An unusual opening report was of a Honey-buzzard which circled over Aberdour beach and headed west. Two Green Sandpipers and one Wood Sandpiper were noted at Angle Park GP while Wilderness hosted one Ruff, a Dunlin, one Black-tailed Godwit, five Snipe and the lingering Whooper Swan which was seen regularly over the period and was still there on the last day of the month. The opening Fife Ness day count was ten Bonxies, four Black Terns and 120 Sandwich Terns. A Green Sandpiper was still present at Valleyfield Lagoons. At East Wemyss there were six Mediterranean Gulls: one second summer, four first summer and a juvenile (white Darvic 3PX4) (1st), increasing to 21 the next day: two adults, one second summer and 18 first summer (when there was also a Whimbrel) (2nd) but down to 17 the day after: six adults, two second summer, eight first summer and one juvenile; with the Whimbrel noted again as well as a yellow Darvic ringed adult Sandwich Tern. There was also a juvenile Mediterranean Gull at Crail’s Roome Bay. Wilderness held one Green Sandpiper, a Ruff, two Dunlins and two Snipe. Balgove Bay had two Little Gulls, then c70 House Martins were assembled on wires at Newton Farm. Seven Dabchicks were at Linkswood with the same number at Morton Lochs NNR, where there were also c44 Mallards, and Newton Sandpit hosted nine Dabchicks. A Green Sandpiper flew east past Dalgety Bay (3rd). In the Valleyfield and Torry Bay Areathere were nine Arctic Terns (amongst Common and Sandwich Terns), seven Goosanders, four Snipe, four Common Sandpipers, three Greenshanks and 49 Dunlins. At Balcomie Beach there were38 Little Gulls feeding offshore and 130 Tree Sparrows were counted at Wormiston Farm. An adult Cuckoo was at Thirdpart (between Kilrenny and Crail) and at least four juvenile Yellow Wagtails were at Caiplie (4th) and were still present the next day. A Sooty Shearwater passed north at Fife Ness and a juvenile Water Rail was seen at Lochore Meadows CP (5th). Sightings at Cullaloe NR included one Kingfisher, a Common Sandpiper, two Water Rails and a Sparrowhawk. Five Yellow Wagtails, including an adult and a new juvenile, were noted at Caiplie. Two Swifts flew north over Dalgety Bay while at Buckhaven there were three second summer, two juvenile, one first summer and two adult Mediterranean Gulls (6th) then a juvenile and a second summer were seen on the playing fields at Dunnikier Park the next day. At Caiplie at least three juvenile Yellow Wagtails were joined by a Whinchat, a Wheatear and a Grey Wagtail then a Ruff turned up on Balcomie Beach (7th).
Three Little Egrets, an Osprey and three Common Sandpipers were noted at the Eden Estuary then a further report was of one Greenshank, a Knot, a Ruff, a Common Sandpiper, a Little Egret and three Ospreys seen from the Eden Estuary Centre. Two Common Sandpipers and 16 Goosanders were noted at Braefoot Point, three Whooper Swans were at Loch Gelly and four Knot and a Whimbrel were present at Balcomie Beach. Five juvenile and a first winter Yellow Wagtails were noted at Caiplie along with at least two Tree Pipits amongst many Meadow Pipits. A first year Mediterranean Gull was seen at Dalgety Bay, an adult, four second summers and a juvenile were at Buckhaven and four juveniles were at East Wemyss and an adult was on the Argos store roof in Leven (8th) then the following day there were four juveniles and two adults at Buckhaven with the first year bird still present at Dalgety Bay where a juvenile Black Tern was off the sailing club. At Fife Ness, two adult Roseate Terns, one Sooty Shearwater, three Arctic Skuas, two Bonxies and 23 Manx Shearwaters were counted whilst along the coast at Cambo there was a large tern movement, including six Black Terns south-east, and 25 Knot were also seen. At Dunshalt c200 House Sparrows were at Nether Myre Farm then Wilderness hosted a juvenile