Bird Sightings

November started with a very welcome influx of Waxwings to the County, with most seeming to return to previous “regular” sites. Five were in a Cellardyke garden, c18 were at Cowdenbeath Leisure Centre, c22 were in St Andrews and there were 11 at the Victoria Road Car Wash in Kirkcaldy (1st). Two Velvet Scoters, 248 Common Scoters and a good count of 130 Long-tailed Ducks were seen from Kinghorn and a Slavonian Grebe was an unusual visitor to Beveridge Park Pond, Kirkcaldy, as was a Dipper there the same day, a Great Grey Shrike was a great find at lower Kilminning (2nd), 17 Waxwings were still present at Cowdenbeath Leisure Centre and two were seen at Kinghorn Loch, as were two Crossbills, more Waxwings were seen at Ferry Hills, with six noted there, along with 27 Barnacle Geese, 19 Red-throated Divers and 16 Crossbills. Clatto Reservoir had four Crossbills and 11 Whooper Swans, an adult Mediterranean Gull was seen amongst the gulls on the playing fields at Queen Anne High School, Dunfermline. Also in Dunfermline, three Waxwings were heard flying over near Lynebank Hospital, two Swallows were seen at Dalgety Bay, as was a scarce (for this site) Little Egret, nine Little Gulls were also noted. In St Andrews (3rd) c20 Waxwings were seen at the North Haugh, with a further 12 seen at Spinkie Crescent, another late Swallow was seen at lower Kilminning, as were two Northern Bullfinches, at least two Mealy Redpolls, with two Lesser Redpolls and two Blackcaps. A scarce White-tailed Eagle was seen on a post from Out Head, a solitary Waxwing flew over Crail (4th), c50 were seen in Ravenscraig Park, Kirkcaldy, seven were at Hallow Hill, St Andrews, with another c30 near Aldi, three were noted at Lower Largo and there was an excellent count of c120 in Kirkcaldy, with another single bird seen amongst thrushes in Cupar. Seven Whooper Swans were seen at Crossford, a late Wheatear was at Dysart, a Merlin was on the rocks at Fife Ness, a single Mealy Redpoll was amongst Lesser Redpolls at Hallow Hill, St Andrews, with a Raven over there also. The highlights at Ferry Hills were one Red Kite NE, 27 Red-throated Divers flew W inland and 35 Crossbills. A Great Northern Diver was seen off Out Head, as were three Slavonian Grebes, another Slavonian Grebe turned up at an unusual location, with one on Kilconquhar Loch, where a Chiffchaff was also present. Seven Swallows at Elie was a good group count so late in the year, a Short-eared Owl and three Woodcocks were at Boarhills and a Goshawk was watched at Morton Lochs NNR, where at least four Bramblings were also present. Two Snow Buntings were seen at Out Head, another Short-eared Owl was at Methil and a Little Egret was an unusual visitor to Pittenweem. 10 Pintail and nine Whooper Swans were counted at Torry Bay, a Barn Owl was seen near Dunshalt and 23 Waxwings were seen at Balmullo (5th). c20 Waxwings were still around Aldi in St Andrews, with a good count of 65 at Auchterlonie Court in St Andrews and the count of Waxwings had dropped to one at Cowdenbeath Leisure Centre. The Wheatear was still present at the Bruce Embankment car park, St Andrews and a count from Fife Ness produced one Little Auk N, five Little Gulls, 52 Red-throated Divers, 98 Common Scoters, three Velvet Scoters, eight Long-tailed Ducks and two Purple Sandpipers. The Black Redstart was seen again at the Bruce Embankment car park, St Andrews, another was seen at Roome Bay, Crail, with a further bird seen at Sauchope Caravan Park, Crail also. 23 Whooper Swans flew over Cellardyke, a Slavonian Grebe was a rare visitor to Loch Gelly, a Snow Bunting was seen on West Sands, St Andrews and 11 Little Egrets were seen flying past St Andrews Castle. A drake Surf Scoter was seen from Tentsmuir Point NNR, with c30 Velvet Scoters, at least two Slavonian Grebes and two Great Northern Divers also noted offshore. Four Snow Buntings were also seen on the beach. A Short-eared Owl was seen again at Boarhills, with two Red-throated Divers and three Greenshanks also noted there, a Slavonian Grebe, one Greenshank, nine Whooper Swans and two Twite were at Coble Shore, with five Twite also seen at Elie. 25 Whooper Swans were seen at Rossie Bog, a Short-eared Owl was at Cameron Reservoir and a drake Surf Scoter was seen from Ruddons Point (6th). A Little Egret was seen from the Coastal Path at Cellardyke and in Guardbridge 18 Waxwings were seen near the Mill, c60 were still at Auchterlonie Court, St Andrews and c40 were in Kirkcaldy and at Loch Fitty a Slavonian Grebe was an unusual visitor, while the Slavonian Grebe at Kilconquhar Loch was still present. A female Scaup was at Loch Gelly, 11 Snow Buntings were at Tentsmuir Point NNR, a Little Egret was again at Dalgety Bay (7th) and now seemed to become a daily visitor, two Slavonian Grebes and four Scaup were now at Loch Gelly, there were five Waxwings in a Cellardyke garden, c10 at North Haugh, St Andrews, with 45 seen on Bogward Road, St Andrews also. At Out Head, six Little Egrets were unusual, as were the 12 Greenfinches seen feeding on the strand line, a female Marsh Harrier was seen over Mugdrum Island and a swift sp. seen over Crail caused much excitement, but after studying images and videos the opinion was that it was a Common Swift.

