Seafield to Kinghorn (3 Viewers)

I had a quick stroll from the southern end of Kirkaldy today. There was a pair of Velvet Scoter off the mouth of the Tiel Burn (perhaps the same birds that you saw yourself recently Gander) and a couple of Long-tailed Ducks. I also saw three Purple Sandpipers further down towards the tower. But by far the most interesting sighting was of a guy standing on the coastal path playing a trombone.

Have you seen the whale(s) yet?

I saw it on the BBC website. It must have been quite a sight!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-edinburgh-east-fife-39193516

Cuckoo-shrike said:

But by far the most interesting sighting was of a guy standing on the coastal path playing a trombone.

Have you seen the whale(s) yet?

Click to expand...

I saw the whale back in January, but the guy playing a trombone is a new one on me. :t:

Scope Day

I was dropped off at the Seafield car park at 09:15 hrs, with an arrangement with Mrs Goose to pick me up in Kinghorn at 11:15 hrs. Tide was a couple of hours short of high. Wind fresh to strong from the SW which meant I would be walking with my face into it for most of the way. Sky was clear and strong sleight from a low sun was bouncing off the waters of the Firth of Forth, making sea viewing uncomfortable if you got your angles wrong.

For a change, I'd brought the scope and tripod with me. I set it up initially on the grassy area between the car park and the beach. The extra range immediately gave me elevated numbers of Eider, but nothing much else. I missed getting a view of some small birds at the waters edge, but suspected Rock Pipit.

The Herring Gull count started at this first scan and built off and on throughout the session. Moving along to the south end of the sea wall, I managed to pick up a couple of Long-Tailed Duck. There sounded like there was Goldfinch in the scrum behind me as I scan the sea, but I could not pick up anything visually.

Moving towards the harbour, I did locate some House Sparrow in the scrub. I could also hear Robin and Wren, but they were not for showing, so were not counted.

The harbour was well flooded, but not with birds. A couple of Great Black-Backed Gulls were sat on the furthest out remnant of the broken down wall, along with a Cormorant and a Turnstone. Continuing on towards the Seafield tower, I started picking up Redshank on the rocks, but not in any great numbers. On a sandy strip, I found a lone Bar-Tailed Godwit.

At the tower, I scanned the rocks looking for a reported Kingfisher, but it wasn't showing today. Common Seals lay basking on the few remaining rocks that were not submerged.

Covering the short stretch to the tower had taken almost an hour. The extra time taken scanning with the scope had slowed me down a little. I pushed on up the hill. Down on the rocks I spotted a lone Curlew. In the bushes I found a male Chaffinch. From memory that is the first Chaffinch on the patch this year. I always feel that there should be more Chaffinch around on the patch, but there always seems to only be the odd one or two.

Reaching Stone Dyke Point, I followed the wall down to the end of the point. A quick scan with the binoculars revealed something out there not recorded before. I knew it was new to the patch, but could not yet determine exactly what it was From what I had seen, I was hoping for one of the Divers.

Quickly setting up the scope, I started searching for the bird again. I could not find it initially, but did pick up on a couple of Guillemot. I continued scanning beyond the Guillemot, and eventually, I found my bird again. The shape of the head and the dark cap said Great Crested Grebe, but I wasn't convinced. Could it be one of the other grebes I asked myself. I was sure it wasn't a diver, but my knowledge of grebes wasn't good enough for an on the spot identification.

I started making notes and even attempted a sketch of the head shape and markings. I also made a mental note of the size in comparison to an Eider that drifted into view. Having now gone through the guides I have at home, I have concluded that my first instinct was correct and that the bird could not be anything other than a Great Crested Grebe in winter garb. Not a new bird to me, but a patch tick.

I'd spent a lot of time out on the point, and I was now in danger of being late for my pick up. I had to hurry through the rest of the patch, but did manage to add Shag, Dunnock, Goldfinch and Robin to the list before I reached Kinghorn.

Lesson learned today is that I have to take the scope down to the patch more often. I would not have got the L-T Duck, the Guillemot of a conclusive ID on the Grebe without it.

