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ZEISS DTI thermal imaging cameras. For more discoveries at night, and during the day.

Seafield to Kinghorn (1 Viewer)

L-T Ducks.

An hour and a half this morning saw me wandering down to Lime Kiln beach and back again. No real changes to the birds encountered, other than a return of the Long-Tailed Ducks.

Can hardly believe how mild it is for the time of year!
 
UFO & a solved mystery.

and even at distance, I could see that it was only the chest that was white, with the underparts being black. Head was also black, but too far away to get a beak shape, so may have been some sort of duck.

Just a walk to the tower and back from the car park this afternoon, mainly on the prod for divers. It was as quiet on the bird front as I've ever seen it. Reaching the tower, I found an unusual flying object buzzing about. Don't think I can give it a tick though (see 1st photo).

Heading back past the harbour, I found a small group of Eider, one of which solved the mystery of the white chested bird I saw at distance a few days ago. I am guessing this is a juvenile male (See other photos).

Still no divers. Tides are better next week though, with high tides during daylight hours. Maybe that will bring something in.
 

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An hour and a half this afternoon on the patch with the tide just falling away from high. Most of the usual suspects present, but in small numbers. Fourteen Long-Tailed Ducks out on the water. In the harbour, four Mute Swans had turned up along with a couple of Mallard. The usual Eider were there mixing with the new incomers. Past the tower, it was really quiet and the walk out to Stone Dyke point and back only added Woodpigeon and grey Heron to the list.

Returning to the tower, I made a quick scan on a couple of Grey Seals out on the rocks, finding a Rock Pipit hopping about next to them. Then halfway between the tower and the harbour, I found a pair of Red-Breasted Merganser. A personal patch tick for me.

I reached the car park with the light failing early due to leaden skies. A quick scan of a couple of groups of gulls revealed nothing new, so home I headed. Hopefully, a flood of new birds will arrive overnight, as I'll be back tomorrow while Mrs Goose is just around the corner at her weekly Pilates class.
 

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Hopefully, a flood of new birds will arrive overnight, as I'll be back tomorrow

Well, no flood of fresh birds. Just another typical January day on Fife's costa. Sun relentlessly shining down out of a blue sky onto breeze touched waters. More likely to get sun stroke than find a Diver.

I'm thinking of setting the place up as a winter destination for retired spaniards. ;)
 
Fresh in.

A quick scoot along to the harbour just before sundown revealed a few fresh birds. The weather now colder and a light wind has put a little bit of a chop on the sea. I found birds sheltering in the nooks and crannies in the crumbling concrete of the harbour wall. Along with the more usual Redshank and Purple Sandpiper, there were half a dozen or so Knot. First I've seen there this year. And also, a single Sanderling. Again, the first I've seen there this year.

I've done a bit of research on Diver sightings in the area, using Bird Track and the Fife Atlas. It appears that I may have over-estimated their abundance. I'm sure I will track them down eventually, but it might take me a bit longer than originally anticipated.
 
Gander is that Kinghorn or Pettycur Harbour? Is that the western boundary of your patch? I've just moved to Burntisland so mine's the next patch along.
 
Gander is that Kinghorn or Pettycur Harbour? Is that the western boundary of your patch? I've just moved to Burntisland so mine's the next patch along.

It is Seafield Harbour at the Kirkcaldy end of the patch. Kinghorn harbour is at the other end, but it is outside of the patch (round the corner of the rocky point the holiday park sits on).

Burntisland is a good area. My one Great Northern Diver came from there last winter. It was in the area I think they call Lammerlaws - right in front of the big pallet yard.
 
Velvet and the King.

During the last three and a bit weeks away offshore, I had kept a close eye on Bird Track for reports on my patch. Only one had been registered. A couple of nice birds on it though with Greenshank and Ruff. Some really good reports of divers on either side of the patch at Kinghorn and Dysart, so this morning I set out for my first session back with hope in my heart.

