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| Red Admiral |
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| Peregrine |
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| Curlew |
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| Osprey |
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| Great Black Backed Gull |
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| Great Black Backed Gull |
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| Cormorant |
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| Common Prawn |
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| Willow Warbler |
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| Willow Warbler |
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| Wheatear |
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| Pied Wagtail |
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| Pied Wagtail |
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| Wheatear |
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| Grey Partridge |
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| Magpie |
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| Collared Dove |
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| Swift |
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| Common Darter |
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| Swift |
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| Swift |
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| Golden Plover |
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| 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.