that occurs at the monitoring station there. I was quick to sign up for this trip!
Our group was guided by the talented and renowned Stephen Menzie, of whom I can't say enough. We were quite fortunate to have him as our guide! Stephen arranged for us to stay in the rural town of Vellinge at an organic family-owned and operated farm. We were served wonderful, healthy, tasty, elegant, and diverse meals there. The grounds were absolutely beautiful and we all enjoyed birding the gardens and fields before and after our breakfasts.
On one unforgettable day of birding at the famous migration / monitoring point at Falsterbo, we witnessed a flight of 600+ Chaffinch, 400+ Tree Pipits, 27 European Honey-buzzards,
Pied Avocets, Curlew, Hen and Western Marsh Harriers, and Gray, Yellow
and White Wagtails among many more species. Phenomenal! On other days, we birded other migration hotspots, interior forests, and a beach on the Baltic Sea. Some of the notable species seen throughout the trip were: Tawny Owl, Black Woodpecker (the size of a Pileated), Arctic Loon, Black
and Red Kites, Lesser Spotted and White-tailed Eagles, Eurasian Hobby, Bearded
Reedling, Red-backed Shrike, Garganey, Great Crested Grebe, Eurasian
Nightjar, Common Cuckoo, White Stork, Black-tailed Godwit, Pallid
Harrier and Common Kingfisher. Just about everything was a life bird!
I'm posting some of the highlight photos below...
Eurasian Blue Tit
Northern Lapwing
Red Kite - these were surprisingly common
Eurasian Sparrowhawk - another common raptor
A huge flock of Common Cranes!
I finally got to see a European Robin in person! (instead of Instagram photos!) Our leader, Stephen, brought it out to us just after it was banded (ringed)
A very sweet Long-tailed Tit - they were adorable!
Black-headed Gull - we saw hundreds!
A distant Great Spotted Woodpecker
A Eurasian Kestrel with lunch
Eurasian Hobby
Common Chiffchaff - the most heard bird on the trip!
European Honey-buzzard
Bearded Reedling - this was a trip favorite for most of us!
Eurasian Magpie - very common
A very striking Little Grebe
Hooded Crow - 1 of the 3 different kinds of corvids here
White Stork - the famous species who "delivers babies"
Eurasian Curlew - look at that long, curved bill!
Graylag Geese spiraling down to land - they finally count on my life list!
Eurasian Nightjar - spotted by our own Alec Humann!
A Common Cuckoo, which is not common at all! We searched for a long time for this bird! The hope for this bird is what made me decide to go on the trip!
Pied Avocets - beautiful and elegant birds
Another Red Kite
A Black Kite! We were very fortunate to see two of these!
Another fantastic view of a Red Kite
Two Water Rails caught in the nets and banded at the station
A very cool looking Great Crested Grebe
Lesser Whitethroat - and yes, we saw a Greater Whitethroat as well - but the photos didn't turn out so great...
Our dinner table the first night