0091 : Back To Fife, Back To Reality (13/9/14)

Meadow Pipit

Meadow Pipit

Greenfinch

Goldfinch

juvenile Woodpigeon

Dunnock

Swallows and House Martins

Golden Plover

Stonechats

Meadow Pipit

Red Throated Diver

Eider

Bottlenose Dolphins

Bottlenose Dolphins and Shags

Stonechat

Stonechat

Stonechat

Ruff, Greenshanks and Redshank

Ruff

Pintail

Redshank, Little Egret, Lapwing & Curlew Sandpiper

Rdshank, Lapwing & Curlew Sandpiper

Eider

Kingfisher

Kingfisher

Redshank and Dunlin

With Little Stints being seen at Out Head in St Andrews a few times during the week, there was only one place I was headed under my own steam on Saturday morning. Unfortunately the tide would be on its way back out and the beach was likely to be busy with early morning dog walkers and joggers no matter how early I managed to arrive. Still, the possibility of decent views of a year-tick made it worth the effort of the long walk out to the point. Depending on how things panned out and if I could time the bus I would then head on to Crail and the Fife Ness area.

I wanted to be over to St Andrews for around 0830, so I had just over 90 minutes to get to Out Head and back to catch a bus to Crail if the Little Stints weren't showing, so I left the house at just before 0745 to catch the bus into town. A Blackbird was in the bushes by the bus stop. From the bus into town I added Black Headed Gull, Herring Gull and Woodpigeon as well as Carrion Crow and Feral Pigeon near the Wellgate. A Pied Wagtail flew over the road and perched on top of one of the buildings as I walked along the Seagate.

Passing through Fife on the bus I managed to add a Lesser Black Backed Gull and a tarling nea the end of the roadbridge, plus Jackdaws and Rooks near St Michaels and a few Curlews on the playing fields as the bus reached St Andrews. Walking down to cross the golf course the sky was filled with Swallows and House Martins feeding with some perching atop the Rusack's Hotel roof. Linnets and Meadow Pipits were feeding on the golf course as I crossed. A few more Meadow Pipits were down by the burn along with a Pied Wagtail. There were a mix of gulls by the burn mouth, mostly Herring Gulls but also Black Headed and a few Common Gulls too. Oystercatcher and Curlew fed along the sand with a few Eider offshore.

I hurried out along the sand being careful to try not to spook any of the birds by the water, mostly gulls, including a few Great Black Backeds. When I reached the end of the beach at Out Head the tide was already receding and there was a lot of exposed sand. Unfortunately birds, especially small waders, were in very short supply, the dog walkers who were ahead of me possibly having played their part in ensuring this. Checking the time I realised that if I hurried there was a decent chance I could make the bus to Crail, so I headed up through the dunes, stopping to look at a Reed Bunting and a flock of Linnets on the long grass.

The rushed walk back to the bus station proved to be relatively good for close views of small birds. A few Meadow Pipits were around the sheep enclosure, and a Skylark lifted from below my feet a little further on. A Wren scolded me from the rose bushes halfway along the road back, and a Dunnock foraged in below the same bushes. A flock of Greenfinches was feeding on the rosehips with Linnets and Goldfinches in the dunes on the opposite side of the road. Cutting up a small cul-de-sac to meet the path up to the bus station, I found the first Robin of the day perched on a fence. I managed to catch the bus with around 7 minutes or so before it was due to depart.

There wasn't much to see en route except a few pigeons and crows. I got off the bus at my usual stop in Crail and walked along to the top end of Denburn Wood. A pair of Dunnocks were in the vegetation by the burn and a few House Sparrows were in the bushes by the graveyard. There wasn't too much to see in the wood itself although I did find Coal, Blue and Great Tits but nothing else apart from a Blackbird or two. Woodpigeon was added a little further on before I reached the end of the town. The walk out was surprisingly quiet with hardly anything to see or even hear. The first new bird was a Magpie just in the area at the end of the airfield industrial units.

I hunted around among the bushes and trees at the top end of Kilminning but a few Blue Tits and a Willow Warbler plus a few overflying Meadow Pipits and a Feral Pigeon or two was as good as it got. I wandered down the road seeing only a handful of Pied Wagtails and Goldfinches. The bottom end was quiet too with a few Whitethroats and some Chaffinches and Greenfinches in the rose bushes. I bumped into Willie and Anne Irvine who were also birding the area but finding very little as well. I got a lift from them back to the top end, stopping briefly on the way to watch a covey of Grey Partridges scurrying across the field,  from where we wandered up to the walled garden at Balcomie. It was very quiet also. On the wires down by the cottages were a large group of mostly Swallows but with a few House Martins too. Linnets were further north on the wires and one or two Yellowhammers were also around. A Buzzard flew low over the field chased by Swallows before perching on the drystane dyke. A Song Thrush was seen as we passed the farm buildings on our way back down the track.

