Seafield to Kinghorn (3 Viewers)

I think Yellowhammers can certainly be migrants and Scandinavian birds move south and west to some extent. It's maybe hard to be sure where birds have come from but if they're arriving with lots of thrushes and other birds from the east then there's a chance they could have travelled with them.

I hope you manage to get a Purple Sandpiper Totaliser up and running!

Andrew Whitehouse said:

I think Yellowhammers can certainly be migrants and Scandinavian birds move south and west to some extent. It's maybe hard to be sure where birds have come from but if they're arriving with lots of thrushes and other birds from the east then there's a chance they could have travelled with them.

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All Blackbirds & Thrushes have vacated the area as of this afternoon. All but one Yellowhammer have gone as well. I'm used to seeing Blackbird and Thrush out on the platform, but only have one record of Yellowhammer. I do think you are right though, these birds seem to be moving as a unit, and there are still some common migrants that I have no or few records of on the platform, so my observations there are by no means conclusive.

Andrew Whitehouse said:

I hope you manage to get a Purple Sandpiper Totaliser up and running!

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Back to zero this afternoon, but tide was fairly low, so lots of rocks they could have been on the seaward side of. I think my record count is just over twenty. Population is typically small here, but I still dream of needing a totaliser. :t:

Whoopee

I was far too keen this morning; arriving in at the car park half an hour before it was light enough to see anything. Setting off down the path at half past seven, I was disappointed to find no Purple Sandpipers at their usual harbour roost, despite the high state of the tide. Moving on down the path, a Sparrowhawk flew past, disappearing over the tops of the houses, probably to terrorise a few garden birds.

Approaching the tower, I found a few Rock Pipits doing what Rock Pipits do out on the rocks, but still no Purps. Past the tower, hovering above the grassy slope that climbs up towards the railway lines, a Kestrel hovered; no doubt looking for a vole breakfast.

There were few birds along the path, and no more than the common residents on the foreshore or sea. Reaching the back of Bullfinch Cove, I searched for the Goldcrest I'd seen there on Sunday afternoon, but found nothing. This had been the first Goldcrest of the season to arrive, but the hoped for influx of bird with it, had not materialised.

Moving on along the back of Lime Kiln Beach, I was joined by a small flock of Long-Tailed Tits. I also spotted a Warbler in amongst them, probably Chiffchaff, but didn't get a good enough look.

Turning back, I found a couple of Greenfinch. Not a bird I've seen a lot of on the strip in recent times.

Passing the stone dyke, a distant flock of Pink-Footed Geese passed by, but it was not until I was hemmed in by the hawthorn hedges at the phone mast, that I heard what was to be the bird of the morning. I could clearly hear Whooper Swan, but was initially worried that I would miss this patch tick due to a lack of unobscured vision.

I need not have worried. Three Whoopers passed low and almost overhead. It was only a brief sighting, but I had my patch tick.

109. Whooper Swan

Returning past the tower, I found a flock of Turnstone on the rocks. Mixed in with them, I was also able to pick out half a dozen Purple Sandpiper. I thought that would be my final addition to the list for today, however, as I reached the car park, I spotted two birds out over the Forth. They were distant, but from what I saw, and from the attached photo, I'm pretty sure they were Red-Throated Divers.

Five more Whoopers seen this morning. Typical! You wait two years for a bird, and now they are queuing up.

New in this morning were about half a dozen Long-Tailed Duck. Starting to feel like winter. :t:

The precipitation of yesterday was long gone, with only a few puddles to bear witness to its passing. Arriving just after first light, I was in time for a rosy sunrise, with mild temperatures and a largely clear sky. The Forth lay calm and glistening as the sunshine bounced off its ripples. In short, a fine day for bird watching.

From the car park, a mixed flock of Black-Headed and Common gulls were the first birds sighted. Out on the rocks were Oystercatchers, with the odd Carrion Crow moving about. Nearing the seawall, I picked up on Redshank, Bar-Tailed Godwit, Cormorant and Eider, before the concrete structure blocked my view of the estuary. In the scrub of the embankment below the houses, Robin, House Sparrow, Blackbird and Goldfinch made their first appearances, as Herring Gulls announced their arrival in the air. On the roofs of the houses, Starling called out, with a nearby Magpie also giving voice.