It was as if I'd never been away, with a bright sun shining out of a blue sky onto relatively calm waters. I was late getting to the car park, having had to wait to let a decorator into the house, while Mrs Goose (don't ever tell her I call her that!) did the school run. It was ten to ten as I emerged from the car into the sunshine. The tide was well up the beach, and the good weather had brought out every dog walker for miles. My hope started to fade a little, but there were birds out on the water.

A Herring Gull in the car park was the first bird in the book, closely followed by a nearby BHG, its black head now becoming very obvious. Turning my attention to the birds on the water, the Herring Gull tally continued to rise, as it would for the rest of the session, but it was the Eiders that were the dominant presence. Twenty counted from the front of the car park.

It was while scanning the Eider, that I noticed two ducks at distance, that didn't seem right for Eider. With so many Eider around, my thoughts were already on the possibility of King Eider. These were not King Eider though. They were black looking. Common Scoter I thought, then one of them had a flap of its wings while facing me, and there I saw whitish wing bars. I hardly dared believe I could have found Velvet Scoter.

I headed down onto the beach. I had to get closer, so I walked across the soft sands to the advancing tide line. For twenty minutes or more, I played chicken with the small waves, while staring relentlessly through the 10x42s at these two dark ducks. My arms started to ache holding the binoculars up. My eyes watered as I strained them to pick out a detail that would confirm Velvet Scoter.

The ducks of course, did what every bird of interest seems to do. They resolutely stayed at that difficult distance where you can't quite pick out enough detail to be sure. Worse than that, they both had their heads tucked away for a mid morning snooze. Persistence paid off though. Eventually one of them put its head up for a look around, and I could clear see the orange in the bill that said Velvet. But I still wasn't 100% sure. The birds were still too far off to make out any of the expected white face or wing markings. I now whipped out the bridge camera and started taking shots to analyse later.

The ducks were now drifting away, so I headed back up onto the path and restarted the list. Carrion crow, Oystercatcher, Shag, Starling, House Sparrow, Oystercatcher, Dunnock, GBBG, Robin, Magpie, Blackbird, Redshank and Turnstone were all noted before I got to Seafield Tower.

The Eider count had continued to rise, and always I scanned the scattered flock with King Eider in the back of my mind. But it was not out on the water that I found my king for the day. In front of the tower, perched on a rock, I spotted a bird. The binoculars revealed a patch tick of a Kingfisher. Not a King Eider, but a very welcome royal visitor none the less.

With time running out, I headed back to the car park, but had a quick look around the back of the tower first, adding a Curlew to the list. On the way back, I also added Rock Pipit, Ringed Plover, and Cormorant. A small fishing boat was motoring close in. It flushed a Long-Tailed Duck into the air. At the harbour, I found a flock of Purple Sandpiper clinging to the eroded sea wall in the splash zone. And as I approached the car, a Mute Swan became my last entry in the note book, as it flew low over the shining waters.

Back home now, I have had a look at the photos of the Scoter. I feel confident enough to say that they are indeed Velvet Scoter. I can just about make out the near eye marking and in one photo I can see a hint of the white wing slash. Also the size of the bird in comparison to the nearby Eider, along with the sturdy looking neck, all point to Velvet. I'm confident enough to not bother the Bird ID Q&A section of this forum, but let me know if you think I've made a pigs ear of the ID (Photos attached).

All in all, a very good session with two new ticks for the list. :t:
 

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List Update

Following this mornings outing (see post #68 above), I am pleased to have reason to update the list. Additions are Velvet Scoter and Kingfisher.

