0084 : Moving On (30/8/14)

Red Admiral

Peregrine

Curlew

Osprey

Great Black Backed Gull

Great Black Backed Gull

Cormorant

Common Prawn

Willow Warbler

Willow Warbler

Wheatear

Pied Wagtail

Pied Wagtail

Wheatear

Grey Partridge

Magpie

Collared Dove

Swift

Common Darter

Swift

Swift
Golden Plover

Golden Plover

Another weekend and more birds to try and see. With a lack of available options I decided to head for Fife Ness in the hope that migrants would be on the move. With a fairly steady passage of Meadow Pipits in the mornings while waiting for the bus to work, I figured there was a chance I might see something worthwhile and even if I didn't I'd still be out in the fresh air, doing what I enjoy doing.

I headed out about 0755 to walk into town, Herring Gull was the only species seen until I reached Dens Road where Blue Tit and Carrion Crow joined it on the list. Feral Pigeon was next. With a change to the bus timetable for the bus to Crail from St Andrews I knew there was a possibility of the bus over to St Andrews running late and possibly missing the connection to Crail. This looked a distinct possibility as the bus driver seemed to take ages getting the passengers on board with the result that we left a bit later than planned and it looked a bit dodgy for catching the bus at the other end.

In addition to Lesser Black Backed Gull and Herring Gull being seen at the bus station, Black Headed Gull was added after crossing the Tay bridge. Woodpigeon was added at the end of the dual carriageway. Common Gulls were seen by the former Pickletillum Inn and Jackdaw and House Sparrow were seen as the bus passed through Leuchars. House Martin and Rook were seen between Guardbridge and St Andrews in addition to Woodpigeon and Carrion Crow. Pied Wagtail and Starling were seen as we reached St Andrews.

Thankfully the driver had made up some time and I made the connection with almost 10 minutes to spare. As usual the bus was fairly quiet and I sat upstairs near the front so that I had a panoramic view of sorts. Unfortunately there weren't too many birds to be seen with Swallows probably the most numerous although I did also spot a bird perched on a wall which took flight showing itself to be a Sparrowhawk flying off low over the fields. Collared Dove was added to the list at Kingsbarns where we waited for a few minutes with a small flock of Starlings flitting about and Swallows darting around. It was only as the bus pulled out that I spotted the perched dove. Woodpigeons were seen as we neared Crail.

I got off the bus at my usual stop and walked down by the side of the church towards Denburn Wood. Starlings, Woodpigeon and House Sparrow all being seen. Checking the small burn I found a pair of Dunnocks before bumping into another bird photographer. We chatted for a bit and wandered down through the rather quiet wood, seeing only a Robin as we did so. The other photographer who introduced himself as Willie from Kirkcaldy asked where else was good for birds nearby. I told him about Kilminning which was where I intended heading to next, so he offered me a lift along which I accepted (knowing that I had a 2 mile walk back after sea-watching as per my rough plan for the day).

Arriving at the top end of Kilminning we explored around the top square area first. Meadow Pipits passed over heading west and we discovered around half a dozen or so Red Admiral butterflies all in very close proximity. Feral Pigeons and a skittish Magpie were seen but very little else. We crossed to the open area bordering the golf course and as we did so I spotted a slim raptor which initially looked to be a Kestrel but which turned out to be a very thin and long tailed looking Peregrine. A few Pied Wagtails were on the grass by the go-karting track entrance and a small flock of Linnets overflew.

We headed down to the bottom end car park where a couple of Tree Sparrows were a surprise as they headed over. A Curlew lifted from the grass ahead of us flying off calling noisily towards the old airfield. A flock of Goldfinches were around in the bushes and one or two Woodpigeons clattered away noisily through the trees. Two Tree Pipits were a nice find though they flew off before either of us could get a photo. Herring Gulls flew along the coast. Great Tits and Greenfinches hunted around in the rose bushes for something to eat. I spotted a big bird which looked like it had just made landfall over the golf course. This turned out to be an Osprey which struggled a bit against the strengthening headwind it was flying into. Luckily for us the bird came close enough to enable us both to get a few half-decent photos. A nice surprise.