I said cheerio to Willie and Anne and wandered down past the golf course to Fife Ness for a spot of sea-watching. A flock of Golden Plover flew over before I reached the shore. Grey Heron and Shags were out on the rocks to the north with a few Oystercatchers and Great Black Backed Gulls also. A nice surprise was three Stonechats, two of which had a bit of a squabble which I managed to photograph. Gannets as usual passed offshore.

I sat in front of the hide where a birder I had bumped into earlier was watching from. He hadn't seen too much either. A few Eiders were offshore along with some of the local Shags. A pod of Bottlenose Dolphins headed north close in breaking he surface every few seconds. Another 5 or so of these small groups were seen over the next 5-10 minutes all heading northwards probably to the Tay. Always nice to see. A single Red Throated Diver passed over heading south. The Golden Plover flock again flew by also heading south. Apart from Gannets and Herring, Black Headed, Common and Great Black Backed Gulls there seemed to be very little movement although a few Fulmars and Kittiwakes put in an appearance, the former close in the latter further out. A couple of Turnstones landed on the rocks to forage among the seaweed. I headed off to wander back up across the golf course stopping to check out Stinky Pool where a Redshank and two of the three Stonechats showed relatively well.

I revisited Kilminning but it was even quieter than it had been earlier in the day before heading back along the road to Crail. I was offered a lift back by an elderly gentleman who was passing and gratefully accepted. This gave me time to grab a bag of chips from the chip shop to eat while I waited for the bus. A Collared Dove was on the chimneys opposite. The local Feral Pigeon with the nest by the burn popped in once or twice while I stood at the bus stop. The bus journey back to St Andrews was uneventful with very little seen on the way. The journey from St Andrews to my final stop at Guardbridge was equally quiet.

I arrived at the hide at Guardbridge around 1630, with the hide due to be locked up at around 1700. The hide was empty so I scanned around for what birds I could see. First up was Redshank of which there were plenty. A group of seven Greenshanks were opposite the hide with two further birds elsewhere. A Ruff was nearby feeding along the mud. Two ducks flew past climbing away from the river. These turned out to be Pintail, a nice catch. There were quite a few Lapwings dotted around. Canada Geese and Mallards were down towards the paper mill with a few Goosander in the same general area. A Grey Heron flew in and landed opposite. The gull flock was made up of mostly Herring and Black Headed Gulls though there were a few Common Gulls among the group.

With the tide coming in, there was a good bit of wader activity and Black Tailed Godwits and Dunlin joined the Redshanks as they all foraged along the muddy shore. Two teal flew in and landed on the river downstream from the hide. I found a second Ruff among the Redshank flock. Greenfinches and Blue Tits were at the feeders. Woodpigeons clattered out of the trees by the hide and off across the river. A bit more scanning found a Curlew Sandpiper among the wader throng. A female Eider surfaced with what looked like a mussel shell. The Kingfisher scooted by low, not stopping to perch. Two Little Egrets stopped in briefly opposite the centre before flying off to join a roosting pair and a pair of Grey Herons on the salt marsh near the 'goalposts'. The Egrets are now an expected bird on the Eden around August/September time. My very first Little Egret sighting was in May 2004 at the Eden on my very first visit to the hide. A small flock of Wigeon flew in, with all the birds in various stages of eclipse plumage. I decided to pack up and head for home and was lucky to catch the bus within about 20 seconds of having made it across the road.

All in all a good day out despite the lack of Stints (I received a text saying the birds had again been seen late afternoon at Out Head and did debate catching the bus back to St Andrews but the thought of another long hike out and back from Out Head put me off). 64 species seen in total.