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 Crested Grebe
25. Great Tit
26. Greenfinch
27. Greenshank
28. Grey Heron
29. Greylag
30. Grey Wagtail
31. Guillemot
32. Herring Gull
33. Housemartin*
34. House Sparrow
35. Kestrel*
36. Kingfisher
37. Knot
38. Lesser Black-backed Gull*
39. Long-tailed Duck
40. Long-tailed Tit
41. Magpie
42. Mallard
43. Mute Swan
44. Oystercatcher
45. Pheasant
46. Pied Wagtail (Yarrellii)
47. Pink-Footed Goose
48. Peregrine
49. Purple Sandpiper
50. Red-Throated Diver*
51. Red-breasted Merganser*
52. Redshank
53. Reed Bunting
54. Ringed Plover
55. Robin
56. Rock Pipit
57. Ruff
58. Sanderling
59. Sandwich Tern
60. Sedge Warbler*
61. Shag
62. Song Thrush
63. Sparrowhawk
64. Starling
65. Stonechat*
66. Swallow
67. Turnstone
68. Velvet Scoter
69. Whimbrel*
70. Willow Warbler*
71. Wood Pigeon
72. Wren.
73. Yellowhammer

Last for March.

Gave the strip a final bash for March this afternoon. Conditions were what have become fairly typical this winter. Blue sky, calm waters, nice breeze, strong sunlight and very mild temps.

Spring is certainly taking a grip, with a few bees on the move. However, not much change on the bird front. Beach was busy, so I pushed on towards the tower. One change I have noted is that the BHGs seem to have vacated the area at the moment. At the same time, I'm seeing more GBBGs.

Once out on the Stone Dyke Point, I found nothing much out on the tranquil waters. I did however think that I caught a snatch of Skylark song behind me. The terrain certainly looks suitable, but I could not locate the songster visually.

This will probably be my last crack at the patch this month, as I head offshore for three weeks early next week. Hopefully, when I return in April, I should start to see an influx of summer birds.

Gander said:

This will probably be my last crack at the patch this month, as I head offshore for three weeks early next week.

Click to expand...

Unexpectedly, an hour opened up this afternoon, so despite being a Sunday, with its usual increase of activity, I decided to hit the strip. I didn't bother with a list, and as I suspected the area was very busy. Tide was high and this had just compacted people into the remaining thin strip of beach.

There was little in the way of waders and few birds out on the water, however, I did pick up a patch tick, albeit an easy one, with a Gannet. Not sure how Gannet was not already on the list, as they are a fairly common bird on the Firth of Forth. Only thing I can think of is that I started the list in the November, so they will have moved off by then.

Good to see another change towards summer though.

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. Gannet
20. Goldcrest
21. Goldeneye
22. Goldfinch
23. Goosander
24. Great Black-backed Gull
25. Great Crested Grebe
26. Great Tit
27. Greenfinch
28. Greenshank
29. Grey Heron
30. Greylag
31. Grey Wagtail
32. Guillemot
33. Herring Gull
34. Housemartin*
35. House Sparrow
36. Kestrel*
37. Kingfisher
38. Knot
39. Lesser Black-backed Gull*
40. Long-tailed Duck
41. Long-tailed Tit
42. Magpie
43. Mallard
44. Mute Swan
45. Oystercatcher
46. Pheasant
47. Pied Wagtail (Yarrellii)
48. Pink-Footed Goose
49. Peregrine
50. Purple Sandpiper
51. Red-Throated Diver*
52. Red-breasted Merganser*
53. Redshank
54. Reed Bunting
55. Ringed Plover
56. Robin
57. Rock Pipit
58. Ruff
59. Sanderling
60. Sandwich Tern
61. Sedge Warbler*
62. Shag
63. Song Thrush
64. Sparrowhawk
65. Starling
66. Stonechat*
67. Swallow
68. Turnstone
69. Velvet Scoter
70. Whimbrel*
71. Willow Warbler*
72. Wood Pigeon
73. Wren.
74. Yellowhammer

Spring has sprung

It's amazing the amount of difference three weeks can make!