With the Forth now back in view at the tide flooded harbour, I picked out a Shag from the scarce birds on the waters surface. Just past the harbour came my first Turnstone of the day, although later, dozens were evident. More Redshank also were grouped together on the rocks.

Also sat on the rocks, I found a female (I think female) Kingfisher, just as the first rays of the rising sun started to illuminate it. Overhead, a Grey Wagtail passed, while also out on the rocks a Grey Heron stood.

Halfway to the tower now, I found an area of grassy embankment that was alive with birds. Reed Bunting, Great Tit, Blue Tit, Dunnock and Song Thrush joined the list, with more Robin, Goldfinch and Blackbird also evident.

Continuing to scan the rocks as I approached the tower, another group of Turnstone were spotted. With careful scanning they were found to be concealing a couple of Purple Sandpiper in their midst. Later, on my return journey, the visible presence of Purple Sandpiper had swollen to six, or as I like to call it; half a dozen. I've take the Totaliser off my Christmas list!

Before passing the tower, a skein of Pink-Footed Geese passed overhead, a Curlew was seen inspecting rock pools, and a trio of Rock Pipits showed up.

In Tower Cove, a pair of Red-Breasted Merganser were busy preening on the rocks before spotting me and heading sedately out into the Forth. They were beaten onto the list though by a distant Wood Pigeon. At the top of the climb up to the phone masts, a couple of Chaffinch were busy in the scrappy trees.

My journey onwards along the coastal path was uninterrupted by any new entries to the list. Reaching the top of the zig zag path above the lime kiln, I turned back, and it was shortly after doing this that I found my first real surprise of the day in the shape of a Coal Tit. Only my second example of this species found on the strip.

Passing Bullfinch Cove for the second time, I climbed the steps to the stone dyke, from where I spotted a Pheasant sat on the top of the hilly mound on the far side of the railway tracks. Nearby, Yellowhammer were active in the tops of some scrubby trees. Also, from this location, a couple of Great Black-Backed Gulls were seen over the sea.

My second real surprise of the day was not much further on along the path. As I passed down the Hawthorn corridor at the phone masts, A group of birds made their presence vocally known, before a couple of them became visible to me as they wandered the halls of their spiky palace. More infrequent visitors, this time in the shape of Tree Sparrows.

I had proceeded past the tower, when a hawk was seen flying towards me low and fast. I just had enough time to identify it as a Sparrowhawk.

With the tide quickly receding now, strips of sand were being revealed between the jagged rows of rocks. It was on one of these newly wetted areas that I found the last entry to my list, as a Ringed Plover went about its business.

Not a prolific session, but an enjoyable one in good conditions, with a few little surprises thrown in. :t:

A quick visit to the strip this afternoon produced two more species beyond Thursday's list. Long-Tailed Tits were seen near Bullfinch Cove, but firstly, a Kestrel was seen hovering above the rough ground at the back of the car park.

I do love Kestrels. :t:

P.S - Not one hundred percent sure the two photos are of the same bird. The first one was at the car park and the bird seemed really big (female). The second photo was at the tower, half an hour later, but the bird seemed smaller (maybe a male?).

89

Strong wind blowing in from the east this afternoon. Felt damp and cold in very gloomy overhead conditions. A lot of my regular birds seem to be in hiding due to the conditions, however a few new arrivals noted with a small flock of Sanderling seen on the beach in front of the car park, then a sizeable flock of Common Scoter seen from the slope above the tower.

Kestrel still in the area

Also noted a battle scarred Common Seal. Seen a few with similar wounds recently.

The Sanderlings are the 89th bird species I've seen on the strip this calendar year. Significant to me because it equals my total for 2017.

I had sat out the previous day at home due to the weather, but I needed to get out, so I pulled on the wet weather gear and headed out. Just after midday, I started off down the path from the car park in the pouring rain. Ten minutes later, the rain stopped and despite a contrary forecast, it did not start again for the duration of my session. Even better, the wind had died down, so although there was still a fair chop on the sea, it was a lot better than in previous days.

Just past the harbour, I found a single Razorbill. Later with a better view over the Forth from the rise just past the tower, I could see quite a few auks scattered over the water. I'm guessing this is a result of the week's predominant easterlies.

Also visible on the water were two large flocks of Common Scoters, both more than fifty strong, but by far my best spot of the day were the two Red-Throated Divers I found fairly close in.

Bird life in the scrub is still subdued, with the highlight being a Blue Tit having a good go at eating an apple, two of three times its size, in Bullfinch Cove.