I mentioned sea-watching to Willie and told him that I planned to sit out on the rocks down at the Ness and see what passed by. He decided to join me in the hope of maybe some Gannets hunting close to shore, so we headed down in his car. As usual, Eiders, Gannets and Shags were seen almost immediately with Great Black Backed Gull, Cormorant and Redshank soon joining them as we walked down to find a decent seat on the rocks. Arctic Tern and Fulmar didn't take too long to join the list with both Common and Sandwich Tern soon also finding their way onto the list for the day.

Overall it was fairly quiet although there were plenty Gannets passing as is the case for large chunks of teh year. A single Common Scoter added a bit of variety. Willie decided to head off to Kilrenny and I decided to stay put for another wee while. With the wind picking up but the birds not following suit, I tried a few different seats before heading back towards the pillbox. On the way across the rock pools I spotted movement. Looking closely I could see about a dozen things in the pool, about an inch and a half to two inches long and well marked though mostly transparent. I thought maybe shrimps or something (my knowledge of sea creatures being a bit limited) and checking books when I got home I discovered they were actually Common Prawns.

A Grey Heron flew past and I decided to head up to Fife Ness Muir (or The Patch as it is known) to see if anything had taken refuge from the headwinds. As I passed the caravans I was surprised to see a Swift shoot over. Up in the patch it was rather quiet with a few Blue Tits and a couple of young Willow Warblers being all I could find (apart from 2 golf balls). Heading back down to Stinky Pool, I found a few Pied Wagtails and a Wheatear with more Swallows darting by.

I wandered up across the golf course and back along the main road. Birds were feeding along the edges of the driving range, a mix of Linnets and juvenile Starlings. A Yellowhammer flew in the direction of Balcomie. I was surprised to spot a Grey Partridge sitting in the stubble field next to the golf course, relatively close to the road and managed a few photos as the bird looked back over its shoulder at me. Another Magpie sighting was next. I decided to check the walled garden at Balcomie. A pair of Collared Doves showed really well and House Martins were still visiting a nest on the farm buildings. Chaffinch was the only thing seen in the walled garden itself however apart from a couple of Goldfinches and a flock of House Sparrows.

I decided to revisit Kilminning, just in case anything had arrived "late", but it was overall just as quiet as before. Another Swift overflew, this one struggling a bit against the wind which allowed me to get some decent Swift photos for a change. Pied Wagtails were once again feeding down on the grass by the karting centre. I found a Common Darter dragonfly which wasn't something I had come across here before. Another Magpie was seen, this one flying off when it spotted me. A third Swift was seen a short while later, almost certainly a different bird to before and likely passing through from further north and east.

I wandered down the road towards the bottom car park. Woodpigeons and Feral Pigeons were seen around the old airfield buildings. A Buzzard circled up as I reached the treed area near the bottom of the road. There were a number of gulls present in the ploughed field, a mix of Black Headed, Common, Herring and the much bigger Great Black Backed Gulls. A flock of Golden Plover flew around before passing over the road very close to me and onto the airfield. A nice bonus species.

Reaching the bottom of the road and doing a spot of exploring I spotted two smallish birds overflying at speed and grabbed a few photos. These turned out to be two Ringed Plovers, another surprise addition. Greenfinches and yet another Magpie sighting plus a Song Thrush completed the picture and I decided to head back towards Crail to catch the bus back to St Andrews. There was very little to see en route and arriving back in Crail I discovered I had around 40 minutes to wait for the bus, so I had a walk down to the waterfront. There were lots of gulls on the sea, mostly Black Headed and Herring Gulls. On the grass were Pied Wagtails but apart from a few Woodpigeons not much else was spotted. A Wren was heard but not seen, though a Feral Pigeon was, as I waited at the bus stop, both birds being in the area of the small burn over the wall.