I arrived at the Seafield car park at 07:25 this morning. As soon as I stepped out of the car, I could tell things had changed. The air was full of bird song. Before I'd left the car park, I had Chaffinch, Goldfinch and Blackbird listed. Walking south, I continued to find the scrub full of Blackbird. Good numbers of Starling were also evident, along with the resident House Sparrows. Down on the beach and rocks though, things had changed in a different way. There were very few waders about. In the whole session, I only counted two Redshank, where as normally there would be dozens. Only other waders were four Oystercatcher, a single Turnstone and a couple of Curlew.

Out on the water, there were a lot of Eider. I counted eighty one for the day. The rocks further out where the Cormorant and Shag have sat all Winter were now bare, although I did count a single Cormorant at the harbour. Also added to the list at the harbour were a couple of Mallard. Numbers of Herring Gull were also present.

Passing the medieval tower, a Wagtail flew from its walls and headed down the shoreline. I never got a good enough view to say Pied or Grey though. Beyond the tower, I climbed the hill towards the mast that stands above Seafield Cave Cove. The Scrub here was also alive with birds. It was good to see the return of Yellowhammer. Just as good, was the sighting of a patch tick in the form of a Chiffchaff. The bird followed me for a while, calling out from the tree tops to all who would listen.

Birds started coming quickly to the list now Robin, Dunnock, Magpie, Blue Tit, Song Thrush, Woodpigeon and Carrion Crow. Somewhere across the rail tracks I could hear a Skylark, but could not locate it visually, so that remains a patch tick for another day.

Turning back when I reached the top of the rise above the lime kiln, I only added Great Tit on the return to the car, although a second Chiffchaff was also noted.

Other noticeable changes on my walk were the budding of the trees, busy Bumblebees and the flowering of the Hawthorn patches. Spring has certainly sprung!

Magnificent Seven

Walked the full strip this morning from Seafield to Kinghorn, with my 11 yr old son. He's now started a list of birds that he has seen, so rather than make it tedious for him by trying to make a full count, we just concentrated on ticking off species as we went.

Sun was shining and wind was light, although there was a build up of threatening cloud to the south west. Tide was well on its way to high.

In the car park we kicked off with Goldfinch, Herring Gull and Blackbird, with a scan of the calm waters quickly giving us Eider. On the beach we found Carrion Crow and a Curlew. On the way south to the harbour, we added Starling and House Sparrow. At the harbour, we found my sons first ever Red-Breasted Merganser. A GBBG sat out on the rocks and was duly listed. Dunnock and Song Thrush were evident in numbers, with Dunnock also being new to my charge.

Before reaching the tower, we added Wren, Oystercatcher, Turnstone and Redshank. Reed Bunting was also listed here and became the third lifer of my son for this session. Up the hill to the railway track gave us a view down onto the rocks where we found Cormorant. Common Seal also were spotted on the rocks and in the water. In the same spot as yesterday, I located a Chiffchaff, and son of mine had his fourth life tick. At the mast/antennae, I once again heard the song of a Skylark drifting over from across the tracks. We headed through the gap in the hedge where the apple tree path starts, and stood there for a while trying to locate the source of the song. Eventually, I spotted the bird as it dropped down into the grassy field. I had my Skylark patch tick and my son his fifth lifer of the morning.

Getting back onto the coastal path, we continued to head for Kinghorn. At the stone dyke, we made a little detour down the old coastal path to the entrance of Seafield Cave. In the cove scrub we spotted Woodpigeon. Back up to the path again, we pushed onwards. The local Magpies made the list, shortly followed by my son's favourite bird; the Yellowhammer. In the scrub along the back of Lime Kiln Beach we located Chaffinch.

Past the Lime Kiln, a passing Gannet became lifer number six for my youngster. Prior to exiting the patch Robin was added to the list. Walking through Kinghorn to the Carousel Cafe, that has tremendous views over Kinghorn Bay, we also added LBBG and Jackdaw to the list. There always seems to be Jackdaw here, but I've never seen one stray onto my patch yet.

Before entering the cafe, where we were to be picked up by the wife, we spotted Mallard down in the harbour.