On the rocks, most of the regulars present, with the Purple Sandpiper flock now over twenty strong.

Gander said:

A quick visit to the strip this afternoon produced two more species beyond Thursday's list. Long-Tailed Tits were seen near Bullfinch Cove, but firstly, a Kestrel was seen hovering above the rough ground at the back of the car park.

I do love Kestrels. :t:

P.S - Not one hundred percent sure the two photos are of the same bird. The first one was at the car park and the bird seemed really big (female). The second photo was at the tower, half an hour later, but the bird seemed smaller (maybe a male?).

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You've probably worked this out by now but a quick look at the tail will reveal that both of these pictures are of an adult male - grey unbarred tail with thick subterminal band.

John

Farnboro John said:

You've probably worked this out by now but a quick look at the tail will reveal that both of these pictures are of an adult male - grey unbarred tail with thick subterminal band.

John

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Thanks John,
The grey cap has also been pointed out to me. I think because I got so close to the bird in the first instance, that it threw me by looking bigger than usual.

Conditions yesterday were damp, grey, but with little wind. Today was damper, greyer, but still with little wind. My visit yesterday morning revealed highlights of an increase of Long-Tailed Duck out on the Forth, and a female Bullfinch near Bullfinch Cove. I've not seen many Bullfinch recently, so quite happy to find this one.

This afternoon's highlight was a large flock of 50+ Yellowhammer up at the railway tracks along the Apple Tree path.

110th Species.

A Red-Necked Grebe was reported on the Fife alert network at the Tiel Burn (north boundary of the patch) this morning. It is a bird I have been half expecting. There were sightings last winter just across Kirkcaldy Bay at the Pathhead area, and Musselburgh seems a popular area for them, and that is straight across the Forth from Seafield. Sadly, I could not get back to Kirkcaldy before dark, so it will be later tomorrow before I can slip down to Seafield to hunt for what will be a lifer.

110. Red-Necked Grebe

Reported yesterday at Seafield was an adult Med Gull in a flock of about 450 BHG. That is going to take some picking out! :eek!:

A Happy Christmas to all from the Seafield strip

An unexpected spot

On Christmas Eve morning, there was no sign of the previous day's Red-Necked Grebe, despite the calm waters of the Forth making for good scanning conditions. There were plenty of regular birds to see however. By the time I had reached the tower, Herring Gull, Carrion Crow, GBBG, Oystercatcher, Eider, Long-Tailed Duck, Redshank, Curlew, BHG, Feral Pigeon, Cormorant, Bar-Tailed Godwit, Magpie, Blackbird, House Sparrow, Starling, Rock Pipit, Goldfinch, Robin, Wren and Long-Tailed Tit had all been seen. After only seeing six species of bird offshore in the previous three weeks, this was a great relief.

Beyond the tower, I walked as far as the top of the zig zag in the path above the Lime Kiln. On this stretch, I added Mallard, Grey Heron, Pink-Footed Goose, Blue Tit, Shag, Woodpigeon and Pheasant were added to the list, before passing the tower on my return to the car park, I added Turnstone.

Later that day, just before the light failed, but in time for the high tide. I made a dash for Seafield to see what I could find on the roosting block in the harbour. Among the Redshank and Turnstone, I was able to locate a few Purple Sandpiper. It was while driving down to Seafield however, that I found my most interesting bird of the day. Pulling up in a queue of traffic at a roundabout, I looked out of my side window, and there in a small tree were about eighteen Waxwing. Nice to see, but too far away from the strip to add them to the list.

Christmas day was not frosty and bright as Christmas Eve had been. Instead is was damp and very gloomy. Following a large Christmas lunch, I excused myself on the pretext that I needed to walk it off. With only an estimated hour of daylight left, it was to be a short walk to the tower and back. I was still hoping for Red-Necked Grebe, but it was not to be. I did make some nice additions to the previous day's list however, with Pied Wagtail, Grey Wagtail, Great Tit, Song Thrush, Chaffinch, Red-Breasted Merganser, Common Gull, Dunnock (strangely missing on the previous day) and Common Scoter. Also seen, was a unseasonal Gannet heading up the Forth.

