Spring Forward

Spring. Yes. 

Before we left for Spain, we had had the first taste of it. 

Spring is always observed in stages of bird migration here. 

First come the Skylarks, Woodpigeons and Stock Doves, and Lapwings.

These are soon followed by the first geese and swans, as flocks of Whoopers, European White-fronted, Tundra Bean, Feral Canada, Greylag and a handful of Barnacles arrive, very soon followed by the first Cranes.

We arrived back just in time for the first geese and Cranes to pop up and made the effort for them nearby in Saltfjarden, followed by a trip out to Degerby in the hopes of connecting with some Bewicks Swans.

A stretched out Tundra Bean Goose can be a scary looking thing.

I still find it amazing that flocks of these things fly over my garden. For an Irish birder a single Bean Goose of any type is a big rarity. Mixed flocks of both types going over? The stuff of dreams.

I find Euro White Fronted Geese to be genuinely beautiful birds. 

That cute pink bill is something special. Genuinely more attractive than the Greenland types, but maybe that's just because I grew up watching one and not the other.

Bewick's Swans are always a treat. We had two in the fields north of Degerby.

Some people experience dread at the thought of identification of Bean Geese in flight. I have to say I genuinely don't find it too difficult for the majority of birds, these tundra being noticeably stocky and short necked in flight. Admittedly it is easier when you have a mixed flock of Tundra and Taiga flying past for comparison.

Another noticeable aspect of Spring, though perhaps one people don't spend too much time on, is the visible increase in Jackdaw numbers.

There's always a few that spend the entire winter, carving out a living in the carparks and shopping centers, but with Spring we see birds returning from the south, with flocks appearing in rural habitats again.

Here, of course, you are dealing with "Nordic" Jackdaw, the most obvious individuals being neatly and distinctly speckled below, with obvious collars, broadening like a Celtic Torc at the throat.

Some individuals are barely marked at all on the neck and picking up any hint of a collar is heavily dependent on viewing angle and how the bird holds itself. Note, however, the neat speckling pattern of the underparts.

Large flocks allow for a good sampling of the variation.

The most obvious individuals present a broad collar from the throat to the side of the neck, thining towards the nape, though some, like the bird on the left, present an evenly thin collar.

Another barely marked bird. On birds such as these, it's not uncommon for the collar to present only near the throat.

The broadest type markings, birds like this present large, almost half moons on the neck patch.

In flight the collar remains evident.

Note the contrast between the body feathering and the underwing and tail.

Note the variation in collar, mantle, upperparts and underparts colouration.

Narrow collar, but typically speckled below.

We spent the last weekend at the cabin, enjoying further influxes of migrants.

Sunrise from the Cabin. Coffee while the first Redwings of the year sang, Hazel Grouse whistling, drumming woodpeckers and migrating geese and cranes.

Cranes are now present in numbers, Woodcock are back and displaying, wildfowl are arriving and availing of seasonal turloughs, with Teal, Wigeon, Pintail and Tufted duck all being noted over the weekend.

Common Crane. I´ll never get tired of that amazing call. 

On the passerine front, Fieldfare, Redwing, Pied Wagtail and Dunnock are all returning and singing.

And as ever, the resident Grey Headed Woodpecker was showing well outside the front door.

What a superb woodpecker. Look at that eye.

Soon the raptors will come. Bring it.