edenwatcher
Well-known member
or 2 Roberts clean up(nearly)
This weekend was Andrew's christening and it so happens that one of his godfathers is a birder. We met as students in Cambridge, where as a post-grad Robert looked after Docmartin's undergrad project. It was arranged that I would take him on a tour of the sights of Fife on Saturday, aiming to see as many of the local specialities as possible. Robert got up early and came down to the Edenside layby to watch our goose spectacular - 500 Icelandic greylags and 2000 pinkfeet leaving the roost (our own mini-Holkham!). I confess to having listened to them flying over whilst lying in bed! Other birds on the estuary in the morning included black-tailed godwit and golden plover.
Robert came to pick me up at 9:00 and was less than impressed by a garden mega - a magpie (!) so we set off for Outhead. Stonechat was seen on the drive out along the West Sands. We parked at the end of the track and walked back a short distance to begin scanning the tideline for snow buntings. Reaching the end of the dunes we came upon a flock of 15 pale-bellied brent geese giving excellent close views (unusually close to the estuary mouth). As we scoped the geese, 4 snow buntings flew in and landed in front of us, joined soon after by another 2. Birds in the outer estuary included a red-throated diver, a great crested grebe, 3 slav. grebes, and several long-tailed ducks and red-breasted mergansers. Another group of brent geese included a single dark-bellied, much less common up here. Robert spent some time digiscoping the snow buntings whilst I photographed the brents and a very obliging stonechat. It was now time to move on, and after a brief stop at St. Andrews harbour where the tide was too low to find any purple sandpipers but we did see fulmars, we headed for Kingsbarns.
The attraction at Kingsbarns this winter is a very large flock of seedeaters in a set aside field between the village and the beach carpark. This didn't let us down with 400+ birds, mostly linnets but also including around 50 twite, 50 skylarks, 40 corn buntings, 50 goldfinches, 20 tree sparrows, 20 yellowhammers, a few greenfinches and a snow bunting. By this time the weather on the north coast of Fife was looking rather threatening so we crossed the East Neuk and made our way to Ruddons Point. We began by parking at the entrance to the caravan park and heading up Kincraig Hill to see another "finch" flock. This one (mostly linnet and chaffinch) contained at least 8 bramblings, along with reed buntings and yellowhammers. We drove as far as the locked gate where we had a mysterious encounter with another birder who described the conditions as choppy (see later). Before scanning the bay we checked the mouth of the Cocklemill burn where there was no sign of the twite flock. We did encounter a large group of rock pipits and whilst checking these out I flushed a jack snipe! This was a complete fluke - I normally look for them much further into the marsh. It wasn't even in a marshy area.
Walking out along the point it was clear that conditions were ideal - flat calm (choppy?!*?). We sat down to scan the bay (and eat lunch) and it wasn't long before I located the drake surf scoter. It was showing extremely well and much closer to the point than it has been for most of the winter. The calm conditions made it possible to pick up 7 slav. grebes, 4 red-throated divers and a single great northern diver. Other good birds included plenty of velvet and common scoter, long-tailed ducks and a nice flock of knot. We headed off as a shower approached, meeting DaveB's Durham crew as we left. Next stop was further round the bay at Lower Largo where largely overcast conditions made for good viewing (glare can be a real problem here). More excellent stuff was on offer with an incredible 25 slav. grebes, a red-necked grebe, 11 red-throated divers and single black-throated and great northern divers. As well as more sea duck the bay was full of razorbills, with numerous groups present but only a single guillemot. We made our way round to Leven (failing to see any waxwings by the 30 limit sign, although there were plenty of berries remaining) for a final scan of Largo Bay. This site is a pale shadow of its former self and we only bagged 3 red-throated divers and 2 slav. grebes, plus good numbers of mergansers and a few goldeneye. I remember the days when up to 2000 goldeneye wintered here with 1200 scaup. Next up was an abortive hunt for waxwings in Methil, although we did see a bullfinch here.
I then gave Robert a choice - Tentsmuir for crossbills or Vane Farm. Vane Farm it was, so we made our way via Glenrothes and Leslie to the Leven cut where a large flock of swans awaited us. There a few mute, 131 whoopers and the single Russian neck-collared Bewick's all in the same field. At Vane Farm itself we began by scanning the loch and picked up all 3 sawbills - plenty of goosanders plus single drake merganser and smew (all sadly a bit distant). The first returning lesser black-backs were among the herring gulls on St Serf's island and dabbling ducks included teal and a pair of gadwall. As we approached the middle hide we picked up the long staying little egret on the flood. At the end hide we discovered it had moved into the channel in front of the hide giving cracking views. I had left the camera in the car so made a dash back to collect it. As I neared the hide on my return something flushed it, so it was all in vain (or is that Vane?)! As we left the hide, the Durham boys turned up, having connected with surf scoter.
We had a final try for short-eared owl from the road over the Lomonds without success before returning home.
I think our final species total for the day was 89 - not bad in Scotland in February.
