Monday this week was a holiday off work so with better weather forecast (though still cold and windy) and having had relative success the previous day I decided I would head for the coast. The area around Crail offered some potential for summer migrants and if nothing else I would hopefully manage at least 1 Sandwich Tern passing Fife Ness. Wheatears on the beach were also possible and Blackcap is also likely to show up at Kilminning around this time. Woodcock was another slim possibility. In other words, I shouldn't come home empty-handed.
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Sandwich Tern
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Unfortunately changes to the bus times have made it almost impossible to get to Crail before 0900 without having to leave the house around 0645 and having a 35 minute wait in St Andrews. With better birding conditions I will probably give it a go, but it is far from ideal. The other option leaves a 2 minute window between buses - which is fine if the bus to St Andrews is on time, but a tractor, roadworks or lots of train passengers can easily close that rather tight window. I headed out just before 0745. Blackbird, Woodpigeon, Herring Gull, House Sparrow, Starling and Carrion Crow were rapidly followed by Feral Pigeon and Goldfinch. Blue Tit, Magpie, Grey Wagtail, Oystercatcher and Robin near the bus station rounded out a very productive walk.
The bus journey to St Andrews was less productive but I still managed a few pretty decent sightings among the regulars - the expected Rooks at St Michaels and a surprise flyover Jay, then a Sparrowhawk heading out over the fields north of Leuchars. Jackdaw and Collared Dove were on the chimneys in Leuchars. A Dunnock was on top of a hedge at Guardbridge while Skylark and Buzzard were seen between Guardbridge and St Andrews. As the bus neared the bus station in the town I caught sight of the distinctive straight-winged flapping style of a Fulmar as it headed south past the church spire and over the town. The bus to Crail gave me sightings of Curlews, Pheasant and Moorhen.
Denburn Wood failed to deliver any warblers but I did manage lots of Rooks, a Stock Dove, a few Chaffinches and a Wren. A Greenfinch was seen on the outskirts of the village as I wandered out towards Kilminning. There was a Corn Bunting singing by the pill-box where it was joined on the fence by a male Yellowhammer showing nicely just how big the Corn Bunting is. Another Corn Bunting was singing in a tree halfway along the field and either the same bird having flown off as I approached, or a third one was singing by the brick building at the end of the field. A Reed Bunting male was perched on the fence behind. A few Skylarks and Meadow Pipits performed song flights and there were a few Pied Wagtails among the sheep.
At Kilminning a few Great Tits were noted and a Roe Deer I spooked from its unseen resting place among the long grass in a corner in turn spooked a Brown Hare. A Common Gull flew over and a Rabbit was seen by the karting track. Things were otherwise relatively quiet so I headed down to the bottom end which was also not surprisingly rather quiet. I figured my best chance of encountering a Wheatear was to follow the coastal path along to the hide. Gannet, Cormorant, Razorbill, Guillemot, Kittiwake and my first
Sandwich Terns of the year were seen flying by while a displaying Rock Pipit was seen over the shore.
Great Black Backed Gull and Eider joined the growing list before I spotted a Kestrel hovering over the golf course. I reached the hide at around 1100 and sat down for what I hoped might be a quite productive spot of sea-watching. Although it wasn't overly busy out over the water there was steady movement. Within 10 minutes I had my first surprise - a
Manx Shearwater heading north. Another year-tick. Long Tailed Ducks were next then the first of the day's14 Red Throated Divers headed in the same direction. A few Shags and Cormorants headed out to sea but numbers were massively down on my last visit.
A pair of Puffin were picked out among a small group of auks and a few Common Scoters were noted. Another surprise was a group of 4 drake Scaup. A Skylark and Meadow Pipit were seen passing low over the waves northbound. A drake Red Breasted Merganser, a few more Common Scoters and Red Throated Divers as well as decent numbers of Kittiwakes and Fulmars were added to the day's totals. A couple of Black Headed Gulls and a lone drake Mallard were noted before I packed up around 1430. A Grey Seal was seen offshore just as I was closing the shutters. I popped into the Patch which seemed quite busy with birds but a lone Chiffchaff seemed to be the only obvious migrant.
The rocks offshore had a few birds perched on them including a small group of Redshanks. The walk back to Crail was rather hurried as again it seemed I would be cutting things fine for catching the bus back to St Andrews. Just as I was reaching the village I spotted a few flocks of Golden Plover overhead and took a few photos. A car tooted from the other side of the road and when I looked it turned out to be Susan. She was heading for where I'd just been but with a guaranteed means of catching the bus later there was no need for me not to join her for an hour or so bonus birding.
