I was still trying to decide where to go birding on Wednesday at bedtime on Tuesday night before I eventually decided that I would once again try for the White Winged Scoter at Musselburgh. Being a weekday, the train fare would be more expensive but with a little luck I would gain a lifer. An early train would be required so an early start would be necessary. I hoped that the weather would be favourable, unlike on my previous visit.
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| Velvet Scoter |
I was out the door at around 0625 to catch the 0655 train to Edinburgh Waverly. As the streets were still very quiet I was able to add a number of species straight away - Woodpigeon, Herring Gull, Carrion Crow, Magpie and Feral Pigeon. Collared Dove was seen further down the road. Blue Tit and Blackbird were seen in the City Centre. There were no further additions until the train pulled out of the station. Lesser Black Backed Gull and Starling being spotted as the train trundled towards the rail bridge. A Cormorant flew down river as we crossed the Tay. House Sparrows were around the houses at the Wormit end of the bridge. Swallows hawked for insects over the fields before the train reached Leuchars.
Jackdaws and Stock Doves were seen around Guardbridge and an Oystercatcher was in a field outside Cupar. It was a while before anything else was added to the list with a number of Eiders seen close in to shore as the train followed the coast west. Great Black Backed Gull and a Rabbit were the final additions before the train reached Edinburgh. I didn't have long to wait for a bus to Musselburgh and I added a small flock of Mute Swans near Leith as they flew over southwards.
Arriving in Musselburgh I followed the river to the last footbridge. Mallards, Herring Gulls, Lesser Black Backed Gulls and Canada Geese mingled along the banks and on the pebble islands. Curlews and Oystercatchers were seen at the river mouth, along with Eider and a single Goosander. I followed the seawall eastwards stopping to scan at various points. The river was relatively calm which made picking out the birds a lot easier. A pair of Sandwich Terns flew up the Forth, while a Skylark sung its way skywards from the ash lagoons behind me. Gannets, Common Scoters, Long Tailed Duck, Velvet Scoters and a Red Throated Diver close in to shore were all seen but there was nothing that looked particularly like the bird I was looking for.
A group of Tufted Ducks flew past and a Common Gull followed at a slower pace. A pair of Razorbill were picked out on the water before a Kestrel was seen hovering over the longer grass. A female Goldeneye was a slight surprise, though the first Shag of the day was less so. A few distant Kittiwakes were scoped but despite checking every single Velvet Scoter I could see I wasn't having any luck. It had also clouded over and the wind was starting to pick up making it a bit colder than ideal. I decided on a visit to the Scrapes.
Things appeared to be rather quiet with a pair of Gadwall and a pair of Shelduck on the first scrape but there was slightly more visible on the second and third. A small group of Dunlin and Ringed Plover (and a possible Little Ringed Plover) stood around on a small muddy island. Pied Wagtails, Reed Buntings and a Skylark picked around the edges. I was joined by a birder through from Paisley to search for the White Winged Scoter and as we chatted I spotted something yellow with the smaller birds. There had been a negative report of a Grey Headed Wagtail on Rare Bird Alert for early that morning, so I'd assumed the bird had moved on, but it was the rather nice Grey Headed Wagtail (the Thunbergi subspecies of Yellow Wagtail).
We watched it intently as it picked around the edges with the other birds, though the views were still rather distant. A local had joined us by this time and he was also rather pleased to see the Wagtail had re-appeared. The bird disappeared again for a few minutes but was spotted in front of a pair of Greylag Geese. Sand Martins and at least one House Martin attempted to catch some food over the pools. Pleased to have got the Grey Headed Wagtail (even if it didn't count as a year-tick owing to its subspecies status), I decided to try again for the White Winged Scoter. Goldfinch and a Pheasant were seen on the short walk round to the seawall again. Chifchaff, Blackcap, Willow Warbler and Long Tailed Tit were also heard but not actively hunted for.
It was to be another fruitless search for the White Winged Scoter however, with the odd sleeping bird giving false hope only to wake up and show itself to be just another Velvet Scoter. I did succeed in adding Guillemot and Black Headed Gull before deciding to call it quits and heading for the bus back to Edinburgh. A Grey Plover was added at the river mouth but that proved to be the final addition of the day with the bulk of the train journey spent checking photos just in acse I'd somehow overlooked the Scoter.
Not the most successful day out but the Grey Headed Wagtail made the journey worthwhile being my first subspecies other than the 'British' race - Flavissima. 52 species of bird were seen but no year-ticks. Just 1 mammal species was seen.
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| Goosander |
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| Eider |
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| Oystercatcher |
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| Red Throated Diver |
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| Gannet |
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| Tufted Duck |
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| Velvet Scoter |
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| Velvet Scoter |
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| Velvet Scoter |
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| Gadwall |
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| Kittiwake |
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| Ringed Plover & Dunlin |
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| Skylark, Grey Headed Wagtail & Pied Wagtail |
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| Greylag Geese, Reed Bunting, Shelduck, Grey Headed Wagtail & Pied Wagtail |
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| Dunlin & Ringed Plover |
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| Grey Headed Wagtail & Ringed Plover |
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| Ringed Plover & Grey Headed wagtail |
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| Shelduck & Grey Headed Wagtail |
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Grey Headed Wagtail
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| Sandwich Tern |
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| Eider |
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| Eider |
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| Eider |
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| Grey Plover |
Species seen - Blackbird, Black Headed Gull, Blue Tit, Canada Goose, Carrion Crow, Collared Dove, Common Gull, Common Scoter, Cormorant, Curlew, Dunlin, Eider, Gadwall, Gannet, Goldeneye, Goldfinch, Goosander, Great Black Backed Gull, Grey Plover, Greylag Goose, Guillemot, Herring Gull, House Martin, House Sparrow, Jackdaw, Kestrel, Kittiwake, Lesser Black Backed Gull, Long Tailed Duck, Magpie, Mallard, Mute Swan, Oystercatcher, Pheasant, Pied Wagtail, Razorbill, Red Throated Diver, Reed Bunting, Ringed Plover, Feral Pigeon, Sand Martin, Sandwich Tern, Shag, Shelduck, Skylark, Starling, Stock Dove, Swallow, Tufted Duck, Velvet Scoter, Woodpigeon, Yellow Wagtail (Grey Headed/thunbergi).
Mammals seen - Rabbit.
