Despite the winds looking slightly more promising for the Angus coast turning up something good, the 'one that got away' at Kilminning on Sunday was too tempting not to try for. I didn't hold out too much hope that the bird, whatever it was, would still be around but if you don't look, you don't find. So it was an easy decision to try the Crail area again on Monday.
 |
| Goldcrest |
I was up early and out the front door at around 0735 to head into town to catch a slightly earlier bus than I needed to, if the timetable was to be believed. With lots of folk using the bus to get to work, or university in St Andrews at that time of the morning, delays are always likely, and with a window of less than 10 minutes to play with between the bus getting to St Andrews and the Crail one leaving it was better to be safe than sorry. Starling, Carrion Crow, Feral Pigeon and Black Headed Gull started the list, with Herring Gull added at the bus station. A Cormorant was low over the Tay near the Fife side.
Woodpigeons were in the fields near Drumoig, with Rooks at St Michaels and Jackdaws in Leuchars. Lapwings overflew the Guardbridge - St Andrews road, but otherwise there wasn't much else to be seen from the bus, though the windows steaming up didn't help. The bus to Crail was slightly more productive with Mallards seen in the burn in St Andrews. A Yellowhammer was on the roadside wires and a Pheasant was in the fields as we approached Kingsbarns. In addition to the usual Jackdaws there a Magpie was also seen. As the bus approached the Wormiston bend, I spotted a Sparrowhawk youngster (or female) lift from the stubble and fly along low above the road in front of the bus, then alongside, before cutting across the road and into the garden of a cottage just round the bend. As I was at the front and upstairs I had a ringside seat, but the camera was still in the bag.
There were 2 Pied Wagtails on the tennis court when I got off the bus to walk along past the church to Denburn Wood. The first of many Robins was in the trees and a Grey Wagtail flew over towards the Wood. The first skein of Pink Footed Geese passed overhead. Things were rather quiet in the wood with Blue Tit and Great Tit showing reasonably well. From the top of the track that leads up into the cemetery I was surprised to see a Grey Heron fly over rather low which the local Carrion Crows took exception to, chasing it towards the fields. A Treecreeper was seen in the bushes near the gate, but overall it was slightly disappointing.
There were House Sparrows around the gardens on the edge of Crail. A Corn Bunting flew over as I walked out along the road to the golf course and Kilminning. A Wren was by the roadside and a slight detour into the roadside stubble field flushed two Meadow Pipits up onto the wires whee they showed well against the blue sky. I could hear 'mewing' of a Buzzard from somewhere and eventually spotted it high in the sly soaring upwards, with a second bird nearby. A third bird turned out to be a male Sparrowhawk which circled up even higher than the Buzzards before I lost sight of it. There were Skylarks passing over in small groups, but less than the day before.
A Chaffinch was in the trees by the entrance to the industrial estate on the old airfield, along with a Robin and a few Blue Tits. A small flock of Golden Plovers passed over the fields to the north heading for their regular haunt below Balcomie. I had Kilminning to myself to start with and hunted for 'the' bird. Unfortunately there was no sign of it. I did find a Chiffchaff still skulking around in the trees and there were plenty of Goldcrests. We watched a pair of Goldcrests together in the sycamores - one raised its crest fully and fanned its tail as if it was displaying to the other, something I'd never seen before. In addition there were a few Goldfinches tucking into Rowan berries. Dunnock and Coal Tit were seen on the other side of the track. A Great Black Backed Gull glided over.
I was joined by Dave Waters who reckoned the call we'd heard the day before actually sounded like Greenish Warbler. Whatever it actually was, we still hoped to find out by relocating the bird. The Fife Bird Recorder, Malcolm Ware, joined us, as did Dave Clugston and John Anderson. However, the extra eyes didn't help much and it increasingly appeared that our mystery bird had moved on over night. We did hear, and see, a couple of Yellow Browed Warblers among the Goldcrests and Robins. There were also a few Song Thrushes and Blackbirds dotted around. I found two Kestrels at the entrance to Balcomie, one which was chased by a Carrion Crow and a second one still perched in a tree.
Malc, Dave and I wandered down through Balcomie after a quick look in the walled garden (which was quiet). We decided to check out the track along the front of the cottages. As we reached the bushes surrounding the last garden a flock of 20+ Grey Partridges suddenly burst skywards, flying away towards the farm buildings and over the walled garden. A stock Dove flew by, and out over the sea we could see a few Gannets going by. There were a few Curlews in the stubble field and a Reed Bunting and a Wren were both flushed as we walked back up the hill along the edge of the stubble. Near the walled garden we discovered where half the Partridges had gone as around 10 of them once again took flight before landing in the middle of the field.
We headed down to the Fife Bird Club hide at Fife Ness for some seawatching. Malc and Dave had scopes so they were identifying birds far out from the shore that I wasn't even seeing (Manx Shearwater, Sooty Shearwater, Bonxie, Arctic Skua and Kittiwake). I did manage to find a few Guillemots closer in, as well as Shags. Common, Black Headed, Herring and Great Black Backed Gulls were also seen closer in, but most of the good birds were out of binocular range. I had left my small scope at home to save weight. That decision cost me a year-tick in Sooty Shearwater.
There was a Redshank among the rocks and a few Oystercatchers along the seaweed covered rocks further out. A Red Breasted Merganser flew by and a Rock Pipit dropped in, out in front of the hide. A few Eiders flew past and I picked up a Red Throated Diver powering southwards. A Razorbill went north before we decided to call it a day. Dave gave me a lift back to St Andrews which was much appreciated especially as it saved me the 2 mile walk back to Crail to catch the bus back to St Andrews, and around half an hour off the journey home at least. Despite not finding the mystery bird I still managed a respectable total of 56 species.
 |
| Rook |
 |
| Sparrowhawk |
 |
| Meadow Pipit |
 |
| Goldcrest |
 |
| Goldcrest |
 |
| Goldfinch |
 |
| Yellow Browed Warbler |
 |
| Blue Tit |
 |
| Kestrel |
 |
| Kestrel |
 |
| Carrion Crow & Kestrel |
 |
| Kestrel |
 |
| Grey Partridge |
 |
| Gannet |
 |
| Redshank |
 |
| Red Throated Diver |
Species seen - Blackbird, Black Headed Gull, Blue Tit, Buzzard, Carrion Crow, Chaffinch, Chiffchaff, Coal Tit, Common Gull, Cormorant, Corn Bunting, Curlew, Dunnock, Eider, Gannet, Goldcrest, Golden Plover, Goldfinch, Great Black Backed Gull, Great Tit, Grey Heron, Grey Partridge, Grey Wagtail, Guillemot, Herring Gull, House Sparrow, Jackdaw, Kestrel, Lapwing, Magpie, Mallard, Meadow Pipit, Oystercatcher, Pheasant, Pied Wagtail, Pink Footed Goose, Razorbill, Red Breasted Merganser, Redshank, Red Throated Diver, Reed Bunting, Robin, Feral Pigeon, Rock Pipit, Rook, Shag, Skylark, Song Thrush, Sparrowhawk, Starling, Stock Dove, Treecreeper, Woodpigeon, Wren, Yellow Browed Warbler, Yellowhammer.