Greenshank, one summer-plumaged Black-tailed Godwit and six juvenile Knot (9th) with 120+ Lapwings, six Snipe, one Green Sandpiper, ten Black-tailed Godwits and a female Shoveler noted there the following day. A Green Sandpiper was on the Dreel Burn at Pittenweem, six Knot frequented Balcomie Beach and seawatching at Kinghorn yielded a Black Tern, an Arctic Tern, an Arctic Skua and three Bonxies all west, with 32 Goosanders also offshore then ten of the latter species were also seen at Fife Ness where a juvenile Marsh Harrier (with wing tags) was noted. A visible migration count at Ferry Hills included two Bonxies, one Arctic Skua, three Arctic Terns, four Red-throated Divers, nine Black-tailed Godwits and 15 Tree Pipits. An unusual report was of a possible Lesser Yellowlegs seen from the Eden Estuary Centre (10th). A juvenile Marsh Harrier (left yellow wing tag) and a Whinchat were seen at Wormiston and a Common Sandpiper, a juvenile Wheatear and four Knot were noted at Balcomie Beach. An Arctic Skua passed Fife Ness and two Green Sandpipers were on the Dreel Burn by the recycling centre at Pittenweem. Five Knot were at Seafield (11th). At Red Myre a Red Kite was seen flying quite high towards Birnie & Gaddon Lochs LNR and two Ruff were seen at Crail (12th) then two juveniles of this species were noted at Wilderness the next day when a Merlin and 225 Tree Pipits passed through at Ferry Hills (13th). A Green Sandpiper was present at Ribbonfield, Crail and the Mediterranean Gull tally at Buckhaven was 12 (six juveniles, three second summer and three adults). Four Ospreys, six Little Egrets, two Peregrines and a Kingfisher were seen at the Eden Estuary whilst Wilderness hosted two Wood Sandpipers, three Ruff, and seven Black-tailed Godwits. A Greenshank was at Crail and two Bonxies passed south at Fife Ness (14th).
A Quail was heard singing at Kingsbarns and a juvenile Ruff was present at Wilderness (15th). The Buckhaven Mediterranean Gull count was 13: five adults, seven second summer and a juvenile (16th). At Broombrae Farm, Auchtermuchty there were 40 Goldfinches, 50 Linnets and 11 Yellowhammers. The regular Ferry Hills report was 138 Tree Pipits, three Arctic Skuas and a Bonxie. Two adult Mediterranean Gulls were present at Dysart and sightings from Fife Ness included three Bonxies, one Sooty Shearwater, a Manx Shearwater, one Common Tern, 40 Knot and a Bar-tailed Godwit. Wilderness held one Common Sandpiper, one Snipe, ten or more Black-tailed Godwits, three Ruff and four Wigeon while two Whimbrels flew over (17th). A Kingfisher was at Birnie & Gaddon Lochs LNR, a Little Ringed Plover and three Scaup were noted at Angle Park GP and five Ruff, two Black-tailed Godwits, one Greenshank and a Common Sandpiper were present at Wilderness four Ospreys, three Little Egrets, three Greenshanks, two Common Sandpipers and a Peregrine were seen from the Eden Estuary Centre. An Arctic Tern was present at Letham Pools (18th). A report from Edenside included six Little Egrets, eight Goosanders, c30 Dunlins, one Ruff, 300+ Redshanks, a Greenshank, two Common Sandpipers and three Ospreys. Buckhaven hosted six Mediterranean Gulls: three adults, two second summer and a juvenile, Wilderness held five Ruff and four Black-tailed Godwits, Braefoot Point yielded one Common Sandpiper and along at Ferry Hills 134 Tree Pipits and a summer plumage Great Northern Diver were noted (20th) then sightings there the next day included two Whimbrels, three Bonxies, eight Arctic Terns, 146 Tree Pipits, a single Redstart, a Spotted Flycatcher and a Wheatear. The regular Wilderness reports continued with five Ruff, two Greenshanks, two Black-tailed Godwits, seven Snipe and one Canada Goose. 67 Sandwich Terns were present at East Wemyss where the Mediterranean Gull count was two adults, two second winter and a juvenile (white Darvic 3PX4) (21st).