c35 Waxwings were seen at the east end of Oriel Road, Kirkcaldy (8th), with a further c40 still at Victoria Road, also in Kirkcaldy. Seen at Stenhouse Reservoir was a Green Sandpiper, two juvenile Marsh Harriers were seen at Rossie Bog and the Slavonian Grebe was still at Beveridge Park Pond, Kirkcaldy. A Great Northern Diver was an unusual visitor at Valleyfield Lagoons (9th) seen from the sea wall, five Waxwings were at Lade Braes, St Andrews, with 12 at Greenside Place, c60 at Fraser Avenue and four at Bogward Road, all in St Andrews. Also seen at Bogward Road, St Andrews were one Brambling and 71 Siskins, one Slavonian Grebe was still at Loch Gelly, where two Long-tailed Ducks were also unusual visitors, eight Pochard and eight Whooper Swans were also notable counts there. A Great White Egret was seen at Cameron Reservoir (10th), 12 Waxwings were near Morrisons, St Andrews, with c60 near the Centre for Biological Diversity, St Andrews, 12 were also seen on Regents Way, Dalgety Bay. The Green Sandpiper was still at Stenhouse Reservoir, with a Raven noted there also, the Slavonian Grebe was still present at Loch Fitty, at Craigluscar, nine Whooper Swans were noted and at Magus Muir a possible Continental Coal Tit was seen amongst a flock of Coal Tits, with nine Bramblings, c25 Redpolls, a Raven and six Jays together, also noted there. An adult female Marsh Harrier was seen at Mugdrum Island and two Barn Owls were seen between Freuchie and Dunshalt. Seen from Fife Ness (11th) were a Little Auk N and six Little Gulls offshore, the highlights at Ferry Hills were one Hawfinch NW and 22 Waxwings SW across the Forth. 30 Waxwings were at Oriel Road, Kirkcaldy, while the counts of this species in St Andrews were three in Buchanan Gardens, c50 on Scooniehill Road, 10 at the Bute Building and two at the Hospital. Single Twite and Snow Bunting were seen at Coble Shore, a male Merlin was seen at Newburgh, where four Long-tailed Ducks were unusual visitors there, also noted were 270 Goldeneye and five Scaup. Seen at Rossie Bog were a Marsh Harrier and c1000 Pink-footed Geese over NW and seen at Pillars of Hercules, Falkland was a solitary Barn Owl. Six Waxwings were still on Oriel Road, Kirkcaldy (12th), with five also at Lade Braes, St Andrews, a Little Egret was seen on the Stinky Pool at Fife Ness, at Coble Shore one Snow Bunting, one Greenshank, seven Little Egrets, c4 Slavonian Grebes and two Long-tailed Ducks were noted. A seawatch off Fife Ness produced three Little Auks S and nine Little Gulls N, a Marsh Harrier was seen at Rossie Bog and 15 Snow Buntings were at Craigmead in the Lomond Hills. At least 15 Waxwings were at Fife Park, St Andrews (13th), a Jack Snipe was a good find at Kilmany, as was a Ring Ouzel amongst the Blackbirds at upper Kilminning (14th), the Mediterranean Gull was still to be seen on the playing fields at Queen Anne High School, Dunfermline and a Barn Owl was seen near Burntisland. Seen from Anstruther (15th) was a Leach’s Petrel, Waxwings were still present, but in smaller numbers, with 12 over Churchill Crescent, St Andrews (16th), five at Culross Primary School and 40 on Haugh Road, Burntisland. A Nuthatch was seen in Kirkcaldy and a confiding Shore Lark at Out Head proved very popular, 16 Snow Buntings, one Mealy Redpoll, c300 Long-tailed Ducks, c40 Velvet Scoters, c15 Slavonian Grebes and two Great Northern Divers were seen at Tentsmuir Point NNR, the Scaup count at Loch Gelly (17th) rose to seven, as did the Pochard count there, which rose to 98, a great count in modern times. Also still present there was the Slavonian Grebe. A Bonxie was a good late record from Anstruther and at Out Head, as well as the Shore Lark, a Lapland Bunting was also seen briefly amongst the Greenfinches and Linnets feeding on the strand line. A Woodcock was at upper Kilminning, a Chiffchaff was seen at Craigluscar, a single Marsh Harrier was at Rossie Bog, with three Red-legged Partridges also noted there. Waxwing counts came from The Wynd, Dalgety Bay, with c50, four on Largo Road, St Andrews, c50 at Dunnikier Primary School, Kirkcaldy and 17 seen at St Margaret’s Marsh, Rosyth. Also seen there was the elusive Water Pipit, two Stonechats and three Common Scoters and a Red-throated Diver were off the sea wall. Still present at Cameron Reservoir was the Slavonian Grebe, with a good count of 26 Crossbills there also. A Nuthatch was seen in Beveridge Park, Kirkcaldy and two Red-necked Grebes were seen from Ruddons Point. There was a good count of 105 Twite at Coble Shore (18th), and an adult male Hen Harrier was seen at Cocklemill Marsh, a Black Guillemot was off Leven and seen from Fife Ness were a Little Auk and three Little Gulls, the only Waxwings reported this day were 25 over Nelson Street, Kirkcaldy. A group of four Great Northern Divers and one Black-throated Diver flew high inland at Ferry Hills (19th), 15 Crossbills were seen in Pitmedden Forest, an adult Mediterranean Gull was at Rossend Point, Burntisland and Waxwings were seen at Rossie Bog, with two there and c20 were on Broomfaulds Avenue, St Andrews. Also seen at Rossie Bog were four Ravens, four Stonechats, one Water Rail heard, one Marsh Harrier and a Black-tailed Godwit. Five Snow Buntings were on the beach at Tentsmuir Point NNR, a ringtail Hen Harrier was seen at Cocklemill Marsh, a single Snow Bunting, seven Slavonian Grebes, 19 Long-tailed Ducks and an unusual count of 11 Little Egrets were noted at Out Head. A Marsh Harrier was seen again at Rossie Bog (20th), with an adult female Marsh Harrier also seen from Newburgh. A Little Egret was seen on Cocklemill Burn (20th) and seen from Bogward Road were a Brambling and 27 Golden Plovers over. The only count of Waxwings today was five in Dunfermline. A great count of 73 Red-throated Divers was made at Ferry Hills (21st), with the largest flock being 32.

At Kilconquhar Loch (22nd), the Slavonian Grebe was still present, the Black-tailed Godwit and Marsh Harrier were still at Rossie Bog, a Long-eared Owl was a good find near Burntisland and the only Waxwings reported today were c20 on Largo Road, St Andrews. Seen from West Sands, St Andrews (24th) were one Little Auk N and c36 Scaup, a hybrid Hooded Crow was seen in Newmills Bay, with five Greenshanks and a Kingfisher also noted. A seawatch at Fife Ness produced 12 Little Auks S, 18 Little Gulls N, one late Sooty Shearwater N, 32 Gannets N, three Great Northern Divers N and 10 Red-throated Divers. A Short-eared Owl and a Water Rail were reported from Valleyfield Lagoons, eight Little Auks S, another late Sooty Shearwater N and a late Manx Shearwater N, were seen from Fife Ness (25th), the Slavonian Grebe was still at Cameron Reservoir, where a Long-tailed Duck was another unusual visitor. An adult female Marsh Harrier was seen over Mugdrum Island and seen from the Aquarium, St Andrews were one Great Northern Diver, one Little Auk S, 75 Long-tailed Ducks and 55 Scaup. In an autumn which has been good for Crossbills, 17 at the Wilderness was a good count, with 12 also at Cameron Reservoir that day. Seen from Fife Ness (26th) were 16 Little Auks, one Black Guillemot S, two Puffins and three Little Gulls loitering, at least 19 Twite were seen at Kingsbarns, 19 Crossbills were seen at Star Moss and a Red-necked Grebe was seen off Silver Sands, Aberdour. Off Lower Largo were five Slavonian Grebes, 14 Long-tailed Ducks and two Red-throated Divers, with three Twite also seen there. At Mairsland Farm, Auchtermuchty, 24 Tree Sparrows was the highest count seen there, the Long-tailed Duck and eight Crossbills were at Cameron Reservoir (27th). Whooper Swans were relatively scarce in the autumn in Fife this year, after their arrivals, so 26 at Howe of Fife (28th) was welcome, the Snow Bunting count had risen to 23 at Tentsmuir Point NNR and the six Greenshanks at the mouth of the Bluther Burn, Torry Bay was the highest count there this year. The ringtail Hen Harrier was still present at Cocklemill Marsh, where a single Little Egret and c35 Twite were also seen. The immature male Black Redstart was still present at Roome Bay, Crail (29th), as was the ringtail Hen Harrier at Cocklemill Marsh. The count of Twite at Coble Shore rose to 120 and seen from Fife Ness (30th) were two Little Auks and 12 Purple Sandpipers. A Great Northern Diver and a Slavonian Grebe were seen from Aberdour Harbour and on the last day of the month Waxwings were reported from Dunfermline, with 23 in Rumblingwell and a single bird heard at Victoria Hospital, Kirkcaldy.

Monthly sighting summaries are based on information submitted to the Fife Bird News WhatsApp group. A full list of contributors is published in Scope. Thank you.

