StuartReeves
Local rarity
The last Sunday in August is regarded as ‘Honey Buzzard day’ (or strictly speaking ‘Bivråkens dag’) by Swedish birders. It marks the peak autumn passage of Honey Buzzards through Falsterbo, the southern tip of Sweden. I went a day early (the weather forecast for tomorrow is not so good) to witness it for myself. I got there a little late at around 11 AM, and a short rain shower soon served to dampen down the activity of both birds and birders, with many of the latter packing up at that point. I hung on and half an hour later the sun started to reassert itself. Suddenly a loose flock of around 50 birds appeared in the distance. Surely they couldn’t all be HBs ? Well, yes they were, and so were the 20 that followed them and the flock of 35 after them ! In the middle of this spectacular passage, a phonecall from Swedish birders stationed further up the headland alerted the assembled crowd to a Pallid Harrier heading our way. After a false alarm with a distant ringtail Hen Harrier, a superb juvenile Pallid showed incredibly well, quartering back and forth across the heath in front of us.
Over the course of the day I saw around 200 Honey Buzzards, although the official total is likely to be rather higher as birds kept passing overhead while I was concentrating on the Pallid Harrier, and I wandered off mid-afternoon when there were still birds passing through. I also managed around 40 Sparrowhawks, ten Common Buzzards, five Kestrels, two Marsh Harriers and one each of Hobby and Osprey. There was also a steady passage of Yellow Wagtails – probably a couple of hundred birds, and my afternoon walk produced a Wryneck and a nice selection of waders. Not a bad day !
Over the course of the day I saw around 200 Honey Buzzards, although the official total is likely to be rather higher as birds kept passing overhead while I was concentrating on the Pallid Harrier, and I wandered off mid-afternoon when there were still birds passing through. I also managed around 40 Sparrowhawks, ten Common Buzzards, five Kestrels, two Marsh Harriers and one each of Hobby and Osprey. There was also a steady passage of Yellow Wagtails – probably a couple of hundred birds, and my afternoon walk produced a Wryneck and a nice selection of waders. Not a bad day !
