Eden Estuary News (2 Viewers)

Not a bad weekend.
The undoubted highlight was a flock 31 whooper swans on the estuary on Saturday morning. Only 4 juvs. however so perhaps a poor breeding season. Alternatively failed breeders could migrate first ...
We continue to see unprecendetned auk numbers (for us) - 3 guillemots on Saturday and 2 yesterday. Here's hoping for a little auk ...
Waders still include 7 greenshank and 3 ruff with golden plovers now up to about 2000. Unlike for Andrew Whitehouse on the Ythan, no sign of any yankees among them. There was an unusually visible snipe yesterday afternoon and our highest grey plover count for a while (29).
Passerine highlights have included 5 rock pipits, a flock of long-tailed tits and a goldcrest.

Rob

Keep looking through those GPs Rob - maybe the one up here will be on its way down to you. Auks quite often seemed to come into the outer part of the Eden after strong easterlies but I've not seen many further up than Coble Shore. There was a flock Long-tailed Tits at Foveran on Saturday that the ringers suggested were the first they'd ever seen there. They thought they might be immigrants.

Well there are even more golden plovers to look through now. Latest estimate is c2500.
About the first bird I saw when I looked out this morning was a treecreeper, which was nice.
Among the highlights of the past week have been good numbers of fieldfares, starting last Thursday when they were harbingers of the fall that culminated in the masked shrike. 3 of Thursday's birds were actually in the garden. Only a couple of redwings though (heard more).
A flock of 38 whooper swans early on Tuesday morning is a record count for us. Greylag numbers have really increased too, with at least 250 present early morning and often lingering through the day. Goldeneye have increased to at least 23 but this is well below this time last year.
Wader wise we have had a record count of 8 snipe along with an unusually high number of at least 12 greenshanks. I wonder if they will overwinter (small numbers usually do).
It was good to come back from the shrike on Saturday to have superb views of female merlin perched on a post on the saltmarsh. It looks as if we may have regular sightings through the winter. The same can't be said of peregrine: one normally uses the nearby papermill as its favourite perch through the winter months but there has been no sign yet.

Right I'm off for another look at the shrike ...

Rob

It's been fairly quiet over the last few days. However there have been excellent numbers of thrushes around, mainly in the hawthorns by the drive. We have had up to 25 fieldfares and perhaps 40 redwings, but best of all for us were the 2 mistle thrushes on Sunday. We have only had one previous record of the species - so that is 122 for the year.
We are hoping for waxwing, but don't really have enough berry bushes. However that didn't stop us seeing one last November. There was an aurora on Sunday night, but there was a bit much cloud for the full effect. There is a good chance of another tonight.

As we are nearing the end of our second year in the house I will shortly embark on a summary of the highlights and future prospects, so stay tuned ...

Rob

It remains fairly quiet at the moment, but here are few recent highlights.
Last Monday Sue had 3 dabchicks, our first of the autumn. They are common in winter further upstream but we rarely see them as they only come downstream on very high tides or in clam conditions. A single great crested grebe was seen on Friday and Saturday.
Greylag numbers are slowly increasing - I counted 361 on Friday morning, but this is well down on the usual wintering flock size (>1000). 22 pinkfeet were with them. In our first winter hardly any pinkfeet roosted on the estuary, whilst last year they often outnumbered the greylags. Now we seem to have reverted to low numbers.
A superb drake pintail on Saturday was the duck highlight of the past few weeks. Jane probably gets hundreds ...
Black-tailed godwit numbers are our highest ever for autumn - 307 a couple of weeks ago. However the cold snap saw the complete disappearance of the golden plovers. This is an annual occurrence, at the first sign of really cold weather they leave the Eden.
A female peregrine has been in evidence, usually early in the morning. On Friday it gave superb entertainment hunting redshank. One redshank flew between the necks of some swimming greylags, which then had to duck as the peregrine swept by!
A few rock pipits have been on the saltmarsh and small numbers of redwings continue to be seen.

Rob

A few titbits from the weekend:
A possible black-throated diver (would be 2nd record, but sadly rather distant). A record count of 5 dabchicks yesterday afternoon. I was completely wrong about the golden plovers - numbers began to pick up during the week and the full flock was back over the weekend. I guess it will be the next cold snap that sends them south ... (maybe, I'm saying nothing).
A very vocal great spotted woodpecker on Saturday was only the second of the year and prompted me to put a new fat ball out. The undoubted highlight however came yesterday afternoon in the shape of 3 waxwings. They sat in the tops of our poplars for a few minutes before flying off SE. 123 for the year but no chance of catching Jane ...