For many birders October is THE month in the autumn for migrant birds and always hope for a spell of easterly winds to bring these birds to the county, well this year certainly did that, with pretty much an easterly airstream for the whole of the month. Some heavy rain and very strong tidal swells caused many problems too. At the Eden Estuary LNR 12 Greenshanks were notable (1st), alongside nine Little Egrets, two Ruff and a Red- throated Diver, a female Marsh Harrier was seen at Mugdrum Island (2nd) and seen off Kinghorn that day were two Manx Shearwaters and a Bonxie. Watched heading west up the Forth from Ferry Hills (3rd) were 10 Taiga Bean Geese, presumably birds heading to their regular wintering grounds at Slamannan, a Marsh Harrier was watched near Tayport and noted off Fife Ness (4th) were two Red-throated Divers, one Manx Shearwater, six Common Scoters and five Teal, all heading S. Also noted there were six Knot, 14 Turnstones and a Purple Sandpiper. A smattering of hirundines are usually seen passing through at this time of year, so five Swallows seen heading S at Strathkinness (5th) were worthy of note. The counts from Fife Ness that day were 62 Redthroated Divers S, one Black-throated Diver S, one Velvet Scoter S, 42 Common Scoters N, 13S, 40 Little Gulls, two Manx Shearwaters N, 1S, one Arctic Skua N, six Barnacle Geese S, with 30 seen going inland, and 30 Pink-footed Geese S. The next day at Fife Ness the counts were six Red-throated Divers S, two Arctic Terns S, four Wigeon S, five Goosanders S, a Kestrel and a Greenshank. c200 Golden Plovers were noted at Kilrenny (6th), from the Eden Estuary Centre, four Red-throated Divers and five Razorbills were seen in the main channel, also seen were four Curlew Sandpipers and c100 Golden Plovers and eight Whooper Swans. 33 Barnacle Geese, three Scaup and a Great Crested Grebe were seen from the Eden Estuary Centre (7th), with a Chiffchaff also noted at the Centre. A ringtail Hen Harrier was reported from Coaltown of Balgonie and at Lindores Loch there was a seasonally unusual count of c250 Swallows, with also a Merlin seen. The counts at Fife Ness were five Sooty Shearwaters N, four Manx Shearwaters, one Balearic Shearwater, four Little Gulls, 52 Red-throated Divers S, six Barnacle Geese S, four Arctic Skuas S, six Red-breasted Mergansers S, one Goosander S, eight Long-tailed Ducks S, three Purple Sandpipers N, one Arctic Tern N, one ‘Commic’ Tern N, five Tufted Ducks N (unusual here), 26 Teal and 12 Wigeon N. 29 Barnacle Geese were seen from Ferry Hills and noted off Kinghorn were a third calendar year Mediterranean Gull, seven Manx Shearwaters, one Arctic Skua and 150 Razorbills. Along the coast at Kilminning, a Short-eared Owl, one Green Sandpiper, two Redpolls, five Chiffchaffs and nine Redwings were seen.

Heard at Ferry Hills (8th) was a Pallas’s Warbler, calling several times from the gully at the west end, an amazing record, so far west in the county, also 3500 Redwings, one Black-throated Diver, 20 Bramblings, one Golden Plover, one Great Northern Diver and 19 Red-throated Divers were noted. Seen passing Kinghorn that day were c60 Barnacle Geese SW, a Brambling was seen in Newburgh, with one seen in Leven that day also and down at Kilminning two Ring Ouzels flew over, with one nearby at Balcomie where a Pied Flycatcher was also seen. A Ring Ouzel was also seen at Kingsbarns and a Pied Flycatcher was also noted at lower Kilminning, with a Yellow-browed Warbler seen at the upper part of Kilminning. It is worth noting that this autumn (and last year’s) these gems have been quite scarce and this after a long run of years where they were one of the more regular of the scarce migrants seen in autumn in Fife. Two Short-eared Owls were seen passing over Craighead Farm, Fife Ness, heading west, with one seen later in the day at lower Kilminning. One was also seen at Craigrothie that day, with four Stonechats also noted there. An estimate of the migrants seen in the Fife Ness area, aside from those species mentioned previously, was c300 Goldcrests, thousands of Redwings grounded and over, c35 Bramblings and c15 Chiffchaffs. Two Blacktailed Godwits were seen at St David’s Harbour, Dalgety Bay. In St Andrews (9th) a Yellowbrowed Warbler was heard calling in a private garden, 2500 Redwings passed over in Inverkeithing in 30 minutes and a Short-eared Owl was also seen there, quite a scarce bird in these parts, though one at Ferry Hills on the same day may well have been the same bird. Also noted at Ferry Hills were 7400 Redwings, one Great Northern Diver which flew inland, 28 Red-throated Divers and a Bonxie which also all flew inland. Migrants were now being seen in good numbers along the coast and at Kilminning, one Short-eared Owl, one Yellowbrowed Warbler, c15 Redwings, four Bramblings, six Chiffchaffs, one Willow Warbler, eight Siskins, one Hawfinch flew S, three Fieldfares W and 40 Golden Plovers N were seen at the upper areas, with one Jack Snipe, 10 Bramblings, 100 Goldcrests, 10 Chiffchaffs, one Blackcap, five Redpolls, 10 Siskins, one Short-eared Owl, one Yellow-browed Warbler, one Garden Warbler, one Willow Warbler, two Blackcaps, c12 Chiffchaffs, one Mistle Thrush and a Hawfinch, which was possibly the same bird seen elsewhere, all seen at the lower part of Kilminning. Counted from Crail were two Great Northern Divers 1E, 1W, five Arctic Skuas W, five Long-tailed Ducks W, five Barnacle Geese W, 35 Wigeon W, six Red-breasted Mergansers W, three Red-throated Divers and four Common Scoters W, a Little Bunting was seen and heard briefly at Balcomie and at Out Head two Snow Buntings were seen, the first sighting at that site this autumn. An adult Pomarine Skua with spoons, 15 Whooper Swans with a single Barnacle Goose, all W and also 12 Crossbills were seen at Ferry Hills (10th), a Yellow-browed Warbler was still present at Kilminning, a female Marsh Harrier and c30 Goldeneye were at Mugdrum Island and noted at Tayport was a juvenile Curlew Sandpiper. A 2nd calendar year Mediterranean Gull was seen on Anstruther Beach (11th), with a Yellow-browed Warbler and also c10 Chiffchaffs present at upper Kilminning, with a Little Egret at the lower area. Seen at The Wilderness were 14 Greenshanks, 11 Black-tailed Godwits and a Raven. Seven Whooper Swans passed over Strathkinness W (12th), the highlights at Ferry Hills were a group of three adult Pomarine Skuas, which flew inland, one Great Northern Diver which also flew inland, eight Bramblings, 125 Lesser Redpolls and 19 Crossbills. A count at Loch Gelly included two Barnacle Geese, 650 Pink-footed Geese, c300 Greylags and 91 Pochard, with the Pochard count particularly notable given the huge drop in numbers in Fife over the last 10 years or so. At Craigluscar, 31 Gadwall, which is a new site record count, were counted, single Short-eared Owls were seen at both Kilrenny and Kilminning, two juvenile Curlew Sandpipers, one juvenile Ruff and 17 Scaup were at the Eden Estuary and slightly further up the Estuary, at Coble Shore (13th), four Twite, one Whimbrel and a Ruff were noted, with one Red-throated Diver, one Black-throated Diver, one Little Egret and 21 Scaup seen on the Estuary. Seven Little Egrets were seen at Tayport, a Great Northern Diver SE, two Sandwich Terns SE, two Twite and five Greenshanks were counted at Boarhills. At East Wemyss, 52 Mediterranean Gulls, which included four yellow darvics