Having done a bit of research into the feasibility of getting to Rossie Bog in Fife by bus/train and then on foot, I was quite well prepared to try once again for the Great White Egret that has been seen recently around the local area there. Ladybank is easily reached by bus and from there it is simply a case of walking out and crossing the main road and then along the road to the south of Easter Kilwhiss farm, and then taking a footpath (which gets very muddy at the farm) to the general area where the bird had been seen. The weather forecast however was for rain early on, so I settled on a later bus which hopefully would allow me to not get wet, while searching for the bird.
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| Great White Egret |
With the bus leaving Dundee bus station at around 0950, I had to be out the door for around 0930 to walk the mile or so to the bus station. Herring Gull, Woodpigeon, Carrion Crow, Collared Dove, Magpie, Blackbird and Blue Tit were all seen along the route. Feral Pigeons were added as the bus departed from the bus station. Cormorants were on Submarine Rock. A flock of Goldfinches flew over as we passed the car park at the Fife end of the bridge. Starlings were on the roofs of houses in Newport. Rooks were added near St Michaels and House Sparrows were seen in Cupar. Jackdaws were seen as the bus arrived in Ladybank.
Thankfully there was a growing patch of blue sky above the village and although it was quite cold, I hoped I had managed to miss all of the rain as shelter would be in very short supply. A skein of Pink Footed Geese overflew as I walked out towards the main road. Having crossed the road quicker than expected I followed the road along past more woodland until I reached the farmland on the other side. I could hear Skylarks singing but couldn't see them. A Buzzard glided along above the wood to th north. A Yellowhammer flew into a roadside bush and then out again as I passed by. With ploughing going on in the fields there were a number of Black Headed Gulls following the tractor.
A distant Mute Swan headed west, the large white shape giving false hope until I raised the binoculars. I found the entrance to the footpath and wandered along checking any patch of reeds, or hint of open water. A Skylark launched itself skywards nearby and I finally managed to spot this one. A distant flock of Lapwings could be seen circling round well to the west. A small flock of Linnets flew over and a number of Curlews dropped into another field. As I scanned across a patch of reeds, I spotted the top of a head above the vegetation. Not an Egret, but close - a Grey Heron. I crossed a small bridge over a burn/drainage ditch and found a gate ahead. A pair of Stock Doves flew over.
The trees near the farm held a number of Long Tailed Tits and Blue Tits all flitting around feeding. There were also small groups of Pink Footed Geese passing overhead and plenty of Woodpigeons around also. The last part of the footpath in front of the farm was very muddy andI was glad to reach the road again. A Pied Wagtail flew over and I found a Mistle Thrush in a field. As I wandered along a car stopped and another birder got out and asked if I'd seen the Egret yet. I replied that I hadn't and we chatted for a few minutes until a car came along, forcing her to drive on. I caught up with her further round and we chatted some more. Susan was a birder from Cupar who had decided to do the "200 Birds" challenge set by Birdwatching magazine.
Susan had already seen the Egret previously but was hoping for better views, while I'd settle for distant views of a white shape up a tree, as Paul had managed the week before. A Sparrowhawk whizzed past and I spotted a couple of pairs of Fieldfares landing in trees nearby. A few Meadow Pipits flew around. Susan offered me a lift along to the end of the driveway where we were going to scan from next but I decided that walking gave me a better chance at scanning the pools and ditches visible from the road. However a male Stonechat was all I managed to see.
From the end of the driveway we could see Woodpigeons and Curlews down near the flooded part of the field, with Fieldfares, Chaffinches, a Goldfinch and a few Redwings flying down to join them feeding on the grass. However the smaller birds were very flightly and flew back up into the trees a few times as we watched. With no sign of the bird we headed back to our previous stop, Susan by car, and me on foot. I heard but couldn't see a Siskin, and once back at the gate, I heard a Great Spotted Woodpecker calling but despite a bit of searching I failed to see it. A Buzzard landed in a dead tree. We were joined by another birder I recognised, and who recognised me. I think that it was George Adam who I usually encounter in the hide at Guardbridge, but I might be wrong - if so apologies to both George and whoever it actually was.
After a bit more chatting and a sight of a Pheasant flying in, and a Siskin landing in the trees behind us, Susan decided she'd had enough and was going to head off. "George" said he was going to go too. Just after they both left, it began to rain - not heavily but enough to encourage me to step into the trees just off the road. I spotted a Kestrel from here and a pair of Mallards on the reed bordered pool I could see. I also heard a yaffling Green Woodpecker. "George" arrived back to say he'd just seen the bird - up on the wall by the farm! He gave me a lift back the couple of hundred metres to the farm junction, pointed out where he'd seen it, where it had then gone and then he headed off again.