The bus trip back to St Andrews was spent mostly checking my phone so very little in the way of birds was seen. From the St Andrews to Dundee bus, Mute Swans in a field were added before we reached Guardbridge. Carrion Crows and Woodpigeons in small numbers were seen too.

Only 54 species were seen, but despite the rather strong wind it was an enjoyable enough day out. Species seen - Arctic Tern, Black Headed Gull, Blue Tit, Buzzard, Carrion Crow, Chaffinch, Collared Dove, Common Gull, Common Scoter, Common Tern, Cormorant, Curlew, Dunnock, Eider, Fulmar, Gannet, Golden Plover, Goldfinch, Great Black Backed Gull, Great Tit, Greenfinch, Grey Heron, Grey Partridge, Herring Gull, House Martin, House Sparrow, Jackdaw, Lesser Black Backed Gull, Linnet, Magpie, Meadow Pipit, Mute Swan, Osprey, Oystercatcher, Peregrine, Pied Wagtail, Redshank, Ringed Plover, Robin, Feral Pigeon, Rook, Sandwich Tern, Shag, Song Thrush, Sparrowhawk, Starling, Swallow, Swift, Tree Pipit, Tree Sparrow, Wheatear, Willow Warbler, Woodpigeon, Yellowhammer.

0083 : A Very Good Walk (23/8/14)

Blue Tit

Yellowhammer

Buzzard

Mistle Thrush & Linnet

Linnet

Whitethroat

Oystercatcher, Knot & Redshank

Sandwich Tern

Terns

Terns

Sandwich Tern

Sanderling & Dunlin

Dunlin

White Wagtail

Grayling

Grasshopper

Reed Bunting

Wheatear

White Tailed Eagle

Ruff

Common Sandpiper

Spotted Redshank & Redshank

Ruff & Redshank

Ruff & Redshank

As the year edges forwards towards Autumn it gets harder and harder to add new species to the year list until the lottery of migration deposits waifs and strays in hard to get to places (and hopefully some much easier ones too). There are always birds that have been easy to get one year that prove elusive the next. One of these for me this year has been the White Tailed Eagle. The 5 year east coast re-introduction programme ended two years ago with some birds meeting early ends in accidents and suspicious circumstances but with others dispersing in all directions. It was confirmed last year that White Tailed Eagles had successfully bred and fledged a youngster in Fife. However this young bird was sadly found dead in suspicious circumstances. Tentsmuir has been a good place to see these huge birds in the past few years so with White Tailed Eagle the target species I decided to catch a bus to Leuchars then walk out to Tentsmuir, along the beach for a bit then back, with probably a few hours in the hide at Guardbridge to round off the day's birding.

With the car park at Tentsmuir opening to the public around 9am I wanted to be at the beach before too many people (and dogs) arrived, hopefully increasing my chances of seeing an eagle if any were around. I headed out early to catch the 0805 bus to Leuchars. I managed to time my departure to mesh nicely with the bus into town. Feral Pigeon, Woodpigeon, Herring Gull and Blackbird were all seen in the short walk from home to the bus stop. On the bus over the Tay bridge a Cormorant flew past. House Martins were swooping around above the grass by the roundabout at the end of the bridge while a Carrion Crow hopped around below them. Starlings were on the wires just past Pickletillum. Swallows were seen around St Michaels Inn.

Arriving in Leuchars, I popped into the Spar for some provisions and set off up the small hill to head for the road out of the village. Goldfinches flew over and a Jackdaw perched on a chimney pot. House Sparrows flew up from a puddle into the bushes nearby as I approached and a Rook scolded me loudly from the apex of a roof. Reaching the edge of the village I stopped to watch a Blue Tit and a Willow Warbler performing acrobatics as they foraged in the branches above me of a large tree in a garden. A Wren showed briefly nearby, and a Stock Dove flew off low across the fields.

