This past Wednesday I wasn't feeling very sociable or in a particularly great frame of mind. I knew I was needing a bit of time and space to myself, as far away from people as possible. This meant that I cancelled the usual outing with Nat. With Scottish Water undertaking a second day of repairs/upgrading to the local pipe network, staying at home (without water) wasn't really an option. I decided to head out early and to walk from Tayport to Leuchars or Leuchars to Tayport "round the outside". As it was midweek, running into too many people was unlikely.
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| White Tailed Eagle |
I headed out at about 0810 undecided whether to start at Leuchars, or Tayport. Which ever bus was due at the bus station when I arrived would decide where I started my walk. Herring Gull, Feral Pigeon and House Sparrow were first on the list though it was still before sunrise. Blackbird and Blue Tit were spotted as I headed down Dens Road. At the bus station a bus to Tayport was about to leave so I jumped on it. Woodpigeon, Collared Doves and Jackdaws were seen on the chimney pots of Tayport. I headed first to the duck pond. Starlings called from the roofs. A Black Headed Gull glided over. Mallards, Mute Swans and Moorhens were on the water, with other birds feeding round the edges. There were Oystercatchers and Herring Gulls on the football pitches. As I wandered through the Caravan Park I spotted a Coal Tit and a few Long Tailed Tits in the trees, as well as a Robin and Chaffinch.
From the southern end of the caravan park, I watched a Red Breasted Merganser flying upriver. There were waders out by the water's edge but they were a bit too far away given that it was around low tide. Carrion Crows, Curlews and Redshanks were on the mud. There were also a string of Shelduck further out, all feeding in a long line. A flock of Goldfinches circled round before settling in a tree. A pair of Dunnocks and a Wren popped up among the vegetation by the track. What looked like it might've been a covey of Grey Partridges dropped out of sight in the field beyond the start of the track out along the beach, but I failed to relocate them when I reached the field. A Sparrowhawk flew low over the furrows and landed in the bushes by the track to the farm.
A Common Gull glided over and a Mistle Thrush headed towards Tayport. I checked the ditches for Snipe but found only a dead Mallard drake and a single Meadow Pipit. With the tide so far out I decided to cut into the forest and head for the area I usually find Green Woodpecker. Eventually after a lot of walking I found myself more or less where I planned to be. A few Siskins were in the trees but despite searching there were no Woodpeckers of either species seen. A large bird flew up into the trees near the southern end of the small wooded area but it turned out to just be a Mistle Thrush. There were a pair of Stonechats near one of the dead trees among the dunes.
I headed to the edge of the beach where a Cormorant was seen out over the sea. There was a large roost of Oystercatchers near the water but little else. Well out over the water a small flock of Eiders headed north. A trio of Sanderling sped low along the water's edge before landing to the north. There were lots of distant dark birds out on the sea. Those that I saw in flight were identifiable as Common Scoters, but I failed to pick out any Velvets or Long Tailed Ducks. At the large pool there was a Curlew, a Goldeneye and a Greenshank, just as there had been on my previous visit.
I wandered slowly along the edge of the dunes putting up a pair of Reed Buntings. Eventually, I saw a small flock take flight ahead of me. they then flew over before dropping into the dunes - around a dozen Snow Buntings. I made a half-hearted effort to see if i could find them, but failed. Reaching the Kinshaldy car park area I elected to follow the same route I had on my previous visit. A Pied Wagtail was in the car park and a few Mistle Thrushes were in the tall trees around the area. A second Pied Wagtail was in the fields holding the horses near the entrance barrier. I heard a Crossbill but failed to see it. A Buzzard flew up onto a fence post before flying into the forest and away. Goldcrests were watched feeding among the needles on the conifers by the roadside.
A flock of Goldfinches feeding in the treetops caught my eye, but something else caught my attention - a Crossbill call. A single bird dropped in right at the top of the tree. A female Crossbill. I didn't realise that there was also a male bird slightly lower down, which I discovered later on the photos. A couple of walkers had overtaken me as I'd watched the birds and I was disappointed to see that they were headed the same way as myself. Woodcock was a target species once again with the track down through the trees being one of the places I thought I would have a chance of finding one. With someone ahead of me, my chances diminished. And so it proved, with almost no birds at all being seen before I reached the edge of Earlshall Muir. I stopped for a minute to grab a quick drink and to let the walkers get a bit further ahead though I wasn't expecting to add anything significant.
A University Air Squadron Grob Tutor took off from Leuchars and a large raptor appeared from Reres Wood. It circled round and I took a few photos confirming that it was a White Tailed Eagle. I then noticed that it had been joined by another Eagle and the two birds circled up a little before one flew in my direction. Unfortunately, the lens and camera decided this was as good a time as any to not focus properly and I struggled to get any in focus shots despite the first bird being close enough to practically fill the frame. (There is a slight bit of movement between the Tamron 150-600mm and the Nikon D500 which is more obvious when the temperaure is low, but it is just enough to break the electrical circuit required to drive the autofocus). As it turned out the second of the pair followed the same route past me but just a little higher and further back. None of the photos of the second bird were in focus. A disappointing end result to a great encounter, though I did still end up with some of my best ever White Tailed Eagle photos.
