Having had 2 weeks off work in Autumn, 1 in September and 1 in October, that really failed to deliver on the migrant front, I was hoping that 3 days off in November might produce at least one year-tick, hopefully more, though with less daylight available for birding and with most migrating birds having already passed through the likelihood was fairly slim. However, nothing ventured, nothing gained. Wednesday, as always, was the usual midweek outing with Nat. There was one very good bird just about in striking distance - a Siberian Accentor just north of Inverness at Avoch. Wet weather, including snow, and Nat having to be back for 1700 meant it wasn't really practical. With rain forecast for the morning at least, it would have to be birding from hides. Angus or Fife - Nat chose Fife, so I arranged to meet her at our usual place and time.
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| Merlin |
I headed out at about 0750 only seeing a Herring Gull and Blackbird before I caught a bus into town where Feral Pigeon was added. Black Headed Gull was added at the car park over the bridge. We decided to head for Fife Ness first, with the tide being in at Guardbridge. Jackdaws and Rooks were seen at Leuchars, with Woodpigeons seen at Guardbridge and Curlews on the playing fields at St Andrews. Starlings were added as we neared Crail, with a large flock on wires across a field. As we headed out to the golf course I spotted a Sparrowhawk and Nat stopped the car so we could confirm it. A Magpie on a fence post, and Pheasants in the stubble gave us a nice few bonus birds.
Surprisingly, it wasn't raining at Fife Ness. We headed into the hide having seen a Red Breasted Merganser on Stinky Pool, and a few Carrion Crows on the beach. With my camera in my bag I missed out on a shot of a Carrion Crow carrying a flatfish in a short flight up onto the rocks. A Dunnock was in the weeds by the track to the hide. Shags and Cormorants were on the rocks to the north. A Grey Heron flew past. We were still in the process of getting organised when Nat spotted a raptor heading from the left above the rocks out front. Thankfully, my camera was out of the bag and I rattled off a few shots, managing to get a few reasonable flight shots of a Merlin hunting. Not a bad way to start.
A few Eiders flew past, and there were still a few Gannets around. On the water we found 4 Red Throated Divers. A small group of Common Scoters headed north before a Redshank appeared on the pools in front of us. Long Tailed Ducks headed south. A group of Oystercatchers were next to pass by. More Eiders and Gannets continued to route through in front of us. There was quite a swell and it was easy to lose birds in the dips between the waves. As I scanned, a dark bird caught my eye, heading north. I grabbed my camera and alerted Nat to the bird - a
Sooty Shearwater. It was relatively close in and thankfully I managed to get a few photos which were surprisingly decent, considering the dull conditions. November is quite late to be seeing the species, so it was a real surprise.
Guillemots sped low over the water and a Rock Pipit showed briefly out on the rocks. There had been a few Red Throated Divers flying by but the next diver north was a Great Northern Diver - another good bird to get. Heading in the opposite direction was a surprise Little Auk, low and fast. A flock of Wigeon were next to pass in front of the hide. More Red Throated Divers and another group of Wigeon, this time with a Pintail in tow were seen. Two ducks heading south turned out to be Goldeneye and another three followed shortly after. Nat decided to head back to the car for a cup of tea and while she was gone I added a group of Ringed Plover and a few more Red Throated Divers.
We decided to head up to Kilminning for lunch at 1200. Blue Tit, Great Tit and Yellowhammer were seen behind the caravans as we wandered to the car. A quick check of Stinky Pool found Black Headed Gull, Redshank, Curlew and Oystercatcher. As we headed back to the car we spotted a Kestrel on the wires and were able to get some nice photos. A Song Thrush was in the trees but was displaced by a Yellowhammer. There wasn't much to see at Kilminning except Blackbirds and a Magpie, and a Robin. After some discussion we decided to head to Ruddon's Point in the hope of finding Surf Scoter and maybe a Red Necked Grebe.
