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| Red Breasted Merganser |
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| Ravens |
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| Snow Buntings |
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| Snow Buntings |
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| Snow Buntings |
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| Greenshank (and Bar Tailed Godwits, Oystercatchers) |
At long last a clear morning and a chance to get out and about after two weekends stuck in due to bad weather (missed 2 Cranes among other things). The forecast was for it to cloud over during the morning turning to rain in the afternoon with strong winds from the south. I decided to walk round the coast from Leuchars to Tayport, meaning the wind would be behind me most of the way.
I left the house around 0855, picking up Blackbird almost immediately and Herring Gull too. Woodpigeon and a surprise Magpie perched on a block of flats on Dens Road near Arthurstone Terrace bumped the list on a wee bit further. A Blue Tit flew into a tree by St Margaret's home on Victoria Road and Feral Pigeon and Carrion Crow were added before I reached the bus station.
The windows on the bus weren't particularly clear with the low sun adding to the problems of making out birds as I headed for Leuchars. Did manage to ID 2 male Pheasants in a field, as well as a Rook on a house at St Michaels. Jackdaw and Starling were seen as I got off the bus in Leuchars, and I walked up towards the church. A Woodpigeon stared back at me from quite a low branch as I walked past. A Common Gull and a small group of Black Headed Gulls were on the grass at the Primary School, while House Sparrows, Blackbirds, Great Tits and Robins were in the hedges.
Reaching the end of the houses on Earlshall Road I expected to see Tree Sparrow and wasn't disappointed with a few in the hedges with House Sparrows and Great Tits. Rooks and Jackdaws fed in the fields and scanning ahead I spotted 2 Fieldfares in a field with horses by the farm. A flock of Curlews flew in from the north. A small charm of Goldfinches and a single male Chaffinch fed in the field by the farmhouse. There was no sign of a Buzzard for a change, and surprisingly I failed to see a single one today. A Wren was added in the open area by the moto-cross track where I normally find Woodcock, but like the Buzzard there was none to be seen.
A Carrion Crow dropped into the trees behind me as I scanned ahead for Stonechats. Once again I drew a blank. There wasn't much to be seen as I walked along the northern edge of RAF Leuchars, though I did spot a very distant Raven way over the forest to the east. A Kestrel was perched on a lighting pole on the base but flew off after I managed one photo. Goldcrest and two Stock Doves were the only birds found in Reres Wood.
On reaching the beach, I scanned the outer reaches of the Eden and along the shore. Herring Gulls, a Cormorant, Oystercatcher, and Curlew were on the St Andrews side of the river. Two drake Red Breasted Mergansers, around half a dozen Long Tailed Ducks, and some Eiders were on the river. There was a lot of excess water around between the wood and the beach, with some rather deep erosion down to the river at one point where the flooding had made its way back down to its source.
The wind was quite strong and I decided to push on northwards although my enthusiasm was waning as the cloud cover increased. Having not seen too much of interest, I debated whether to turn back towards Leuchars, but a sighing of what looked like Ravens further on, helped me make my mind up.
I left the house around 0855, picking up Blackbird almost immediately and Herring Gull too. Woodpigeon and a surprise Magpie perched on a block of flats on Dens Road near Arthurstone Terrace bumped the list on a wee bit further. A Blue Tit flew into a tree by St Margaret's home on Victoria Road and Feral Pigeon and Carrion Crow were added before I reached the bus station.
The windows on the bus weren't particularly clear with the low sun adding to the problems of making out birds as I headed for Leuchars. Did manage to ID 2 male Pheasants in a field, as well as a Rook on a house at St Michaels. Jackdaw and Starling were seen as I got off the bus in Leuchars, and I walked up towards the church. A Woodpigeon stared back at me from quite a low branch as I walked past. A Common Gull and a small group of Black Headed Gulls were on the grass at the Primary School, while House Sparrows, Blackbirds, Great Tits and Robins were in the hedges.
Reaching the end of the houses on Earlshall Road I expected to see Tree Sparrow and wasn't disappointed with a few in the hedges with House Sparrows and Great Tits. Rooks and Jackdaws fed in the fields and scanning ahead I spotted 2 Fieldfares in a field with horses by the farm. A flock of Curlews flew in from the north. A small charm of Goldfinches and a single male Chaffinch fed in the field by the farmhouse. There was no sign of a Buzzard for a change, and surprisingly I failed to see a single one today. A Wren was added in the open area by the moto-cross track where I normally find Woodcock, but like the Buzzard there was none to be seen.
A Carrion Crow dropped into the trees behind me as I scanned ahead for Stonechats. Once again I drew a blank. There wasn't much to be seen as I walked along the northern edge of RAF Leuchars, though I did spot a very distant Raven way over the forest to the east. A Kestrel was perched on a lighting pole on the base but flew off after I managed one photo. Goldcrest and two Stock Doves were the only birds found in Reres Wood.