We moved in 2 years ago today, so I'll start a summary of some of the highlights of living on your local patch.
Divers-wildfowl
Red-throated divers were fairly regular during our first winter, but much scarcer subsequently. A single record of black-throated diver in December last year was a real bonus - in Fife they are rare away from Largo Bay.
We have had 2 records of slavonian grebe but would expect more. A little egret in May this year was one of 2 Scottish rarities we have seen to date. It stayed for over 2 weeks but was remarkably hard to catch up with.
We have 6 goose species on the garden list (including both Eurasian and Greenland whitefronts on the same day in Feb this year). Brent geese (almost all hrota) winter in small numbers in the outer estuary but have very rarely come upstream as far as us. One memorable afternoon in February, on one of the highest tides, we had superb views of 13 (all hrota) very close to the house.
Teal, wigeon and mallard are the common dabbling ducks, gadwall, shoveler and pintail being much scarcer. All aythyas are uncommon (only 2 records of pochard). Common scoter can be seen on clear days with no heat haze by scoping out to the estuary mouth. Presumably velvet should be possible in the same way. We missed a drake velvet which came well upstream while we were in the Hebs this May. We have a few winter records of long-tailed duck, which is a real treat, but the duck highlight was a drake smew which stayed for several days in Feb last year.

There a still a few target birds to get along with velvet scoter. Shag is a surprising omission (had a "nice" runt cormorant earlier this year!), great northern diver and other grebes could occur. Spoonbill or great white egret would be nice and the Eden has been a good site for Bewick's swan (not that anywhere in Scotland is really). I keep looking for American wigeon and green-winged teal - one day perhaps.

Rob

Looking forwards to reading the rest of this!

This afternoon Sue had excellent views of an adult winter black-throated diver. Our 2nd record and no. 124 for the year. It prompted me to have a change of heart over yesterday's diver, which was probably the same bird!

Rob

2 year summary: raptors to waders

Before I continue a couple of this morning's sightings: a female peregrine caught an oystercatcher this morning and, in a minor triumph, the great spotted woodpecker found the fat ball.

Buzzard is much our commonest raptor, with a pair having nested in our next door neighbour's plantation (his land goes down to the river - envy!). Sparrowhawk is also regular, along with peregrine in winter although the male which spent the past 2 winters on the papermill has not returned. Kestrel is surprisingly scarce and mostly seen over the fields on the far side of the estuary. Merlin was first seen this summer and the same female has been seen a few times since. Ospreys regularly fish the Eden during summer though we under record them (witness this year's struggle to see them at all!). A red-legged partridge earlier this year was the first for the Eden(!), grey partidges are scarce visitors. We have a single record of coot and moorhen is a frustrating heard only species.
Waders are one of the specialities of the Eden and our list reflects this. 4 avocets this spring constitute one of our most prized records - you know you live in a good place for birds if you can watch avocets from your livingroom! Golden plovers form a marvellous autumn spectacle with over 2000 in November. As they flush more readily than other waders we often see the wheeling flocks. Grey and ringed plovers occur in lower numbers, wandering from the outer estuary. Curlew sandpipers were totally absent last year but came through in good numbers this autumn, whilst we saw little stint last year but not this. Knot is mainly a passage bird, scarce in winter. Snipe can occur at any season but most go unrecorded in the creeks of the saltmarsh. An extremely high tide in October last year flushed out a single jack snipe from hiding - it gave stonking views as it bounced up and down. Whimbrel are regular on passage, generally easier to see in spring as they don't vanish in the long grass in the high tide roost. Black-tailed godwit is one of the Eden's specialities, our highest spring count this year was 443 and over 200 overwinter. Barwit is like grey plover a wanderer from the outer estuary and more easily seen at low tide. Greenshank are common on passage (max. 23) and a few overwinter. We have a few records of spotted redshank including a superb black bird in spring whilst ruff is quite common on autumn passage (max 17).

Future possibilities here include hen and marsh harriers (just need to be looking out when one goes through), American golden plover (regular readers will know my bitterness here!), wood sandpiper. Let's face it any rare wader would do, but they seem to bypass Fife!