Further on down the road a small group of Tree Sparrows flew ahead of me for a short distance until I again closed the gap and off they flew again. In addition to Swallows passing over, a few Sand Martins headed in a southwesterly direction low over the landscape. Woodpigeons clattered out of the stubble and away. A group of Curlews also took flight as I walked down the road. Rooks and Jackdaws flew up into the trees by the farm buildings. A male Yellowhammer perched atop an electricity pole and watched me pass. A few Common Gulls were in a ploughed field and a small flock of Linnets overflew. I spotted a Buzzard perched on a hay bale with another a bit further away on a fence post, so I took a photo that showed the two birds almost in alignment. More Swallows swept over. Meadow Pipits were in the stubble fields in small groups of 2s and 3s, sometimes perching on bales other times down on the ground, with others passing over calling as they went. Arriving at the T-junction towards the forest I spotted birds towards the rear of a ploughed field. The larger ones were clearly Mistle Thrush but it took a bit more effort to ID the others as Linnets.

I heard a calling bird approaching from the north east as I neared the edge of the forest. It was different call to the thin sounding calls of the Meadow Pipits, stronger and more strident. I recognised it as a Tree Pipit, a call I had heard earlier in the week as a bird overflew as I waited for my morning bus to work. I struggled to see the bird but finally managed to see it against the clouds as it flew away from me. A nice bird to get on the list. A short distance further on a Pied Wagtail flew up from the field and across the road. There weren't too many birds to see as I walked along the quiet road through the trees, a few Woodpigeons and Blue and Coal Tits. Reaching the barrier across the road there were Swallows and House Martins hawking over the horse fields with a few Woodpigeons waddling around on the ground. A Wren popped out into the open for a second or two calling loudly.

There were already a few cars in the car park when I reached there and any hope of peace and quiet had vanished with a few dogs already running around off the lead among the dunes. I could hear Long Tailed Tits in the trees by the edge of the forest and with a bit of patience I managed to see some of the family group making the noise as they fed. There was plenty activity in the smaller bushes below with a nice mixture of birds - Great Tit, Robin, a few young Willow Warblers, Blue Tit, Linnet and even a Whitethroat. I decided to head north in the direction of the large pools near the edge of the Tentsmuir Point nature reserve. Meadow Pipits and Swallows continued to pass over in small groups as I walked. A Skylark flew up and away from me as I wandered through an area that floods in winter and wet weather.

I could hear the loud calls of Sandwich Terns coming from offshore and stopped to scan from the top of the dunes. Along the edge of the beach I could also see Oystercatchers and a few Great Black Backed Gulls. Out on a sandy island I could see Terns and a few gulls, so I headed in the general direction for a better view. A small flock of Sanderling and Dunlin flew past low across the water. Common Terns called as they too flew by. A Curlew headed south. A Black Headed Gull was next to pass, with Cormorants and Gannets spotted much further out to sea. A small group of waders sped past, a mix of Knot, Oystercatcher and a Redshank. I scanned through the birds on the sandy island as the tide lapped around the edges. A mixture of Sandwich, Common and Arctic Terns plus a few Black Headed and Herring Gulls plus Kittiwakes. A Sanderling flew in and scurried along the edge before flying off again. As the tide enveloped the islet the birds dispersed mostly northwards allowing me plenty photo opportunities as they passed by.

I headed up across the beach towards the pools. As I reached a strand line with lots of shells scattered across the sands I could hear soft calls and realised that a short distance away was a small mixed flock of roosting waders - Ringed Plover, Dunlin and Sanderling. They eyed me suspiciously but only a few birds changed their position slightly. I knelt down and took a few photos before moving on, leaving the birds in peace to roost, although dog walkers approaching from the south suggested their peace was likely to be short-lived. At the large pool I spotted 3 birds at the south end and moved slowly in their general direction. These turned out to be Dunlin and I was able to walk close by, grab a few photos then continue on my way without them flying off.

