While browsing Twitter on Friday night I noticed that a Caspian Gull had been found in Fife by @Nijmegenbirder (Mark Wilkinson) at the mouth of the river Leven in the town of the same name. Caspian Gull is a bird I hadn't had a chance to see before, and 1 that I wanted to see so I could build a mental picture of it to help in finding my own (eventually/hopefully). I messaged Jacqui to let her know that there was 1 around in Fife although I knew she was busy at the weekend. I had decided that I would likely attempt to see the bird early on Saturday morning by bus. Jacqui messaged back asking how early I could get a bus in the morning. It would be a lifer for her too, so she fancied a wee trip to try and get her 2nd lifer in a week after Sunday's White Billed Diver. I arranged to catch the 0705 bus and to meet her at St Michaels from where we'd drive down and hopefully catch up with the Caspian Gull at Leven.
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| Marsh Warbler |
I headed out just before 0645 and immediately got the first few species for the day - Herring Gull, Blackbird and Carrion Crow then Lesser Black Backed Gull and Starling. Woodpigeon, Feral Pigeon, Magpie and Goldfinch were seen before I reached the bus station but the least expected sighting was of a Grey Squirrel behind Magnum House, just opposite the bus station. When it spotted me, it climbed up the outside of the building, to around the 2nd floor windows. I took a short video clip of it with my phone before crossing the road to catch the bus to meet Jacqui. From the bus I was able to add Mallard, Pheasant and Lapwing. Siskin and House Sparrow were added as I walked back from the bus stop to Jacqui's car. A Brown Hare was in fields between St Michaels and Balmullo. Song Thrush, Pied Wagtail, Collared Dove, House Martin and Jackdaw were all seen before we reached Leven.
A text message had arrived when I was on the bus saying that the bird was still around and when we arrived we could see scopes pointing towards the gull roost on the beach from a short distance along from the car park. We walked along and joined the small group. Mark, the finder, pointed out the
Caspian Gull lying down on the sand and we both took photos and took time to look at the bird as best as the angle of the bird (facing away from us) and back-lighting would allow. There were more Herring Gulls and Eiders along the beach and I found a Kittiwake in the middle of the group. Oystercatcher and Lesser Black Backed Gull were also on the beach. More birders turned up to enjoy the bird and the early morning sunshine. We chatted briefly to a man who was on his way to do his daily beach clean and who was wondering what everyone was looking at.
With no warning the bird suddenly took flight and headed off westwards over the river and out of sight. This did allow me the opportunity to photograph the wing pattern but it also meant disappointment for those who arrived late to see this first record for Fife. As it was still early we decided to pop along to Elie to see the Black Necked Grebe which was now sporting breeding plumage. Yellowhammer was seen from the car on the way. A Shag was out on the water when we arrived at Elie harbour, and a pair of Sandwich Terns fished in the bay. A Rock Pipit landed on the harbour wall before Jacqui spotted the Black Necked Grebe in its favourite place - by the orange bouy and red flag around 100m offshore.
Unfortunately, the bird spent most of the time we were there facing west, meaning that very few of my photos show just how smart the bird is in breeding plumage. There were a few Guillemots and more Eiders out on the water but with the time still only just 0900 we moved on towards Crail for another look at the Yellow Wagtails on a farm near the outskirts of the village. Corn Buntings and Skylarks were dotted around the East Neuk roadside fields and a few Swallows zipped low over them catching some of the few insects airborne above the greenery.
We drove slowly alongside the muddy track and a Yellow Wagtail flew from below the verge across to the other side of the track. Unfortunately, it flew off as Jacqui moved the car for a better angle for a photo. We parked up at the end of the nearest track and walked back along to where we saw the bird. It was showing very well on the track, stood on one leg and calling and even singing at times as we took photos and video of the bird from far enough away that the bird was unworried by our presence. A Linnet flew across the road where it was flushed by a passing car.
Jacqui worked out that she could probably spare another couple of hours before she had to be home so we headed for Denburn Wood in Crail to search for hoped-for rarities. A few Swifts were seen high in the sky as we walked the short distance down to the small wood. There was plenty of birdsong but nothing out of the ordinary. A Blackcap male gave us a bit of hope until it showed well enough to see that it was only a Blackcap. One of the local Stock Doves perched in the trees above us. Blue Tit, Great Tit, Robin, Chaffinch and Coal Tit were added and I found a Starling's nest in a dead tree near the top end of the wood.
Next stop was Kilminning where we checked the top end first. Things were relatively quiet however though both Whitethroat and Willow Warbler were found. We headed down to the bottom end where Gannets and distant auks could be seen over the sea. A Kestrel flew over but despite much searching, it appeared that the favourable winds hadn't deposited anything around the Crail area. Jacqui decided to head for home and I decided to walk along to the Fife Bird Club hide at Fife Ness for a spot of sea-watching. Sedge Warbler, Dunnock and a pair of Whimbrel were seen on the slow walk towards the hide where I arrived at around 1140.