A Buzzard was seen on the way back into Crail. After parking the car at the caravan park, we headed towards the beach, picking up a small flock of Long Tailed Tits heading into the trees, and a Goldcrest and a Wren in bushes. A Chaffinch flew over. We scanned the beach finding a few Oystercatchers and Ringed Plovers as well as Bar Tailed Godwit, Dunlin, Grey Plovers and Sanderling. Among the Herring Gulls and Black Headed Gulls were a few Common Gulls. A single Goldfinch flew into the conifers. A Great Crested Grebe was on the water just offshore. Eiders were a little further out. Further across the bay we could see a number of Scoters and I scanned through them looking for Surf Scoter, but found only Velvet and Common Scoters.
Also among the flock were a few Slavonian Grebes. Also out on the water were a few Red Throated Divers and a nice surprise was a Great Northern Diver moulting out of breeding plumage. A few Razorbills were seen distantly and there were plenty of Long Tailed Ducks also among the other birds. There were Mallards in the bay on the other side of the point and more waders but nothing we hadn't already seen. We decided to head to Kilconquhar for a quick stop and to check Barnyard's Marsh for Snipe. There were House Sparrows in the hedge opposite the reserve, but only a single Snipe flew off as I wandered through. A skein of Pink Footed Geese flew over and a single Coal Tit was seen in one of trees bordering the marsh.
As Nat had to be home early, I decided to pop into Guardbridge hide for 20 minutes in the failing light to see if i could add a few extra species to the list. There were a few Tree Sparrows on the feeders, but most birds seemed to be rather distant and the light made positive IDs difficult. A Little Egret did drop in to the river, just slightly to the south of the hide. A Grey Heron flew upriver and I heard the Kingfisher calling a few times before I eventually saw it shooting round in a large arc low over the water and back out of sight. A pair of Curlews indulged in a serious scuffle in the water out front. A Buzzard and a Sparrowhawk were on the fence towards the FBC hide. At 1600 I headed out to catch the bus home and as I waited one last bird was added to the list as a Great Spotted Woodpecker overflew heading towards the trees up on the hill behind the village.
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| Cormorant |
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Merlin
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| Red Throated Diver |
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| Common Scoter |
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| Red Throated Diver |
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| Long Tailed Duck |
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| Sooty Shearwater |
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| Sooty Shearwater |
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| Red Throated Diver |
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| Wigeon & Pintail |
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| Eider |
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| Guillemot |
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| Goldeneye |
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| Redshank |
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| Kestrel |
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| Yellowhammer |
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| Song Thrush |
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| Meadow Pipit |
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| Grey Plover, Dunlin & Bar Tailed Godwit |
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| Great Northern Diver |
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| Red Throated Diver |
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| Common Scoter & Eider |
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| Buzzard |
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| Pin Footed Geese |
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| Little Egret |
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| Curlew |
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| Grey Heron |
66 species seen including a surprise year-tick (in bold) - Bar Tailed Godwit, Blackbird, Black Headed Gull, Blue Tit, Buzzard, Carrion Crow, Chaffinch, Coal Tit, Common Gull, Common Scoter, Cormorant, Curlew, Dunlin, Dunnock, Eider, Gannet, Goldcrest, Goldeneye, Goldfinch, Great Black Backed Gull, Great Crested Grebe, Great Northern Diver, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Great Tit, Grey Heron, Grey Plover, Guillemot, Herring Gull, House Sparrow, Jackdaw, Kestrel, Kingfisher, Little Auk, Little Egret, Long Tailed Duck, Long Tailed Tit, Magpie, Mallard, Merlin, Oystercatcher, Pheasant, Pink Footed Goose, Pintail, Razorbill, Red Breasted Merganser, Redshank, Red Throated Diver, Ringed Plover, Robin, Feral Pigeon, Rock Pipit, Rook, Sanderling, Shag, Slavonian Grebe, Snipe, Song Thrush,
Sooty Shearwater, Sparrowhawk, Starling, Tree Sparrow, Velvet Scoter, Wigeon, Woodpigeon, Wren, Yellowhammer.