Today, I headed to the strip just as first light was dawning (08:20 hrs). For a change, I pulled in to the lorry park at the Tiel Burn. Once again, I had R-N Grebe in mind, but the calm waters beyond the sands only carried more common birds. Following a brief scan from the car, I decided to stretch the legs and check out the Tiel Burn itself. It was here that I made a very unexpected spot. As I leant over the railing to peer up the burn towards the nearby road bridge, A bird shot off, flying low, upstream. I'd been hoping for a stray Coot or Moorhen maybe, but this bird was much smaller. It landed an a midstream pebble that protruded above the water surface. Even in the poor early light, I was able to clearly see the snow white breastplate that declared this bird to be a Dipper.

I'd always thought there was a slim chance of finding a Dipper on the patch in winter, but had thought it more likely to be a bird that showed up on the rocks along the stretch from the harbour to the tower. I had not really held out much hope of finding one on this short stretch of urban burn, running between a busy road bridge and a busier gull colony. Despite the sunken shopping trolleys and tyres, the burn water is pretty clean, so maybe it should not be that much of a shock.

With my

111. Dipper

patch tick in the bag, I made the short drive to the Seafield car park, and set off on foot along the path. An hour and a half later, I returned, having seen many of the previous couple of days birds, but with the addition of a Sparrowhawk that I found sitting on the path above Seafield Cave. I managed to grab a poor light record shot before it scarpered due to the approach of a dog (see photo background).

I might not have the most prolific of patches, but there is always something of interest. And 42 bird species in 3 days of December is pretty good going I think, especially when it includes a Dipper. :t:

It has been very quiet along the strip for a couple of days. Quiet that is apart from my sneezing and coughing. Managed a walk to the tower yesterday afternoon, but there was little about, although about 20 Waxwings were seen on my way back home.

This morning, I decided to try and walk off the lurgy. I made it to the zig zag descent, and more importantly, back again. There was a bit more about than the previous day, with a Bullfinch at the back of Lime Kiln Beach being the stand out bird.

A Roe Deer was also spotted on the embankment between the path and the gardens.

I had a look for your Dipper yesterday Gander and found it upstream just beyond the viaduct. Nice collection of trolleys too. By the way I had 40 Purple Sandpipers at the harbour when I did the last WEBS count.

Cuckoo-shrike said:

I had a look for your Dipper yesterday Gander and found it upstream just beyond the viaduct. Nice collection of trolleys too. By the way I had 40 Purple Sandpipers at the harbour when I did the last WEBS count.

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That's good going with the Purps. They seem to be a bit more spread out between the harbour and tower this year.

Combined Patch and 2018 Year Lists.

I made a final trip of the year to the strip this morning. It was very gloomy and damp, with a strongly gusting wind. Of the birds there were few, however, a distant Velvet Scoter was my first of the year (and therefore last of the year) for the patch.

This seems a good point at which to post the patch list. I have combined it with the 2018 year list by highlighting the 91 species seen this year in blue font. The year list are my personal sightings and do not include birds seen by others that do appear on the patch list, even if seen this year e.g Red-Necked Grebe.

Edit - You may have noticed that the patch list has increased by one species to 112. That is because I found I was not able to match my year list total to the patch list. A little investigation revealed that I had missed Oystercatcher off the patch list. Whoopsie!