THE LIST UPDATED
1. Bar-tailed Godwit
2. Black-headed Gull
3. Black-tailed Godwit
4. Blackbird
5. Blue Tit
6. Bullfinch
7. Carrion Crow
8. Chaffinch
9. Common Buzzard
10. Common Gull
11. Common Scoter*
12. Common Tern
13. Cormorant
14. Curlew
15. Dunnock
16. Eider
17, Feral Pigeon
18. Fulmar
19. Goldcrest
20. Goldeneye
21. Goldfinch
22. Goosander
23. Great Black-backed Gull
24. Great Tit
25. Greenfinch
26. Greenshank
27. Grey Heron
28, Greylag
29. Grey Wagtail
30. Guillemot
31. Herring Gull
32. Housemartin*
33. House Sparrow
34. Kestrel*
35. Kingfisher
36. Knot
37. Lesser Black-backed Gull*
38. Long-tailed Duck
39. Long-tailed Tit
40. Magpie
41. Mallard
42. Mute Swan
43. Oystercatcher
44. Pheasant
45. Pied Wagtail (Yarrellii)
46. Pink-Footed Goose
47. Peregrine
48. Purple Sandpiper
49. Red-Throated Diver*
50. Red-breasted Merganser*
51. Redshank
52. Reed Bunting
53. Ringed Plover
54. Robin
55. Rock Pipit
56. Ruff
57. Sanderling
58. Sandwich Tern
59. Sedge Warbler*
60. Shag
61. Song Thrush
62. Sparrowhawk
63. Starling
64. Stonechat*
65. Swallow
66. Turnstone
67. Velvet Scoter
68. Whimbrel*
69. Willow Warbler*
70. Wood Pigeon
71. Wren.
72. Yellowhammer
 
Back home now, I have had a look at the photos of the Scoter. I feel confident enough to say that they are indeed Velvet Scoter. I can just about make out the near eye marking and in one photo I can see a hint of the white wing slash. Also the size of the bird in comparison to the nearby Eider, along with the sturdy looking neck, all point to Velvet. I'm confident enough to not bother the Bird ID Q&A section of this forum, but let me know if you think I've made a pigs ear of the ID (Photos attached).

Looks good for a Velvet Scoter to me, the eye marking is just about visible. Nice one and thanks for another interesting post.

Cheers
 
Right, I guess that's near Seafield Tower. By the way I saw a Med Gull on Burntisland Sands the other day.

Yes, about 5 minutes walk.

Well done with the Med Gull. I was at Burntisland this morning and Seafield this afternoon. Lots of BHG at both, but despite scanning with Med in mind, my search for one goes on.
 
Took a couple of hours to wander along to Stone Dyke Point and back at high tide this afternoon. Very bright and calm. Forth looking like the Med again. No fresh birds about, but a notable count of forty Curlew standing shoulder to shoulder on a couple of rocks in front of Bullfinch Bay.
 
An hour on the patch this afternoon had me walking out to the tower and back. All very subdued and quiet. Kirkcaldy Bay doing a duck pond impression again, as it is well sheltered from the westerly winds that had troubled me in the morning at Largo Bay.

A couple of new arrivals for the year were spotted however. I had turned back from the tower when a couple of wagtails headed past me towards the tower. I headed back again and found one of them on the rocks. Two Grey Wagtails now listed. The first I've seen at this end of the patch.:t:
 
An hour spent walking to the tower and back from the car park this afternoon. Lots of dogs around, some chasing the gulls. A couple of Knot in the harbour area were the only change to what has been around for the last week or so.

I haven't done a full patch walk for a while, so I'll have to put that right this week.
 
I too had a walk along there this afternoon with my dog(!) and my binoculars. Had a superb view of a kingfisher sitting on rocks close to the path between Seafield Tower and the harbour, before flying off in the direction of Kinghorn. Sadly, I`d decided not to take my telephoto lens, as it was well within shooting distance and looked just beautiful illuminated by the low afternoon sun.
Too often, down there, you are squinting into the sun, making it difficult to photograph or even see birds clearly. At this time of year, the sun is well round to the west and low in the sky by mid afternoon.
 
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I too had a walk along there this afternoon with my dog(!) and my binoculars. Had a superb view of a kingfisher sitting on rocks close to the path between Seafield Tower and the harbour, before flying off in the direction of Kinghorn. Sadly, I`d decided not to take my telephoto lens, as it was well within shooting distance and looked just beautiful illuminated by the low afternoon sun.

I'm sure your dog will be a proper bird dog, not a mobile canine scarecrow.

I was back down this afternoon. I thought I heard a Kingfisher at one point, but never got a view. Still very quiet.
 

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