I hadn't been in the hide any longer than a minute or two when a grapevine text message came through on my phone. A singing Marsh Warbler had been found by Mark Wilkinson, the finder of the Caspian Gull the night before. Even better than that, it was just around the corner at Fife Ness Muir. I quickly packed up and hurried round. Cormorants, Shags, Gannets and a Grey Heron were seen on the 2 minute walk to the cottage that backs onto the 'Patch'. I headed in and bumped into John Anderson and a birder from Australia, Rob, who I'd met before at Kilminning last Autumn. The bird could be heard singing from timto time, but like most warblers it was skulking and proving impossible to see.
I found a spot where I could hopefully see the bird but fleeting glimpses of apparent movement behind a sea of branches were the best I was managing to get. We were joined by Gus Guthrie and Dave Waters and Gus managed to see the bird before he headed off. Will Cresswell arrived and tried to tempt the bird out by using recordings but the bird chose to ignore it. Willie Irvine then arrived and there was a brief exchange on the subject of playback between the 2. Myself and Dave headed back round to where we had been stood earlier as I reckoned the bird was more likely to be visible from there.
After what seemed like an eternity, I spotted the
Marsh Warbler flying between bushes but nobody else managed to get on it. After another wait, and more distinctive bursts of song I spotted the bird moving up through a small bush and this time others managed to see it before it disappeared into the taller trees behind. Dave spotted where it was moving and I pointed the camera through a gap and remarkably managed to get 1 relatively clear photo showing most of the necessary features and I had my second lifer of the day. Given the bird's behaviour, I decided I was unlikely to get a better photo so I would go back to the hide for a bit of sea-watching. A quick scout round of the rest of the patch proved fruitless, though Chiffchaff was heard but not seen.
Will Cresswell and I sat in the sun and scanned out over the sea. Probably the same pair of Whimbrel I'd seen earlier flew past. Offshore, Guillemots, Razornills, Gannets, Cormorants, Shags and Eider moved as well as a few Arctic Terns. Will soon headed off to check Balcomie beach and Kilminning and I popped back into teh hide for a mre comfortable seat. Common Gull and Great Black Backed Gulls passed by. A quartet of Shelduck headed south over the sea. Fulmar and a small flock of Sanderling were added. On the rocks a Pied Wagtail scuttled around and a Carrion Crow managed to catch a fish, and later a Prawn, in the rockpools. A Grey Seal was seen swimming past.
As the time approached 1500 I decided to head for Crail and the bus home, having found nothing else of note. My legs felt quite heavy on the walk back and I stopped a couple of times to photograph a Starling on a gate and a singing Skylark in the Oilseed Rape field. From the bus back to St Andrews I added Rook to the list and from teh St Andrews to Dundee bus the Mute swans at the Motray in Guardbridge completed my list for the day.
Any day's birding that adds a bird to my life-list is a good day, but 1 that adds 2 new lifers (in bold) is a very good day. Had Jacqui not offered me a lift, I wouldn't have made it to Leven in time to catch the Caspian Gull, nor would I have likely stopped off at Elie or the Yellow Wagatil site. I ended the day on 62 species of bird seen.
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| Caspian Gull |
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| Eider, Herring Gull, Lesser Black Backed Gull & Kittiwake |
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| Caspian Gull |
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| Caspian Gull |
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| Caspian Gull |
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| Caspian Gull |
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| Caspian Gull |
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| Caspian Gull |
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| Caspian Gull |
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| Sandwich Tern |
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| Sandwich Tern |
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| Black Necked Grebe |
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| Black Necked Grebe |
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| Black Necked Grebe |
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| Linnet |
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| Yellow Wagtail |
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| Yellow Wagtail |
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| Yellow Wagtail |
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| Yellow Wagtail |
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| Yellow Wagtail |
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| Stock Dove |
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| Whitethroat |
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| Reed Bunting |
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| Sedge Warbler |
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| Whimbrel |
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| Whimbrel |
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| Herring Gull |
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| Willow Warbler |
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| Willow Warbler |
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| Marsh Warbler |
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| Grey Heron |
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| Pied Wagtail |
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| Carrion Crow |
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| Gannet |
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| Gannet |
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| Fulmar |
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| Carrion Crow |
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| Carrion Crow |
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| Carrion Crow (with Prawn) |
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| Eider |
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| Skylark |
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| Starling |
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| Skylark |
Species seen - Arctic Tern, Blackbird, Blackcap, Black Necked Grebe, Blue Tit, Carrion Crow,
Caspian Gull, Chaffinch, Coal Tit, Collared Dove, Common Gull, Cormorant, Corn Bunting, Dunnock, Eider, Fulmar, Gannet, Goldfinch, Great Black Backed Gull, Great Tit, Grey Heron, Guillemot, Herring Gull, House Martin, House Sparrow, Jackdaw, Kestrel, Kittiwake, Lapwing, Lesser Black Backed Gull, Linnet, Magpie, Mallard,
Marsh Warbler, Mute Swan, Oystercatcher, Pheasant, Pied Wagtail, Razorbill, Reed Bunting, Robin, Feral Pigeon, Rock Pipit, Rook, Sanderling, Sandwich Tern, Sedge Warbler, Shag, Shelduck, Siskin, Skylark, Song Thrush, Starling, Stock Dove, Swallow, Swift, Whimbrel, Whitethroat, Willow Warbler, Woodpigeon, Yellow Wagtail, Yellowhammer.
Mammals seen - Brown Hare, Grey Seal, Grey Squirrel.
