Friday 3 August 2012

Kvismare fågelstation, Sweden - Day 22


Moulting adult Tree Sparrow

Today my parents came to visit me whilst on a Scandanavian break, so I was their tour guide for the day. I had a few targets to show them for the day:
  • Osprey: Being a Brockholes birder, they know all about me and Ospreys, so I was keen to show them some. We weren't disappointed as we got views of 6 all at the same time and reasonably close quarters at Vallen. 
  • Adders: Of course, regular readers of this blog will know all about Adders, so I was very keen to show my very worried mother that Adders are in fact beautiful animals and not at all scary (unless you're a bit of a tool!) We saw 5 at Vallen.
  • Common Crane: As Kvismaren is home to a lot of Cranes, I was again keen to show them this species and we were about to see 7 birds throughout the day, which is nothing compared to the reserve's total population, but still nice.
  • White-tailed Eagle: I would give a reason why I wanted to show my parents this species, but there need not be a reason! Such an impressive bird should be seen by everyone! We were able to see the male sat on his perch/tree at Hammarmaden.
  • Ringing: Working as an assistant ringer here at Kvismaren, a visit wouldn't be complete without a ringing demonstration. We put up 3 nets in the garden and after 2 birdless net rounds, the nerves started to set in. The 3rd net round however produced a 3cy+ female Chaffinch and the above moulting adult Tree Sparrow, which was a 'Swedish ringing tick' for me. Lovely birds to handle.
  • Beavers: The final target of the day was to see a Beaver as Sweden is quite famous for its wood-chomping rodents. We stood on the bridge overlooking the canal by Öby Kulle at 9pm. Before too long, we saw a blob and a ripple in the water and we were watching a lovely Beaver. It swan closer and got out the water, allowing us to see its charasmatic tail and all down to 70ft! A real treat!
All in all, it was a really enjoyable day and nice to see my parents after 3 weeks away. Reminded me somewhat of reality!

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