all from the Leipzig project, as well as a Greenshank, were noted, with the Greenshank being very unusual for there. Off Fife Ness (14th) a Grey Phalarope was watched heading S, a ringtail harrier species crossed N over the Forth distantly, with a Red Kite also S across the Forth, at Kilmany a scarce (for this site) male Merlin was noted, two Green Sandpipers, a Greenshank and 16 Pintail were at Angle Park GP and seen over Mugdrum Island were a Marsh Harrier and seven Whooper Swans W. A Marsh Harrier, a Hen Harrier, c60 Canada Geese, 54 Greylag Geese and c120 Pink-feet were seen at Loch Fitty and much further east, 20 Twite, a Wheatear, four Common Terns, five Bar-tailed Godwits and five Barnacle Geese were at Balcomie Beach, with a juvenile Snow Bunting in off the sea, one Bonxie S, one Arctic Skua N, 3S, one Pomarine Skua S, 20 Little Gulls, including 6N, one Black Guillemot, one Manx Shearwater N, one Sooty Shearwater N, one Common Tern N and c300 Pink-footed Geese S, all from Fife Ness. In what was becoming a good autumn for Short-eared Owls, another was seen at Crail, a Snow Bunting was still present at Out Head and a Jack Snipe was a good find in a stubble field in Anstruther. Off Fife Ness (15th) was a Black Guillemot, one Slavonian Grebe, one Pomarine Skua S, four Arctic Skua S, two Manx Shearwaters N, six Little Gulls S, seven Long-tailed Ducks, two Great Northern Divers, one Black-throated Diver and three Red-throated Divers. Three adult Whooper Swans, 17 Pintail and one Greenshank were at Angle Park GP, the highlights from Ferry Hills were five Great Northern Divers, which flew inland, 25 Red-throated Divers which flew inland, 16 Whooper Swans, 800 Pink-feet, six Pintail, one Sand Martin, four Swallows, 58 Mistle Thrushes, 160 Chaffinches, two Bramblings, 29 Crossbills and 235 Goldfinches. At Kingskettle there was an excellent count of 99 Whooper Swans on a recently flooded field, which also hosted two Ruff and a Greenshank, Bearded Tits were heard on six separate occasions and seen fleetingly once at Morton Lochs NNR, a Waxwing in Crail (16th), was a sign of things to come. A Marsh Harrier was seen at Kilmany and a Red-throated Diver was a good inland record from Lochore Meadows CP. A Little Egret and seven Whooper Swans W were seen at Dalgety Bay, a Brambling was in a Glenrothes garden and 10 Whoopers Swans, which included two juveniles, and four Pintail were noted at Angle Park GP. The juvenile Whooper Swans are particularly noteworthy, as up to this point in the month, very few had been recorded. The counts at Fife Ness were four Pomarine Skuas N, one Arctic Skua N, eight Manx Shearwaters N, four Little Gulls S, 3500 Razorbills N, nine Red-throated Divers, one Great Northern Diver S, three Red-breasted Mergansers N, 21 Common Scoters N, one Velvet Scoter N, five Long-tailed Ducks, two Teal N, one Wigeon N and one Mallard N. 15 Twite were in Shell Bay (17th), a White-tailed Eagle was on a post off Out head, with two Redthroated Divers, one Long-tailed Duck, one ‘Commic’ Tern and two Snow Buntings also seen there. The counts from Fife Ness were four Arctic Skuas N, one Bonxie N, c1000 Razorbills N, one Little Egret, one Little Grebe, one Great Northern Diver N, c400 Kittiwakes N, 60 Barnacle Geese S, one Goosander N and one Balearic Shearwater. A Marsh Harrier was at Elie (18th), off Crail were a Black-Throated Diver W, one Manx Shearwater E, one Little Gull E, four Velvet Scoters E, three Common Scoters E, one Arctic Skua W, two Long-tailed Ducks W and Razorbills passed E at a rate of 1200 per hour. Seen from Dalgety Bay were four Manx Shearwaters, seven Little Gulls, c400 Shags, four Red-throated Divers, one Great Northern Diver, one Arctic Skua, one ‘Commic’ Tern, one Goldeneye, three Red-breasted Mergansers, c100 Gannets and c50 Kittiwakes. A Corncrake was flushed in the patch at Fife Ness, a Jack Snipe, 12 Twite, five Greenshanks and six Little Egrets were at Tayport and two Snow Buntings were still present at Out Head. Seen from and around lower Kilminning were two Manx Shearwaters, one adult Little Gull, four Common Scoters and one Velvet Scoter, with 20 Fieldfares, c50 Blackbirds, 20 Song Thrushes, c10 Goldcrests, one Brambling and a Hawfinch also noted. Single Short-eared Owls were seen at Wormiston Beach and at Kingsbarns, with a Ring Ouzel, a Garden Warbler, three Blackcaps, one Chiffchaff and four Bramblings also noted there. The counts off Fife Ness included four Pomarine Skuas N, six Arctic Skuas N, four Bonxies N, seven Sooty Shearwaters N, 17 Manx Shearwaters N, three Great Northern Divers N, five Red-throated Divers N, 21 N, two Goldeneye N, one Shelduck N, 14 Red-breasted Mergansers, two Velvet Scoters N, 41 Common Scoters N, three Long-tailed Ducks, 146 Eiders, one Sandwich Tern N, one ‘Commic’ Tern N, 56 Little Gulls N, 8,560 Razorbills N and seven Puffins N. An excellent seawatch off Kinghorn (19th) produced one Leach’s Petrel E, two Grey Phalaropes, one Little Auk, two Long-tailed Skuas, two Pomarine Skuas, 17 Bonxies, seven Arctic Skuas, five Manx Shearwaters, 23 Red-throated Divers, one adult Mediterranean Gull and c530 Little Gulls and this was the prelude to a fantastic few days of seeing scarcer oceanic species further west up the Forth, as well as being seen quite a distance up the Eden Estuary. This was due to the extremely strong and persistent easterly winds, coupled with some very large swell conditions along the coast, forcing some species, which we normally see only a handful of times each year, closer to our shores. Four Mediterranean Gulls, four Arctic Skuas, four Brent Geese, seven Pomarine Skuas, two Bonxies, 12 Wigeon, eight Teal, 40 Common Scoters and a Purple Sandpiper were noted off Anstruther. Two Grey Phalaropes, four Little Auks, one Leach’s Petrel lingering, four Bonxies, one Arctic Skua, one Shag, 11 Kittiwakes, 40 Little Gulls, one Red-necked Grebe, a juvenile Gannet and 13 Storm Petrels, including one close in front of the Eden Estuary Centre, were seen (20th). A Little Auk E, a Great Northern Diver and a ‘blue’ Fulmar E were off Pittenweem and from Crail a Little Auk E and one Storm Petrel E were seen. Not far away, off Coble Shore one Leach’s Petrel and one Little Auk were also seen. Counted off Kingsbarns were four Leach’s Petrels S, seven Storm Petrels N, 3S, three Grey Phalarope S, five Little Auks S, one Sooty Shearwater S, two Manx Shearwaters N, 8S, five Long-tailed Skuas N, 2S, five Pomarine Skuas N, 29 Arctic Skuas N, 5S, nine Bonxies N, 5S, 23 Little Gulls S, one Great Northern Diver S, one Black-throated Diver S, eight Red-throated Divers S, 33 Goldeneye S, 21 Wigeon S, seven Long-tailed Ducks N, 29S and six Teal N. Elie Ness had four Storm Petrels E and one Short-eared Owl, with one Leach’s Petrel E, one Storm Petrel E, two Brent Geese E and one juvenile Arctic Tern seen from Elie. Surprisingly the counts at Fife Ness were not as impressive as other sites with (only!) one Leach’s Petrel N, six Razorbills S, five Long-tailed Ducks N, two Sooty Shearwaters S, one Arctic Skua S, one Little Auk N, one Manx Shearwater N and three Goldeneye S. The counts off Kinghorn were nine Grey Phalaropes, five Leach’s Petrels, 43 Storm Petrels, two Sooty Shearwaters, six Manx Shearwaters, six Arctic Skuas, two Bonxies, five Fulmars, c700 Little Gulls, one Mediterranean Gull, one Great Northern Diver, three Red-throated Divers, c75 Long-tailed