Rob

2 year summary: skuas to woodpeckers

Seconds out, round 3.
A tip off from Andrew Whitehouse led to our only arctic skua sightings (see earlier in the thread). Having one fly upstream past the house was an unexpected bonus however. The standard 5 gulls are all quite to very common (lesser black-back is a summer visitor). Kittiwake was seen quite regularly this summer, after none in 2003. The disastrous breeding season this year probably had something to do with this. Little gull occurs fairly regularly in summer, with plenty of suumer plumage adults. Early July 2003 was especially good - on one memorable evening 36 (31 ad. summer) sat on the nearest bit of mud to the house until dusk. A single 1st winter Med. Gull in October 2003 was a Fife rarity and only about the 3rd for the estuary.
Sandwich, common and arctic terns are all common summer visitors - on warm summer evenings large mixed flocks often fly upstream. Needless to say this didn't happen very often this year! Little tern is scarcer, but small numbers sometimes come upstream as far as us.
Auks are quite rare, mostly guillemots but with a few razorbills as well this year. Stock dove is seen quite regularly, usually on the saltmarsh. Tawny owl is a heard only species. We have 2 records of kingfisher, unfortunately for Sue she was away for both of them. They are seen regularly from the Fife council hide, but don't come far enough downstream for us to see them.
Great spotted woodpecker is a rare visitor but a female came to food daily last December and looks as if she could do so again this year.

There are quite a few potential additions here. More skuas are feasible, particularly bonxie, as are glauc., Iceland and yellow-legged gulls if I can be *rsed looking through the gull roost (not a gull fan!). Black tern must show sooner or later. Other possibilities include little auk, short-eared owl, cuckoo and green woodpecker. Sue once described the whereabouts of our house to a birding acquaintance - he replied by saying he once sawan LEO in the trees by our drive! Harrumph!

Rob

2 year summary: passerines

Before I get on to the passerines, here are a few highlights from the weekend.
Sunday saw the unprecedented event of red-throated diver, great crested grebe and dabchick in view simultaneously. We also had a male great spotted woodpecker visit the fat ball. A female merlin was scaring the dunlin on Saturday morning.

Passerines are a bit of a weak point in our garden list. Skylark can be seen singing over the other side of the estuary, but seldom on our side. Meadow pipit is common on passage and some overwinter, whilst rock pipits winter on the saltmarsh. A single water pipit in February last year is the other Scottish rarity on our list. It took quite a lot of hard work scoping from the bottom of the garden to pick it up! Grey wagtail is under recorded as many records are of birds flying over when we're out in the garden. Waxwing has occurred twice with a single last November plus last week's trio. Killer carrion crows are the common corvid (good alliteration there!). Watching a pair pecking a wood pigeon to death in the garden was a bit gruesome! Have seen them doing the same with a black-headed gull. Magpies are a local rarity, but likely to become more common (numbers are increasing rapidly in St. Andrews).
Mistle thrush is the rarest thrush, fieldfare and redwing occurring fairly regularly in autumn and winter. Song thrush breeds locally but is only apparent from late January, when they start singing, until about August. They then disappear. Wheatear are fairly common on passage, particularly in spring when they are easier to see (short grass). Last year we had good numbers of Greenland birds in spring. We have done well for spotted flycatchers which have bred nearby in both years. Warblers are a struggle with 2 records of blackcap and 1 of whitethroat plus a scattering of willow warblers. Goldcrest bred locally this year whilst treecreeper is an occasional visitor.
Tree sparrow is a totally unpredictable species: this spring they visited the feeders daily but as soon as the young fledged they vanished and have not been seen since. A pair of bramblings spent 6 weeks around the garden in our first winter but just a single day this last winter. Siskins pass through in early spring and use the feeders. Reed bunting is rare, with just 3 records, whilst we didn't see yellowhammer at all in our first year then up to 13 came daily from January to May this year!

Loads of scope for additions here: stonechat is a target bird, chiffchaff and other warblers, redpoll, bullfinch, overflying crossbill ... We have a patch of mostly native trees (including hawthorns, rowan, birch and Scots pine) beside the drive which is badly underwatched (out of sight of the house). Unfortunately it is exposed to the east so not too good as a migrant trap.

Rob

Well here we are again. I was quite pleased to have got to 100 posts and 2000 views. At least it was backed up to the end of the 2 year summary.

