I woke up on Sunday to a text alert message from Fife Bird Club reporting a Garganey drake at Letham Pools. Being a Sunday, my options for getting there were more limited than usual, with buses and trains to Ladybank only running every 2 hours. A quick check of the TravelineScotland app suggested my best bet was to catch a train at 1120 to Ladybank, and then a bus 15 mins later to Letham. With the next train back to Dundee from Ladybank till 1427 I reckoned it should be possible to walk back via the Wilderness, as long as I managed to see the Garganey within a short period of time.
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| Garganey |
I was slightly later in getting out than intended which meant I needed there to be no hold-ups at the railway station ticket queue. Herring Gull, Woodpigeon, Goldfinch and Feral Pigeon got the list started with House Sparrow and Carrion Crow added in the city centre as well as a singing Goldfinch on a shop sign in the Cowgate. From the train to Ladybank I added a Buzzard between Wormit and Leuchars. Starling and Swifts were seen at Cupar railway station. A Mute Swan was in a small pool on the edge of a golf course just outside Cupar. Arriving in Ladybank I added House Martin and Swallow as they whizzed around the station and streets outside, along with more Swifts.
Thankfully the bus to Letham was on time and I was soon crossing the road to scan the pools. Gadwall, Mallard, Shelduck and Moorhen were spotted from the road junction. A little further on I found a sleeping Shoveler drake, but still no Garganey. A few Sand Martins zipped low over the water as I wandered along. A Sedge Warbler was heard but not seen. I suspected a parked car ahead of me belonged to a birder and I was correct. It was Rob Armstrong who had also deduced that the lack of car meant it was probably me walking along the road. Thankfully, he had seen the bird a minute or two earlier but it had now swam out of sight, though most likely in the direction of the area of the pool I'd just checked.
I thanked Rob and wandered back along the road. Sure enough, the drake
Garganey was in the small channel between the main part of the pool and the smaller section I'd checked first. As I photographed it a drake Pochard swam past. With the bird being relatively far away, and the conditions rather windy, I decided I might as well start my walk to Ladybank. Black Headed Gull, Common Gull, Coot, Oystercatcher and Tufted Duck were all seen on or around the pools. A flock of Mute Swans in the field at the far end of the pools contained a single Whooper Swan. Also nearby and almost hidden in the longer grass were a few Greylags. A Skylark fluttered up from the field across the road.
Whitethroat was heard singing further on from the Brambles by the roadside and a Lapwing flew over. Things were relatively quiet for the next mile or so, though a pair of Mistle Thrushes and a male Blackbird were seen near Pitlair care home. A few Orange Tip butterflies battled the wind along the verges. Rooks and Jackdaws were seen as I neared the level crossing not far from the junction towards Ladybank. A Collared Dove flew over by the large house at the junction.
The water levels at the Wilderness were still rather high so there was no sign of any waders except a couple of Lapwings. Most of the wildfowl were sleeping - Mallards and Gadwall mostly. There were a few Mute Swans, Coots and Tufted Ducks around too but it was fairly disappointing. Long Tailed Tit was added near the B&B, and a Green Veined White butterfly was photographed by the road. A Blue Tit flew into the trees a little further along and a Willow Warbler was heard but not seen. An Eyed Ladybird was found on a blade of grass a bit further on.
As I still had around an hour to kill before my train back to Dundee was due I decided to explore a little. I knew there was a pool of some sort behind the B&B, so I followed the track into the wood and then headed along by the railway line. The pool itself held only a Gadwall drake so I retraced my steps back to the road. A Great Spotted Woodpecker called from the trees and a second bird flew over my head to join it. I stopped further round the road to scan across the fields. A Pheasant was heard but not seen though I did find a Roe Deer feeding in the middle of a field. A Yellowhammer flew across the road and sang from a bush behind me.
As I neared Ladybank railway station a Magpie flew up onto a building opposite before flying back to chase a Jackdaw away. Swifts, Swallows and House Martins zipped around above the station. As I still had around 20 minutes to kill before my train I decided to try photographing the birds around the station. The Swifts and hirundines above were the main distraction though a Pied Wagtail was also photographed as was a Starling with a beakful of insects. A Chaffinch male flew past and I found a pair of Swallows resting below the eaves of the station building before the train arrived. A Great Spotted Woodpecker was seen from the train as we passed the pool I'd investigated. The only other addition was a Lesser Black Backed Gull seen from the Tay railbridge as we neared Dundee.
A worthwhile, if slightly expensive for what it was, twitch with a total of 42 species of bird seen inclusing the 1 year-tick (in bold). 1 mammal and 2 butterfly species (and 1 ladybird) were also noted.
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| Garganey & Gadwall |
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| Garganey |
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| Pochard & Garganey |
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| Garganey |
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| Gadwall |
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| Gadwall |
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| Mute Swan & Whooper Swan |
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| Greylag Geese |
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| Whooper Swan & Mute Swan |
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| Green Veined White |
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| Buzzard |
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| Eyed Ladybird |
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| Eyed Ladybird |
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| Magpie |
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| Magpie |
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| Magpie |
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| Starling |
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| Swift |
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| House Martin |
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| Swift |
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| Herring Gull |
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| Swift |
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| Pied Wagtail |
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Swallow
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Species seen - Blackbird, Black Headed Gull, Blue Tit, Buzzard, Carrion Crow, Chaffinch, Collared Dove, Common Gull, Coot, Gadwall,
Garganey, Goldfinch, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Greylag Goose, Herring Gull, House Martin, House Sparrow, Jackdaw, Lapwing, Lesser Black Backed Gull, Long Tailed Tit, Magpie, Mallard, Mistle Thrush, Moorhen, Mute Swan, Oystercatcher, Pied Wagtail, Pochard, Feral Pigeon, Rook, Sand Martin, Shelduck, Shoveler, Skylark, Starling, Swallow, Swift, Tufted Duck, Whooper Swan, Woodpigeon, Yellowhammer.
(Identified) Insects seen - Eyed Ladybird, Green Nettle Weevil (probable), Green Veined White (butterfly), Orange Tip (butterfly), St Mark's Fly
Mammals seen - Roe Deer
