 |
| Kestrel |
 |
| Herring Gull |
 | |
| Gannet |
 |
| Long Tailed Duck |
 |
| Purple Sandpipers |
 |
| Bottlenose Dolphins |
 |
| Siskin |
 |
| Goldeneye |
Once again the weather forecast put paid to my proposed plans for a day out on the hunt for a few new year-ticks, so instead of staying on the Dundee side of the Tay, I decided to head south again into Fife. I was hoping to do a spot of seawatching at Fife Ness and maybe add a few extra seabirds to 2014's total so far.
I left the house around 8.10 and walked into town to catch the bus to St Andrews. En route I managed to start the list for the day with just 7 species - Blackbird, Herring Gull, Feral Pigeon, Starling, Chaffinch, Woodpigeon and Blue Tit. At the bus station I caught sight of a small skein of geese flying west high above the Seagate but they went unidentified.
The bus windows weren't particularly clean so it wasn't easy to ID much through the dirty glass en route to St Andrews. Carrion Crow was seen at the Fife end of the roadbridge. Rook was added at St Michaels, and Jackdaw was seen in Leuchars. Crossing the bridge over the Motray at Guardbridge a Mute Swan and some Black Headed Gulls were roosting on the small muddy island below. Flooded fields by the road to St Andrews added Curlew to the list.
A 20 minute wait for the number 95 to Crail passed relatively quickly and I sat at the front of the bus, upstairs with a clear view in front, but the view to both sides quite poor through dirty windows. Passing through St Andrews a Jackdaw was on a chimney pot, but little else was seen in town. A single Fieldfare was in a field near Boarhills, and a Kestrel was hunting close to the road near Kingsbarns. There were also three flocks of small birds that may have been finches/buntings or sparrows but went unidentified owing to the restricted side view.
I reached Crail around 10am and wandered along to Denburn Wood with little expectation. Starlings, and Feral Pigeon were seen before I reached the wood, and Woodpigeon, Blackbird and Blue Tit were the only birds seen in the wood. Undeterred I headed down to Roome Bay where Little Gulls had been seen last week. It was rather windy with waves crashing onto the beach, and a chill in the air. A small group of Redshanks were along to the west roosting on an exposed rock in the water, a single Oystercatcher fed along the sand, and in the bay were 3 Goldeneyes, a few Eiders and a Shag all diving for food in the swell.
I headed round to the caravan site where around 20 Cormorants were grouped together on the rocky shore, with a few Oystercatchers and at least one Turnstone. A lone Curlew fed on the grass between the static caravans further to the east. More Eiders and a Long tailed Duck were offshore as I reached the fence at the end of Kilminning nature reserve. A female Kestrel hung in the wind behind me before heading off to the east where a Carrion Crow gave chase.
I walked up hill to car park and hunted around hoping to find something but the wind seemed to be keeping birds in cover. I did put up a Woodcock by the edge of a ploughed field, and another (or maybe the same one) further on. Three Stock Doves were feeding in the field and I found a small flock of about a dozen Yellowhammers at the south end of the karting track. Two Roe deer spotted me before I spotted them at the other end of the karting track and they shot off the banking towards the golf course.
Looking towards the sea as I crossed the golf course it looked pretty quiet with very little passage offshore, and not much to see on the water itself. A Wren flew across the road in front of me just past Stinky pool. Having recently received my key for the Fife Bird Club hide I took the opportunity to sit inside in relative comfort out of the wind. With the exception of Purple Sandpipers (14), I struggled to reach double figures with many other species. I did get two year-ticks though, a single Gannet that flew south and 3 Razorbills that flew northwards together. A Diver species with a strong tailwind behind it was almost past before I noticed it so went unidentified, though Red Throated is usually the default species here. A few Cormorants and Shags flew back and forwards out to sea and back to the rocky islands to the north of the hide. Two Dunlin flew low over the waves a little offshore in a southerly direction. Five gull species were seen - Herring Gull, Black Headed Gull, Common Gull, Great Black Backed Gull and Kittiwake but there was no sign of any Little Gulls. A couple of Carrion Crows landed out on the rocks in front of the hide for a few minutes and a Herring Gull came in with a large-ish fish of some description which was swallowed down in one.
A pod of between 6 and maybe 10 or so Bottlenose Dolphins swam slowly by northwards and a female Common Scoter flew past southwards as they did so. A couple of Fulmars glided effortlessly above the waves and a few pairs of Long Tailed Ducks swept by low over the water. A couple of Guillemots were also seen but there was no sign of any Little Auks displaced by the strong winds.
As I left the hide around 1.30 I spotted local Crail bird photographer John Anderson heading for his usual seat out on the rocks, and shouted to him to let him know there was very little passage worth sitting out in the open for in the cold. He offered me a lift back, so I gladly accepted his offer. Talking in the car I said I was going to head to Guardbridge and John decided to come too, so I got a lift a lot further than I thought which saved me probably around 90 minutes travelling time.
