STONEFACTION BIRDING: 0159 : Nests And The Ness (13/5/15)

0159 : Nests And The Ness (13/5/15)

Day 3 of the week off work and at last I made it out of bed early and had a plan for the day. It would be a trip to Fife Ness for a bit of sea-watching with an outside chance of picking up something unusual on the migrant front. With the forecast for sunshine and a lot less wind than the previous few days I knew that the sea-watching would be unlikely to give too many surprises but once again - nothing ventured...

Sparrowhawk

I was out the door before 0800, just. Lesser Black Backed Gull and the first of 'my' Swifts for the year overhead. Starling, Blackbird, Swallow and Blue Tit all added while I waited for the bus into town. Herring Gull and Feral Pigeon both seen from the bus and Woodpigeon added from the bus station. Cormorant on submarine rock with wings outstretched was the first of the 'from the bus' haul. House Martin and Rook were both added at St Michaels with Sand Martin further on, above the golf course.

Collared Dove and House Sparrow were seen in Leuchars, with Mute Swan added as the bus crossed the Eden at Guardbridge. A minute later we passed a Kestrel hovering over the roadside fields. Nearing St Andrews an Oystercatcher was in a field and a Pied Wagtail scurried around on the short roadside grass as the bus disgorged part of its load of students.

From the bus to Crail I watched Jackdaws on the feeders in the garden next to the bus station, but there were no Rooks this time. Buzzard and Lapwing were seen on the way to Boarhills, with a Grey Partridge in one of the fields a little further on. Surprisingly what was the first Carrion Crow of the day was seen near Kingsbarns.

I got off the bus at my usual stop in Crail to walk along to the top end of Denburn Wood. A Blue Tit and Chaffinch were watched in the trees, while Starlings flew shuttle missions to and from the grassy area to the houses. A Carrion Crow's nest high in one of the trees caught my attention, the young birds calling making me look up. A Song Thrush sang loudly from one of the bushes at the top end of the cemetery and I took a short video clip with the Nikon P900. A Dunnock was next onto the list

Denburn Wood held its usual summer Stock Doves loitering near the owl box. I heard a call that made me stop and listen. I watched as a male Sparrowhawk flew low through the trees and up into the top of a tree which was still lacking leaves. In the top fork of the tree was a nest and the bird landed in the nest. My first Sparrowhawk's nest find. I watched, and filmed, the bird at the nest for a few minutes before it flew off again, only to return shortly after. It perched a little above the nest and I made sure I got a selection of photos, and some more video, of the bird as I don't get too many opportunities to see perched Sparrowhawks.

A great way to start the Crail birding for the day. A Wren was perched in a small sapling near the bottom of the wood. Wandering out along the road to Kilminning I watched a Skylark becoming a dot in the sky, its song raining down from above. Another song jangled out further on. Corn Bunting, but I couldn't see the bird perched on any of the fence posts or other likely perches. The reason for this was the bird was singing from the ground. I spotted the head among the vegetation in the field before it flew a short distance to a slightly more visible perch, though still on the ground.

I attempted a short video clip but the camera struggled to focus on the bird. Thankfully, the bird flew up onto the wires by the track that leads to Wormiston. I slowly wandered closer, careful not to spook the singing bird. It allowed me to get rather close and I shot some nice video of the bird in full song. More footage that I was pleased to get (the previous footage I had from here was ruined by heat haze and wind noise). After a minute or so I moved on leaving the bird still singing from its perch on the wires.

I found a trio of Grey Partridges in the grass on the airfield and attempted to get a video and some photos but heat haze made things a bit tricky. Moving further on I struggled to relocate the birds from a different angle. As I tried, a car drew up and local photographer John Anderson asked me what I was trying to get. I told him, and we chatted for a few minutes. John was headed down to Fife Ness with his camera so he offered me a lift which I gratefully accepted. A Magpie was spotted from the car as it flew off over the field.

Arriving at the Ness, a Linnet flew up from the beach as we headed round to the rocks in front of the hide. Eiders and Gannets flew by. Out on the rocks to the north stood Great Black Backed Gulls and Shags. A Whimbrel lifted from the shoreline and flew off south. I found a reasonably comfortable spot to sit in the sunshine and got myself and camera gear organised. Seeing how calm the sea was John decided to go on the hunt for Sedge Warblers or Whitethroats along the coastal path. I thanked him again for the lift and settled into my sea-watching spell.