We had just polished off two scrambled egg roles when our ride arrived. Before leaving though, we just had enough time to add lifer number seven of the morning to the young ones list. We did that by taking a quick look at the cliff just around the corner of the car park at the back of the cafe, and here we found the expected Fulmars.

List Update

As seen in posts #87 and #88, I have a couple of new entries for the list in the form of Chiffchaff and Skylark. Also, Red-Breasted Merganser looks like a personal patch tick for me, unless I previously forgot to remove the asterisk.

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. Chiffchaff
10. Common Buzzard
11. Common Gull
12. Common Scoter*
13. Common Tern
14. Cormorant
15. Curlew
16. Dunnock
17. Eider
18. Feral Pigeon
19. Fulmar
20. Gannet
21. Goldcrest
22. Goldeneye
23. Goldfinch
24. Goosander
25. Great Black-backed Gull
26. Great Crested Grebe
27. Great Tit
28. Greenfinch
29. Greenshank
30. Grey Heron
31. Greylag
32. Grey Wagtail
33. Guillemot
34. Herring Gull
35. Housemartin*
36. House Sparrow
37. Kestrel*
38. Kingfisher
39. Knot
40. Lesser Black-backed Gull*
41. Long-tailed Duck
42. Long-tailed Tit
43. Magpie
44. Mallard
45. Mute Swan
46. Oystercatcher
47. Pheasant
48. Pied Wagtail (Yarrellii)
49. Pink-Footed Goose
50. Peregrine
51. Purple Sandpiper
52. Red-Throated Diver*
53. Red-breasted Merganser
54. Redshank
55. Reed Bunting
56. Ringed Plover
57. Robin
58. Rock Pipit
59. Ruff
60. Sanderling
61. Sandwich Tern
62. Sedge Warbler*
63. Shag
64. Skylark
65. Song Thrush
66. Sparrowhawk
67. Starling
68. Stonechat*
69. Swallow
70. Turnstone
71. Velvet Scoter
72. Whimbrel*
73. Willow Warbler*
74. Woodpigeon
75. Wren.
76. Yellowhammer

Spring time photos.

The strip is now starting to bloom

Peacock Tick.

Lots of these about yesterday. Also, a few small white butterflies which may well have been Small Whites.

Chiffchaff.

I've gone for Chiffchaff for the pictured bird. Certainly plenty calling all along the strip yesterday. Report on the Fife Birds twitter account of a Willow Warbler singing at Seafield.

Wandered along the strip this afternoon with the loose target of finding a Willow Warbler. A couple of times I thought I heard a snippet of WW song, and I'm fairly sure I got Huweet-ed at one point, but I never actually saw a WW.

Chiffchaff very evident, and lots of Goldfinch flying back and fore in small groups. I sat out on the end of Stone Dyke Point for quite a while, and was rewarded by a Peregrine shooting past me at close quarters. It flew down the coastline before swooping at a bird (Redshank I think) perched on a rock. It either missed or changed its mind, as it headed off empty taloned.

I had a root about down on the pebbly Lime Kiln Beach, before heavy black clouds sent me heading back to Seafield. From the beach though, I did note a fair few Chaffinch in the scrub above.

Approaching the tower, I met a birder who I've seen in the area previously. We had a quick chat, and he informed me that he thought he'd seen a diver a little bit further along. He also felt that it wasn't a R-T D. I hurried along to see if I could find his diver, but despite extensive scanning, I blanked.

Now approaching the harbour, I did find a bird I've not seen on the strip before. In the scrub on the bank below the houses, a bird briefly sat on a twig with a beak full of nest material. I followed its flight from the twig to a spot below a garden wall and after moving down the path a little, I was able to re-locate my bird, along with his lady friend. Linnet now added to the list. :t:

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. Chiffchaff
10. Common Buzzard
11. Common Gull
12. Common Scoter*
13. Common Tern
14. Cormorant
15. Curlew
16. Dunnock
17. Eider
18. Feral Pigeon
19. Fulmar
20. Gannet
21. Goldcrest
22. Goldeneye
23. Goldfinch
24. Goosander
25. Great Black-backed Gull
26. Great Crested Grebe
27. Great Tit
28. Greenfinch
29. Greenshank
30. Grey Heron
31. Greylag
32. Grey Wagtail
33. Guillemot
34. Herring Gull
35. Housemartin*
36. House Sparrow
37. Kestrel*
38. Kingfisher
39. Knot
40. Lesser Black-backed Gull*
41. Linnet
42. Long-tailed Duck
43. Long-tailed Tit
44. Magpie
45. Mallard
46. Mute Swan
47. Oystercatcher
48. Pheasant
49. Pied Wagtail (Yarrellii)
50. Pink-Footed Goose
51. Peregrine
52. Purple Sandpiper
53. Red-Throated Diver*
54. Red-breasted Merganser
55. Redshank
56. Reed Bunting
57. Ringed Plover
58. Robin
59. Rock Pipit
60. Ruff
61. Sanderling
62. Sandwich Tern
63. Sedge Warbler*
64. Shag
65. Skylark
66. Song Thrush
67. Sparrowhawk
68. Starling
69. Stonechat*
70. Swallow
71. Turnstone
72. Velvet Scoter
73. Whimbrel*
74. Willow Warbler*
75. Woodpigeon
76. Wren.
77. Yellowhammer

A walk along to the Stone Dyke Point in yesterday's late afternoon sunshine, revealed nothing new. Cormorant and Shag are appearing in good numbers again. They all but disappeared for a few days.

Early morning session today saw me at the car park at sunrise. Took a quick stroll along the beach towards the Tiel Burn. The plan was to find a Lesser Black-Backed Gull in the gulls that congregate there. There were several, so that gave me a patch tick. On the way back to the car park, I noted some birds on the fence around the wasteland at the rear of Morrison's Supermarket. There were several Linnet there, but a quick explore also gave me a new, although not to be unexpected, patch tick with a Meadow Pipit.

Heading along towards the Stone Dyke Point, I quickly realised that I need not have bothered with the detour to find LBBG. They had arrived in force and were flying up and down the coastline.

In the scrub, it became evident that Linnet numbers were building up. On the bank below the houses, I chased two cats out of their hiding places, as they were also taking an interest in the Linnet activities.

The weather this morning was much cooler, and heavily overcast, but it did not seem to be deterring the birds. As well as the Linnets, there was certainly a lot of Goldfinch and Dunnock in the area. Still haven't set eyes on a Willow Warbler yet though. Other birds present in the undergrowth were Wren, Blue Tit, House Sparrow, Yellowhammer, Song Thrush and Blackbird. Also, a few Magpie hanging about, a single Chiffchaff heard, and a fly over by a Reed Bunting.

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. Chiffchaff
10. Common Buzzard
11. Common Gull
12. Common Scoter*
13. Common Tern
14. Cormorant
15. Curlew
16. Dunnock
17. Eider
18. Feral Pigeon
19. Fulmar
20. Gannet
21. Goldcrest
22. Goldeneye
23. Goldfinch
24. Goosander
25. Great Black-backed Gull
26. Great Crested Grebe
27. Great Tit
28. Greenfinch
29. Greenshank
30. Grey Heron
31. Greylag
32. Grey Wagtail
33. Guillemot
34. Herring Gull
35. Housemartin*
36. House Sparrow
37. Kestrel*
38. Kingfisher
39. Knot
40. Lesser Black-backed Gull
41. Linnet
42. Long-tailed Duck
43. Long-tailed Tit
44. Magpie
45. Mallard
46. Meadow Pipit
47. Mute Swan
48. Oystercatcher
49. Pheasant
50. Pied Wagtail (Yarrellii)
51. Pink-Footed Goose
52. Peregrine
53. Purple Sandpiper
54. Red-Throated Diver*
55. Red-breasted Merganser
56. Redshank
57. Reed Bunting
58. Ringed Plover
59. Robin
60. Rock Pipit
61. Ruff
62. Sanderling
63. Sandwich Tern
64. Sedge Warbler*
65. Shag
66. Skylark
67. Song Thrush
68. Sparrowhawk
69. Starling
70. Stonechat*
71. Swallow
72. Turnstone
73. Velvet Scoter
74. Whimbrel*
75. Willow Warbler*
76. Woodpigeon
77. Wren.
78. Yellowhammer

First of the year.