A couple of pics form Outhead
Rob
This weekend was Andrew's christening and it so happens that one of his godfathers is a birder. We met as students in Cambridge, where as a post-grad Robert looked after Docmartin's undergrad project. It was arranged that I would take him on a tour of the sights of Fife on Saturday, aiming to see as many of the local specialities as possible. Robert got up early and came down to the Edenside layby to watch our goose spectacular - 500 Icelandic greylags and 2000 pinkfeet leaving the roost (our own mini-Holkham!). I confess to having listened to them flying over whilst lying in bed! Other birds on the estuary in the morning included black-tailed godwit and golden plover.
Robert came to pick me up at 9:00 and was less than impressed by a garden mega - a magpie (!) so we set off for Outhead. Stonechat was seen on the drive out along the West Sands. We parked at the end of the track and walked back a short distance to begin scanning the tideline for snow buntings. Reaching the end of the dunes we came upon a flock of 15 pale-bellied brent geese giving excellent close views (unusually close to the estuary mouth). As we scoped the geese, 4 snow buntings flew in and landed in front of us, joined soon after by another 2. Birds in the outer estuary included a red-throated diver, a great crested grebe, 3 slav. grebes, and several long-tailed ducks and red-breasted mergansers. Another group of brent geese included a single dark-bellied, much less common up here. Robert spent some time digiscoping the snow buntings whilst I photographed the brents and a very obliging stonechat. It was now time to move on, and after a brief stop at St. Andrews harbour where the tide was too low to find any purple sandpipers but we did see fulmars, we headed for Kingsbarns.
The attraction at Kingsbarns this winter is a very large flock of seedeaters in a set aside field between the village and the beach carpark. This didn't let us down with 400+ birds, mostly linnets but also including around 50 twite, 50 skylarks, 40 corn buntings, 50 goldfinches, 20 tree sparrows, 20 yellowhammers, a few greenfinches and a snow bunting. By this time the weather on the north coast of Fife was looking rather threatening so we crossed the East Neuk and made our way to Ruddons Point. We began by parking at the entrance to the caravan park and heading up Kincraig Hill to see another "finch" flock. This one (mostly linnet and chaffinch) contained at least 8 bramblings, along with reed buntings and yellowhammers. We drove as far as the locked gate where we had a mysterious encounter with another birder who described the conditions as choppy (see later). Before scanning the bay we checked the mouth of the Cocklemill burn where there was no sign of the twite flock. We did encounter a large group of rock pipits and whilst checking these out I flushed a jack snipe! This was a complete fluke - I normally look for them much further into the marsh. It wasn't even in a marshy area.
Walking out along the point it was clear that conditions were ideal - flat calm (choppy?!*?). We sat down to scan the bay (and eat lunch) and it wasn't long before I located the drake surf scoter. It was showing extremely well and much closer to the point than it has been for most of the winter. The calm conditions made it possible to pick up 7 slav. grebes, 4 red-throated divers and a single great northern diver. Other good birds included plenty of velvet and common scoter, long-tailed ducks and a nice flock of knot. We headed off as a shower approached, meeting DaveB's Durham crew as we left. Next stop was further round the bay at Lower Largo where largely overcast conditions made for good viewing (glare can be a real problem here). More excellent stuff was on offer with an incredible 25 slav. grebes, a red-necked grebe, 11 red-throated divers and single black-throated and great northern divers. As well as more sea duck the bay was full of razorbills, with numerous groups present but only a single guillemot. We made our way round to Leven (failing to see any waxwings by the 30 limit sign, although there were plenty of berries remaining) for a final scan of Largo Bay. This site is a pale shadow of its former self and we only bagged 3 red-throated divers and 2 slav. grebes, plus good numbers of mergansers and a few goldeneye. I remember the days when up to 2000 goldeneye wintered here with 1200 scaup. Next up was an abortive hunt for waxwings in Methil, although we did see a bullfinch here.
I then gave Robert a choice - Tentsmuir for crossbills or Vane Farm. Vane Farm it was, so we made our way via Glenrothes and Leslie to the Leven cut where a large flock of swans awaited us. There a few mute, 131 whoopers and the single Russian neck-collared Bewick's all in the same field. At Vane Farm itself we began by scanning the loch and picked up all 3 sawbills - plenty of goosanders plus single drake merganser and smew (all sadly a bit distant). The first returning lesser black-backs were among the herring gulls on St Serf's island and dabbling ducks included teal and a pair of gadwall. As we approached the middle hide we picked up the long staying little egret on the flood. At the end hide we discovered it had moved into the channel in front of the hide giving cracking views. I had left the camera in the car so made a dash back to collect it. As I neared the hide on my return something flushed it, so it was all in vain (or is that Vane?)! As we left the hide, the Durham boys turned up, having connected with surf scoter.
We had a final try for short-eared owl from the road over the Lomonds without success before returning home.
I think our final species total for the day was 89 - not bad in Scotland in February.
A couple of pics form Outhead
Rob
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