A Grey Heron flew by, only to fly back in the opposite direction with a second younger bird following on a minute or so later. Further out Guillemots passed, wings whirring. Kittiwakes were next on the list and my first year-tick followed shortly after with a pair of Arctic Terns heading north. More Gannets and Eiders interspersed with Guillemots and gulls passed. A Curlew headed southwards above the rocks where I sat. The first of five Red Throated Divers headed north. Another single, a pair and another single following over the next half hour or so.

I was hoping for Manx Shearwater or a Skua to go by, so when I saw a bird with straight wings 'shearing' out over the water I was disappointed that it was only a Fulmar. Still, it was a new species for the day. A flock of waders landed on the rocks in front of the roosting Eiders. Turnstones, some in summer plumage, which picked around in the seaweed. Some of the flock couldn't be seen from where I sat as they foraged along the water's edge. A bird that wasn't a Turnstone appeared from behind a rock. A Dunlin in partial summer plumage. Offshore, the first Razorbills of the day went by, as did the first rather more vocal Sandwich Terns of the day.

A small group of Common Gulls headed out over the sea in the direction of the Isle of May. Watching the Turnstones feeding I picked out a second non-Turnstone among the group. A Purple Sandpiper, and well on its way to breeding plumage. Another nice find. I decided to move over to the forward rocks as the tide was receding making the small channel passable at last. Although I was nowhere near them, after a few minutes of contemplation, some of the Eiders slid into the water and away. Thankfully the waders ignored me, which allowed me to get some nice film of the Turnstones as well as the Purple Sandpiper and Dunlin.

A single Common Scoter headed north before I decided to pop up into "the Patch" to search for migrants. Whitethroat and Yellowhammer were both seen before I cut along the edge of the cottage up onto the golf course and along the track past the gorse bushes and into the area more correctly known as "Fife Ness Muir". Unlike my previous visit it was a lot quieter with far fewer birds around. I did succeed in adding Goldfinch, Robin and Goldcrest though, but there were no Warblers to be seen, or anything more exotic.

I headed up across the golf course to check out Kilminning, stopping to watch a Whitethroat flitting around in the trees by the first tee. Like the patch, it was very quiet with hardly any birdsong or movement at all. As I was on the verge of giving up I spotted movement in one of the sycamores that back onto the airfield buildings to the south of the top 'square'. I suspected a Warbler, but as I raised my binoculars for a better look, the bird flew a short distance and landed in the top of the next tree along. A Spotted Flycatcher, and my first of the year. As I raised my camera for a photo the bird flew off towards the top corner of the square where I lost sight of it.

With that spot (pardon the pun!)I decided it might be worthwhile to search the rest of the site and walk back along the coastal path to Crail rather than along the road. Doing so, would also potentially give me slightly more time to bird on the way without doubling back on myself. Unfortunately the only other bird added to the list at Kilminning was a Wheatear on the airfield itself.A Buzzard was harassed by a Carrion Crow but there was little else around.

Cutting along through the caravan park on my way back to Crail I had good views of a single Song Thrush fledgling being fed by the parents. With a little spare time before my bus back to St Andrews was due I cut up through Denburn Wood but there was no sign of any activity at the Sparrowhawk nest, though the local Stock Doves did pose for a photo or two.

Another really good day out with plenty highlights and decent quality video footage too. 62 species seen with 2 year-ticks (in bold) among them.

Arctic Tern, Blackbird, Blue Tit, Buzzard, Carrion Crow, Chaffinch, Collared Dove, Common Gull, Common Scoter, Cormorant, Corn Bunting, Curlew, Dunlin, Dunnock, Eider, Fulmar, Gannet, Goldcrest, Goldfinch, Great Black Backed Gull, Great Tit, Greenfinch, Grey Heron, Grey Partridge, Guilleot, Herring Gull, House Martin, House Sparrow, Jackdaw, Kestrel, Kittiwake, Lapwing, Lesser Black Backed Gull, Linnet, Magpie, Mute Swan, Oystercatcher, Pied Wagtail, Purple Sandpiper, Razorbill, Red Throated Diver, Robin, Feral Pigeon, Rook, Sand Martin, Sandwich Tern, Shag, Skylark, Song Thrush, Sparrowhawk, Spotted Flycatcher, Starling, Stock Dove, Swallow, Swift, Turnstone, Wheatear, Whimbrel, Whitethroat, Woodpigeon, Wren, Yellowhammer.