Walked the full length this morning. Definitely a Willow Warbler calling in Bullfinch Cove, but no sighting as it was deep in the Hawthorn. Highlight today though was the first Swallow of the year passing overhead.

Pigeons and Pooh.

All a bit subdued at the Seafield end, both this morning and this afternoon. A single Long-tailed Duck spotted. Had me scratching my head for a while, as it was at distance and well on its way to summer plumage.

A couple of Feral Pigeons seen down on the beach this morning and out on the sea wall this afternoon. Doesn't sound like much, but it is a change. Never seen them in those areas before.

Up on the path above Seafield Cave Cove, I found some droppings. I'm open to suggestions as to what dropped them. Don't really look like bird droppings, but they are full of what I took to be Hawthorn seeds. They were right next to a large Hawthorn patch, which although is not bearing berries, I'm guessing it has plenty of seeds on the ground below. Looks too big for rodent. Any thoughts?

Yes, pigeons and pooh! I definitely need an influx of fresh birds.

P.S - Droppings were not anywhere near the pigeons. Don't look right for Pigeon anyway.

Willow Warbler

Arrived at the Seafield car park at 06:30 hrs. Sky was clear and blue, with the freshly risen sun shining brightly. I pushed on quickly towards the tower, as there were already a few dog walkers about.

Out on the water, there is a multitude of Eider. Every rock is festooned with them. A few Redshank and Turnstone, with the odd Oystercatcher make up the wader contingent. Herring Gull and Cormorant also present.

In the scrub there are Goldfinch. Lots of Goldfinch! Even more Goldfinch than the local gangs of House Sparrow. Also in the scrub, I had Song Thrush, Blackbird, Linnet, Dunnock, Robin, Wren and Starling.

Beyond the tower, as I climbed the slope up to the phone mast (I think its a phone mast), the were Carrion Crow and Wood Pigeon. I could hear a Chiffchaff, but it was not until I returned an hour or so later, that I spotted him high on a bush.

Approaching the Stone Dyke, I was greeted by the song of a Skylark as it held station high above the field on the far side of the railway track. It took a little while, but eventually I located it with the binoculars.

Passing through the gap in wall, I stopped at the top of the steps that descend to the path as it runs behind Bullfinch Cove. As I stood scanning down into the cove, a bird flew out of the Hawthorn, and landed on a bramble stem. Before I could even lift the binoculars however, it shot back into the Hawthorn patch. I got the impression of a small bird with a bright red cap, but I had not got any detail, as the low sun had been in my eyes. I was thinking Redpoll, but as I stood and scrutinised the thorny bush, the only thing I saw come out were Goldfinch. Had I mistaken the red face of a Goldfinch for a red cap? I'd only had a glimpse with the sun in my eyes, so it is possible, but the bird did seem smaller than the Goldfinch.

I moved down the steps onto the path again, but stopped to allow viewing of the Hawthorn from a different angle. Nothing stirred, so after a good while I moved on. Along the path now I started finding Yellowhammer. Just behind the short outcrop that divides Bullfinch Cove and Lime Kiln Beach, I found a pair of Bullfinch; male and female. Then ahead of me I heard a bird sing. I knew it was a Willow Warbler, but could I get a view this time? I could. The bird made it easy for me by hopping from bush to bush while singing its heart out.

With my time having run out, and a personal patch tick of Willow Warbler in the bag, I turned back at this point. Nothing new was seen on the way back, although a very cooperative Yellowhammer did pose for a few nice close photos.

A quick wander this afternoon, along the strip as far as the Stone Dyke and back. Still seeing L-T Duck. Thought they would be gone by now, but they are very welcome to stay.

