Having visited a few sites in Angus with Paul on our last midweek outing, it was always likely that our next one would be around Fife. The weather forecast, although dry, was for high winds - which is never particularly great for birding (except if they are coming in off the sea during good seawatching periods of the year). One potential problem was whether or not I would actually be able to get across the Tay roadbridge to Fife. I arranged to meet Paul at Guardbridge between 0815 and 0830 and we would target Snow Buntings at Out Head and Green Woodpecker at Tentsmuir, though there were a few other potential year-ticks possible.
Bullfinch
Thankfully I made it across the bridge only to find that the car park for the hide was out of action due to works next door at the forner papermill. I tried to get in touch with Paul but was unable to reach him. Thankfully he found somewhere to park and joined me in the new wooden shelter outside the hide where a Treecreeper was providing really close views as it visited the feeders completely unphased by us being stood a few feet away. As the light improved we scanned through the birds out in the estuary with a Peregrine overhead and a couple of male Bullfinches in the bushes probably the best of the bunch before we set off for Tentsmuir around 0855. We detoured slightly to pass the railway station and managed to pick up a covey of around 6 or 7 Grey Partridges as I had hoped we might.
A flock of 7 Crossbills were seen over the car park at Kinshaldy and a few Meadow Pipits were seen as we wandered through the rather flooded dunes at Tentsmuir. At the usual site for Green Woodpecker, Paul spotted 2 birds flying off in different directions. We saw where 1 landed and we had our Green Woodpecker. What was possibly the other bird was seen further along the line of trees and I even managed to photograph it in flight. Once we got back to the car we headed for Out Head at St Andrews and as we were en route a message came in reporting that the Buntings had been seen again there.
It was very windy and there was no sign of the birds where they have been seen regularly so we walked out to the tip where the wind blasted us with sand, so we headed back along the beach again but drew a blank on the Snow Buntings. We found a dead Sparrowhawk at the end of the track off the beach - possibly an inexperienced young bird which had failed to catch enough food in the less than perfect recent conditions. By now it was after 1300 so rather than our original intention to head for Fife Ness we chose to go back to Guardbridge. A bird photographer from Dundee whose name I can't remember was already in and we were joined by Harry Bell shortly after. The Treecreeper continued to give good views around the feeders.
Despite not looking particularly promising, it turned out to be a pretty good afternoon, though Paul had to head for home before most of the best parts - an Otter swam by giving us good views, a Kingfisher shot past, 2 male Bullfinches fed in front of the hide, a Peregrine came in twice and a Sparrowhawk once. Harry found a flock of Scaup and we had a flypast by a single Little Egret. A Grey Heron posed nicely on the wall below the hide and a flock of Teal also swam in quite close to shore as did a couple of Little Grebes when the Otter showed up. I eventually headed for home just before 1600 adding Fieldfare to the list for the day taking the total to 60 species, including 4 year-ticks (in bold).
Species seen - Dundee to.and Guardbridge - Herring Gull, Woodpigeon, Rook, Jackdaw, Goosander, Mallard, Blackbird, Tree Sparrow, Robin, Treecreeper, Peregrine, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Dunnock, Chaffinch, Black Tailed Godwit, Oystercatcher, Cormorant, Black Headed Gull, Blue Tit, Redshank, Teal, Dunlin, Knot, Lapwing, Common Gull, Carrion Crow, Curlew, Song Thrush, Shelduck, Bullfinch, Goldeneye, Great Black Backed Gull.
Guardbridge to/and Tentsmuir - Grey Partridge, Common Crossbill, Meadow Pipit, Little Grebe, Greenshank, Mistle Thrush, Green Woodpecker, Redwing, Coal Tit, Lesser Redpoll, Siskin, Goldcrest, Great Tit, Goldfinch.
Out Head - Yellowhammer, House Sparrow, Starling, Reed Bunting, Pied Wagtail.
Guardbridge and to/Dundee - Buzzard, Little Egret, Mute Swan, Scaup, Pink Footed Goose, Feral Pigeon, Kingfisher, Red Breasted Merganser, Fieldfare.
Mammals seen - Otter.
Bullfinch
Bullfinch
Peregrine
Teal
Mallard
Great Spotted Woodpecker
Grey Partridge
Grey Partridge
Common Crossbill
Common Crossbill
Mistle Thrush
Green Woodpecker
Green Woodpecker
Green Woodpecker
Redwing
Lesser Redpoll
House Sparrow
Yellowhammer
Stonechat
Little Egret
Treecreeper
Cormorant
Scaup
Pink Footed Goose
Teal, Redshank & Black Headed Gull
Teal, Redshank & Black Headed Gull
Teal
Mallard
Pink Footed Goose
Teal
Black Tailed Godwit
Redshank
Sparrowhawk
Sparrowhawk
Redshnak & Dunlin
Teal
Redshank & Dunlin
Teal
Red Breasted Merganser
Teal
Grey Heron
Collared Dove
Grey Heron
Grey Heron
Otter
Otter
Otter
Little Grebe
Otter
Bullfinch
Bullfinch
Grey Heron
Grey Heron
Grey Heron
Bullfinch
Bullfinch
Tree Sparrow
Treecreeper
Bullfinch
Bullfinch
Species seen - Blackbird, Black Headed Gull, Black Tailed Godwit, Blue Tit, Bullfinch, Buzzard, Carrion Crow, Chaffinch, Coal Tit, Common Crossbill, Common Gull, Cormorant, Curlew, Dunlin, Dunnock, Fieldfare, Goldcrest, Goldeneye, Goldfinch, Goosander, Great Black Backed Gull, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Great Tit, Green Woodpecker, Greenshank, Grey Partridge, Herring Gull, House Sparrow, Jackdaw, Kingfisher, Knot, Lapwing, Lesser Redpoll, Little Egret, Little Grebe, Mallard, Meadow Pipit, Mistle Thrush, Mute Swan, Oystercatcher, Peregrine, Pied Wagtail, Pink Footed Goose, Red Breasted Merganser, Redshank, Redwing, Reed Bunting, Robin, Feral Pigeon, Rook, Scaup, Shelduck, Siskin, Song Thrush, Starling, Teal, Tree Sparrow, Treecreeper, Woodpigeon, Yellowhammer.
Mammals seen - Otter.
