Paul messaged me on Monday to let me know he was ill and wouldn't be able to get out for our usual midweek outing this week. I was undecided where to go as most of the good birds around were a bit too far away using public transport (3+ hrs each way travel time on a bus/train). Rather than my intended early start I only got up when some DIY nearby interrupted my sleep. The weather forecast was only reasonable at the coast, elsewhere there was a good chance of getting rather wet so I decided to head for Fife Ness and some sea-watching although the chances of adding anything new were very slim.
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| Eider |
I headed out at around 1045 and just missed a bus into town by seconds. Herring Gull, Woodpigeon and Carrion Crow were noted before the flock of House Sparrows at the feeders on Victoria Road were added, followed soon after by a Feral Pigeon flying over. A pair of Blue Tits were seen in the trees near the bus station where I'd seen Long Tailed Tits the week before. The bus windows were not particularly clean so it was difficult to see much through them on the way to St Andrews. I did however manage to add Rook, Jackdaw and a Skylark. A Blackbird wandered along the roadside at roadworks on the way into St Andrews.
I had a wee while to wait for the Crail bus but there was nothing added while I waited. A trio of Mallards flew over as the bus passed the golf course entrance at the top of the hill after leaving St Andrews. Starlings were seen on the wires a little further on. I decided to give the camera lens and binoculars a clean only to discover that my binoculars were still at home in the bag I'd used on Sunday. This wasn't great news given that I tend to do most of my sea-watching using my binoculars. I did have a wee scope in my bag but I'm not very good at using scopes. I decided I would attempt to use manual focus on the camera lens instead. Not ideal but my options were pretty limited.
The Moorhens were on the farm pond near Kingsbarns. I got off the bus at the Balcomie Hotel and headed out along the road eastwards. Things were very quiet though I did hear, and manage to find, a distantly singing Song Thrush well behind the B&B. Another Song Thrush was in the trees just beyond the Industrial Estate entrance. A pair of Magpies flew across the road and a Buzzard was perched on the metal frame at the edge of the cow field. The top end of Kilminning was very quiet with nothing at all seen.
Having crossed the golf course I found the rocks offshore beyond Stinky Pool held their usual mix of Shags, Cormorants, Herring Gulls and Great Black Backed Gulls as well as Redshanks, a few Purple Sandpipers, Oystercatchers, Sanderling and Dunlin. A single Curlew picked around in the pool. A few Eider were on the water offshore but things appeared very quiet. I arrived at the hide at 1300 and got organised as best I could. Things seemed even quieter than they had with apparently very little to be seen at first. It was slow going but a few Cormorants and Shags headed out to sea and a Common Gull, a Great Black Backed Gull and a few Herring Gulls drifted over. Further out I picked up a very distant Gannet and an even further out Black Headed Gull.
An Oystercatcher flew by close in. A few Eiders sped by. A small group of 5 Common Scoters headed north. A Kittiwake headed south and a fast flying duck going north turned out to be a Teal. It was mostly gulls, Cormorants and Shags plus a few others for the next 20 minutes. A Curlew flew by close to the hide. A Red Throated Diver was picked up not too far out and a Fulmar went the other way before a second Red Throated Diver was added. A Wigeon went north and a Reed Bunting landed out on the rocks. As it was beginning to get a bit colder I decided I would pack up and head for the bus at about 1500. Another Curlew, Kittiwake, Fulmar and Red Throated Diver, plus 2 more Common Scoters and a smattering of Gannets and gulls completed the day's sea-watching stint.
Another look at the rocks added Turnstone to the list for the day. A pair of Yellowhammers flew over from the golf course further up the road. Something spooked a flock of Woodpigeons which then settled on the drystane dyke between the golf course and the fields. At Kilminning I added a single Chaffinch and a small group of Goldfinches. Nothing else was added on the walk back to Crail or from the bus back to St Andrews. A quartet of Roe Deer were seen from the bus between St Andrews and Guardbridge after I'd explored the bookshops in St Andrews and bought a very nice book on Arctic Wildlife.
Certainly not a classic afternoon's birding with little of note seen among the 40 species. Chances are there was a bit more happening offshore but leaving the binoculars at home meant it went unseen by me. I will try not to make that mistake again.
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| Song Thrush |
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| Song Thrush |
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| Buzzard |
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| Shag, Cormorant, Herring Gull, Great Black Backed Gull |
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| Cormorant, Shag, Oystercatcher, Redshank, Dunlin & Sanderling |
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| Curlew |
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| Common Gull |
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| Cormorant |
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| Common Scoter |
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| Curlew |
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| Herring Gull |
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| Herring Gull |
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| Gannet |
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| Herring Gull |
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| Cormorant |
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| Teal |
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| Common Gull |
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| Shag |
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| Eider |
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| Gannet |
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| Shag |
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| Cormorant |
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| Common Scoter |
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| Common Gull |
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| Red Throated Diver |
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| Red Throated Diver |
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| Herring Gull |
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| Wigeon |
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| Red Throated Diver |
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| Red Throated Diver |
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| Herring Gull |
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| Herring Gull |
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| Great Black Backed Gull |
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| Kittiwake |
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| Great Black Backed Gull |
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| Great Black Backed Gull |
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| Eider |
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| Cormorant |
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| Cormorant |
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| Cormorant |
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| Eider |
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| Gannet |
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| Gannet |
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| Eider |
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| Great Black Backed Gull |
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| Reed Bunting |
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| Cormorant |
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| Cormorant |
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| Shag |
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| Common Gull |
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| Herring Gull |
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| Eider |
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| Shag |
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| Herring Gull |
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| Herring Gull |
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| Curlew, Oystercatcher, Starling, Turnstone |
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| Redshank & Curlew |
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| Magpie |
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| Woodpigeon |
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| Chaffinch |
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| Goldfinch |
Species seen - Blackbird, Black Headed Gull, Blue Tit, Buzzard, Carrion Crow, Chaffinch, Common Gull, Common Scoter, Cormorant, Curlew, Dunlin, Eider, Fulmar, Gannet, Goldfinch, Great Black Backed Gull, Herring Gull, House Sparrow, Jackdaw, Kittiwake, Magpie, Mallard, Moorhen, Oystercatcher, Purple Sandpiper, Redshank, Red Throated Diver, Reed Bunting, Feral Pigeon, Rook, Sanderling, Shag, Skylark, Song Thrush, Starling, Teal, Turnstone, Wigeon, Woodpigeon, Yellowhammer.
Mammals seen - Roe Deer.
