Backyard and Beyond

Ladusvala. (Barn) Swallow (Hirundo rustica).This is most common species of swallow in the world. The European subspecies H. rustica rustica is very much less rufus underneath than the New World H. rustica rythrogaster and has a longer tail.Here’s another profile that should look familiar.The Eurasian Nuthatch (Sitta europaea).Nötväcka.Whooper Swans at distance, through a window just after 5 a.m. sunrise. Cygnus cygnus or Sångsvan.We run into these on this side of the Atlantic because of the infernal pet trade. Carduelis carduelis, the European Goldfinch. Steglits.

Skata. Magpie (Pica pica).Makers of massive stick nests.Björktrast. Fieldfare (Turdus pilaris). Like one of our fledgling Robins (T. migratorius) on steroids.And speaking of thrushes, the Common Blackbird (T. merula). Koltrast: the Swedish national bird. Cue “blackbird singing in the dead of night” — our Robins start up around 4 a.m.Kaja. Jackdaw (Corvus monedula). On the balcony of our hotel room…Very much roof and chimney birds, these chirping corvids.
We — my British birding co-conspirators and I — think this is a Chaffinch nest. Note all that moss and lichen; looks rather like a hummingbird’s nest, but much larger, of course.

Black-headed Gull, Common (or Mew) Gull, Lesser Black-backed Gull, and European Herring Gull. (A single click will make this picture larger.)Lesser Black-backed and Herring comparison. Yellow legs versus pink legs, in addition to the size and wing color. Some outtakes.

Större hackspett. Great Spotted Woodpecker (Dendrocopos major). That belly! Spotted in Göteborg’s Slottsskogen park.Sädesärla. White Wagtail (Motacilla alba). Spotted everywhere.Knipa. Common Goldeneye (Bucephala clangula). These are females, and if you look closely you’ll see they’re banded. They were in the zoo’s pond. Others were seen in Göteborg’s canals, as well as on lake Vänern.Bofink. Chaffinch (Fringilla coelebs) male. Omnipresent.Reprise.Back almost a week now (!) from a week-long trip. More pictures and tales to come!