The weather on Sunday was rather similar to Saturday's and also for what seems to have been quite some time. Warm and sunny again, under clear blue skies. Just as with Saturday I didn't want to stay in, but having managed to get a bit of sunburn on Saturday I wasn't overly keen on spending too much time in direct sunlight. I decided to head for the hide at Guardbridge. I wasn't expecting too much from that choice other than perhaps some reasonable photo opportunities.
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| Tree Sparrow |
I headed out at 1100 to walk to the bus station for the 1120 bus to Fife. Herring Gull, Woodpigeon, and Blackbird started the day's list off, followed in a steady stream by Lesser Black Backed Gull, Goldfinch, Feral Pigeon, Starling and House Sparrow. A trio of Swifts were seen over Newport from the bus to Fife. Sand Martins were swooping around over their usual spot at the St Michaels golf course. As the bus neared Guardbridge it became apparent that the river Eden was under a finger of haar, with the majority still sitting offshore. This didn't bode well for either seeing very much or for photography.
Sure enough, the view from the hide was rather limited with the mist actually being over the exposed mud than the river itself. A Lapwing flew across the river when I opened the hide window. A pair of Redshanks and a few more Lapwings were along the far shore. A few Carrion Crows wandered around on the small muddy islets in the river. A small flock of Linnets flew up from the far bank as a pair of Curlews disappeared upriver. There were a number of Mute Swans on the water. Black Headed Gulls swept low over the water before landing near the waders.
A pair of Common Gulls headed past the hide and upriver towards the bridge. The light was poor given the sunshine everywhere else. An Oystercatcher dropped in and across the far bank I spotted half a dozen Grey Herons roosting behind the fence. One of the local Buzzards flew out from the trees to circle above the salt marsh. A Swallow sped low over the muddy bank opposite. At the feeders a family group of Tree Sparrows were tucking into peanuts. A Great Black Backed Gull flew over. Scanning upriver a bit I spotted a wader sleeping in mid-channel. A Greenshank. Maybe the Autumn wader movement back south is beginning already. A Herring Gull "paddled" in shallow water for crabs, as they do for worms on land, and was successful. A second bird swallowed 3 crabs whole rather than dismembering and destroying the shell first.
A Great Tit appeared on the feeders, and a few Blue Tit fledglings popped down for their share of the peanuts a little later. A single Shelduck was seen out on the mud through a gap in the mist as it moved across the mud. A pair of Canada Geese appeared down near the bend in the river. A female Chaffinch dropped in at the feeders, and a single Coal Tit did likewise on the other side of the hide. A few eclipse plumage Mallards were seen a little later on. I was joined in the hide by a birder from Pennsylvania in the USA who was over for a meeting at St Andrews University. I was able to pass on information as to where else he might be able to add a few more species in Fife during his week's stay.
A Robin flew down to the grass a few times. A Dunnock showed on the 'see-saw' plank opposite. The mist was starting to clear a little and I was able to see the Herring Gulls and a few Lesser Black Backed Gulls roosting round the bend near their usual spot. There were a number of Goosander on the outflow pipe on the far bank and I spotted a number of Cormorant perched on a rocky island further downriver as the mist lifted some more.
Eventually just before 1600 the mist cleared completely and I was able to see right out across the estuary. An Osprey was visible hunting over the river, though it didn't make any dives in the 10 minutes that I watched it. A Jackdaw flew over, and a single Teal was spotted in flight quite distantly. Even more distant was the flock of Eider that I picked up as a few males flapped their wings. My final addition for the day was a House Martin just before I decided to head for the bus and home, though the bus seemed to be running slightly early and I almost missed it.
The mist did make for a rather challenging and slow sort of afternoon's birding with few really good photo opportunities but it was better than sitting at home by a long way. I ended up with 41 species which seems to be roughly what I'd expect about now at Guardbridge. As southbound migration picks up that number should increase.
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| Curlew |
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| Carrion Crow |
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| Curlew |
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| Grey Heron |
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| Grey Heron |
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| Buzzard |
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| Redshank |
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| Lapwing |
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| Greenshank |
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| Carrion Crow |
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| Tree Sparrow |
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| Tree Sparrow |
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| Oystercatcher |
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| Curlew & Greenshank |
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| Herring Gull |
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| Greenshank, Black Headed Gull & Lapwing |
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| Herring Gull |
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| Blue Tit |
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| Curlew |
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| Common Gull |
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| Grey Heron |
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| Grey Heron |
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| Greenshank |
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| Greenshank |
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| Black Headed Gull |
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| Grey Heron |
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| Grey Heron |
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| Grey Heron |
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| Oystercatcher |
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| Black Headed Gull |
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| Feral Pigeon |
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| Canada Goose |
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| Mallard & Goosander |
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| Grey Heron |
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| Grey Heron |
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| Grey Heron |
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| Osprey |
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| Woodpigeon |
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| Redshank & Greenshank |
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Grey Heron
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Species seen - Blackbird, Black Headed Gull, Blue Tit, Buzzard, Canada Goose, Carrion Crow, Chaffinch, Coal Tit, Comon Gull, Cormorant, Curlew, Dunnock, Eider, Goldfinch, Goosander, Great Black Backed Gull, Great Tit, Greenshank, Grey Heron, Herring Gull, House Martin, House Sparrow, Jackdaw, Lapwing, Lesser Black Backed Gull, Linnet, Mallard, Mute Swan, Osprey, Oystercatcher, Redshank, Robin, Feral Pigeon, Sand Martin, Shelduck, Starling, Swallow, Swift, Teal, Tree Sparrow, Woodpigeon.