A flooded field to the south of the road between St Andrews and Guardbridge held a lot of birds - Curlews, Woodpigeons, Starlings and Redshanks, while a small flock of Brent Geese were in a field by the river. Reaching the hide at Guardbridge I heard Siskins and spotted a couple in the trees. The feeders were very busy with more Siskins and a good mixture of other small birds all vying for a place at, or under, the feeders. Chaffinches, Robin, Dunnock and House Sparrow all fed on the ground, with more Chaffinches above them in the trees and on the feeders with Greenfinches, Siskins, Blue and Great Tits. A Great Spotted Woodpecker came close at one point but flew back into the trees and was lost to sight. On the river, there were a few Goldeneye and 2 Little Grebes, as well as a pair of Red Breasted Mergansers. John decided to head off to St Andrews for a look around the west Sands. I stayed put and tried to get the list up a bit further.
Towards the bend in the river by the papermill there were a mixed flock of gulls, mostly Black Headed, but with a few Common and Herring Gulls in attendance too. A Great Black Backed Gull drifted around on the wind. Checking photos later a possible Mediterranean Gull, though more likely just a Black Headed Gull a bit further into summer moult, was found, but there wasn't enough detail owing to the distance to draw any conclusion about the ID. A few Curlews fed along the far shoreline and a Redshank scurried around probing the mud in front of the hide. In a small deciduous tree by the stand of conifers opposite a Buzzard was perched, its brown colouration making it hard to see among the branches. The lack of heat haze meant that birds could be identified at quite a distance way out on the mud, with Oystercatchers and Shelduck being the easiest.
I left the house around 8.10 and walked into town to catch the bus to St Andrews. En route I managed to start the list for the day with just 7 species - Blackbird, Herring Gull, Feral Pigeon, Starling, Chaffinch, Woodpigeon and Blue Tit. At the bus station I caught sight of a small skein of geese flying west high above the Seagate but they went unidentified.
The bus windows weren't particularly clean so it wasn't easy to ID much through the dirty glass en route to St Andrews. Carrion Crow was seen at the Fife end of the roadbridge. Rook was added at St Michaels, and Jackdaw was seen in Leuchars. Crossing the bridge over the Motray at Guardbridge a Mute Swan and some Black Headed Gulls were roosting on the small muddy island below. Flooded fields by the road to St Andrews added Curlew to the list.
A 20 minute wait for the number 95 to Crail passed relatively quickly and I sat at the front of the bus, upstairs with a clear view in front, but the view to both sides quite poor through dirty windows. Passing through St Andrews a Jackdaw was on a chimney pot, but little else was seen in town. A single Fieldfare was in a field near Boarhills, and a Kestrel was hunting close to the road near Kingsbarns. There were also three flocks of small birds that may have been finches/buntings or sparrows but went unidentified owing to the restricted side view.
I reached Crail around 10am and wandered along to Denburn Wood with little expectation. Starlings, and Feral Pigeon were seen before I reached the wood, and Woodpigeon, Blackbird and Blue Tit were the only birds seen in the wood. Undeterred I headed down to Roome Bay where Little Gulls had been seen last week. It was rather windy with waves crashing onto the beach, and a chill in the air. A small group of Redshanks were along to the west roosting on an exposed rock in the water, a single Oystercatcher fed along the sand, and in the bay were 3 Goldeneyes, a few Eiders and a Shag all diving for food in the swell.
I headed round to the caravan site where around 20 Cormorants were grouped together on the rocky shore, with a few Oystercatchers and at least one Turnstone. A lone Curlew fed on the grass between the static caravans further to the east. More Eiders and a Long tailed Duck were offshore as I reached the fence at the end of Kilminning nature reserve. A female Kestrel hung in the wind behind me before heading off to the east where a Carrion Crow gave chase.
I walked up hill to car park and hunted around hoping to find something but the wind seemed to be keeping birds in cover. I did put up a Woodcock by the edge of a ploughed field, and another (or maybe the same one) further on. Three Stock Doves were feeding in the field and I found a small flock of about a dozen Yellowhammers at the south end of the karting track. Two Roe deer spotted me before I spotted them at the other end of the karting track and they shot off the banking towards the golf course.
Looking towards the sea as I crossed the golf course it looked pretty quiet with very little passage offshore, and not much to see on the water itself. A Wren flew across the road in front of me just past Stinky pool. Having recently received my key for the Fife Bird Club hide I took the opportunity to sit inside in relative comfort out of the wind. With the exception of Purple Sandpipers (14), I struggled to reach double figures with many other species. I did get two year-ticks though, a single Gannet that flew south and 3 Razorbills that flew northwards together. A Diver species with a strong tailwind behind it was almost past before I noticed it so went unidentified, though Red Throated is usually the default species here. A few Cormorants and Shags flew back and forwards out to sea and back to the rocky islands to the north of the hide. Two Dunlin flew low over the waves a little offshore in a southerly direction. Five gull species were seen - Herring Gull, Black Headed Gull, Common Gull, Great Black Backed Gull and Kittiwake but there was no sign of any Little Gulls. A couple of Carrion Crows landed out on the rocks in front of the hide for a few minutes and a Herring Gull came in with a large-ish fish of some description which was swallowed down in one.