Ducks, c30 Common Scoters, two Velvet Scoters and two Purple Sandpipers. Even further west, it was just as incredible, with 12 Bonxies, 16 Arctic Skua, one adult Pomarine Skua, six Storm Petrels, 14 Manx Shearwaters, two Little Auks, two Fulmars, one Little Gull and one Great Crested Grebe seen from St David’s Harbour, Dalgety Bay. 10 Bonxies, two Arctic Skuas, one Long-tailed Skua, one Storm Petrel, one Leach’s Petrel, one Red-throated Diver and one Common Scoter were also seen from Inverkeithing. Counted from Carlingnose Point were one Grey Phalarope, two Storm Petrels, one Little Auk, 11 Arctic Skuas, nine Bonxies, five Little Gulls, a first winter Arctic Tern, 230 Kittiwakes, one Velvet Scoter and one Goldeneye. An observer at St Margaret’s Marsh also counted two Bonxies E, three Arctic Skuas E, three Little Gulls E, one Manx Shearwater E and one Storm Petrel on The Forth, with an added bonus of a Ring Ouzel on the breakwater there too. Inland at Cameron Reservoir a notable count of 16 Little Gulls was made, 20 Red-breasted Mergansers and one Woodcock and a ‘Commic’ Tern were also noted at Billow Ness. Seen from Dalgety Bay Sailing Club (21st) were three Arctic Skuas, one Long-tailed Skua, three Little Gulls, one Pomarine Skua, one Little Auk, two Leach’s Petrels, 15 Storm Petrels, one Swallow, one Great Northern Diver and two Longtailed Ducks, all heading E and a short time later from St David’s Harbour, three Leach’s Petrels, c20 Storm Petrels and a Little Gull were seen. A single Storm Petrel was seen from Ferry Hills and a bit further west up the Forth at Culross, five Gannets, two Great Northern Divers, two Slavonian Grebes, one Red-throated Diver, two Guillemots, one Razorbill. Seven Red-breasted Mergansers and five Wigeon were noted, whilst at Hawkcraig Point, Aberdour, one Grey Phalarope E, 16 Storm Petrels E, four Pomarine Skuas E, one Pale-bellied Brent Goose E, 28 Little Gulls and a Great Northern Diver were seen. Moving further east up the Forth, at Kinghorn, 25 Storm Petrels, four Leach’s Petrel E, c40 Little Gulls, c1000 Shags, 15 Long-tailed Ducks, one Tystie, 20 Common Scoters and a Mediterranean Gull were noted and along at the East Neuk, two Leach’s Petrels E, 18 Storm Petrels E, one Slavonian Grebe E, 40 Long-tailed Ducks E, 15 Velvet Scoters E, one Scaup W, two Little Gulls E and one Shorteared Owl in-off the sea, were noted at Pittenweem, with one Leach’s Petrel W, one Storm Petrel W and c10 Little Gulls seen from Elie. Seen from Crail were three Storm Petrels, one Little Auk, three Velvet Scoters, c90 Common Scoters, c120 Kittiwakes, c90 Little Gulls, one Short-eared Owl and three Swallows and from the lower part of Kilminning, one Leach’s Petrel, nine Storm Petrels, c125 Little Gulls, six Little Auks, three Arctic Skuas, one Curlew Sandpiper, three Pintail, 35 Wigeon, one Goldeneye, one Velvet Scoter and 40 Common Scoters were seen offshore. Two Leach’s Petrels S, 18 Little Gulls S, one Pomarine Skua and two Arctic Skuas were noted at Kingsbarns and off Boarhills were one Long-tailed Skua N and c40 Little Gulls. Round at Coble Shore a Grey Phalarope was on the sea. As most of these sightings were seen within the same timeframe, then it becomes obvious of the scale of this event. A truly epic few days for those that braved the quite severe weather! Also many migrants were still arriving, with a Ring Ouzel, two Chiffchaffs, 50 Siskins, c60 Blackbirds, c100 Redwings, one Blackcap, six Woodcocks, three Bramblings and 30 Fieldfares, one Long-eared Owl at upper Kilminning (21st ) and 25 Bramblings, one Lapland Bunting, two Swallows and three Blackcaps around the lower area and along at Boarhills c40 Little Gulls, one Wheatear, one Raven and a Great Grey Shrike were seen, with the shrike proving elusive. At Coble Shore four Pale-bellied Brent Geese, c60 Twite and one Merlin were watched, a winter plumage Slavonian Grebe was an unusual visitor to Kilconquhar Loch and a Long-tailed Duck was also an unusual find at Gillingshill Reservoir. Seen over Ferry Hills were three Twite, 14 Crossbills and 250 Fieldfares and a ringtail Hen Harrier was seen at Arncroach.

A Black Redstart was on the roof of a barn at Balcomie (22nd), with a Redstart and a Crossbill seen in Denburn, a Pomarine Skua was also seen on the rocks at Fife Ness, a very unusual occurrence. The run of migrants seen at Ferry Hills continued with a Hawfinch, two Twite, one Short-Eared Owl, 48 Crossbills, 68 Bramblings, one Black-throated Diver and one Great Northern Diver, the Great Grey Shrike showed for a fortunate few at Boarhills, where one Short-eared Owl, four Crossbills, three Chiffchaffs, two Blackcaps and two Jays were also noted, at Out Head the two Snow Buntings were still present and two Little Egrets were at Tentsmuir Point NNR. A Firecrest was an excellent find at upper Kilminning and was a popular bird for the many birders present, another Firecrest was also seen at Chance Inn, Crail that day. Another Black Redstart was seen at Crail Airfield and at St Margaret’s Marsh, Rosyth a Snow Bunting was seen a scarce bird for west Fife. Due to the weather conditions, there had been a noticeable number of sightings of the Continental race of Coal Tits, so it was good to see Fife getting in on the act with one seen in the patch at Fife Ness. Seen off Kinghorn were one Little Auk E, one Great Northern Diver W, five Red-throated Divers, one Velvet Scoter, 45 Common Scoters, c10 Little Gulls, four Whooper Swans S and four juvenile Gannets E. Watched at Ferry Hills (23rd) were two Hawfinches NW, four male Bullfinches, showing characteristics of the northern race, 124 Redpolls SW, 41 Bramblings SW and 47 Crossbills SW, a Black-necked Grebe, one Red-necked Grebe, five Slavonian Grebes and 60 Twite were at Ruddons Point, two Marsh Harriers were over Mugdrum Island and off Kirkcaldy (24th) was a Black Tern, feeding along the surf line, 19 Little Gulls, nine Kittiwakes two Red-throated Divers, two Purple Sandpipers, five Turnstones, two Razorbills, five Guillemots, one Gannet, 27 Long-tailed Ducks and six Common Scoters were watched from Kinghorn, a single Waxwing went over St Andrews. And still the migrants arrived, with two Mealy Redpolls and one Merlin at Boarhills, a Little Bunting, two Black Redstarts, 19 Mealy Redpolls, three Waxwings, one Merlin, three Bramblings, one Garden Warbler, five Blackcaps, c50 Blackbirds and 20 Mistle Thrushes were at Kilminning and seen in the patch at Fife Ness (25th) were one Hawfinch, one Short-eared Owl, one Woodcock and one Mealy Redpoll. Upper Kilminning had a Yellow-browed Warbler, five Mealy Redpolls, three Chiffchaffs, one Woodcock and three Blackcaps, whilst a Redstart was seen in the lower area and another three Waxwings were seen going over Ferry Hills and noted in Denburn Wood were a Mealy Redpoll and a Woodcock. An obliging male Ring Ouzel was seen well in Dreel Park, Anstruther (26th), 21 Waxwings were near the car park at Morton Lochs NNR and from Edenside, one Red-throated Diver, seven Slavonian Grebes, two Great Crested Grebes, two Little Grebes, two Goldeneye, six Little Egrets and c10 Twite were seen. At upper Kilminning (27th) a Mealy Redpoll was seen, with at least three seen in the patch at Fife Ness and seen from Dalgety Bay were one Little Auk E, three Bonxies, one Great Northern Diver and 12 Common Scoters. There was a good count of Corn Buntings at Randerston, near Crail (28th), with c70 noted, also noted there was a female Merlin and c150 Skylarks, a Black Redstart and one Woodcock were at Pittenweem and noted at Wormiston were a male Ring Ouzel, one Brambling and c75 Blackbirds. A female Northern Bullfinch and a Firecrest were seen at lower Kilminning, with the Firecrest surprising most birders present by being seen feeding on the ground amongst the Goldcrests and Chiffchaffs. One Ring Ouzel, one Crossbill, two Bramblings, three Blackcaps, two Chiffchaffs and eight Waxwings were also around the upper part of Kilminning. Along at Boarhills a male Snow Bunting, one Merlin and one Brambling were seen, with one Ring Ouzel, c10 Blackbirds, five Redwings, c20 Robins and c15 Goldcrests noted at Boarhills Pond, the Waxwings flock at Morton Lochs NNR had dropped to 15, but a flock of 12 Bramblings were a bonus. In an autumn of unusual sightings, a Slavonian Grebe in a puddle next to the road at Leuchars, is right up there! Seen from Kinghorn were a Great Northern Diver and one Little Auk and at St Margaret’s Marsh, Rosyth were one Slavonian Grebe, two Red-throated Divers, two Shags, one Rock Pipit, one Grey Wagtail, one Kestrel, 32 Mallards and 43 Black-headed Gulls. Seen at Cameron Reservoir were six Waxwings in the garden, one Slavonian Grebe and eight Crossbills, a juvenile Pomarine Skua, seven Little Gulls and one adult Mediterranean Gull were seen from Hawkcraig Point (29th), with 18 Little Gulls and three juvenile Gannets seen off Carlingnose Point. A Continental Coal Tit, eight Woodcocks and three Blackcaps were in the patch at Fife Ness, three adult Mediterranean Gulls were seen in Rosyth and the Firecrest was still showing well around lower Kilminning. Seen from Fife Ness were a Little Auk N and 2S, also three Kittiwakes, seven Bramblings and a Peregrine were at Shell Bay and in Cowdenbeath 22 Waxwings were seen at the Leisure Centre. Not content with a Firecrest at lower Kilminning (30th), a Pallas’s Warbler was a great find there, a true gem of a bird! Also noted there were one Northern Bullfinch, one Mealy Redpoll, two Lesser Redpolls, three Woodcocks and one Chiffchaff, off Kinghorn were 21 Little Gulls, 27 Kittiwakes, one juvenile Gannet, four Red-throated Divers, one Great Crested Grebe, three Long-tailed Ducks, 105 Common Scoters, c278 Eiders, one Goldeneye, six Razorbills, two Guillemots and a Peregrine. The Snow Bunting was still present at St Margaret’s Marsh, Rosyth and nearby at Dalgety Bay, two Little Auks E and 30 Common Scoters were counted. A total of 23 Waxwings were seen in two gardens in Cellardyke (31st), another Slavonian Grebe turned up in an unusual location, this time at Beveridge Park, Kirkcaldy and 20 Waxwings were seen in Leven, with the 22 still present in Cowdenbeath also.

September started with four Ruff, one Green Sandpiper, one Greenshank, one Common Sandpiper and a Snipe at Stenhouse Reservoir (1st), two Black Terns, two Arctic Skuas and 37 Manx Shearwaters were seen off Kinghorn (1st) and a Short-eared Owl and a Merlin were seen at Lower Kilminning (1st). So far this autumn there appears to have been a good influx of Long-tailed Skuas, with a dark juvenile seen at Ferry Hills, along with an Arctic Skua, three Red-throated Divers W, 35 Common Terns and 39 Sandwich Terns (1st). A Hobby was noted at Foodie Ash (1st) and at The Wilderness, one Green Sandpiper, 15 Greenshanks, two Black-tailed Godwits, three Snipe, two Oystercatchers, c295 Lapwings and a female Mandarin Duck were seen (1st) and a Marsh Harrier was watched at Kilconquhar (1st). The Fife Ness seawatching season continues apace with 188 Manx Shearwaters N, 2S, two Balearic Shearwaters N, 20 Sooty Shearwaters N, 215 Little Gulls N, 10S, six Arctic Skuas N, one juvenile Long-tailed Skua N, one adult Pomarine Skua N, six Bonxies N, 121 Sandwich Terns N, 62 Common Terns N, eight Arctic Terns N, 44 Common Scoters N, 2S, 26 Wigeon S, five Red-throated Divers N, 3S, six Whimbrels S, one Greenshank S, two Ruff S, two Knot N and eight Teal S (1st ). Seen at Out Head were one Little Stint, one Ruff, two Whimbrels, two Greenshanks, one Common Sandpiper, four Bar-tailed Godwits, six Little Gulls, one Barn Owl, one Osprey, 12 Arctic Terns W and 135 Canada Geese (1st). Off Fife Ness were two Sooty Shearwaters N, five Arctic Skuas N, two Red-throated Divers N, 1S, 16 Manx Shearwaters N, eight Canada Geese N, one Shelduck N, 35 Common Scoters, 76 Common Terns N, seven Sandwich Terns and one Little Gull N (2nd) and off Kinghorn a Balearic Shearwater headed W and this is another species having a bumper year in Fife, also one Manx Shearwater and one Arctic Skua were noted (2nd). A Pallid Harrier came north from the Isle of May direction and was watched heading NNW over the East Neuk (2nd), if accepted it will be only the second Fife record for this species, one which is being seen much more regularly in Scotland now. As if that wasn’t exciting enough, a Blyth’s Reed Warbler was trapped and ringed in The Patch, Fife Ness, also a Short-eared Owl was present there (2nd). A couple of observers were looking for the Pallid Harrier further north and noted 15 Ravens and four Buzzards east of Strathkinness, with the Raven count particularly notable for this area (2nd), along at Ferry Hills it was a raptor kind of morning with one White-tailed Eagle, one Osprey SW and two juvenile Buzzards SW across the Forth (2nd). At The Wilderness were one Green Sandpiper, seven Greenshanks and one Black-tailed Godwit, a Balearic Shearwater passed Fife Ness N (3rd) and one sharp observer saw a Turtle Dove fly over Kilconquhar Loch, where they also saw a Guillemot, an extremely rare bird on fresh water, in fact this was the observer’s first ever sighting of this particular seabird species at Kilconquhar Loch in many, many years of watching this site. At Guardbridge three juvenile Ruff and 27 Little Egrets were noted (3rd), with the Little Egret count being a new record count for Fife. A Water Rail was seen at Cullaloe LNR (3rd), an adult Roseate Tern NW, 280 Little Gulls and one Red-throated Divers were seen from St Andrews Pier (3rd) and at Ferry Hills, a Short-eared Owl high SW, two Arctic Skuas and two Bonxies W inland were noted (4th). Tayport had a Little Stint, one Black-tailed Godwit, three Ruff, one Greenshank, one Little Egret and, unusually, two Tree Pipits (4th). Little Stints along with Curlew Sandpipers seem to be in good numbers in Fife this year too. A juvenile Curlew Sandpiper, five Ruff and an Arctic Tern were seen at Guardbridge (4th), a Marsh Harrier, seven Black-tailed Godwits, six Greenshanks, seven Snipe and a female Mandarin Duck were noted at The Wilderness (4th), with six Ruff, three Green Sandpipers and a Greenshank seen at Stenhouse Reservoir (4th). An extremely rare Brown Booby was seen from Kinghorn (5th), a great find, with this bird also being seen well from the Lothian side of the Forth. Also from Kinghorn were a Balearic Shearwater which passed E with 12 Manx Shearwaters, later c20 Manx Shearwaters, four Arctic Skuas, one Bonxie and one Black Tern were seen there. Three juvenile Curlew Sandpipers, five Ruff, 26 Little Egrets and a Great Crested Grebe were seen at the Eden Estuary (5th), at Stenhouse Reservoir, wader numbers had dropped a bit with one Green Sandpiper, one Greenshank and two Ruff noted (5th). The seawatching day count at Fife Ness (5th) was 40 Manx Shearwaters N, three