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Eden Estuary News (6 Viewers)

Some solid winter birding at present.
We had 3 spp. of grebe on both Saturday and Sunday, including a record 4 Slavs on Saturday. Also a red-throated diver yesterday. The cold spell has pushed greylag numbers up towards the full complement - there were around 470 on Friday morning. This is still significantly lower than a few years ago. Up to 4 female long-tailed ducks continue to come well up the estuary. An excellent count of 73 grey plovers yesterday, though the goldies have disappeared again. The black-tailed godwits have also disappeared, with very few present at the moment. This also happened 3 years ago - it turned out they were feeding in flooded fields, often some way away from the estuary.
We had 2 great spotted woodpeckers visit the garden yesterday, the first time this has happened. Rather less welcome was a record count of 20 collared doves hoovering up seed - no dign of any decline here! The brambling put in another appearance yesterday but seems pretty elusive.

Rob
 
We were away over the weekend hence the lack of updates and it has been pretty quiet in general. Both woodpeckers have continued to visit the garden but there has been no further sign of the brambling. Most of the godwits seem to have returned to the estuary.
There was rather more excitement this morning: I was counting the greylags after breakfast when a white phase snow goose swam into my field of view! Obviously provenance is an issue, but it is with Icelandic greylags, is fully winged and unringed so it is going on the garden list! That takes us to 140 and 123 for the year. It left the roost with the main flock at around 8:40, making me a bit late for work!

Rob
 
I notice that a white snow goose flew SW over Montrose Basin at 11:40 yesterday morning. It was with pinkfeet, but greylags and pinkfeet mix both for feeding and in the roost around here, so it may well be the same bird (Meikle Loch bird?)

Rob
 
The snow goose is still present, but quite variable in its departure time each morning: 8:25 on Sat (hope you connected Jeremy), 9:10 on Sun (I gather, was off doing my WeBS count) and 8:15 this morning.
A few highlights from the weekend. A small return of golden plovers on Saturday with a flock of 77 - this autumn has been very poor for them. A flock of 50 knot on Saturday was most unexpected, and unprecedented at this time of year when they tend to stick to the outer estuary. The lapwings were nicely spread out for counting and I came up with impressive total of 601! At least one female long-tailed duck continues to visit the inner estuary and the female peregrine is still often to be found on the papermill.

Rob
 
Hi Rob.
I saw it this morning at around 8;15 when it got nervous because of the shooters. It ended up flying over my head and into the Gully on the other side of the road. It appears to have a bit of wing damage. I think someone has had a pop at it with a shotgun.
 
Glad you got it. They took a bit of a pasting on Saturday morning - could have been then. I noticed the geese were very jittery this morning, went and ate some breakfast, came back and they were gone.

Rob
 
edenwatcher said:
Glad you got it. They took a bit of a pasting on Saturday morning - could have been then. I noticed the geese were very jittery this morning, went and ate some breakfast, came back and they were gone.

Rob
Click to expand...

They knew John Nadin was coming! They left five minutes before he arrived! I think he saw it settled on the field oppersite soon after. It is viewable form the footpath up the river looking east.
 
The snow goose is still present, though the geese are still leaving the roost very early - around 8:05 this morning. There were a lot of pinkfeet in this morning for the first time this winter.
Recent highlights include the following:
up to 3 red-throated divers, a couple of dabchicks, some superb peregrine entertainment with a pair around for much of the weekend, a female kestrel which chased a bird into the living room window and caught it on the rebound! a couple of greenshanks, female great spotted woodpecker visiting several times a day, rock pipit and a party of long-tailed tits.

Rob
 
Astounding!

The snow goose is still around, it has stayed later the past 2 mornings (at least 8:50 today). A huge flock of pinkfeet roosted overnight (1500+). There have been whooper swans present the last 3 mornings (13 yesterday) but they tend to leave the roost very early indeed.
Now to the weird bit: I phoned home to warn Sue that a parcel might be delivered today and in passing she said that there seemed to be a long-eared owl sat on a small post in the middle of the mudflats! The light was terrible and she had no size comparison, so I suggested she keep an eye on it. About half an hour later she rang to say that it was indeed a LEO and I zoomed off home! Crows have "visited" it from time to time, causing raising of the eartufts, but otherwise it seems quite happy. Awesome!
This plugs about the most embarassing hole on my British list. 124 for the year, 141 total.

