Despite having an extended weekend off work, and not being due back until Thursday for a nice short working week of only 2 days, I just couldn't get motivated to get up and out on Monday. I was still rather tired from Sunday's Speyside outing but it was much later than it should have been when I did eventually get out of bed. Surprisingly I was to be greeted by blue skies and sunshine. Having seen the weather I decided i needed to go somewhere. I settled on paying the hide at Guardbridge a visit. There is always the possibility of a White Tailed Eagle out in the estuary or maybe a lingering Little Egret. Either would give me a year-tick.
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| Carrion Crow |
I headed out the door around 1245 and rather than walk into town I walked to the bus stop to catch a bus. A Herring Gull was first on the list, with only Feral Pigeon added until the bus hove into view. As it approached, 4 Magpies flew high across the street. A few seconds later, a 5th bird followed. The most I've seen together nearby, though I have had 6 together in Graham Street last year. Yet another Magpie was seen from the bus near Arthurstone Terrace as 1 flew out of a tall tree in a back green behind a tenement block behind the billboards on Dens Road. A Blackbird was seen as I walked to the bus station near the Wellgate Centre.
From the bus, I added Cormorants at Submarine Rock, and a pair of Carrion Crows flew over the roadbridge. At St Michaels the resident Rooks were busy around the rookery. The detour via Balmullo added Starling and Woodpigeon to the list. Unfortunately the bus didn't stop where I thought it did so I had a longer walk back to the hide than I wanted. I did see a number of Shelduck on the mud in the Eden before I reached the edge of the village on my way back from the bus stop at Edenside. There were a few birds around in the village but nothing I hadn't already seen.
I stopped at the bridge over the Eden to see what, if anything, was around. There were a lot of Redshanks mostly just stood around near the eastern bank of the river. There were also Black Tailed Godwits and Oystercatchers among them. A Curlew flew up and over the bridge. On the river I could see Mallards and a few Teal were sleeping near the Redshanks. The usual gull flock was up near the bend in the river. I could see they were largely Herring Gulls, but Black Headed and Lesser Black Backeds were also apparent among the flock. A brief stop at the shop for food resulted in an out of date (by a few weeks) packet of crisps. I only realised this much later when the first one I put in my mouth was rather soft. They all went in the nearest bin.
A Blue Tit was in the small tree by the gate into the park where the hide is situated. There were a few Tree Sparrows dotted around in the bushes along the river from the hide as well as a single Coal Tit. Once into the empty hide and settled down I scanned through everything, finding that I'd already seen most of what was around. I eventually found a few Dunlin among the Redshanks while further downriver a single Greenshank stood preening. The first Goldeneyes of the day were down by the bend in the river. On the far bank opposite the paper mill, I spotted a
Little Egret picking its way along the water's edge. My first of 2016.
More scanning around found a couple of Pink Footed Geese in the field below the Fife Bird Club hide at the farm. Chaffinches and a Dunnock were at the feeders, the former on the feeders and the latter below. Looking out the other window to my left, I spotted movement on the feeder furthest back from the hide. A female Great Spotted Woodpecker. There were a decent number of Tree Sparrows on the other feeders, certainly the most I've seen here for some time, approaching double figures.
I spotted a few Linnets in flight across the other side of the river but lost sight of them as they headed away from the hide and towards the salt marsh. The first Greenfinches of the day showed at the feeders while another look through the gull flock added Great Black Backed and Common Gulls to the list. There wasn't too much happening, though a second Little Egret appeared from nowhere, with one of the two soon deciding to walk upriver hunting for food at the water's edge. There was a bit of a tussle between two drake Mallards fighting over a female out in front of the hide, and a bit of animosity shown by two Black Tailed Godwits to each other soon after.
I spotted 7 distant swans flying upriver over towards the military base. I expected them to be Mutes but they turned out to be Whoopers and they landed in the river near where I had first spotted them. A few minutes later another pair of Swans appeared from the same direction. This time I expected them to be Whoopers but they were Mutes. They dropped in close to the original group of Whoopers. Near these Swans were a few Wigeon on the water. Another new species for the day. I spotted a single Long Tailed Tit on the feeders.
I was joined in the hide by St Andrews birder, George Adam, who was doing a WEBS count and we chatted as he scanned through the birds. He found a few Knot among the Redshanks, and a Great Tit arrived at the feeders. I found a colour ringed Black Tailed Godwit among the other waders and succeeded in getting a few photos. George was headed for Balgove bay to count Pintails and Wigeon and offered me a lift to join him, which would have given me the chance of some nice photos but I declined. Instead I decided to walk to St Michaels to catch the bus from there, and hopefully add a few species along the way.
As we walked out of the hide I could hear Tree Sparrows and spotted a few in the bushes. I spotted movement in the taller trees by the fence. A quick check through the binoculars identified the bird as a Goldcrest. I moved closer for a photo but only succeeded in a rear underside view before I lost the bird among the branches of a nearby tree. There were a few House Sparrows perched on the hedge bordering the Eden Mill Brewery while overhead the local Feral Pigeons flew. Walking up towards Leuchars rail station I watched a few Skylarks take to the air singing loudly as they climbed higher and higher into the blue sky. A Goldfinch was in the trees as I walked through the village, along with a few Blackbirds. Jackdaws and Rooks were seen as I walked along the last stretch to catch the bus home (I just missed 2 but had a relatively short wait for the 3rd).
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| Black Tailed Godwit |
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| Redshanks & Dunlin |
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| Greenshank |
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| Redshanks & Dunlin |
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| Great Spotted Woodpecker |
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| Black Tailed Godwit |
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| Mallard |
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| Little Egrets |
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| Teal |
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| Teal |
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| Carrion Crow |
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| Whooper Swans |
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| Black Tailed Godwits |
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| Goldeneye |
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| Redshank |
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| Goldeneye |
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| Little Egret & Redshanks |
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| Knot & Redshank |
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| Little Egret |
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| Black Tailed Godwit & Dunlin |
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| Redshank |
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| Skylark |
44 species seen including a year-tick (in bold) - Blackbird, Black Headed Gull, Black Tailed Godwit, Blue Tit, Carrion Crow, Chaffinch, Coal Tit, Common Gull, Cormorant, Curlew, Dunlin, Dunnock, Goldcrest, Goldeneye, Goldfinch, Great Black Backed Gull, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Great Tit, Greenfinch, Greenshank, Herring Gull, House Sparrow, Jackdaw, Knot, Lesser Black Backed Gull, Linnet, Little Egret, Long Tailed Tit, Magpie, Mallard, Mute Swan, Oystercatcher, Pink Footed Goose, Redshank, Feral Pigeon, Rook, Shelduck, Skylark, Starling, Teal, Tree Sparrow, Whooper Swan, Wigeon, Woodpigeon.