Sooty Shearwaters N, one immature Brown Booby N, 165 Little Gulls, five Arctic Skuas N, 1S, one Bonxie S, 22 Common Scoters N, 18S, two Velvet Scoter S, two Red-throated Divers N, 8S, 75 Pink-feet S, three Greenshanks, one Ruff, two Sooty Shearwaters N, 32 Manx Shearwaters N, three Red-breasted Mergansers N, 12 Knot S and four Golden Plovers N, six Black-tailed Godwits were seen at Luthrie (5th) and from Crail (5th), one Black-throated Diver, four Red-throated Divers, one Arctic Skua E, two Whimbrels and 135 Golden Plovers were counted. Further along the coast at Elie, two Black-throated Divers, nine Red-throated Divers, one Greenshank, one Whimbrel and 16 Knot were seen (5th) and off Out Head nine Red-throated Divers, two juvenile Long-tailed Skuas, eight Arctic Skuas and nine Little Gulls were watched (6th). A Yellow Wagtail, a very scarce bird in west Fife, was seen at Burntisland (6th) and nearby at Kinghorn (6th) one juvenile Long-tailed Skua W, two Pomarine Skuas, one Balearic Shearwater, 44 Manx Shearwaters, c12 Arctic Skuas, four Bonxies, two Red-throated Divers, eight Common Scoters, one Little Gull, one Greenshank and one Whimbrel were noted. Still present at the Eden Estuary were two juvenile Curlew Sandpipers and two juvenile Ruff, with four juvenile Little Gulls and 146 Pink-feet also present (6th). One Storm Petrel, 50 Manx Shearwaters N, eight Sooty Shearwaters N, c303 Little Gulls, an adult Sabine’s Gull N, two Arctic Skuas N, 1S, six Bonxies N, 32 Common Scoters N, 25S, six Red-throated Divers S, four Teal N, 45S, 13 Wigeon N, two Red-breasted Mergansers N, one Whimbrel and one Greenshank were all counted from Fife Ness (7th) and at Fairmount, south of St Andrews, two Whitethroats, two Greenshanks, 16 Teal and two Pink-footed Geese W, were seen (7th). Further west, at Newmills, a Little Egret was seen, another species very scarce in the west of Fife (7th). Single Green Sandpiper and Ruff were still at Stenhouse Reservoir (7th).

Three Pale-bellied Brent Geese, three Pintail, two juvenile Little Gulls and five Greenshanks were at Tayport (8th) and not too far away at Out Head (8th) were one juvenile Sabine’s Gull on the water, one juvenile Pomarine Skua, seven Arctic Skuas, one Bonxie, 37 Little Gulls and 122 Velvet Scoters. Birds counted passing at Fife Ness (8th) included seven Manx Shearwaters N, six Sooty Shearwaters N, 4S, five Arctic Skuas, one Bonxie, five Little Gulls, one juvenile Sabine’s Gull S, 26 Sandwich Terns N and 18 Common Scoters. Two Marsh Harriers were seen from Newburgh (8th), at Carlingnose Point, two Long-tailed Skuas headed inland together, one juvenile Pomarine Skua and six Arctic Skuas were also noted (8th). From Elie (8th) one Sooty Shearwater W, 23 Manx Shearwaters E, 22 Common Scoters E and six Little Gulls E were counted and from St Andrews, one juvenile Long-tailed Skua NW, one adult Mediterranean Gull NW, two Bonxies, four Arctic Skuas, three Manx Shearwaters and 79 Little Gulls were noted (8th). Seen from the Eden Estuary Centre (9th) were three Curlew Sandpipers, a Ruff was at Balcomie (9th) and at Tayport, the Spotted Redshank was still present (9th). Highlights from a visible migration watch at Ferry Hills were 726 Meadow Pipits, 466 Siskins and 129 Lesser Redpolls all noted, also a Nuthatch was heard calling from woodland (9th). Seen at Lindores Loch (9th) were eight drake Pochard, a species in real decline in Fife and the day count from Fife Ness (9th) was one Pomarine Skua N, two Arctic Skuas N, four Bonxies N, seven Manx Shearwaters N, 180 Little Gulls, seven Knot on the rocks, also 12N, 9S, one Golden Plover N, 2S, one Red-throated Diver N, 2S, 13 Common Scoters N, 10S, one Goosander S and two Red-breasted Mergansers S. At Angle Park GP (10th) were six Green Sandpipers and 19 Snipe at Ferry Hills three Arctic Skuas headed inland, five Black-tailed Godwits, three Bar-tailed Godwits, 27 Knot, one Spotted Flycatcher, 652 Meadow Pipits and 386 Siskins were logged (10th). Two Curlew Sandpipers were still present at the Eden Estuary, also one Osprey (10th), at Stenhouse Reservoir (10th) were two Green Sandpipers, two Ruff and two Snipe. Down at Kinghorn one juvenile Long-tailed Skua was on the water, two juvenile Long-tailed Skuas passed slowly W together, four Arctic Skuas, c8 Manx Shearwaters, three Fulmars, c150 Gannets and 20 Knot W were seen (10th). Noted at Out Head (10th) were two Wheatears, one Osprey and one Arctic Skua, two Little Egrets were seen at Newburgh (11th), a scarce bird for this site and across at the Eden Estuary, two Little Stints, one Curlew Sandpiper and three Ruff were present (11th). An adult Roseate Tern was in St Andrews Bay (11th), single Spotted Redshanks were seen at Tayport and The Wilderness (11th), the first autumn skein of Pink-footed Geese over Dunfermline were seen (11th) and still present at Angle Park GP were three Green Sandpipers and c20 Snipe (12th). One juvenile Pomarine Skua E and five Arctic Skuas W was the count from Kinghorn (12th), a single Green Sandpiper was at Cullaloe LNR (12th) and the seawatching day count from Fife Ness (12th) was 383 Manx Shearwaters N, 2S, 117 Sooty Shearwaters N, one Balearic Shearwater N, 239 Little Gulls, one dark juvenile Long-tailed Skua N, one Pomarine Skua N, one Bonxie N, 13 Arctic Skuas N, 2S, three Great Northern Divers S, five Red-throated Divers N, 12S, one Wigeon S, one Golden Plover N, 55S, three Knot N, 20S, 22 Pale-bellied Brent Geese N, 43S, 34 Common Scoters N, 5S, 14 Sandwich Terns, 17 Common Terns and six Puffins N. Seen from Ferry Hills (13th) were one juvenile Pomarine Skua, one Arctic Skua, one Bonxie and 11 Red-throated Divers and from Inchcolm, one Little Egret, one Arctic Skua and two Bonxies were seen (13th). Two Pomarine Skuas, c12 Arctic Skuas, six Bonxies, three Brent Geese W, four Little Gulls, four Pintail, one Shoveler, three Wigeon, c25 Teal and c25 Golden Plovers were seen passing Kinghorn (13th), one adult and two juvenile Roseate Terns W, one Arctic Skua NW and 23 Little Gulls were seen north of the Castle Golf Course, St Andrews (13th). Noted at the Cocklemill Burn were three Brent Geese, 61 Red-breasted Mergansers, three Teal, one Wheatear and one Merlin (13th) and logged passing Fife Ness (14th) were four Manx Shearwaters N, two Sooty Shearwater S, seven Bonxies N, two Arctic Skuas N, two Red-throated Divers N, 18S, one Great Northern Diver N, three Canada Geese S, one Greylag Goose S, 30 Pink-feet S, five Brent Geese S, nine Common Scoters N, 18S, 21 Teal, three Knot S, one Bar-tailed Godwit N, two Common Terns and three Sandwich Terns S. 10 adult Mediterranean Gulls and three 2nd calendar year Mediterranean Gulls were counted at Dysart (14th), 19 Greenshanks, 26 Black-tailed Godwits, one Ruff and 23 Pink-footed Geese were at The Wilderness (14th) and seen from Carlingnose Point (14th) were two juvenile Pomarine Skuas, four Arctic Skuas, one Bonxie, one Little Egret and c70 Common Terns. Three Green Sandpipers were still present at Angle Park GP (14th), five Brent Geese W, 214 Little Gulls, one Arctic Skua, two Whimbrels W, one Greenshank, two Knot, 16 Wigeon NW and 57 Common Terns were seen in St Andrews Bay (14th) and counted at Kinghorn (14th) were one juvenile Sabine’s Gull, one Black Tern, three Little Gulls, two Pomarine Skuas, three Arctic Skuas, one Bonxie, 24 Red-throated Divers W, 820 Meadow Pipits S and one Common Sandpiper.