A pod of between 6 and maybe 10 or so Bottlenose Dolphins swam slowly by northwards and a female Common Scoter flew past southwards as they did so. A couple of Fulmars glided effortlessly above the waves and a few pairs of Long Tailed Ducks swept by low over the water. A couple of Guillemots were also seen but there was no sign of any Little Auks displaced by the strong winds.
As I left the hide around 1.30 I spotted local Crail bird photographer John Anderson heading for his usual seat out on the rocks, and shouted to him to let him know there was very little passage worth sitting out in the open for in the cold. He offered me a lift back, so I gladly accepted his offer. Talking in the car I said I was going to head to Guardbridge and John decided to come too, so I got a lift a lot further than I thought which saved me probably around 90 minutes travelling time.
A flooded field to the south of the road between St Andrews and Guardbridge held a lot of birds - Curlews, Woodpigeons, Starlings and Redshanks, while a small flock of Brent Geese were in a field by the river. Reaching the hide at Guardbridge I heard Siskins and spotted a couple in the trees. The feeders were very busy with more Siskins and a good mixture of other small birds all vying for a place at, or under, the feeders. Chaffinches, Robin, Dunnock and House Sparrow all fed on the ground, with more Chaffinches above them in the trees and on the feeders with Greenfinches, Siskins, Blue and Great Tits. A Great Spotted Woodpecker came close at one point but flew back into the trees and was lost to sight. On the river, there were a few Goldeneye and 2 Little Grebes, as well as a pair of Red Breasted Mergansers. John decided to head off to St Andrews for a look around the west Sands. I stayed put and tried to get the list up a bit further.
Towards the bend in the river by the papermill there were a mixed flock of gulls, mostly Black Headed, but with a few Common and Herring Gulls in attendance too. A Great Black Backed Gull drifted around on the wind. Checking photos later a possible Mediterranean Gull, though more likely just a Black Headed Gull a bit further into summer moult, was found, but there wasn't enough detail owing to the distance to draw any conclusion about the ID. A few Curlews fed along the far shoreline and a Redshank scurried around probing the mud in front of the hide. In a small deciduous tree by the stand of conifers opposite a Buzzard was perched, its brown colouration making it hard to see among the branches. The lack of heat haze meant that birds could be identified at quite a distance way out on the mud, with Oystercatchers and Shelduck being the easiest.
Two Tree Sparrows visited the feeders as did a Woodpigeon as I chatted to a visiting birder, discussing the intricacies of gull ID at which he said he was a virtual novice. I pointed out a few bits and pieces that might be helpful using a photo of the distant flock to show the leg colours and differences in the shades of grey on the wings. Other distant birds spotted were a few Cormorants, some Teal and Mallards and 2 probably 'winged' Pink Footed Geese which were in the field beside the horses. As the light started to fade, more gulls flew in to roost as did a larger flock of Curlews and some Black Tailed Godwits. With the light being too poor for much in the way of photography I decided to pack up and head for the bus home. Quite a successful day despite the dearth of birds around Crail.
54 species seen (year ticks in bold) - Blackbird, Black Headed Gull, Black Tailed Godwit, Blue Tit, Brent Goose, Buzzard, Carrion Crow, Chaffinch, Common Gull, Common Scoter, Cormorant, Curlew, Dunlin, Dunnock, Eider, Fieldfare, Fulmar, Gannet, Goldeneye, Great Black Backed Gull, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Great Tit, Greenfinch, Guillemot, Herring Gull, House Sparrow, Jackdaw, Kestrel, Kittiwake, Little Grebe, Long Tailed Duck, Mallard, Mute Swan, Oystercatcher, Pink Footed Goose, Purple Sandpiper, Razorbill, Red Breasted Merganser, Redshank, Robin, Feral Pigeon, Rook, Shag, Shelduck, Siskin, Starling, Stock Dove, Teal, Tree Sparrow, Turnstone, Woodcock, Woodpigeon, Wren, Yellowhammer.
54 species seen (year ticks in bold) - Blackbird, Black Headed Gull, Black Tailed Godwit, Blue Tit, Brent Goose, Buzzard, Carrion Crow, Chaffinch, Common Gull, Common Scoter, Cormorant, Curlew, Dunlin, Dunnock, Eider, Fieldfare, Fulmar, Gannet, Goldeneye, Great Black Backed Gull, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Great Tit, Greenfinch, Guillemot, Herring Gull, House Sparrow, Jackdaw, Kestrel, Kittiwake, Little Grebe, Long Tailed Duck, Mallard, Mute Swan, Oystercatcher, Pink Footed Goose, Purple Sandpiper, Razorbill, Red Breasted Merganser, Redshank, Robin, Feral Pigeon, Rook, Shag, Shelduck, Siskin, Starling, Stock Dove, Teal, Tree Sparrow, Turnstone, Woodcock, Woodpigeon, Wren, Yellowhammer.