Blackbird, Black Headed Gull, Black Tailed Godwit, Blue Tit, Buzzard, Canada Goose, Carrion Crow, Chaffinch, Coal Tit, Common Gull, Cormorant, Curlew, Curlew Sandpiper, Dunlin, Dunnock, Eider, Fulmar, Gannet, Golden Plover, Goldfinch, Goosander, Great Black Backed Gull, Great Tit, Greenfinch, Greenshank, Grey Heron, Grey Partridge, Herring Gull, House Martin, House Sparrow, Jackdaw, Kingfisher, Kittiwake, Lapwing, Lesser Black Backed Gull, Linnet, Little Egret, Magpie, Mallard, Meadow Pipit, Oystercatcher, Pied Wagtail, Pintail, Redshank, Red Throated Diver, Reed Bunting, Robin, Feral Pigeon, Rook, Ruff, Shag, Skylark, Song Thrush, Starling, Stonechat, Swallow, Teal, Turnstone, Whitethroat, Wigeon, Willow Warbler, Woodpigeon, Wren, Yellowhammer.

0090 : Seventh Seventy Six (7/9/14)

Willow Warbler

Arctic Skua

Oystercatcher

Sandwich Tern

Common Tern

Sandwich Tern

Common Tern

Arctic Skua

Arctic Skua

Grey Plover

Sanderling

Sanderling

Terns and Gulls

Peregrine

Osprey

Cormorant

Peregrine

Tufted Duck

Teal

Sparrowhawk

Golden Plover

Golden Plover

With more reasonable weather forecast and no solid plans in place for heading out birding the following morning, I received an offer to head out and about again with my pal, Rhona. As there were some good birds around I thought that a similar route to previous outings might be worth doing, but when Rhona picked me up we decided on a wee change of plan as Rhona hadn't really seen what Fife had to offer bird-wise. We worked out a rough plan to head first to Tentsmuir, then to stop at Guardbridge around lunchtime for the tide coming in and then finally off to the Fife Ness area for a spot of sea-watching.

With the barrier at Tentsmuir not being opened till 9am we had roughly 30 minutes to kill, so I suggested popping in to City Quay to see Dave, the Red Throated Diver with the damaged wing. This would give us a good bird for the list and use up a few minutes of the 30 minutes spare. On route to City Quay we spotted Feral Pigeon, Carrion Crow and Woodpigeon. Once we arrived at the quay area there was no obvious sign of Dave, though there were a few juvenile Herring Gulls in the water. A few House Sparrows were around the flats, and a Lesser Black Backed Gull watched as we passed to turn the car and scan the easternmost quay area. Thankfully, Dave was having a sleep over in the northwest corner here. Not the best of views but a new species for Rhona. As we watched I heard a Meadow Pipit go over and managed to pick it out against the clouds. From the roadbridge we could see Cormorants out on the 'submarine'.

We headed for Tayport, Starlings and Woodpigeons seen as we passed through. A few Swallows were low over the fields as we turned down the road towards Tentsmuir and Kinshaldy beach. We walked out through the trees from the car park. A Robin was first  to be added. The bushes by the forest edge held a mixture of birds - Great, Blue and Long Tailed Tits plus a Willow Warbler and a Wren. The flock was moving through the trees northwards so we positioned ourselves ahead of them and let them come to us. There were also good numbers of Chaffinches and at least one Goldcrest. 

We headed north through the dunes with Swallows and Meadow Pipits passing over in small numbers. Another bird with a call that I didn't recognise went unidentified as it passed southwards. We could hear terns calling from beyond the dunes so we headed for the beach. A few Oystercatchers were down by the shoreline. An light phase Arctic Skua put in an appearance a bit to the north causing havoc among the birds within the nature reserve at Tentsmuir Point. A Bar Tailed Godwit flew past and a line of Cormorants could be seen on a sand bank. A nearer sandy island was gradually being swamped by the tide. This islet held a large roost of terns - Common, Arctic and Sandwich but also Black Headed Gulls and Kittiwakes. A long line of Goosanders were offshore with more on the beach. I counted at least 90 birds. A Great Black Backed Gull passed southwards.

Two Rooks flew north behind us and we spotted a single Sanderling foraging along the edge of the beach. A Curlew and a small flock of Ringed Plover dashed past southwards. Further offshore Gannets could be seen circling and diving. The terns were leaving the island in droves and heading north past us giving us both good photo opportunities. A Common Gull chased a Common Tern with a fish in its beak but gave up after a few seconds. Rhona was attempting to get photos of the Sanderling as I scanned out to sea. I picked up a few Eider flying by, but my attention was drawn to a closer bird, another Arctic Skua (a dark phase bird) which spent a minute or two giving chase to various seabirds.