There was no obvious sign of the bird so I wandered slowly back along the road. At the end of the field, the grass sloped down to a water-filled ditch - quite probably part of a network around the area. At first I didn't notice that there was actually something at the far end of the channel, but then a bit of movement caught my eye. Something white. With long legs, and a large yellow bill. A
Great White Egret. I crouched down behind the wall to take some photos, using the wall as a handy stable base for the camera. This also meant I was able to shoot some video of the bird. It made a few attempts at catching fish, including one big lunge where all but the wings were submerged for a second or so. It eventually succeeded in catching quite a large fish.
I stayed crouching behind the wall, having sent a text to the Fife Bird Club grapevine to say the bird was sill present and where exactly it was. It was moving closer along the field, stopping to catch small Sticklebacks along the way. It suddenly took flight and I thought that it would disappear off into the distance. It circled round to the south before swinging back round towards me. The sun made photography slightly tricky against the glare of the sun, though things became a whole lot easier when the bird decided to land in the field around 30 feet away from where I was. Needless to say the opportunity was not wasted and I took plenty of photos as the bird shook itself dry and then wandered back down to the water.
The bird seemed quite nervous, responding to every slight sound, from a pair of nearby mewing Buzzards to the sound of my mobile phone text alert. However, despite the apparent skittishness the bird waded even closer, to around 20-25feet in front of me. I took lots of photos and more video before the bird decided to fly back to around the halfway point of the field. It worked its way back towards the far end where it had been when I first seen it, just as others turned up hoping to see it. With no-one leaving the area where they were parked I wandered along to let them know where the bird actually was. A couple of them followed me back along the road to see it, with others showing up minutes later.
The bird was still showing quite well, and everyone was getting decent views. The bird decided to fly up out of the ditch though thankfully it landed in the next field, where it stood for around a minute. A late arrival, Stuart Neilson (apologies if I have the name wrong) just managed to see the bird as it flew off across the fields before dropping down into another ditch. I had kept watching it in flight so knew where to point it out thankfully it showed well enough. By now it was around 1530, so I decided I should probably head back along the road to Ladybank. Stuart offered me a lift back, which I very gratefully accepted, and I only had a few minutes wait for the bus back home after a very successful twitch.
Only 40 species seen, but 1 very showy year-tick (in bold) made it a very worthwhile outing and when the Garganey I predict shows up in Spring at the 'Rossie Bog' pool, I know I won't need to rely on a lift to try and get it on my list. Maybe I'll even make a trip on spec and find it myself. It was also nice to make a few new acquaintances. Thanks again to Susan for the chat and company, "George" for finding the bird and the lift back to see it, and Stuart for the lift back to Ladybank. All very welcome.
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| Mute Swan |
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| Black Headed Gull |
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| Pink Footed Geese |
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| Grey Heron |
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| Pink Footed Geese |
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| Linnet |
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| Grey Heron |
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| Fieldfare |
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| Stonechat |
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| Pink Footed Geese |
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| Kestrel |
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| Mallard |
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| Kestrel |
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| Starling, Linnet & Fieldfare |
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| Great White Egret |
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| Great White Egret |
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| Great White Egret |
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| Buzzard |
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| Buzzard |
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| Great White Egret |
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| Great White Egret |
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| Great White Egret |
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| Great White Egret |
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| Great White Egret |
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| Great White Egret |
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| Great White Egret |
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| Great White Egret |
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| Great White Egret |
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| Great White Egret |
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| Great White Egret |
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| Great White Egret |
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| Great White Egret |
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| Great White Egret |
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| Great White Egret |
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| Great White Egret |
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| Great White Egret |
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| Great White Egret |
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| Great White Egret |
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| Great White Egret |
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| Great White Egret |
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| Great White Egret |
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| Curlew |
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| Great White Egret |
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| Great White Egret |
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| Great White Egret |
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| Great White Egret |
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| Great White Egret & Carrion Crow |
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| Mistle Thrush |
Species seen - Blackbird, Black Headed Gull, Blue Tit, Buzzard, Carrion Crow, Chaffinch, Collared Dove, Common Gull, Cormorant, Curlew, Fieldfare, Goldfinch,
Great White Egret, Grey Heron, Herring Gull, House Sparrow, Jackdaw, Kestrel, Lapwing, Linnet, Long Tailed Tit, Magpie, Mallard, Meadow Pipit, Mistle Thrush, Mute Swan, Pheasant, Pied Wagtail, Pink Footed Goose, Redwing, Feral Pigeon, Rook, Siskin, Skylark, Sparrowhawk, Starling, Stock Dove, Stonechat, Woodpigeon, Yellowhammer.
