With the main migration season only just warming up right now, the options for adding to my year-list are still relatively few. Especially when the weather doesn't look too promising for spending too long outside. I'd arranged with Susan to do some birding with her this weekend, and vaguely easterly winds and rain for Sunday meant the prospects for something decent flying past offshore were reasonable. As Susan's only seawatching experience so far was a rather tame, but typical early summer session - plenty of birds but mostly the relatively local breeders (Gannets, Auks etc), she was still needing Skuas and Shearwaters, so we decided to head for Fife Ness for a few hours worth of seawatching.
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| Red Throated Diver |
I arranged to meet Susan at Guardbridge at 0850, so I headed out into the rain at around 0810 to walk to the bus station. Birds were in short supply with only 4 species seen - Herring Gull, Woodpigeon, Feral Pigeon and Jackdaw. There were no additions from the bus to Fife though a Blackbird was seen from the car as we left Guardbridge. A few Swallows were seen zpping around over the road where trees provided some shelter on both sides of the road. A Sparrowhawk flew very low along the roadside ahead of the car as we headed out towards Kilminning before veering off up into the trees. Crossing the rather emoty golf course added Oystercatchers, a Curlew and a Pied Wagtail.
Heading into the hide we added Shags and Gannets passing by offshore. In the hide were 2 birders already in situ, and a quick chat ascertained that there had been a few Bonxies and Manx Shearwaters but nothing too exciting. We set up our scopes and started scanning. It was rather quiet, except for Gannets, of which there were plenty moving. We did add Cormorant and Kittiwake quite quickly as well as a pair of Common Scoters. A Redshank flew off from the rocks before our first Red Throated Diver headed past. A Sandwich Tern pair called as they approached which gave us warning that they were on their way and were added to the list.
Knot was next to be added, then Fulmar and Common Terns. It was more of the same for the next while though around 25 juvenile Herring Gulls streamed past the hide close in over the rocks in a long strung out group. A Grey Seal hunted around just offshore and Susan spotted a couple of Guillemots out in the swell. With nothing much happening we chatted among ourselves and it transpired that one of the birders in the hide, visiting from Derbyshire (though originally from this area) actually reads this blog (so thanks, and hello, even if I didn't get your name). He headed off soon after leaving just Susan and I for a short while before we were joined by John Anderson.
John didn't wait too long before he picked up a Great Skua heading past southbound. As I was attempting to get onto the bird with the camera, a second Skua appeared in the viewfinder. John called "Arctic Skua" and Susan had herself 2 new year-ticks, just like that. A pair of Eiders swam past and a Turnstone calling helped me to get onto the bird as it flew past the rocks. Another Bonxie and another Arctic Skua were seen before a second Red Throated Diver flew by. Adult and juvenile Arctic Tern flew by with Common Terns, and a few more Common Scoters passed offshore. A distant flock of Knot headed south and a third Red Throated Diver and Bonxie were added. A small group of Linnets showed on the rocks and a party of Pied Wagtails dropped in briefly.
I was surprised that we hadn't had a sniff of a Shearwater, neither Manx or Sooty, but I had been teling Susan what to look out for with regards flight style and this paid off around 1230 when Susan said she thought she had a Manxie heading north. I struggled to get onto the bird (John had headed home for lunch) but eventually found it and was able to confirm Susan's third year-tick of the day. We had a few more go by, eventually taking the total to 10 or so, as well as another Bonxie but it was still rather quiet overall. Susan wanted to be home for 1400 or so, and I contemplated sticking around but as nothing more exciting than a Dunlin and Razorbill were added before it was time to pack up, so I decided a stint in the hide at Guardbridge would suffice for the rest of the afternoon.We passed the Fife Bird Club outing on their way in and let them know what we'd seen, and they ended up seeing similar with the addition of around 20 Little Gulls.
Magpies were seen on the golf course with Rooks and Carrion Crows seen on the way back to St Andrews as well as a flock of Starlings perched on wires above a field. We arrived at Guardbridge just before 1400 where a Robin perched on the gate greeted me as Susan headed for home and I headed inside, failing to see the calling Blue Tits I could hear in the trees by the gate. The hide was empty unsurprisingly as it was around low tide. There were plenty of Lapwings and Redshanks visible as well as 3 Little Egrets and a number of Grey Herons. Black Headed and Herring Gulls were also numerous. I was joined by Angus Duncan soon after and continued to slowly add species to the list. I'd set myself the target of 50 species for the day and the number slowly crept up, though once again birds that should have been relatively easy failed to appear.
Osprey and Buzzard were both seen,as was a young Sparrowhawk which flushed all the Lapwings. A flock of around 40 Black Tailed Godwits flew in and landed downriver. Lesser and Great Black backed Gulls were seen as was a Common Gull or 2. A Canada Goose flew out from the direction of the saltmarsh as we another birder showed up. A flock of Mute Swans could be seen much further downriver and I spotted a single Goosander in roughly the same area. Frustratingly there was no sign of any Ruff, Kingfisher, Common Sandpiper, Greenshank or even a Chaffinch, Tree Sparrow or Tit at the feeders to get the 1 additional species I needed to reach my target so at around 1640 I called it a day and headed for the bus stop and home.
Swallows and a single House Martin zipped around above the main road as I crossed the road to the bus stop. The House Martin gave my my half century of species for the day. A pretty decent day out despite the conditions with Susan managing to connect with 3 of her target species being the biggest plus. I also managed a few nice Little Egret photos at Guardbridge after Angus and the other birder had gone, with a single bird hunting close in to the near shoreline.
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| Common Scoter |
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| Gannet |
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| Red Throated Diver |
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| Knot |
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| Shag |
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| Common Tern |
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| Knot |
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| Common Tern |
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| Fulmar |
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| Common Tern |
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| Shag |
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| Herring Gull |
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| Common Scoter |
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| Arctic Skua |
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| Red Throated Diver |
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| Kittiwake |
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| Arctic Skua |
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| Great Skua |
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| Common Scoter |
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| Red Throated Diver |
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| Manx Shearwater |
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| Great Skua |
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| Grey Heron |
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| Little Egret |
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| Black Tailed Godwit |
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| Canada Goose |
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| Sparrowhawk |
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| Lapwing, Black Tailed Godwit & redshank |
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| Osprey |
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| Redshank |
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| Herring Gull |
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| Swallow |
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| Curlew |
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| Lapwing |
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| Little Egret |
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| Little Egret |
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| Little Egret |
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| Dunlin |
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| Woodpigeon & Oystercatcher |
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| Woodpigeon |
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| Black Headed Gull |
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| Common Gull |
Species seen - Arctic Skua, Arctic Tern, Blackbird, Black Headed Gull, Black Tailed Godwit, Buzzard, Canada Goose, Carrion Crow, Common Gull, Common Scoter, Common Tern, Cormorant, Curlew, Dunlin, Eider, Fulmar, Gannet, Goosander, Great Black Backed Gull, Great Skua, Grey Heron, Guillemot, Herring Gull, House Martin, Jackdaw, Kittiwake, Knot, Lapwing, Lesser Black Backed Gull, Linnet, Little Egret, Magpie, Manx Shearwater, Mute Swan, Osprey, Oystercatcher, Pied Wagtail, Razorbill, Redshank, Red Throated Diver, Robin, Feral Pigeon, Rook, Sandwich Tern, Shag, Sparrowhawk, Starling, Swallow, Turnstone, Woodpigeon.
Mammals seen - Grey Seal.