Mediterranean Gulls continued to loiter at Buckhaven; this time three adults, one second summer and a juvenile were around. A Green Sandpiper was on Kilconquhar field pond and a Spotted Flycatcher was at the south end of Dalgety Bay’s Ross Plantation (22nd). A Short-eared Owl (probably in off the sea) and a juvenile Arctic Skua were seen at Out Head. Observations at Edenside included three Little Egrets, 12 (+30 young) Canada Geese, six Goosanders, 16 Dunlins, c50 Curlews, c500 Redshanks, one Greenshank, one Common Sandpiper and two Ospreys. A juvenile Marsh Harrier (with a yellow tag) was noted at Kilconquhar Loch and a Quail, a Whinchat and eight Wheatears were noted at Kingsbarns (23rd). Visible migration atFerry Hills included three Red-throated Divers, one Bonxie, five Whimbrels, 11 Black-tailed Godwits, 36 Arctic Terns, 139 Tree Pipits, 200 Sand Martins, two Redstarts and three Spotted Flycatchers. Two Jays were noted at Morton Lochs NNR and there was an unusual urban record of two juvenile Redstarts feeding on flying ants on a small privet bush in a Kirkcaldy garden. Staying with the Lang Toun, a Ruff was present at Seafield where there was also the uncommon sight of a Whimbrel on top of a house and a single of this species was also noted flying west over Strathkinness. A busy day continued with 16 Snipe, a Green Sandpiper, three Ruff, 11 Black-tailed Godwits, and a (hybrid) Barnacle Goose in amongst a flock of Greylags at Wilderness and one Green Sandpiper and two Common Sandpipers at Angle Park (24th). An immature Cuckoo was seen briefly at Cellardyke, one Curlew Sandpiper and two Ruff were spied from the Eden Estuary Centre and a Whimbrel was on the rocks near the Castle at St Andrews (26th). Then along at West Sands there were six Ruff, 160 Knot, 30 Dunlins, two Greenshanks and seven Little Gulls plus 130 more at sea. Only one adult Mediterranean Gull was noted at Buckhaven, 130 Greylag Geese were on stubble at Barns Farm and a juvenile Black Tern was on the beach at Levenmouth where there was also a Kingfisher (27th). Up at Loch Glow an Osprey, a Merlin, a Common Sandpiper, a Snipe and Crossbills were all noted. A juvenile Marsh Harrier was seen from Edenside, also three Ospreys, a White-tailed Eagle,115 Canada Geese and 20 Goosanders whilst, nearby, nine Little Egrets together were observed from the Eden Estuary Centre; a new Fife record count. Close by, at Balgove Bay, six Ruff, two Pintails, two Ospreys and c80 Canada Geese were seen with seven Whimbrel circling overhead. A Kingfisher was also noted there as well as at Cullaloe LNR where there was also a Sparrowhawk and a Common Sandpiper. The East Wemyss Mediterranean Gull total was 13: six adults (including 3ERA and 36L1), two second summer and five first winter (28th).
At Wilderness there were nine Snipe, three Curlew Sandpipers, one Greenshank, six Ruff and six Black-tailed Godwits whilst Fairmont, St. Andrews saw 38 Little Gulls and 12 Canada Geese pass west with a Greenshank and 13 White Wagtails also present there (29th). The Mediterranean Gull counts for the month were rounded off by a second summer at West Wemyss harbour, five adults and a second summer at East Wemyss and two adults on the beach at Dysart where two Manx Shearwaters passed very close west. At Wilderness there were four Curlew Sandpipers, two Ruff, three Bar-tailed Godwits, seven Black-tailed Godwits and 20+ Snipe (30th) with the Ruff count increasing by one the next day when the Black-tailed Godwits were up to c10 and the lingering four Curlew Sandpipers were joined by a Greenshank. At Cullaloe LNR a juvenile Garganey was seen with 98 Teal. At Out Head two juvenile Black Terns and a Bonxie were noted and the month closed with three Wheatears at Plains Farm, Dunshalt (31st).
Information suplied courtesy of Malcolm Ware and GrahamSparshott