After Monday's very successful trip west I wanted to get out birding on Tuesday and a Firecrest reported at Guardbridge on Monday evening gave me the perfect excuse to get up and out early. I caught the bus at 0705 and arrived in the village about 20 minutes before sunrise. There were birds passing overhead and there was some movement in the bushes by the small reservoir but no sign of even a Goldcrest, let alone a Firecrest. I caught the bus to St Andrews at around 0900. From there I headed to Crail. Unfortunately as I headed for Kilminning it began to rain - whichg hadn't been forecast. The rain got heavier at Kilminning and I sheltered in the ruined building at the top end till the rain abated enough to walk to Fife Ness to seawatch from the hide for a few hours.
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| Stonechat |
In the end I spent from 1200 till 1600 there. There was plenty of variety though nothing particularly outstanding - a Mute Swan was unexpected, and 2 Brent Geese were also in the less common category. Long Tailed Ducks, Red Throated Divers, Common Scoters, Wigeon and a distant unidentified Diver species that was probably a Great Northern, maybe a Black Throated (slim chance of White Billed) was spotted a bit too late to be 100% of the ID. John Anderson arrived around 1430 and we chatted while we watched the movements out over the sea until 1600 when John gave me a lift back to Crail to catch my bus home. Not a classic day but a decent mix of species seen among the 65 seen.
Dundee to Guardbridge -Herring Gull, Blue Tit, Carrion Crow, Teal, Blackbird, Woodpigeon, Sparrowhawk, Redwing, Robin, Dunnock, Magpie, Goldfinch, Grey Wagtail, Song Thrush, Black Headed Gull, Curlew, Pink Footed Goose, Great Tit, Jackdaw, Pied Wagtail, Meadow Pipit, Wren, Greenfinch, Skylark, Chaffinch, Peregrine, Feral Pigeon, Starling.
Guardbridge to Crail - Common Gull, Buzzard, Rook, Stock Dove.
Crail/Fife Ness to Dundee - Kestrel, Yellowhammer, Fieldfare, Corn Bunting, Goldcrest, Coal Tit, Long Tailed Tit, Stonechat, Shag, Great Black Backed Gull, Gannet, Cormorant, Grey Heron, Guillemot, Oysteractcher, Rock Pipit, Sandwich Tern, Redshank, Mute Swan, Ringed Plover, Eider, Wigeon, Razorbill, (Great Northern Diver?), Common Scoter, Long Tailed Duck, Kittiwake, Red Breasted Merganser, Red Throated Diver, Turnstone, Brent Goose, Pheasant, Swallow, Mallard, Collared Dove.
Mammals seen - Grey Seal
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| Grey Wagtail |
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| Rook |
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| Kestrel |
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| Corn Bunting |
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| Feral Pigeon |
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| Fieldfare |
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| Stonechat |
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| Dunnock |
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| Guillemot |
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| Rock Pipit |
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| Sandwich Tern |
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| Eider |
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| Ringed Plover |
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| Long Tailed Duck |
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| Guillemot |
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| Common Gull |
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| Red Breasted Merganser |
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| Common Scoter |
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| Red Throated Diver |
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| Herring Gull |
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| Common Scoter |
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| Cormorant & Eider |
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| Gannet |
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| Brent Goose |
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| Great Northern Diver (?) |
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| Wigeon |
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| Common Gull |
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| Common Scoter |
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| Red Throated Diver |
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| Red Throated Diver |
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| Wigeon |
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| Common Scoter |
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| Common Scoter |
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| Kittiwake |
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| Shag |
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| Kittiwake |
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| Brent Goose |
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| Gannet |
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| Shag |
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| Red Throated Diver |
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| Red Throated Diver |
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| Wigeon |
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| Gannet |
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| Red Throated Diver |
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| Red Throated Diver |
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| Mute Swan |
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| Kittiwake & Herring Gull |
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| Red Throated Diver |
Species seen - Blackbird, Black Headed Gull, Blue Tit, Brent Goose, Buzzard, Carrion Crow, Chaffinch, Coal Tit, Collared Dove, Common Gull, Common Scoter, Cormorant, Corn Bunting, Curlew, Dunnock, Eider, Fieldfare, Gannet, Goldcrest, Goldfinch, Great Black Backed Gull, Great Tit, (Great Northern Diver?), Greenfinch, Grey Heron, Grey Wagtail, Guillemot, Herring Gull, Jackdaw, Kestrel, Kittiwake, Long Tailed Duck, Long Tailed Tit, Magpie, Mallard, Meadow Pipit, Mute Swan, Oystercatcher, Peregrine, Pheasant, Pied Wagtail, Pink Footed Goose, Razorbill, Red Breasted Merganser, Redshank, Red Throated Diver, Redwing, Ringed Plover, Robin, Feral Pigeon, Rock Pipit, Rook, Sandwich Tern, Shag, Skylark, Song Thrush, Sparrowhawk, Starling, Stock Dove, Stonechat, Swallow, Teal, Turnstone, Wigeon, Woodpigeon, Wren, Yellowhammer.
Mammals seen - Grey Seal.