A small flock of Sanderling flew past and landed on the shoreline not far from us allowing a few photos before they took flight again northwards along the beach. With the tide coming in we trapsed back down the beach a bit. Another island offshore held two Grey Plovers, two Kittiwakes and a Great Black Backed Gull. The plovers flew off south as the water began to lap at their feet. We headed back into the dunes to head for the car park again. Carrion Crows called as they flew past. We found a couple of young Reed Buntings among the Sea Buckthorn but there wasn't too much else seen before we made it back to the car park which was now extremely busy with people.

Guardbridge was our next planned stop so we headed back out through the forest and into Leuchars village where a few Jackdaws and a Rook were on the rooftops. A Peregrine looking rather Kestrel-like overflew the car park as we got out of the car. Greenfinches were on the feeders and Lapwings were flying around outside the front of the hide. A Common Sandpiper flew low upriver. A bit of scanning produced Canada Geese and Little Egret, both species being temporary late summer residents. There were plenty of Redshanks around, strung out along the mud opposite. I found an Osprey feeding on a fish near the 'goalposts'. It must have been a large fish because the bird was still feeding when we left around an hour later. A Carrion Crow and Herring Gull were paying close attention in case an opportunity arose to steal the catch. The two Pink Footed Geese wandered out across the mud.

A Curlew flew upstream, and I scanned through the gulls. As expected it held Black Headed, Common, Herring and Great Black Backeds. Beyond them a few Mallards swam. Scanning through the Redshanks I found a few Dunlin. A single Black Tailed Godwit stood in the water near the gulls. A very distant Shelduck was another addition to the list. A Kingfisher shot past low over the water below the hide giving us a brief glimpse. Chaffinches and a pair of Dunnocks were feeding on the ground below the feeders and a Woodpigeon flew in and landed on the gate momentarily. With the tide rising quickly there was movement of waders from other areas with the birds congregating opposite the hide. I managed to find at least three Curlew Sandpipers among the throng but drew a blank on Ruff and Curlew Sandpiper. A Teal flew across the widening river towards the mouth of the Motray where it joined a few others.

A Buzzard flew in to near the still feeding Osprey. A Grey Heron headed upriver. A Blackbird pair showed on the fence between the hide and the former paper mill. A Cormorant hunted in the river out front of the hide before flying off. Swallows twittered as they fed above the hide and another large group of maybe 20 of these birds headed south across the river. Goldfinches flew up from the salt marsh before settling once again among the long grass. Feral Pigeons flew from the paper mill upstream towards the bridge. I scanned the paper mill building to see if I could pick up the Peregrine that sometimes perches there but the distance meant I drew a blank. However, a photo showed a white blob that looked rather promising. Rhona hadn't seen a Peregrine before so we decided to go and investigate.

Having parked the car in the street opposite we crossed the road at the bridge and wandered down the track by the Motray. There were a few Greenfinches in the bushes as well as House Sparrows. We reached the end of the burn where it enters the Eden and stopped to scan the building. There, perched on the metal rail around the top, was a male Peregrine. Rhona was rather pleased to finally see one, especially so near. We took a few photos then headed back to the car. Rather than head straight to Fife Ness, I suggested checking the small pool at the end of the road as we had to turn the car round anyway. This turned out to be a good decision as the pool held a few species we hadn't seen already - two Tufted Ducks, two Teal, a Wigeon, two Little Grebes and two Mute Swans. A Collared Dove was on a lamp post as we drove through the village.

Nearing St Andrews, a Pied Wagtail was on the grass by the roadside and at the other end of town a House Martin was still visiting a nest on a house. A few Woodpigeons and Carrion Crows were all that was seen as we drove to Crail and on to Kilminning. It was rather quiet at the bottom end car park area with Linnets in the field and a few Goldfinches in the bushes. A Sparrowhawk lifted from a tree behind us and flew off into the wind. A flock of Greenfinches fed among the rose bushes. Scanning out over the sea I picked up Fulmar and Shag as well as a few Gannets. We decided against stopping at the top end and instead headed down across the golf course to Fife Ness for a spot of sea-watching. As usual the rocks to the north held Great Black Backed Gulls and Shags with a few Oystercatchers and Herring Gulls in the mix.

A Fulmar came past over the rocks in front of us and after a few minutes a flock of Golden Plover dropped in relatively nearby. Another smaller group landed a bit closer allowing us a good look. A seal popped up offshore but overall it was quite quiet with very few birds passing. A small group of Common Scoter headed north low over the water in line abreast and Gannets and gulls trickled past but none of the hoped for Skuas or Shearwaters. With Rhona hoping to be home for around 5pm or so, we called it a day and headed for home. A Magpie was on the path as headed back uphill across the golf course, and we added the final species of the day not too far outside Crail when a Pheasant flew up from the roadside.