New Entry

I have just been informed by people cleverer than I (not a short list), that the bird pictured in the foreground in the attached photo taken yesterday, is a Dunlin.
An unexpected patch tick. :t:

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. Chiffchaff
10. Common Buzzard
11. Common Gull
12. Common Scoter*
13. Common Tern
14. Cormorant
15. Curlew
16. Dunlin
17. Dunnock
18. Eider
19. Feral Pigeon
20. Fulmar
21. Gannet
22. Goldcrest
23. Goldeneye
24. Goldfinch
25. Goosander
26. Great Black-backed Gull
27. Great Crested Grebe
28. Great Tit
29. Greenfinch
30. Greenshank
31. Grey Heron
32. Greylag
33. Grey Wagtail
34. Guillemot
35. Herring Gull
36. Housemartin*
37. House Sparrow
38. Kestrel*
39. Kingfisher
40. Knot
41. Lesser Black-backed Gull
42. Linnet
43. Long-tailed Duck
44. Long-tailed Tit
45. Magpie
46. Mallard
47. Meadow Pipit
48. Mute Swan
49. Oystercatcher
50. Pheasant
51. Pied Wagtail (Yarrellii)
52. Pink-Footed Goose
53. Peregrine
54. Purple Sandpiper
55. Red-Throated Diver*
56. Red-breasted Merganser
57. Redshank
58. Reed Bunting
59. Ringed Plover
60. Robin
61. Rock Pipit
62. Ruff
63. Sanderling
64. Sandwich Tern
65. Sedge Warbler*
66. Shag
67. Skylark
68. Song Thrush
69. Sparrowhawk
70. Starling
71. Stonechat*
72. Swallow
73. Turnstone
74. Velvet Scoter
75. Whimbrel*
76. Willow Warbler
77. Woodpigeon
78. Wren.
79. Yellowhammer

Sad tale of the Dunlin

As reported, yesterday I logged the first Dunlin for the patch. This is actually quite sad. Some months ago, I met a bird watcher who told me he used to be a miner at Seafield Colliery. The colliery was where the Seafield housing estate now sits.

He told me how the miners would come up out of the pit after a long nightshift, and be greeted by the sight of hundreds and hundreds of Dunlin and Sanderling on the seashore during the winter.

This winter, I've seen a handful of Sanderling on a few occasions, and the single Dunlin. So what has changed? Well, the nasty, dirty industry has moved away, and the area has been opened up for access by the supposedly conservation minded Fife Coast and Countryside Trust.

I am not blaming the trust as the sole cause of the decline in waders at this site, but I do think that some responsibility lies at their doorstep. Yes, they have made the area more accessible, and have advertised that accessibility. In that aim, they have done a good job, but what they do not seem to have done is taken any really responsibility as a conservation minded organisation, for the pressures they have created or at least encouraged on the area.

Possibly that is because as a charity that is dependant on donation, they don't want to get on the wrong side of any section of the public. I'd really like to know more about their funding and conservation strategy, and will be making enquiries. I'd also like to know more about their relationship with Fife Council. It would seem that Fife Council have handed over responsibility for more than one hundred miles of coastline and the Lomond Hills National Park to this independent trust. Good for the council as they don't have to use public money in these areas, but is it really good for the public if the trust is not really up for tackling some of the obvious issues that have been created.

Let me give you a small example. Last summer, I found that the crumbling remains of the medieval Seafield Tower were being used as a drug den. From discarded paraphernalia it was obvious that there was drug use going on in the tower. I informed the police, who did not seem really interested. That is their choice. I also mentioned that the area in front of the tower is very popular with children who can view the seal colony from there. Children being children also like to climb crumbling walls. I often come past there with my heart in my mouth when I see children scaling the ruins. Often their parents are below taking photos of them on their mobiles? The police said they would pass this on to the council. I heard no more.

At about the same time, a dog went for me near the tower. I communicated with the trust and also wrote to them about the situation of the tower. They said they would speak to the council about both the dog problem and the tower. I heard from the council about the dog attack, and once again I went over the problem with the tower. Nothing has been done. I believe it is a matter of time before someone, probably a child is hurt at the tower. It is medieval, made of crumbling pink sandstone and in the process of falling down. So who's responsibility is it? I don't know, but more worryingly, neither do the trust or the council. Neither of course will want to spend money on fencing it off properly, no matter shoring up the walls that look like collapse is not far away.

Anyway, this is what happens when I miss out on Crossbill by seconds!