Sunday was mostly spent recovering from Saturday's early start and I lacked any motivation to get out birding. However, a message from Roy asking if I fancied trying to get the Rose Coloured Starling on Monday was answered in the affirmative and plans were made for me to get to Edinburgh Gateway railway station for around 1100 and from then we'd head to Barns Ness and hopefully another lifer and year-tick taking me even further past my previous best total.
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| Woodchat Shrike |
I headed out around 0905 to catch the train at 0944. Blackbird, Herring Gull, Feral Pigeon, Woodpigeon and Carrion Crow were seen on the way down to the station. From the train I was able to add a few more species - Starling, Cormorant, Grey Heron, Mute Swan, Rook, Magpie, Buzzard and surprise Gannets by the Forth railbridge. On the way out to Dunbar we added a flock of Lapwings, Jackdaws and a Kestrel.
We wandered out towards the lighthouse. Reed Bunting and an unexpected Small Tortoiseshell butterfly were seen followed by a few Goldfinches. Pied Wagtails, Rock Pipits, Curlew, a distant Goosander and a few Meadow Pipits were seen before a Merlin shot through low along the edge of the rocky shore. Dunlin was next to be added. Unlike Saturday, things were quiet so the Starling flock was able to perch up on the lighthouse. We scanned through them but there was no sign of any pale bird. Gannets, Black Headed Gull, Common Gull, Redshank, Sandwich Tern and a few Bar Tailed Godwits were seen. A few small skeins of Pink Footed Geese were seen out over the Forth.
A distant Red Breasted Merganser headed northwards low over the water. A few Teal passed by. Eider, Linnet, Oystercatcher and Shag were all noted. The lighthouse was scanned again and any moving Starlings were well scrutinised but to no avail. A Wheatear was seen down on the beach. Guillemot was added before a skein of Barnacle Geese arrived over the coast. We wandered round towards the car park again as the tide was coming in. Mallard, Ringed Plover, Turnstone and a surprise Black Tailed Godwit were the next onto the list. Unfortunately there was no sign of the target bird though a birder we spoke to had seen it earlier in the day out among the rocks. We searched through any and all Starlings that we found but there was still no sign. We had a quick look at the Woodchat Shrike before heading up to the top end of the quarry where we'd been told about a cycle track along by the railway line.
From here we watched a Kestrel land on a fence post and a Swallow zipped by. We had a quick scan of the quarry which gave us Greylag and Canada Geese, Coots, Tufted Duck, Wigeon, Great Black Backed Gull and a Pochard. A Rabbit dived into cover as a train passed. A pair of Roe Deer were seen near the cement works and a Robin and a Dunnock were seen near the cement works car park. A Chaffinch and a small arrival of Skylarks were our final addition before we headed back towards Edinburgh Gateway. A Mistle Thrush was seen from the car perched in a treetop when we were held up a little in the traffic on the bypass. Unfortunately, I missed the train by around 20 seconds though I did add a Grey Wagtail from the platform while I waited. More Pied Wagtails, Goldfinches and Skylarks were seen. Nothing was added from the rather busy train and it was around 2000 by the time I got home.
Not a successful twitch but any day with a Woodchat Shrike can't be all bad, even if it was a very brief look as I'd seen the bird well on Saturday and Roy had seen it on Sunday. 59 species of bird were seen in total, as well as 2 species of mammal and 1 butterfly species.
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| Reed Bunting |
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| Merlin |
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| Pink Footed Goose |
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| Starling |
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| Starling |
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| Common Gull |
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| Sandwich Tern |
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| Bar Tailed Godwit |
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| Red Breatsed Merganser |
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| Great Black Backed Gull |
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| Barnacle Goose |
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| Barnacle Goose |
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| Curlew |
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| Starling |
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| Great Black Backed Gull |
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| Wheatear |
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| Shag |
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| Redshank, Turnstone, Curlew, Oystercatcher |
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| Ringed Plover & Dunlin |
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| Black Tailed Godwit |
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| Common Gull |
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| Starling |
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| Starling |
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| Linnet |
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| Reed Bunting |
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| Woodchat Shrike |
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| Woodchat Shrike |
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| Tufted Duck |
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| Great Black Backed Gull |
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| Canada Goose, Greylag Goose, Pochard, Mallard, Grey Heron |
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| Kestrel |
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| Kestrel |
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| Skylark |
Species seen - Barnacle Goose, Bar Tailed Godwit, Blackbird, Black Headed Gull, Black Tailed Godwit, Buzzard, Canada Goose, Carrion Crow, Chaffinch, Common Gull, Coot, Cormorant, Curlew, Dunlin, Dunnock, Eider, Gannet, Goldfinch, Goosander, Great Black Backed Gull, Grey Heron, Grey Wagtail, Greylag Goose, Guillemot, Herring Gull, Jackdaw, Kestrel, Lapwing, Linnet, Magpie, Mallard, Meadow Pipit, Merlin, Mistle Thrush, Mute Swan, Oystercatcher, Pied Wagtail, Pink Footed Goose, Pochard, Red Breasted Merganser, Redshank, Reed Bunting, Ringed Plover, Robin, Feral Pigeon, Rock Pipit, Rook, Sandwich Tern, Shag, Skylark, Starling, Swallow, Teal, Tufted Duck, Turnstone, Wheatear, Wigeon, Woodchat Shrike, Woodpigeon.
Butterfly seen - Small Tortoiseshell.
Mammals seen - Rabbit, Roe Deer.
