One of the things about birding is you really never know what to expect. Bird books will say that bird A will be found in such and such habitat, in such and such a place, and at such and such times. Birds don't read bird books though, so they do have a tendency to sometimes turn up where they aren't meant to be, or when they are meant to be. It certainly helps keep things interesting. Autumn in particular can be good for migrant birds taking a wrong turn, or being blown off course, so September and October especially can be full of surprises. With easterly winds blowing, things can get extra interesting. Having had a few days of easterlies this week and with more due, myself and Nat decided to head to the most reliable migrant spot locally - the Fife Ness/Crail area, for our regular Wednesday outing.
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| Red Flanked Bluetail (2013 bird) |
I headed out at around 0750, to walk to the bus station. Starling and Feral Pigeon were first onto the list, Robins were heard singing but weren't in any obvious places where they could be seen easily. A Herring Gull youngster glided over. On Dens Road, a Woodpigeon flew over the road, and a young Carrion Crow was tucked in a corner eating something near Victoria Bridge. I heard Blue Tits in the usual place near the underpass before the bus station but didn't spend any time looking for them. From the bus to Fife I added Cormorants to the list.
I said to Nat "Let's have a really good day birding today", and off we went. Rooks, Jackdaws and Collared Doves were seen on the way into Leuchars and there were some Curlews and Woodpigeons in the field by the main road past the railway station. There were a pair of Mute Swans on the Motray at Guardbridge. Heading into St Andrews there was a single Common Gull with a few Herring Gulls, Woodpigeons and Curlews on the playing fields behind the Old Course Hotel. A surprise between Boarhills and Kingsbarns was a flock of Canada Geese in a stubble field. A Buzzard drifted up above some trees near Cambo, and a Kestrel hovered by the road as we neared rail, with what looked to be a Pied Wagtail mobbing it.
Rather than heading straight out to Kilminning as originally planned, I suggested we check Denburn Wood, just in case there was anything interesting there. I was hoping that we would find a Yellow Browed Warbler somewhere today, and with plenty of trees in the wood, where better to start? Things were relatively quiet. There were a few birds around, but they sounded too high in the trees, or were hidden in cover, and views were limited to bird shapes flying away or disappearing into cover. Eventually we started to see a few, near the cemetery. A Wren, a pair of Dunnocks, a Robin, a Blue Tit or two, and a Coal Tit. A pair of Magpies landed up in the dead tree near a Starling. A bird whose call I didn't recognise flew over quite high heading west, but I failed to get the camera onto the bird in time. One that got away.
Nat found a warbler in the trees above the muddy path up from the wood to the cemetery. It was very active, never stopping while we had it in view. Eventually we lost it as it disappeared into a tree behind the tree we were watching it in. Nat thought it might have been a Chiffchaff or Willow Warbler but I suspect it might have been the hoped for Yellow Browed Warbler. Without clear views it had to be another one that got away. We took our time to search the rest of the wood. With the trees providing a lot of protection from the relatively strong wind there was no sense in rushing along to the more open Kilminning.
As we neared the southern end of the wood, a bird suddenly appeared in front of me in the bare branches of a small bush above a fallen tree trunk. I lifted my binoculars and was surprised by what I saw. The bird decided it wasn't staying for a photo and darted off. I laughed to myself, partially in disbelief, partially knowing what Nat was going to say when I told her what I'd just seen. She was on the other side of the small burn checking the bushes on that side, not far away. I called to her "Erm, I've just had a
Red Flanked Bluetail". As I expected, she wasn't believing it. Had I been her, I wouldn't have either. We'd been joking in the car on the way down that we would maybe find a Red Flanked Bluetail, as I had done just under 3 years ago, but it had been a joke. Red Flanked Bluetail just wasn't on our radar.
But there it was, well, there it had been. I'd known instantly what I'd been looking at. Brown back, white eye-ring, orange flanks, greyish belly, vaguely Robin-like small bird. But just like the original bird, it hadn't stayed put long enough for a photo. On top of that, I hadn't had time to register the blue of the tail. I knew it had to be blue, but as the bird is a description species (a description needs to be submitted to the Rarities Committee who decide whether the record is legitimate or not) I needed to see the tail, or we needed a photo showing that blue tail. Once I'd persuaded Nat that I wasn't actually joking, I showed Nat illustrations of the bird on the Collins Bird Guide app and we set to looking for it again. I also said to get any sort of photo if the bird showed. Blurred or sharp it didn't matter. The bird is so distinctive that it was likely that even a bad photo would show some of the key ID features.
We had a few fleeting possible views, before Nat managed two decent views of the bird on the path. Unfortunately, the poor lighting in the wood meant that she hadn't managed to see the colour of the tail, only that it had been rather dark. I had an idea. If I could get a message to local bird photographer, John Anderson, with a bit of luck he could pop down with some mealworms to hopefully tempt the bird out. Also, John's big lens is ideally suited for the low light in the wood. Thirdly, it meant an extra pair of eyes. The problem was that I always struggle to get a mobile signal anywhere near Crail. I tried anyway. After a few attempts the message sent. No reply. We kept looking.
