With my year-list rapidly running out of usable days to add something new - last year's total looks to be out of reach even with a lot of luck - I knew I had to try something to add a new bird or two. That something was an early start (an hour before sunrise) from Leuchars, heading to Earlshall Muir and into Tentsmuir Forest. I was hoping primarily for Woodcock, but there was also a chance of maybe Tawny, Short Eared or Long eared Owl hunting over the open space between Reres Wood and the main forest. Discussing the idea on Facebook, birding buddy Jacqui, decided that if I was continuing on to the Shorelarks which would be a lifer for her then she would join me for the walk. Although this would mean I would miss out on prospective Tawny Owl habitat along Earlshall Road near the castle (being in a car on this stretch), I would gain from arriving at the sites for Woodcock earlier than if I was on foot. With Woodcock probably the more likely catch, it was a no-brainer.
 |
| Shorelark |
Despite a rather broken night's sleep I was up and out of the house around 0715 to walk to the bus station. As it was dark and dawn was still around 90 minutes away, I saw no birds, though I did hear Robins and a Wren. Arriving in Leuchars I met up with Jacqui and we headed out along Earlshall Road to park at the farm. The sky was already lightening which wasn't ideal but it did make it possible to see a bit of detail on the birds which were already active. A couple of Carrion Crows flew over and I found a few Fieldfares in the field next to the farm buildings. We could hear a Buzzard mewing loudly and checking the regular perches of the local bird, I found it on one of the loudspeaker poles.
I checked the open area beyond the motocross site and then headed into the small wood next to it in search of Woodcock, but drew a black, though two Red Squirrels high in the trees in the wood were nice to see, even if they were silhouettes. Out in the open again, we heard Redwings calling and saw a pair pass over. A skein of Pink Footed Geese were next as we wandered along the rather slippery wooden boardwalk sections taking us towards the forest. We stopped and scanned but there were no hunting owls to be seen. A few Siskins and (Lesser?) Redpolls passed over before a larger flock was spotted. Some roosting Jackdaws woke up and flew off towards Leuchars. A Goldfinch headed over in the same direction as we wandered along the track north towards Tentsmuir Forest. Our first definite Woodpigeon of the day was seen as we passed through the metal gate. By now the sun had risen above the horizon and the light improved by the minute. It was a relatively mild morning, with little wind and blue skies. Not much like late December, especially given that the previous day had been sleet and snow showers.
We heard Bullfinches in the trees and Jacqui spotted them first, 2 males and a female, though there may have been others. A few Herring Gulls passed over as we neared the road to Kinshaldy. It didn't take too long after 0900 before the first cars were on their way in. We spotted a Great Tit in the trees along with a few Blue Tits. In the trees opposite the house on the bend near the barrier we watched Long Tailed Tits and Coal Tits feeding. Jacqui spotted a Robin and 2 very showy Goldcrests. The fields with the horses contained a selection of birds most of which weren't obvious at first. The 3 Common Gulls were the exception however, their white and grey plumage standing out against the green. There were Mistle Thrushes, Chaffinches, Goldfinches and Fieldfares as well as a Buzzard seen here.
A Dunnock flew across the road in front of us a little further on, and a Wren was spotted among the undergrowth. It was around 0930 when we eventually reached the dunes and we headed out to the beach to walk along the edge, in the hope of seeing Snow Buntings on our way. A Meadow Pipit called as it rose up from the vegetation near the track as we wandered out to the sands. Reed Buntings were seen a little further north and offshore we could see a few Common Scoters flying past. A couple of drake Long Tailed Ducks weren't too far offshore. The only waders we could see were Oystercatchers. A single Great Black Baked Gull circled round over the water, while a few hundred metres out on the sea was a raft of Eiders, A Cormorant was seen stood out on a sandbank wings outstretched.
Jacqui spotted a bird ahead of us which flew down to the water's edge. Once we relocated it, it turned out to be a single female Snow Bunting and a ringed one at that, though it was too far away to get any detail. I picked up a couple of Red Breatsed Mergansers well out over the sea and a single Sanderling flew in to land near some Oystercatchers on the shoreline. A flock of Linnets circled round above the dunes and a Pied Wagtail flew over us heading south. We spotted the Snow Bunting ahead of us again and this time managed to get close enough views to read the ring (green B2). A quick google search later suggested that the bird had been ringed in winter 2015 at the same site. None of the 3 birds I found on the beach in November were ringed so this bird was not part of that group (and where have they gone?).