A little further south I heard a Wagtail calling and watched as a bird flew past before swinging around and landed a short distance away. This was a rather nice White Wagtail, my second in 2 days, and this one showed even better than the bird at Arbroath before it moved on again. Making my way through the dunes I spooked a few Skylarks and Meadow Pipits before stumbling on a flock of about 15 Reed Buntings in Buckthorn bushes. As I neared the car park area again, I stopped to photograph a few butterflies as they landed. These turned out to be Grayling, not a species I see too often. A Grasshopper also showed really well in the sunshine.

I headed back through the forest being followed closely by a rather irritating large swarm of flies buzzing around behind me. Despite swiping at them with my cap more than a few times they only dispersed when I reached the open road again beyond the forest. Very annoying. On my way through the forest birds were in rather short supply with a few Woodpigeons and Blue Tits being the only birds seen except for the Swallows by the horses and a Great Spotted Woodpecker flying through the trees with a showy Wren nearer me.

As earlier and at the beach, Swallows and Meadow Pipits were still migrating through in reasonable numbers. I took the slightly safer option of walking through the stubble field to avoid running into a speeding car on the road where there wasn't much of an obvious roadside verge to take refuge on, only a steeply sloping bank on both sides. Meadow Pipits took flight from among the short broken stalks, flying up onto the bales. On reaching the road again, I spotted movement on a dung heap opposite. This turned out to be another migrant - a Wheatear this time. I managed a few photos then my eye caught movement closer, and I found a bunting within a few feet of me. It wasn't readily apparent whether it was a Yellowhammer or a Reed Bunting, but I later decided it was the latter having compared the photo with the illustrations in the bird books.

Having failed to see my target bird while at the beach, I decided to have one last scan over the forest, just in case. Although I was over a mile away from the forest I knew it was possible to identify a White Tailed Eagle at long distance, having seen them in the past from the Guardbridge hide with the bird a few miles away at least, the long parallel sided wings being key. I scanned southwards along the trees, and eventually picked up what looked like a raptor circling high above the trees. It looked good for an Eagle, rather than a Buzzard, but I wanted to be certain so I had the tricky task of attempting to find the bird through the camera viewfinder then get the camera to focus on such a small target and then hope that the photo was clear enough to show some sort of detail. Luckily I managed all three with the best photo showing a paler tail and the large squared wings. I had my White Tailed Eagle for my 2014 list. Result! I watched the bird for about 10 minutes as it circled higher and higher and got closer to where I was, passing to the north of me before disappearing off to the northwest.

I headed back past the Rooks and Jackdaws at the farm reaching the edge of the village a few minutes later. I caught a glimpse of a smallish falcon shaped bird as it flew behind a large tree and managed a quick photo as it re-appeared at the other side. It turned out just to be a Kestrel, but that was a first for the day, so was still a welcome sight. I wandered up through the village, passing the Rook on the roof and a few jackdaws on the grass as well as a pair of Collared Doves in a conifer and a Woodpigeon or two. I popped into the Spar for a roll and managed to miss a bus to Guardbridge. I didn't have to wait too long for another to show, and I attempted, and failed to cram as much of the roll into my mouth as I could before getting on the bus. This wasn't a good move and I almost choked. Thankfully the bus driver didn't just drive off but I was in a bit of discomfort for the journey down the road despite having managed to rid myself of the offending large chunk of cheese and tomato roll. Lesson learned.