Merry Christmas

Rob
 
Well the LEO remained on its tiny post all day - weird!
The snow goose is still around, it remained in the roost until at least 8:35 this morning, at which point the fog rolled in and it disappeared from view. Whooper swans have continued to put in appearances, 20 on Boxing Day afternoon being the highest total. The cold weather and dusting of snow today produced a pair of tufted ducks (unusual in midwinter) and a pair of long-tailed ducks.
At least 3 peregrines are still around - a young female was stirring things up yesterday morning. Also the female kestrel visits the garden from time to time. Not many good waders at the moment, but I did a pilot survey for the new Winter Atlas a bit further down the estuary on Boxing Day and saw 5 greenshanks. 2 great spotted woodpeckers continue to visit the fat ball - they were bouncing each other a few days ago.
Finally we have some interesting passerines: the brambling reappeared on Christmas Eve and has been seen nearly every day since, a female siskin visited the feeders yesterday (first ever in December), several rock pipits have been on the saltmarsh, a mistle thrush was seen on Boxing Day (real garden mega) and 2 fieldfares fed in the garden at lunchtime today offering rare photographic opportunities (will post some pics in a few days).

Happy New Year to all

Rob
 
That was the last I've seen of the snow goose - so no place on the 2006 list, which is a bit of a p*sser!
Snow followed by sleet then rain on the 30th produced a large easterly movement of skylarks, numbering up to 250 birds. Other species associated with the cold snap included a drake goosander, a few meadow pipits and around 10 fieldfares. The species total for 2005 was 124, the same as 2004.

Today got the 2006 list off to a real flyer - 55 spp.! These included 4 each of red-throated diver and slavonian grebe, dabchick, long-tailed duck, peregrine, 20 knot, greenshank, great spotted woodpecker, skylark and rock pipit. No sign of the brambling today which is disappointing.
Elsewhere in the village we saw a chiffchaff and a bullfinch (a bird still not on the garden list).

Rob
 
Happy New Year Rob
I really thought you were going to beat the 2004 year total.
I only managed 39 species today on Valleyfield lagoons but did get Kingfisher & errgh, a Bullfinch in the garden.
 
Happy New year all you Fifers! (and everyone else of course) I'll be having a little look about tomorrow. Shame about the Snow Goose. It might still be about!
 
Another 55 spp. on Monday and 49 yesterday but now it's back to work.
5 more spp. for the garden year list takes us to 60. The pick of the new birds was turnstone which is rather erratic so far up the estuary.
Other highlights have included more sightings of red-throated diver and slav. grebe and a decent count of 6 greenshanks.
I saw a kingfisher in the village on 2nd, both from the bridge and the Eden Estuary Centre. It flew downstream from the centre so I had hopes that it would be visible from the house, but no such luck.

Rob
 
It's back!

Les Hatton e-mailed me with news that the snow goose was with greylags in the field at the end of the runway this morning. Sue has just phoned to say that it is on the estuary now. 61 for the year.
Good news for Fife year listers ...

Rob

PS Just nipped home and it is feeding in the same field. The greylags have been in there a lot over the past few days, flying on to the estuary when disturbed. Should make the snow goose easier to see ...
 
Last edited:
Unfavourable tides made for a less productive weekend, but 3 addtions take us to 64. On Saturday we added a fly-by pied wagtail and a distant flock of brent geese (only located thanks to a trip to Outhead so I knew where to look!) and this morning I found 4 whooper swans.
The snow goose has been much in evidence as the flock have again been feeding in the field at the end of the runway. When disturbed they fly back on to the estuary, although I imagine they will stop doing this during the week with the RAF active.
Other weekend highlights include long-tailed duck and a flock of 29 knot. Interestingly one of our neighbours reports seeing 3 great spotted woodpeckers in our poplars last week.
Extra limital records (so to speak) include 10 snow buntings at Outhead, along with around 25 pale-bellied brents, and at least 9 slavonian grebes. Also a flock of 7 lesser redpolls in the village - another species yet to make the garden list.

Rob
 
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