Surf's up

Another morning birding with the ever-patient Number 2 today. We checked out Kattvik quickly to see if seabirds were moving, they were despite an obviously diminishing westerly. In 45 minutes here we clocked up 18 gannets, three fulmar (including my first blue in Sweden) and a single great skua. Leaving the black redstart to his favourite bank of weed we headed down the track to Yttre Kattvik, hoping for more. Well here it started to quieten down but not before we had scored 34 more gannets and a 1K pomarine skua. Kittiwakes were in very small numbers throughout with just three recorded all morning. My first snow bunting of the autumn flew west just offshore and overhead three crossbills went west too, they sounded different and were probably parrots but I am wary these days about separating them on call.

With time pressing on we headed for an hour at Klarningen. Fairly quiet here, though plenty of wildfowl remain, teal (178), wigeon (35) and shoveler (17). A rough-legged buzzard has taken up residence and the access track had 73 golden plover.

Well, I thought that was the end of my birding for the day until Håkan J rang me in Ängelholm with the news of a surf scoter at Båstad at 1530 and so I dashed to the car. On the way I picked up a 1K golden eagle just 750 metres outside the border to BK whilst crossing Hallandåsen... One for tomorrow, I still need it for the year. Arriving at Båstad I was put on the right track by Peder and Klaas and we quickly got our first views of the bird before moving much closer. This was undoubtedly the same 1K female photographed migrating south off Halland two days ago. I think the observer did not realise what he had until he looked at his images that night! For it to have run out of steam in the classic storm shelter location at Båstad was magic. The views were fantastic, a light swell and the bird no more than 100 metres away. This is my first juvenile in the WP so really exciting stuff and a BK tick to boot (perhaps the second record, the last one a flyby male in 2002). Surf scoter brings my BK year-list to a record equalling 220, can I get more?