I headed into the hide at around ten minutes to two and got as comfortable as I could, although I still wasn't feeling too great. There were Chaffinches at the feeders and Canada Geese and Eiders on the river. The gull roost on the mud held Black Headed, Common, Lesser Black Backed and Herring Gulls. Redshanks were spread along the bank opposite, some roosting, some feeding. Blue Tits came to the feeders, and Carrion Crows landed out on the mud. A bit of scanning added Mute Swans to the list and it was the turn of Greenfinches on the feeders next. Swallows swept up and down the river catching insects and grabbing a quick drink. A Grey Heron flew in. I found a Goosander stood below the paper mill, its orange legs standing out even at the distance involved. A Woodpigeon flew down onto the fence outside by the feeders.

I spotted an Osprey hovering well out over the river and watched it for a few minutes. I pointed it out to a couple of visitors who were pleased to see it. A large flock of Lapwings flew in to join the other waders. A Greylag was in with the Canada Geese and the two Pink Footed Geese also put in an appearance. A Common Sandpiper flew by calling loudly. A Song Thrush showed up on the fence to the left of the hide. One of the Kingfishers flew in to land on the posts but changed its mind and flew off across the river to perch on a fencepost instead. I finally found time to scan through the Redshanks, finding a few Dunlin then a rather orange Ruff. I then realised that there was a second paler buff coloured bird. A very white wader landed a bit further away and a very quick glance had me thinking Greenshank but I was distracted by something spooking the Redshanks and when I looked back the bird had moved.

Another target species for the day was Spotted Redshank which given the number of Redshanks around and me only having binoculars to hand wasn't going to be easy. A few times I found good candidates only to lose the bird again when I changed from binoculars to camera to try to get a photo. One of these times coincided with a mass launch of Redshanks from a little further along the shore. Checking the photos later confirmed that I had indeed managed to find the Spotted Redshank and that it too had taken flight with the other birds. My second year-tick of the day.

A bit more scanning refound the white fronted wader that I had glanced at earlier. Rather than the expected Greenshank it turned out to be a rather contrasty adult male Ruff. Having never seen one like this previously I took the opportunity to get a few photos and especially when it happened to be in the same view as either or both of the other Ruffs. It was a very striking bird, being taller than the other two and very clean looking compared to the greyer Redshanks. Looking once again through the waders saw me find another species among the flocks. Two Knot were feeding among the Redshanks and Ruffs. A group of Black Tailed Godwits flew in to join the other waders on the mud. An actual Greenshank also paid a visit to the shoreline opposite the hide. The first Mallards of the day flew upstream, and in the river below the hide a young Goosander fed.

With the time approaching 5pm and closing time for the hide I decided to pack up and head for home after what had been a very good day out. I had managed to see 74 species under my own steam. Probably something of a personal record and in one of the less 'birdy' months too, with the added bonus of two year-ticks.
Species seen (year-ticks in bold). - Arctic Tern, Blackbird, Black Headed Gull, Black Tailed Godwit, Blue Tit, Buzzard, Canada Goose, Carrion Crow, Chaffinch, Coal Tit, Collared Dove, Common Gull, Common Sandpiper, Common Tern, Cormorant, Curlew, Dunlin, Eider, Gannet, Goldfinch, Goosander, Great Black Backed Gull, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Great Tit, Greenfinch, Greenshank, Grey Heron, Greylag Goose, Herring Gull, House Martin, House Sparrow, Jackdaw, Kestrel, Kingfisher, Kittiwake, Knot, Lapwing, Lesser Black Backed Gull, Linnet, Long Tailed Tit, Mallard, Meadow Pipit, Mistle Thrush, Mute Swan, Osprey, Oystercatcher, Pied Wagtail, Pink Footed Goose, Redshank Reed Bunting, Ringed Plover, Robin, Feral Pigeon, Rook, Ruff, Sand Martin, Sanderling, Sandwich Tern, Skylark, Song Thrush, Spotted Redshank, Starling, Stock Dove, Swallow, Tree Pipit, Tree Sparrow, Wheatear, White Tailed Eagle, White Wagtail, Whitethroat, Willow Warbler, Woodpigeon, Wren, Yellowhammer.