After a short while with the Snow Bunting we cut in across the dunes and found a single photographer stood with the 2 Shorelarks not too far in front of him, though further away than they had been from Willie and I the previous Wednesday. Jacqui was pleased to get a lifer. I ventured forward a little to get some photos and realised that I had somehow managed to lose my monopod en route. Not great. A few more folk turned up, Alex Kidd and another birder, then John McHale and Paul & Eth Jessett. There were a few other birds around, a distant Greenshank which flew into the pool to join a Black Headed Gull when a couple of dog walkers disturbed it. There were also a couple of Redshanks and a Curlew at the pool as well as the local Goldeneye which seems to be wintering at the pool along with the Greenshank and Shorelarks.
After a short while we decided to head back along the beach. We met Willie Irvine and stopped for a chat. The Common Scoter flock offshore was checked through but there seemed to be only a single Velvet Scoter among them. A few more Reed Buntings and Meadow Pipits were seen before we reached the car park. The access road seemed to be very busy with cars coming and going almost all the time. There were a few Starlings with the thrushes in the horse field near the barrier but nothing else was added here. A bit further on, towards the second horse fields my foot and lower leg disappeared down a deep hole that was covered over by leaves causing me to fall forward. Thankfully, apart from a jarred neck and a slightly sore wrist and leg, there was no serious damage done to either me, or my camera, which I'd kept a tight hold of and managed to cushion its landing along my lower arm.
Birds were in rather short supply on the way back, and once again, there were no chance encounters with Woodcock. Earlshall Muir also appeared to be very quiet though I eventually found a pair of Stonechats as we passed the sheep in the field by the path down to the main track back to Leuchars. A Feral Pigeon played peek-a-boo with us from the roof of the farm and there was a lot of activity from the local Rooks as we drove back into the village. Jacqui dropped me off at the edge of Guardbridge just as a bus was drawing up to the stop. Thankfully, the 2 passengers getting on took their time and I made it without any difficulty. I added House Sparrow to the list for the day as the bus passed through Leuchars.
As it was still a nice day, I decided to pop into City Quay on my way home, in hope of getting more photos of the "Sinensis Cormorant I had seen on Christmas Day. However, things were very quiet in the main quay, though a Cormorant did fly past as I walked along by the old dry dock. There were 3 Red Breasted Mergansers in the outer quay area, while a small group of Black Headed Gulls were across the north side, along with a pair of Redshanks. I noticed that one of the gulls had a green leg ring but wasn't convinced that I would be able to read the code from photos at that distance, so I wandered back to the bridge and round to hopefully photograph the bird without it taking flight first. Thankfully, this was successful, though the Redshanks did panic and the gulls ended up in the water anyway.
The ring was coded J350 which I suspect will turn out to be yet another Norwegian ringed bird, possibly of the same age as JN69, the green ringed regular winter visitor from Swannie Ponds. I heard, but didn't see a Rock Pipit, though there were a few Linnets around. I walked back into the City Centre and caught a bus home, adding a Blackbird which flew across the road as I got off the bus to the list giving a total of 49 species.
A decent day out in good weather, with the two ringed birds and further views of the Shorelarks the highlights. Slightly disappointing was the complete lack of Woodcocks, though it was always going to be a tall order given how mild the winter has been.
 |
| Pink Footed Goose |
 |
| Buzzard & Mistle Thrush |
 |
| Mistle Thrush |
 |
| Common Scoter |
 |
| Snow Bunting |
 |
| Linnet |
 |
| Snow Bunting |
 |
| Snow Bunting |
 |
| Snow Bunting |
 |
| Linnet |
 |
| Shorelark |
 |
| Shorelark |
 |
| Shorelark |
 |
| Shorelark |
 |
| Shorelark |
 |
| Shorelark |
 |
| Greenshank |
 |
| Black Headed Gull & Greenshank |
 |
| Cormorant |
 |
| Common Scoter |
 |
| Reed Bunting |
 |
| Reed Bunting |
 |
| Goldfinch |
 |
| Fieldfare |
 |
| Redshank & Black Headed Gull |
 |
| Black Headed Gull |
Species seen - Blackbird, Black Headed Gull, Blue Tit, Bullfinch, Buzzard, Carrion Crow, Chaffinch, Coal Tit, Common Gull, Common Scoter, Cormorant, Curlew, Dunnock, Eider, Fieldfare, Goldcrest, Goldeneye, Goldfinch, Great Black Backed Gull, Great Tit, Greenshank, Herring Gull, House Sparrow, Jackdaw, (Lesser?) Redpoll, Linnet, Long Tailed Duck, Long Tailed Tit, Meadow Pipit, Mistle Thrush, Oystercatcher, Pied Wagtail, Pink Footed Goose, Red Breasted Merganser, Redshank, Redwing, Reed Bunting, Robin, Feral Pigeon, Rook, Sanderling, Shorelark, Siskin, Snow Bunting, Starling, Stonechat, Velvet Scoter, Woodpigeon, Wren.