Kilminning was still rather quiet but a flyover Peregrine was spotted along with a few Stock Doves, Curlews and a drake Mallard in the field beside the golf course. A Red Throated Diver on the water and Susan's first Sandwich Terns of the year were seen offshore. A pair of Linnets flew over on the drive back up to the main road before we headed back to Guardbridge where Susan dropped me off. I had distant views of a bird that might have been an Osprey to the south over the river, but it may well have just been a gull. From the bus back to Dundee I added one more species - Lesser Black Backed Gulls following a tractor in a field.
A fairly productive day's birding with 63 species seen (and 4 mammals) including 2 year-ticks (in bold). The year-list is still 10 ahead of last year's at the same point which hopefully is a pace I can somehow keep up. Although the Sandwich Terns were expected, the Manx Shearwater was a nice early sea-watch tick.
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| Yellowhammer & Corn Bunting |
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| Magpie |
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| Corn Bunting |
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| Starling |
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| Curlew |
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| Reed Bunting |
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| Pied Wagtail |
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| Buzzard |
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| Brown Hare |
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| Yellowhammer |
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| Chaffinch |
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| Goldfinch |
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| Magpie |
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| Rabbit |
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| Skylark |
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| Yellowhammer |
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| Eider |
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| Guillemot |
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| Kittiwake |
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| Manx Shearwater |
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| Manx Shearwater |
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| Manx Shearwater |
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| Long Tailed Duck |
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| Long Tailed Duck |
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| Guillemot |
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| Skylark |
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| Skylark |
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| Red Throated Diver & Gannet |
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| Red Throated Diver |
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| Red Throated Diver |
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| Common Gull |
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| Puffin, Razorbill & Guillemot |
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| Fulmar |
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| Sandwich Tern |
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| Red Throated Diver |
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| Red Throated Diver |
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| Red Breasted Merganser |
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| Fulmar |
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| Guillemot |
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| Scaup |
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| Sandwich Tern |
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| Scaup |
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| Fulmar |
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| Fulmar |
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| Cormorant |
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| Razorbill |
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| Red Throated Diver |
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| Sandwich Tern |
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| Kittiwake |
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| Common Gull |
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| Red Throated Diver |
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| Red Throated Diver |
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| Red Throated Diver |
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| Pied Wagtail |
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| Shag |
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| Gannet |
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| Rock Pipit |
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| Great Black Backed Gull |
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| Common Scoter |
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| Common Scoter |
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| Gannet |
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| Black Headed Gull & Common Gull |
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| Red Throated Diver |
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| Red Throated Diver |
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| Red Throated Diver |
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| Eider |
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| Cormorant |
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| Cormorant |
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| Long Tailed Duck |
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| Red Throated Diver |
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| Gannet |
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| REd Throated Diver |
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| Common Gull |
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| Cormorant |
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| Gannet |
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| Curlew |
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| Great Black Backed Gull |
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| Red Throated Diver |
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| Red Throated Diver |
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| Shag |
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| Cormorant, Great Black Backed Gull, Redshank & Eider |
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| Meadow Pipit |
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| Meadow Pipit |
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| Golden Plover |
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| Golden Plover |
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| Golden Plover |
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| Golden Plover |
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| Herring Gull |
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| Red Throated Diver |
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| Curlew |
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| Greenfinch |
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| Buzzard |
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| Curlew |
Species seen - Blackbird, Black Headed Gull, Blue Tit, Buzzard, Carrion Crow, Chaffinch, Chiffchaff, Collared Dove, Common Gull, Common Scoter, Cormorant, Corn Bunting, Curlew, Dunnock, Eider, Fulmar, Gannet, Golden Plover, Goldfinch, Great Black Backed Gull, Great Tit, Greenfinch, Grey Heron, Grey Wagtail, Guillemot, Herring Gull, House Sparrow, Jackdaw, Jay, Kestrel, Kittiwake, Lesser Black Backed Gull, Linnet, Long Tailed Duck, Magpie, Mallard,
Manx Shearwater, Meadow Pipit, Moorhen, Oystercatcher, Peregrine, Pheasant, Pied Wagtail, Puffin, Razorbill, Red Breasted Merganser, Redshank, Red Throated Diver, Reed Bunting, Robin, Feral Pigeon, Rock Pipit, Rook,
Sandwich Tern, Scaup, Shag, Skylark, Sparrowhawk, Starling, Stock Dove, Woodpigeon, Wren, Yellowhammer.
Mammals seen - Brown Hare, Grey Seal, Rabbit, Roe Deer.