On reaching the beach, I scanned the outer reaches of the Eden and along the shore. Herring Gulls, a Cormorant, Oystercatcher, and Curlew were on the St Andrews side of the river. Two drake Red Breasted Mergansers, around half a dozen Long Tailed Ducks, and some Eiders were on the river. There was a lot of excess water around between the wood and the beach, with some rather deep erosion down to the river at one point where the flooding had made its way back down to its source.
The wind was quite strong and I decided to push on northwards although my enthusiasm was waning as the cloud cover increased. Having not seen too much of interest, I debated whether to turn back towards Leuchars, but a sighing of what looked like Ravens further on, helped me make my mind up.
There were a few Carrion Crows around and a mixture of Gulls feeding in the flooded areas. As I got closer, the two Ravens flew up and past me to the south. Unfortunately the poor light meant that the photos weren't as good as the close views should have produced. The waves made it difficult to see too much offshore with just binoculars but Great Black Backed Gulls and Common Gulls were roosting on the shore, hunkered down facing into the wind. A few flocks of waders were spooked by the few walkers around. Dunlin and Sanderling mostly, but also around 100 Knot.
I headed inland to check out the Goosepools, where there were at least 100 or so Teal and I spooked a Song Thrush from under a Gorse bush as I tried to sneak up on the Teal flock. The higher viewpoint meant I picked up a couple of Common Scoters out over the water and more Eiders and Long Tailed Ducks too. A Reed Bunting was the only addition between here and the burn outflow at Kinshaldy. Again I debated heading inland back towards Leuchars but the lack of cover if it rained meant I continued northwards. Still no sign of Stonechats. A skein of six Greylags flew over southwards into the wind making slow progress.
There was a lot of water in the dunes creating large pools, although they were mostly bereft of birds until I reached the northern end of these pools where the dunes curve round to meet the water flowing out to meet the incoming tide. I spooked another Reed Bunting by the edge of one of these pools, and saw the two Ravens (or was it another pair?) displaying over the trees before flying down over the dunes to the beach out of sight. I could see Oystercatchers and gulls ahead but something made me turn to look over the pool. Abeam of me a small flock of birds flitted around above the dunes, showing lots of white. Snow Buntings. There were around 60 of them and I moved closer to the pool for a better view. They flew over and landed on some exposed sand in the middle of the pool. I moved back away from them and edged closer to the water's edge with the sun behind me (it had made a brief re-appearance at just the right time). I managed a few photos of the birds drinking and bathing before they once again flew back to the dunes opposite. Looking at the photos later at home, at least 6 (probably more) of the Snow Buntings had silver rings on one leg.
There were two Great Black Backed Gulls, two Bar Tailed Godwits, 30 or so Oystercatchers and some Common Gulls, 2 Dunlin, a Curlew, a Greenshank, 2 Red Breasted Mergansers and a Long tailed Duck in the pool, but the strong winds and the sun having gone back into hiding made getting good photos tricky. Still a nice mix of birds.
Crossing the fence into the Tentsmuir Point nature reserve, I decided to miss out some of the deciduous trees that I usually check out, and head diagonally towards another copse by the main forest before zig-zagging back to the area where I usually find Green Woodpecker. Unfortunately both areas were extremely quiet with only 3 Great Tits seen, and a Cormorant out over the sea.
I could see that rain wasn't far away so I quickened my pace as best as I could, which given two weekends without any walking wasn't easy and made it to the north eastern corner of the forest just as the rain came on. En route, I spotted a bird fly over the drainage ditch by the wind 'turbine'. It turned out to be a Meadow Pipit, the first of the day.
My hope of adding Grey Plover to the list was dashed when I saw just how high the tide was, with waves reaching where the lower path usually lies. A few Eiders weren't too far offshore but far more were out in the river, with hundreds near Lucky Scaup island. Cormorants and Oystercatchers could be made out on the island too. Very little was seen before I reached the western end of the trees. The tide had covered the salt marsh and around 90% of the path, the highest I'd ever seen here. A pair of Rock Pipits flew over looking for somewhere to land.
Surprisingly, despite the tide state and the rain there were walkers still heading eastwards. I could see lots of ducks and gull just off Tayport. These were mostly Wigeon and Mallards, but there was at least one small group of Shelducks further out. I managed to miss a bus back to Dundee by about a minute, so decided to cut over the football pitches and through the caravan park to add Mute Swan and Moorhen to the list at the duck pond. Lots of Oystercatchers, Curlews and Woodpigeons feeding on the grass at both ends of the caravan park. The water coming over the wall near the duck pond had flooded the road.
