Another garden tick!

Had Number 2 under my wing this morning so we went birding in the snow. We did a two hour walk along Eskilstorpsstrand. The light and conditions (light snow) were not conducive to seeing everything but luckily many of the seaduck were unusually close in. The scaup raft was right offshore and showing well, as with last year good views allowed the number of tufted duck contained within it to be assessed accurately. We ended up with about 100 scaup and 30 tufted duck. Also here 350 velvet scoter and perhaps 75 common scoter (but maybe more). One long-tailed duck flew past. We also had a strange encounter - a possible all-white velvet scoter, it was at long-range and the conditions as I have mentioned were poor, but it was all white and dived (ruling out I guess a domestic mallard, the shape was right for scoter too). Be good to track it down under better conditions but I would rather have a surf scoter.

Could not resist a look at Klarningen, whilst we were nearby but it was barely worth it, I was hoping for at least a rough-legged buzzard but had to settle for a couple of commons. In the distance in the game cover crop near Eskilstorps dammar was a big flock of at least 200 yellowhammer. Will have to trudge out there soon and check it out.

Spent the middle part of the day doing the family-taxi role thing and went shopping in Grevie after we had everyone on board. Coming out of ICA I was pleased to see a superb rough-legged buzzard flying past in brilliant light. My brain, like some shambling mammal struggling to come out of hibernation, eventually realised several things:

1) on its present course it would pass over the garden in just two minutes,

2) I needed rough-legged buzzard for the garden list and

3) I was two minutes drive from house.

We bundled into the car, lost the bird for a nerve-wrecking whole 90 seconds, turned the last corner and there over the house was the bird, looking fantastic as they do. I was pleased.