The weather forecast for Easter Monday was nothing like as good as it had been the day before with the return once more of the "beast from the East" weather front bringing snow on icy cold winds from off the North Sea. However with the snow not being predicted until around 1600 onwards I decided to squeeze in some birding but was undecided just where to go. I toyed with a variety of ideas but even after leaving the house I wasn't sure where I was going.
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| Black Tailed Godwit |
It was 1125 when I headed out and rather than heading for the bus I headed east. Feral Pigeon, Carrion Crow, Starling and Herring Gull were all seen quickly followed by a Blackbird on the pavement ahead of me. I thought about heading for Baxter Park to see if there was any chance of a Hawfinch stopping off. A Magpie was seen at Morgan Academy flying up into a tree where it was joined by a pair of Woodpigeons. There were a lot of dog walkers around in Baxter Park so I decided to head for Swannie Ponds instead.
As I reached the edge of the park where the ponds are I discovered that all the buses had been completely cut down to stumps, and it appeared to have happened very recently too. All of the habitat and cover for the smaller birds - Dunnocks, House Sparrows, Robins and Blackbirds obliterated as birds were beginning to concentrate on breeding. A crazy, crazy decision by whoever it was who authorised the work. It also hugely reduces the shelter available from stronger winds making the ponds less welcoming in general.
A Pied Wagtail wandered around on the grass and a couple of Black Headed Gulls were at the lower pond. Herring and Lesser Black Backed Gulls, Mallards, Tufted Ducks and a female Goosander were on the top pond. A Coot swam from the island (the one place with some cover still remaining (for now at least)). I missed a bus towards the city centre by a few seconds but didn't have too long for another, adding a pair of Blue Tits as I waited. On the bus into town I decided I might as well pop over to Guardbridge for a few hours in the hide.
From the bus to Fife I added Buzzard, Rook, Jackdaw and Collared Dove. the hide was empty when I arrived and despite the cold wind coming straight in the window I decided to open the window anyway. A Dunnock picked around below the feeders and a Great Tit and Blue Tit were seen on the feeders along with a few Tree Sparrows. Opposite the hide were a number of waders - mostly Black Tailed Godwits and Redshanks, but also a few groups of Dunlin. A single Curlew was seen well out on the mud. A few Teal fed along the water's edge as they swam upriver.
Chaffinch and Coal Tit were seen on the feeders. I added an Oystercatcher to the list before Angus Duncan entered the hide. A couple of Great Black Backed Gulls could be seen along with a mix of Herring and Lesser Black Backed Gulls and a few Common Gulls. In Balgove Bay, I could see a number of Shelduck on the mud. A Cormorant flew over and a Buzzard was harassed by one of the local Carrion Crows. A few Mute Swans could be seen in the river downstream. A single Pink Footed Goose wandered along the water's edge in the same area before walking back towards the saltmarsh. I suspect the bird has been injured by wildfowlers and left behind by the rest of its flock.
Another few birders came in, including Neil Redpath. No-one else chose to open the windows though a birder I've met in the hide before did use the open window to scan from at times. I found a pair of Goldeneye down by the gull roost and there were still a few Knot in with the other waders in the same area. A few Eider were picked out on the point at Coble Shore. A Grey Heron flew off low over the saltmarsh and a distant flock of Wigeon were found as the tide came in. A Magpie flew across the river. Once the rain came on, I decided it was time to go and headed for the bus, which I missed, having been unable to get across the road in time to reach the stop. I walked along the road to catch the next one and picked up a male Pheasant outside Leuchars from the bus.
Not much of particular interest other than a Scottish colour-ringed "Islandica" Black Tailed Godwit among the 42 species seen. The weather forecast was more or less accurate with regards when to expect rain and apart from cold fingers the hide wasn't too cold despite the wind direction - though I may have been the only one in wearing enough layers...
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| Herring Gull |
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| Herring Gull |
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| Mallard |
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| Extreme gardening at Swannie Ponds |
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| Black Tailed Godwit |
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| Buzzard & Carrion Crow |
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| Buzzard |
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| Black Tailed Godwit & Redshank |
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| Teal |
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| Black Tailed Godwit |
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| Redshank & Dunlin |
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| Black Tailed Godwit |
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| Herring Gull, Great Black Backed Gull, Lesser Black Backed Gull & Mute Swan |
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| Pink Footed Goose |
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| Mute Swan |
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| Oystercatcher, Redshank, Knot, Dunlin & Black Tailed Godwit |
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| Black Tailed Godwit, Knot & Redshank |
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| Black Tailed Godwit, Redshank & Dunlin |
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| Black Tailed Godwit & Redshank |
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| Black Tailed Godwit, Redshank & Dunlin |
Species seen - Blackbird, Black Headed Gull, Black Tailed Godwit, Blue Tit, Buzzard, Carrion Crow, Chaffinch, Coal Tit, Collared Dove, Common Gull, Coot, Cormorant, Curlew, Dunlin, Dunnock, Eider, Goldeneye, Goosander, Great Black Backed Gull, Great Tit, Grey Heron, Herring Gull, Jackdaw, Knot, Lesser Black Backed Gull, Magpie, Mallard, Mute Swan, Oystercatcher, Pheasant, Pied Wagtail, Pink Footed Goose, Redshank, Feral Pigeon, Rook, Shelduck, Starling, Teal, Tree Sparrow, Tufted Duck, Wigeon, Woodpigeon.