All in all a very productive day out with 77 species seen, though no year-ticks.
Species seen - Arctic Skua, Arctic Tern, Bar Tailed Godwit, Blackbird, Black Headed Gull, Black Tailed Godwit, Blue Tit, Buzzard, Canada Goose, Carrion Crow, Chaffinch, Coal Tit, Collared Dove, Common Gull, Common Sandpiper, Common Scoter, Common Tern, Cormorant, Curlew, Curlew Sandpiper, Dunlin, Dunnock, Eider, Fulmar, Gannet, Goldcrest, Golden Plover, Goldfinch, Goosander, Great Black Backed Gull, Great Tit, Greenfinch, Grey Heron, Grey Plover, Herring Gull, House Martin, House Sparrow, Jackdaw, Kingfisher, Kittiwake, Lapwing, Lesser Black Backed Gull, Linnet, Little Egret, Little Grebe, Long Tailed Tit, Magpie, Mallard, Meadow Pipit, Mute Swan, Osprey, Oystercatcher, Peregrine, Pheasant, Pied Wagtail, Pink Footed Goose, Redshank, Red Throated Diver, Reed Bunting, Ringed Plover, Robin, Feral Pigeon, Rook, Sanderling, Sandwich Tern, Shag, Shelduck, Sparrowhawk, Starling, Swallow, Teal, Tufted Duck, Wigeon, Willow Warbler, Woodpigeon, Wren. 

0089 : Terned Out Nice Again (6/9/14)

Roseate Tern

Roseate Tern & Common Tern

Golden Plover

Curlew, Oystercatcher & Sandwich Tern

Fulmar

Roseate Tern & Sandwich Tern

Common Tern

Sandwich Tern

Mediterranean Gull & Sandwich Tern

Mediterranean Gull

Rock Pipit

Common Tern, Sandwich Tern & Herring Gull

Sandwich Tern & Black Headed Gull

Peregrine Falcon

Little Gull

Guillemot

As is often the case when I'm at work good birds seem to have a tendency to show up and I have no chance of getting to see them. If it happens on a Friday I have to hope that the bird will hang around another day and that it will be somewhere I can get to. Having missed out on the Roseate Terns at Kingsbarns a few weeks before I was pleasantly surprised to have a second chance potentially when Roseate Terns were found at Arbroath by Stuart Green of Angus Birdtours.

With decent weather once again forecast I was out around 0850. A Blue Tit made a change for first bird of the day though Carrion Crow was a more predictable next bird. A Starling was perched atop a TV aerial. Further along the road a Magpie flew up from the pavement and a Woodpigeon flew over. Herring Gulls glided above the car park on Dura Street with House Martins still around the primary school and House Sparrows in the gardens. A Collared Dove was seen while heading down towards Arbroath Road.

From the bus I managed to spot a Sparrowhawk being pursued by a Carrion Crow just as we reached Claypotts junction. Passing Monifieth a Lesser Black Backed Gull was added to the list. Pied Wagtail and Swallow were seen near the Carnoustie turn-off while passing through the Arbroath streets, Blackbird and Jackdaw were seen. Walking down from the bus station towards the harbour I saw Feral Pigeon and overflying Meadow Pipits.

Reaching the end of the harbour wall where the Brothock Burn meets the sea I stopped to scan. Two Common Sandpipers flushed from below me flying low along the sea wall to settle again. Although it was a bit quieter than earlier in the week there were still some birds out on the rocks and sea. Eiders were offshore in ones and twos, and a Cormorant flew past. Black Headed Gulls and a few Little Gulls were out by the water perched on the rocks. Much further out, Gannets passed northwards in small groups. A flock of Terns flew by noisily, mostly Common and Sandwich Terns as far as I could ascertain. Herring Gulls and Great Black Backed Gulls were a bit further round on the rocks with a few Curlews probing around and Oystercatchers roosting.

Meadow Pipits and Swallows continued to pass over westwards in small groups. A pair of Mute Swans flew by. I once again bumped into Mickey Mellon, this time in the company of another birder, Neil Black. We chatted for a bit before they headed off to continue their WeBS count. I wandered along the waterfront eastwards towards the cliffs. Spotting a few groups of terns out on the rocks I stopped to check through them. With a strong sun at their back it wasn't easy but I persevered. A Grey Heron landed close by and a large flock of Goldfinches landed in the longer grass on the slope north of the road. I found a small group of Golden Plovers strung out a bit closer in than the terns. Oystercatcher, Redshank and Turnstone were also around in small numbers.