The bird showed briefly low in a bush by the burn and Nat succeeded in getting a single photo which although very blurred showed the white eye-ring, orange flanks and brown back. What we didn't appreciate at the time was that the blue rump/top of the tail was just showing on the photo. John Anderson phoned me. He didn't have mealworms but he'd be along in a few minutes with some bird seed. I photographed Nat's photo and sent a text to the Fife Bird Recorder, Malcolm Ware, telling him that we were trying to get confirmation of a Red Flanked Bluetail in Denburn Wood. After a few attempts the text actually went. When John turned up we showed him Nat's pic, and where the bird had been seen already. Nat stationed herself up on the top path, John near where the bird had initially shown and I went off to try and let Willie Irvine know. I tried texting but couldn't get the message to go. I tried phoning but it wouldn't connect. I gave up and went back to help get the clinching photo.
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| Nat's photo of the bird |
I sat by the tree where Nat had seen the bird on the path. Blue Tits, Robins, Great Tits and a Treecreeper showed before the bird popped into the bush by the burn. rather than go for a photo, I made a point of getting a look at the tail. It was dark blue. Confirmation. I typed out a message to Malc, telling him we'd confirmed the bird. It wouldn't send. Thankfully, John had a signal and sent word. With the ID clinched, Nat decided to head back to the car for more layers and something to eat/drink. We added a few more birds - Blackbird, Grey Wagtail, Great Tit, Chaffinch and Goldcrest, before a few more folk turned up. Nat had a few more views of the bird, spotted by a birder from Cellardyke, but no-one else managed a photo.
Eventually we decided to head along to Kilminning to check out the bushes and trees along there. Not unexpectedly, things were relatively quiet. As it was after 1400 there was a strong likelihood most things would have moved on with the wind behind them. We did see a few Redwings and Blackbirds. A Pied Wagtail and a Meadow Pipit overflew, and just as we were about to give up on the top end a Sparrowhawk flew up from the trees. There were a few Woodpigeons, Wrens and Magpies around. The other side of the road proved to be rather quiet also (though Sam Taylor found a Yellow Browed Warbler near the golf course later). We headed down to the bottom end. A Great Black Backed Gull drifted over. I spotted birds in the field past the Go Kart track which all turned out to be Linnets. Nat spotted birds on the airfield. Lots of Golden Plover. There were Skylarks among them, and a few flew over the road into the other field.
We turned in to the open area on the right, rather than negotiate the pot-holed track down to the bottom car park. Our intention was to check the relatively sheltered area where the Eastern Olivaceous Warbler had been seen a few years ago. Unfortunately, a car was parked on the grass by the bushes. A camera was sticking out the window. Rather than attempt to check the sycamores behind the car, where we had Yellow Browed Warbler last year, and run the risk of disturbing whatever the man in the car was attempting to photograph we scanned what we could from the car. Blackbird, Goldfinch and Song Thrush were all seen and a few Greenfinches were among the rosehips.
There were a few other birds seen but not well enough to ID, as they shot across open spaces in the bushes. I decided to have a wee wander to check the trees round the back. Things were quiet so I checked over towards the field. There were a few distant Lapwings in the field but little else. We decided to check Balcomie walled garden instead, where Fife Bird Club members have permission to visit. A Pheasant crossed the road along by the golf course. A Pied Wagtail flew over as we neared the garden. There were a few Robins, Blackbirds and Song Thrushes in the garden but little else except lots of Red Admiral butterflies (and a few Painted Ladies) revelling in the shelter of the garden. A quick check down by the overgrown garden in front of the cottage past the farm buildings drew a blank, but a Yellowhammer flew over and landed on the drystane dyke bordering the field, which held some Curlews and Woodpigeons. Offshore, I spotted a few distant Gannets before we headed back to the car.
We decided to quickly drop back in to Denburn Wood to see if the bird had been seen since we left, and hopefully photographed. I spoke to Will Cresswell, whose Wild Crail blog (https://aboutcrail.wordpress.com ) I read fairly regularly, who said he'd had good views and was glad he'd seen this one, as he'd missed the 2013 bird (though he did see the 2003 bird). Rob Armstrong had narrowly missed out on a photo so it seemed that Nat's photo was so far the only one. I was pleased to hear that others had managed to see the bird, and see it reasonably well. We headed for home, happy that lightning had struck twice.
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| Treecreeper |
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| Treecreeper |
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| Golden Plover |
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| Golden Plover (Lapwing in background) |
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| Skylark |
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| Linnet |
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| Yellowhammer |
A short list of 43 species but one very good bird (a year tick for me, and a lifer for Nat - in bold) on it. Species seen - Blackbird, Blue Tit, Buzzard, Canada Goose, Carrion Crow, Chaffinch, Coal Tit, Collared Dove, Common Gull, Cormorant, Curlew, Dunnock, Gannet, Goldcrest, Golden Plover, Goldfinch, Great Black Backed Gull, Great Tit, Greenfinch, Grey Wagtail, Herring Gull, Jackdaw, Kestrel, Lapwing, Linnet, Magpie, Meadow Pipit, Mute Swan, Pheasant, Pied Wagtail,
Red Flanked Bluetail, Redwing, Robin, Feral Pigeon, Rook, Skylark, Song Thrush, Sparrowhawk, Starling, Treecreeper, Woodpigeon, Wren, Yellowhammer.
I didn't take too many photos today, concentrating on trying to get even 1 of the Red Flanked Bluetail, and failing, so the photos of Red Flanked Bluetail here are of the 2013 bird.
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| Red Flanked Bluetail (2013) |
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| Red Flanked Bluetail (2013) |
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| Red Flanked Bluetail (2013) |
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| Red Flanked Bluetail (2013) |
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| Red Flanked Bluetail (2013) |
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| Red Flanked Bluetail (2013) |
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| Red Flanked Bluetail (2013) |