1. Barnacle Goose
2. Greylag Goose
3. Pink-Footed Goose
4. Mute Swan
5. Whooper Swan
6. Wigeon
7. Mallard
8. Teal
9. Eider
10. Velvet Scoter
11. Common Scoter
12. Long-Tailed Duck
13. Goldeneye
14. Goosander
15. Red-Breasted Merganser
16. Grey Partridge
17. Pheasant
18. Red-throated Diver
19. Black-Throated Diver*
20. Great Northern Diver*
21. Fulmar
22. Manx Shearwater*
23. Red-Necked Grebe*
24. Great-Crested Grebe
25. Grey Heron
26. Gannet
27. Shag
28. Cormorant
29. Sparrowhawk
30. Buzzard
31. Oystercatcher
32. Lapwing
33. Ringed Plover
34. Whimbrel
35. Curlew
36. Bar-Tailed Godwit
37. Black-Tailed Godwit
38. Turnstone
39. Knot
40. Ruff
41. Sanderling
42. Dunlin
43. Purple Sandpiper
44. Common Sandpiper
45. Redshank
46. Greenshank
47. Kittiwake
48. Black-Headed Gull
49. Little Gull*
50. Mediterranean Gull
51. Common Gull
52. Herring Gull
53. Great Black-Backed Gull
54. Lesser Black-Backed Gull
55. Sandwich Tern
56. Common Tern
57. Arctic Tern
58. Arctic Skua*
59. Common Guillemot
60. Razorbill
61. Puffin
62. Rock Dove/Feral Pigeon
63. Wood Pigeon
64. Collared Dove
65. Swift
66. Kingfisher
67. Great Spotted Woodpecker*
68. Kestrel
69. Peregrine
70. Magpie
71. Jackdaw*
72. Carrion Crow
73. Raven*
74. Coal Tit
75. Blue Tit
76. Great Tit
77. Skylark
78. Sand Martin
79. Swallow
80. House Martin
81. Long-Tailed Tit
82. Willow Warbler
83. Chiffchaff
84. Sedge Warbler
85. Blackcap
86. Garden Warbler
87. Whitethroat
88. Goldcrest
89. Wren
90. Starling
91. Blackbird
92. Fieldfare*
93. Redwing
94. Song Thrush
95. Robin
96. Stonechat
97. Wheatear
98. Dipper
99. House Sparrow
100. Tree Sparrow
101. Dunnock
102. Grey Wagtail
103. Pied Wagtail
104. Meadow Pipit
105. Rock Pipit
106. Chaffinch
107. Bullfinch
108. Greenfinch
109. Linnet
110. Goldfinch
111. Yellowhammer
112. Reed Bunting

2019 begins

It has been a very slow start to the year along the Seafield strip, even compared to the last week of December, but it is picking up slowly. Suday saw the birds of most note, with a distant passing flock of Greylag, and a smart Grey Wagtail picking its way along the shoreline. I think there best description of the area at the moment is, "stewing in its own tranquility". Better days ahead though. :t:

January

Yesterday afternoon, I headed down to the strip for an hour or two. Heading out of the car park down the coastal path, I spotted a bird out on the Forth. I was convinced it was a grebe or diver of some sort, but lost track of it when it dived. I thought I had it again a little later, having hurried nearer the waters edge to reduce the distance, but the photos I took only showed a long-Tailed Duck. I was not convinced it was the original bird, but with no sign of anything else on the grey waters, I moved on.

Once again, there was a general lack of birds and bird activity, however I did find last weeks Grey Wagtail again, so that cheered me up no end. I pushed on under the oppressively leaden skies until I reached the zig zag. Turning back, I suddenly picked up on two birds out on the Forth from my high point at the benches above Lime Kiln Beach. One was a Guillemot, my first of the year, but the second I could not identify with it being much further out. I grabbed a few photos, and later, with a bit of help, I found it was a Red-Throated Diver. I think it may actually have been the bird seen and lost earlier in the session.

This afternoon, I returned to Seafield. The sun was shinning strongly and I was hoping it would stimulate a little more action. As I drove in the car park gates though, my heart sank a little, as the car park was packed, meaning that the path would be busy.

I set off anyway, but had only taken a step outside the car park when I heard some faint tweeting from inside a dense clump of Hawthorn. This was not surprising, as there are usually a few House Sparrows here, but for some reason, I decided to investigate a little more. As I skirted the bushy area, birds flew out and landed in more dense growth behind the car park. Again, I don't know why, but I followed them into the area they had evacuated to, and spent 10 minutes or so trying to get a clear view of the birds through little gaps in the twig growth. Eventually, my persistence paid off when a few of the birds popped out and gave me unobscured views of Tree Sparrows.

Heading on again, the traffic on the path was as heavy as I had suspected it would be. In fact, I've never seen it so busy, even in summer. Despite that, I picked up on two more firsts for the month, with Song Sparrow and Long-Tailed Tit.

Reaching the stone dyke, I could take no more of the traffic, so I headed of the path and headed down to the pebbly beach in front of Seafield Cave. Down there I was alone, so I took the opportunity to sit on a tree stump for a while. I'd been there for a few minutes, when there was a commotion from waders down the coast. I knew what it would be, and soon picked out a raptor. It made its way towards me, flying low, dipping and rising. I stayed as still as possible as it approached and was given great views of a Sparrowhawk as it flew past my head, coming within ten feet of me.

A great way to end my January efforts on the strip, with a nice round number of 40 species seen.

Song Sparrow

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Nice one Paul - are you ready to marshal the twitchers tomorrow?