The totals are 124 for 2004 (after 120 for 2003)and a grand total of 134 +2h.
This year's list still stands at 71.
Highlights of yesterday when there was a monumental tide (all the saltmarsh inundated) were as follows:
red-throated diver, a drake pintail, a duck long-tailed duck, peregrine, hundreds of black-tailed godwits in the field in front of the house together with a single ruff (probably the closest ruff to the house we've ever had), great spotted woodpecker, and a record count of 13 tree sparrows.
The woodpecker has been defending the fat ball against all comers.

Today has been very wild - a strong northerly with wintry showers. The tide this afternoon will be something to behold. With any luck there will be something good on it ...
Other notable birds this week include 5 greenshanks on Friday and 13 goldfinches on the feeders on Weds.

Rob

Yesterday's tide, didn't live up to expectations, past the peak of the springs and the wind moderated a touch.
Wigeon numbers have been impressive lately, around 300 in view from the house. Still no aythyas on the year list though. A drake and 4 duck mergansers was our best total of the year (from the house, we can see more from down the garden)
A male yellowhammer was feeding in the garden yesterday and the numbers of common species such as chaffinch and greenfinch have really increased in the past 10 days or so, with up to 50 of each.

Rob

Since my aurora borealis thread has gone the way of all flesh, and having just got my slides back (yes I'm still in the stone age) here are some pics of the aurora on 21st January.

Rob

Still on 71 for the year here, as Jane whittles away our advantage...

A couple of interesting mammals this week, both on the north shore. A roe deer on Thursday morning, followed by a fox yesterday afternoon.
Geese have been elusive of late, though I counted 378 greylags on Tuesday and at least 2000 pinkfeet came in at dusk last night. Intriguingly there were 2 pale looking birds with them. I suspect they were just leucistic though the colour would be about right for the Holkham snow goose. The light wasn't up to telling however.
I counted 96 teal this afternoon, thanks to a female peregrine trying to catch one! Think that's our highest count of the year. Also saw a male kestrel (much rarer for us than peregrine). Wader wise today was grey plover day - at least 60 around for much of the day, one of the benefits of no tide to push them off. I also counted 570 dunlin this afternoon, signs of a day with nothing much going on ...
In the garden the great spotted woodpecker continues to visit though tree sparrow numbers seem to be dropping. Having said that bird numbers were down today, probably because we face north and they didn't like it up 'em!

Rob

A good show from the geese the last couple of mornings with up to 3000 pinkfeet. Yesterday morning I was able to see the leucistic birds during daylight and confirm that that was all they were. One bird was only a little paler than normal, the other was the sort of cafe au lait of a 1st winter Iceland gull. This morning all the geese were hunkered down facing into the snow. Each morning they have all gone out at once - quite a spectacle. This morning it was over my head as I was filling the feeders (hood up! )

The inclement weather brought more stuff to the feeders this morning - back to 5 tree sparrows and a male yellowhammer.

Rob

At last a new bird for year - a female goosander feeding at the mouth of the Motray (72).

Also a new species actually IN the garden - a few black-headed gulls trying to eat seed this morning.

Rob

A top day today, of which more anon. Yesterday morning produced a summer plumage guillemot (73).
Today started fairly slowly with a couple of tree sparrows and a yellowhammer coming to the feeders and a few grey plovers and bar-tailed godwits out on the mud. Over lunch a kestrel came into the garden - the first to do so for a couple of years, and the great spotted woodpecker visited the fat ball. First major excitement was provided by a drake long-tailed duck, one of the few to be visible from the comfort of the living room, followed by 2 drake goosanders.
At halftime in the Scotland-Italy game I went into the garden to see what wind and tide had produced. I was rewarded with 3 red-throated divers together (our first multiple record), a winter plumage guillemot and a slav grebe (first for 2 years, 74).
I looked out a bit later and was surprised to see a shag perched on the edge of the saltmarsh - first new bird for the house for nearly 5 months (75 for the year and 135 in total). It was chased off by a crow and flew off inland.

As I began to type this the pinkfeet flew over on their way to roost. Haven't added up the species total for today but probably around 52.

Rob

Getting in a good lead I see Rob!

Jane Turner said:

Getting in a good lead I see Rob!

Click to expand...

Need every one I can get!

Was hoping for a little auk today (I think the last record here was 2 weeks before we moved in), may have to go out to a headland to see some tomorrow.

Rob