There was a lot of water in the dunes creating large pools, although they were mostly bereft of birds until I reached the northern end of these pools where the dunes curve round to meet the water flowing out to meet the incoming tide. I spooked another Reed Bunting by the edge of one of these pools, and saw the two Ravens (or was it another pair?) displaying over the trees before flying down over the dunes to the beach out of sight. I could see Oystercatchers and gulls ahead but something made me turn to look over the pool. Abeam of me a small flock of birds flitted around above the dunes, showing lots of white. Snow Buntings. There were around 60 of them and I moved closer to the pool for a better view. They flew over and landed on some exposed sand in the middle of the pool. I moved back away from them and edged closer to the water's edge with the sun behind me (it had made a brief re-appearance at just the right time). I managed a few photos of the birds drinking and bathing before they once again flew back to the dunes opposite. Looking at the photos later at home, at least 6 (probably more) of the Snow Buntings had silver rings on one leg.
There were two Great Black Backed Gulls, two Bar Tailed Godwits, 30 or so Oystercatchers and some Common Gulls, 2 Dunlin, a Curlew, a Greenshank, 2 Red Breasted Mergansers and a Long tailed Duck in the pool, but the strong winds and the sun having gone back into hiding made getting good photos tricky. Still a nice mix of birds.
Crossing the fence into the Tentsmuir Point nature reserve, I decided to miss out some of the deciduous trees that I usually check out, and head diagonally towards another copse by the main forest before zig-zagging back to the area where I usually find Green Woodpecker. Unfortunately both areas were extremely quiet with only 3 Great Tits seen, and a Cormorant out over the sea.
I could see that rain wasn't far away so I quickened my pace as best as I could, which given two weekends without any walking wasn't easy and made it to the north eastern corner of the forest just as the rain came on. En route, I spotted a bird fly over the drainage ditch by the wind 'turbine'. It turned out to be a Meadow Pipit, the first of the day.
My hope of adding Grey Plover to the list was dashed when I saw just how high the tide was, with waves reaching where the lower path usually lies. A few Eiders weren't too far offshore but far more were out in the river, with hundreds near Lucky Scaup island. Cormorants and Oystercatchers could be made out on the island too. Very little was seen before I reached the western end of the trees. The tide had covered the salt marsh and around 90% of the path, the highest I'd ever seen here. A pair of Rock Pipits flew over looking for somewhere to land.
Surprisingly, despite the tide state and the rain there were walkers still heading eastwards. I could see lots of ducks and gull just off Tayport. These were mostly Wigeon and Mallards, but there was at least one small group of Shelducks further out. I managed to miss a bus back to Dundee by about a minute, so decided to cut over the football pitches and through the caravan park to add Mute Swan and Moorhen to the list at the duck pond. Lots of Oystercatchers, Curlews and Woodpigeons feeding on the grass at both ends of the caravan park. The water coming over the wall near the duck pond had flooded the road.
There were 2 Mute Swans by the corner of the pond and 5 or so Moorhens hurried back to the pond as I approached. A Herring Gull and a Mallard scuttled away from me and a mixed flock of Black Headed Gulls and Oystercatchers flew up from nearer the houses. A pair of Siskins overflew as I walked up to catch the bus home, which thankfully I didn't have to wait too long for. Not a bad day out, despite the variable conditions.
53 species seen - 2 year ticks (in bold)
Bar Tailed Godwit, Blackbird, Black Headed Gull, Blue Tit, Carrion Crow, Chaffinch, Common Gull, Common Scoter, Cormorant, Curlew, Dunlin, Eider, Fieldfare, Goldcrest, Goldfinch, Great Black Backed Gull, Great Tit, Greenshank, Greylag Goose, Herring Gull, House Sparrow, Jackdaw, Kestrel, Knot, Lapwing, Long Tailed Duck, Magpie, Mallard, Meadow Pipit, Moorhen, Mute Swan, Oystercatcher, Pheasant, Raven, Red Breasted Merganser, Redshank, Reed Bunting, Robin, Feral Pigeon, Rock Pipit, Rook, Sanderling, Shelduck, Siskin, Snow Bunting, Song Thrush, Starling, Stock Dove, Teal, Tree Sparrow, Wigeon, Woodpigeon, Wren.
53 species seen - 2 year ticks (in bold)
Bar Tailed Godwit, Blackbird, Black Headed Gull, Blue Tit, Carrion Crow, Chaffinch, Common Gull, Common Scoter, Cormorant, Curlew, Dunlin, Eider, Fieldfare, Goldcrest, Goldfinch, Great Black Backed Gull, Great Tit, Greenshank, Greylag Goose, Herring Gull, House Sparrow, Jackdaw, Kestrel, Knot, Lapwing, Long Tailed Duck, Magpie, Mallard, Meadow Pipit, Moorhen, Mute Swan, Oystercatcher, Pheasant, Raven, Red Breasted Merganser, Redshank, Reed Bunting, Robin, Feral Pigeon, Rock Pipit, Rook, Sanderling, Shelduck, Siskin, Snow Bunting, Song Thrush, Starling, Stock Dove, Teal, Tree Sparrow, Wigeon, Woodpigeon, Wren.