The terns appeared to be mostly Common though there were also decent numbers of Sandwich Terns. One or two Arctic Terns stood on their very short legs. There was a bit of panic among the group and some birds flew a short distance to another rock out in the water. Among them was one bird that looked quite interesting. It appeared paler, especially on the belly and breast and the bill looked dark. The strong sun wasn't making things easy so I took a few photos to try and double check what I thought I was seeing. The strong light made checking the back of the camera difficult also, but I was fairly confident I had my first ever Roseate Tern. I put out a text to say the bird was still around with directions to where it was. Unfortunately, another of the regular 'panics' resulted in the flock flying off though some birds remained. Bob McCurley turned up but we couldn't relocate the Roseate. Two Grey Herons overflew and we decided to head along to the cliffs.

On the rocks near the cliffs, a similar mix of birds lingered - Black Headed Gulls, Common Terns, Herring Gulls, Sandwich Terns, Curlews and Oystercatchers. I spotted a single Little Gull out beyond some Curlews as I scanned through the birds trying to relocate the Roseate Tern. A Linnet flock popped down onto the grass where a few Pied Wagtails scampered around. Neil Black had hurried along having received the text about the tern but was disappointed to not find it where I'd seen it. I showed him the photos and we chatted a bit while still scanning through the birds.

We decided to try a different perspective to try and use the strong light to our advantage rather than as a hinderance. We wandered up the path to the cliffs to look down on the birds with the sun at our backs. This made a big difference. Two Fulmars were circling round at cliff-top height and a few young Kittiwakes landed among the terns.With the higher viewpoint, Redshanks and Turnstones were picked out on the seaward side of the rocks. I methodically worked my way through the Terns, once again finally finding a promising looking bird with a juvenile next to it. I pointed it out to Neil and Mickey (who had rejoined us) and they agreed it looked pretty promising. Checking the photos later at home confirmed that the two birds were actually Roseate Terns. Mickey headed off again and Neil and I headed back down to road level. Although the tide was coming in, it wasn't a big tide so we edged out to the base of the cliffs to scan some more. The temperature had dropped with cloud rolling in and the wind picking up and I was wishing I'd put on another layer.

A Cormorant flew by. Neil headed off again and I continued to hope for another decent view of the Roseate Tern. I did succeed in finding another decent bird when my binoculars landed on a juvenile Mediterranean Gull. A nice surprise. A Rock Pipit foraged around on the shore behind me. I moved back to the esplanade ramp for a different view and some different photo angles. There was a bit of an explosion of birds in all directions and the culprit wasn't readily obvious although within a second or so I spotted the cause - a juvenile Peregrine which flew off back along the cliffs empty-taloned. The terns had largely headed out to sea leaving some of the waders and gulls. I found another Little Gull before I headed up to walk along the cliffs for a spot of sea-watching.

Unfortunately it was rather quiet out to sea with only small numbers of birds around, mostly gulls. Black Headed, Common, Herring, Great Black Backed, Little and Kittiwake were all seen at times. In addition, a few Fulmars and a Shag plus Oystercatchers and Curlew. A Guillemot was near the base of the cliffs with a group of Herring Gulls roosting nearby. After around an hour I decided to head back to Arbroath to catch the bus back to Dundee. Starlings, Pied Wagtails, Herring Gulls, Oystercatcher, Curlew and Eiders were all spotted before I headed back through town.

A decent enough day out with a lifer in the bag (in bold). Only 45 species seen.
Arctic Tern, Blackbird, Black Headed Gull, Blue Tit, Carrion Crow, Collared Dove, Common Gull, Common Sandpiper, Common Tern, Cormorant, Curlew, Eider, Fulmar, Gannet, Golden Plover, Goldfinch, Great Black Backed Gull, Grey Heron, Guillemot, Herring Gull, House Martin, House Sparrow, Jackdaw, Kittiwake, Lesser Black Backed Gull, Linnet, Little Gull, Magpie, Meadow Pipit, Mediterranean Gull, Mute Swan, Oystercatcher, Peregrine, Pied Wagtail, Redshank, Feral Pigeon, Rock Pipit, Roseate Tern, Sandwich Tern, Shag, Sparrowhawk, Starling, Swallow, Turnstone, Woodpigeon.