STONEFACTION BIRDING: 0153 : After The Rain (6/5/15)

0153 : After The Rain (6/5/15)

I had hoped to spend 3 days off work out birding but rather a lot of rain falling from leaden grey skies put paid to getting out on Tuesday but with the forecast improving around mid-morning on Wednesday I wasn't staying in. With lots of migrants being reported on the Isle of May and at Fife Ness on Tuesday evening, including Pied Flycatchers which can be tricky to get otherwise, as even at Killiecrankie where I used to go to get them on my year-list, the numbers seem to have dropped greatly, not that they were particularly high in the first place. I made arrangements with birding buddy, Nat, to meet her at Guardbridge hide where we would wait for the rain to clear eastwards then head down the coast to the Crail area and see what we could find.

Pied Flycatcher

With the rain not being forecast to clear Fife Ness until around 1pm it was agreed that we may as well not start too early, so I said I'd meet Nat in the hide at Guardbridge at around 0915 or so. I left the house at around 0835, immediately picking up Blackbird, Herring Gull and Feral Pigeon, with Carrion Crow, Starling and Woodpigeon not too far behind. It was raining quite heavily so I was glad to find there was a bus into town due.

A Pied Wagtail scurried around on the pavement in Commercial Street as I headed for the bus station. Lesser Black Backed Gull being added from the bus before we reached the bridge. There wasn't too much else seen from the bus except Rook and House Sparrow. The rain in Guardbridge wasn't as heavy and I headed into the hide. Out on the mud it looked rather quiet, which wasn't unexpected but it wasn't particularly handy either.

Nat joined me a few minutes later and we scanned out across the estuary. Redshanks in very low single figures were along the shoreline. A Grey Heron was silhouetted way out across the mud. A few Swallows swooped low above the pools hidden in the grass across the river. Chaffinches and Greenfinches came to the feeders outside along with a pair of Tree Sparrows. Mallards, Mute Swans were on the river and Oystercatchers were out on the mud.

More distantly there were plenty of Shelducks scattered around along the far shore and in the next bay over. A small flock of Curlews flew in, and I thought I heard a Whimbrel calling but I couldn't find it through binoculars. Maybe a scope would have helped. Blue Tits fed on the peanut feeders and we heard the sharp call of a Great Spotted Woodpecker, just before it flew into the feeders to the left of the hide. Unfortunately reflections from the other window made seeing it very difficult, and photographing it impossible. A good bird to get nonetheless.

Dunnock below the feeders and flyover Goldfinches were next for the list and a Cormorant headed up and over the hide before Nat managed to see it. A Sparrowhawk appeared out in front of the hide circling upwards before disappearing back over the trees and away. Nat spotted one of the local Buzzards perched on the opposite side of the river. A few Sand Martins passed through. The gull flock appeared to be mostly Herring Gulls with a few Lesser Black Backeds among them.

Scanning around I picked up a very distant Skylark fluttering upwards from the military base at Leuchars. A Robin appeared below the feeders and a Black Headed Gull flew upriver before swinging back downstream again. I spotted a House Martin whizzing around and watched as it landed briefly on the mud opposite the hide. While scanning a short while later I picked up a small-ish duck in flight, I suspected Teal and this was confirmed eventually when I refound the bird on the river, though it was incredibly hard to pick out against the grey of the distant muddy bank.

Before heading to Crail we made a short detour to check out the pool by the Motray just off River Crescent. Although there was a distinct lack of ducks and waders (one Herring Gull on the water) around we did succeed in finding Sedge Warbler, Reed Bunting and Yellowhammer so it was a worthwhile stop. On our way from St Andrews to Crail, Nat spotted a pair of Grey Partridges in a field. Rather than head straight out to Kilminning we decided to head first to Denburn Wood where there would be some shelter from the expected rain.

When we arrived in Crail however, the sun was shining and it appeared to have not been raining for quite some time. So much for the Met Office forecast! We wandered into the wood anyway. Lots of birdsong and calls greeted us. A Wren flew into the undergrowth from near the burn. A Blackcap was found after a bit of hunting. A Great Tit was seen among the trees, and a pair of Stock Doves loitered near the owl box where they had nested last year, so it would seem they are doing so again this year.

Collared Dove and Magpie made their way onto the list as we drove out to Kilminning. I spotted Willie Irvine as we parked up and headed over for a quick chat to see what was around. Thanks to Willie we had an idea of what was around and where to find it. While we chatted a Chiffchaff browsed around in a nearby tree. When I met Nat back at the car she showed me a Willow Warbler she had spotted. With the better birds frequenting the bottom end we decided to head there first.

Willie had told me that there were 3 Pied Flycatchers and that they were frequenting the area beside the 'old toilet block'. We parked nearby and wandered over for a look. No birds. We waited and still nothing appeared to be moving. We were joined by another birder who pointed out a Pied Flycatcher along from where we had been watching. This bird was showing relatively well, so we got a few photos before it resumed its catching of flies and we lost sight of it again. After the initial sighting we were fortunate to have a few others of varying quality. I suspect we did in the end manage to see all 3 birds that had been reported.

A Kestrel was spotted flying away from us over the trees. Initially I hoped that it might be a Cuckoo which had been seen earlier but a quick photo proved otherwise. With time wearing on and Nat requiring to be home for around 4pm we headed down across the golf course to check 'the patch' or Fife Ness Muir to give it its Sunday name. There was plenty of activity for a change with lots of warblers among the bushes, especially at the top end. Willow Warblers, Chiffchaffs, Blackcaps and even a nice Garden Warbler as well as a Goldcrest and a few Chaffinches.

All too quickly it was time to head back, though we did squeeze a few minutes of seawatching from by the car first. Gannets aplenty, Eiders, a Fulmar, a few Guillemots and Razorbills swept by plus Great Black Backed Gull, Cormorants and Shags out on the rocks. A Whitethroat was on the wires and another in the scrub to the north of the cottage. On the way back to St Andrews we added Pheasant and a Lapwing. With the tide in at Guardbridge and a heavy shower to the north I decided to head for home, so Nat dropped me off near the bridge to wait for a bus. When I arrived back in Dundee I decided against my half-hearted plan to visit City Quay to check on Dave the Red Throated Diver and instead went home.

Another enjoyable day out with Nat and a rather good total of 60 species seen with a couple of year-ticks among them (in bold).

Blackbird, Blackcap, Black Headed Gull, Blue Tit, Buzzard, carrion Crow, Chaffinch, Chiffchaff, Collared Dove, Cormorant, Curlew, Dunnock, Eider, Fulmar, Gannet, Garden Warbler, Goldcrest, Goldfinch, Great Black Backed Gull, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Great Tit, Greenfinch, Grey Heron, Grey Partridge, Guillemot, Herring Gull, House Martin, House Sparrow, Kestrel, Lapwing, Lesser Black Backed Gull, Magpie, Mallard, Mute Swan, Oystercatcher, Pheasant, Pied Flycatcher, Pied Wagtail, Razorbill, Redshank, Reed Bunting, Robin, Feral Pigeon, Rook, Sand Martin, Sedge Warbler, Shag, Shelduck, Skylark, Sparrowhawk, Starling, Stock Dove, Swallow, Teal, Tree Sparrow, Whitethroat, Willow Warbler, Woodpigeon, Wren, Yellowhammer.