Having been mostly disappointed to this point my mood lifted a bit and I found a bit more energy to keep a good pace up back towards Leuchars village. As I neared the farm, a Skylark flew over high above, and there was a flock of Rooks up in the trees. The bushes by the road held a mix of Blue Tits, Blackbirds and Great Tits. As I got closer to the edge of the village a single Greenfinch flew up into the dead tree. I watched a Goldcrest in the bushes at a very close distance along from the primary school. I didn't have too long to wait for a bus to Guardbridge though with the tide being about high, I wasn't expecting to see much from the hide.
As it turned out there wasn't much to see from the hide, with a few Tree Sparrows on the feeders being the only addition. A few distant Mallards on the water and some Herring Gulls and that was it, so I decided to head out to catch the next bus along to St Andrews. A Grey Wagtail overflew as I waited for the bus. From the bus I spotted a small raptor attract the attention of a couple of Carrion Crows as it swept low over one of the fields towards the golf course, putting up a flock of small birds (finches/buntings/sparrows?). A Merlin on the hunt, and another unexpected sighting.
On reaching St Andrews I wandered down to the Golf Museum roof to scan out across the bay. An Oystercatcher eyed me warily as it fed on the grass and I attempted to skirt round it without spooking it too much, which worked to a degree. Common Scoters were very distant but I did find a Great Crested Grebe relatively close in. A Pied Wagtail and a Rock Pipit flitted around below beside the car park. There were a few Grey Herons roosting on the cliffs. I wandered along towards the harbour, spooking a Dunnock at the side of the church on The Scores.
There was a single Great Black Backed Gull out on the few exposed rocks below the cliffs while a mixed flock of Turnstones and Redshanks shared their roost with around 25 or so Purple Sandpipers. I walked out along the harbour breakwater stopping to look at the flock of roosting Ringed Plovers opposite. Unfortunately, there were a pair of students in kayaks at the end so the birds were keeping their distance, though I did find a single Red Throated Diver and a few Common Scoters before I headed back up the hill where a Robin showed really well. By now the light levels were getting quite low so I decided to check the small second hand bookshop off one of the main streets. I found a good copy of an old book I had a damaged copy of, for £1 outside, so popped in to see if there was anything else inside. £32 lighter and 6 books heavier and I headed for the bus station, picking up a pair of overflying Pink Footed Geese as I left the bookshop, taking my total to 61 species seen.
A decent enough day out and I did manage to avoid people for the most part, giving me time to think. However, until the Crossbills it was largely disappointing which didn't help lift my mood much. However, the Eagle encounter made a big difference (albeit tempered slightly by the camera failure) and kept me going for the rest of the day. It has been proven that nature is good for both mental and physical well-being and although any benefits gained were soon negated the following day by events, it was certainly beneficial to me to be out and about with just the wildlife to keep me company and give me a focus. Fresh air a bonus.
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| Curlew |
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| Redshank |
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| Stonechat |
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| Greenshank |
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| Oystercatcher |
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| Buzzard |
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| Crossbill |
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| Crossbill |
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| White Tailed Eagle |
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| White Tailed Eagle |
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| White Tailed Eagle |
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| Skylark |
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| Oystercatcher |
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| Oystercatcher |
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| Grey Heron |
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| Common Scoter |
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| Great Black Backed Gull |
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| Purple Sandpiper |
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| Purple Sandpiper |
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| Red Throated Diver |
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| Ringed Plover |
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| Ringed Plover |
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| Rock Pipit |
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| Herring Gull |
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| Robin |
Species seen - Blackbird, Black Headed Gull, Blue Tit, Buzzard, Carrion Crow, Chaffinch, Coal Tit, Collared Dove, Common Crossbill, Common Gull, Common Scoter, Cormorant, Curlew, Dunnock, Eider, Goldcrest, Goldeneye, Goldfinch, Great Black Backed Gull, Great Crested Grebe, Great Tit, Greenfinch, Greenshank, Grey Heron, Grey Wagtail, Herring Gull, House Sparrow, Jackdaw, Long Tailed Tit, Mallard, Meadow Pipit, Merlin, Mistle Thrush, Moorhen, Mute Swan, Oystercatcher, Pied Wagtail, Pink Footed Goose, Purple Sandpiper, Red Breasted Merganser, Redshank, Red Throated Diver, Reed Bunting, Ringed Plover, Robin, Feral Pigeon, Rock Pipit, Rook, Sanderling, Shelduck, Siskin, Skylark, Snow Bunting, Sparrowhawk, Starling, Stonechat, Tree Sparrow, Turnstone, White Tailed Eagle, Woodpigeon, Wren.