Seen from Lundin Links (15th) was one Black Guillemot, with another bird seen from Lower Largo the same day. The day count from seawatching at Fife Ness (15th) was two juvenile Long-tailed Skuas, two Arctic Skuas N, 4S, one Black Guillemot N, one Sooty Shearwater N, 26 Manx Shearwaters N, 53 Red-throated Divers, 97 Little Gulls, 25 Common Scoters N, 7S, 230 Pink-footed Geese S, three Whimbrel S, one Greenshank S, two Wheatears and one Grey Wagtail and the count from there (16th) was two juvenile Sabine’s Gulls 1N, 1S, 33 Manx Shearwaters N, 10 Sooty Shearwaters N, two Arctic Skuas N, 12S, one juvenile Pomarine Skua N, one juvenile Long-tailed Skua S, one Bonxie N, five Red-throated Divers N, 5S, 52 Wigeon N, one Pintail N, 101 Common Scoters N, 63S, 29 Teal N, 4S, 49 Pale-bellied Brent Geese, 13 Eiders N, nine Little Gulls N, 16 Common Terns N, 26S and 16 Sandwich Terns N, 10S. One Green Sandpiper, 17 Greenshanks and two Black-tailed Godwits were seen at The Wilderness (16th), a Sooty Shearwater, two Arctic Skuas and 16 Red-throated Divers were seen from Elie Ness (16th). Seen from Kinghorn (16th) were an adult and juvenile Pomarine Skua, three Arctic Skuas, three Little Gulls, 12 Manx Shearwaters, 21 Common Scoters, 59 Teal W, seven Wigeon W and one Shoveler W. A juvenile Sabine’s Gull flew E at Dalgety Bay (16th), also a juvenile Long-tailed Skua was seen from there heading inland, though quite high. Close by at Carlingnose Point, two juvenile Long-tailed Skuas, one juvenile Pomarine Skua, one Arctic Skua, one Black Tern, five Little Gulls, one Manx Shearwater, 30 Teal and two Pintail were counted (16th) and seen from West Sands, St Andrews were five Arctic Skuas, one juvenile Long-tailed Skua, one 2nd calendar year Mediterranean Gull, 85 Little Gulls, 63 Common Terns, seven Red-throated Divers and 12 Teal W. Back at Carlingnose Point (17th) one Black Tern, one Pomarine Skua, 15 Arctic Skuas, two juvenile Long-tailed Skuas W, one Manx Shearwater, two Roseate Terns, 35 Common Terns W, one Arctic Tern W and one Whimbrel W were noted. Logged passing Fife Ness (17th) were 67 Sooty Shearwaters N, one Balearic Shearwater N, 367 Manx Shearwaters N, 7S, one Cory’s Shearwater N, one Leach’s Petrel N, one Storm Petrel N, 1S, one adult Sabine’s Gull S, one dark juvenile Long-tailed Skua, 33 Arctic Skuas N, 5S, three Bonxies S, 10 Fulmars N, 19 Red-throated Divers N, 59S, 33 Little Gulls, 18 Pale-bellied Brent Geese N, 40S, one Red-breasted Merganser N, one Goosander N, c242 Common Scoters, one Velvet Scoter S, nine Sandwich Terns N, five Puffins N, two Grey Herons, 11 Wigeon N, 20 Teal N, 150 Golden Plovers N, one Dunlin N and a Peregrine. Nearby at upper Kilminning, a Barred Warbler was heard calling and a Lesser Whitethroat was seen in The Patch at Fife Ness (17th). Further west up the Forth at Dalgety Bay, one Black Tern, one Pomarine Skua E, two Bonxies, c10 Arctic Skuas, nine Sandwich Terns, c45 Common Terns, one Arctic Tern, one juvenile Long-tailed Skua W, three Little Gulls, one Red-throated Diver E, c12 Kittiwakes and c50 Gannets were seen (17th). three Curlew Sandpipers, two Ruff, one Greenshank, one Osprey, one Peregrine, 13 Little Egrets and one Arctic Skua were seen at Guardbridge (17th) and an adult Mediterranean Gull was seen at West Wemyss (18th). One juvenile Long-tailed Skua W, eight Arctic Skuas W, three Red-throated Divers W, 65 Common Terns, two Greenshanks and four Little Egrets were seen at Tayport (18th) and noted at Fife Ness were four Little Gulls N, four Arctic Skuas N, 21 Sandwich Terns, one Red-throated Diver N, 7S, eight Brent Geese S and 17 Common Scoters S (18th). In St Andrews, at Bogward Road (19th) a Redstart and four Redpolls S were seen, a Green Sandpiper was still present at Angle Park GP (19th), one Little Stint, two juvenile Curlew Sandpipers, one Ruff and three Greenshanks were at Guardbridge (19th) and at Out Head (19th) were a Spotted Redshank and five Slavonian Grebes, with the Spotted Redshank particularly noteworthy at this site. An adult Sabine’s Gull passed W at Kinghorn (20th), with c80 Little Gulls, 12 Arctic Skuas and two Manx Shearwaters seen not far from there at Hawkcraig Point, Aberdour (20th). Two Little Stints and three Greenshanks were seen at Guardbridge (20th), one juvenile Pomarine Skua, six Arctic Skuas, one Little Gull, one Black Tern, 150 Common Terns, 15 Sandwich Terns, 10 Arctic Terns and 12 Kittiwakes were counted at Carlingnose Point (20th). Noted passing through Ferry Hills (21st) were 64 Red-throated Divers W and 1600 Meadow Pipits. A single juvenile Curlew Sandpiper was at Guardbridge (21st), a Little Egret and 22 Pale-bellied Brent Geese were seen at the Kenly Burn, Boarhills (21st) and from Dalgety Bay one Black Tern, two juvenile Little Gulls, two Pomarine Skuas, five Arctic Skuas and six Manx Shearwaters were seen (21st). A Black Tern, three Ruff, one Whimbrel and a Peregrine hunting Teal were seen at Stenhouse Reservoir (21st) and seen at Guardbridge (21st) were five Curlew Sandpipers, two Little Stints, one Ruff and an Osprey.

A Merlin, one Spotted Flycatcher and seven Crossbills were seen at Ferry Hills (22nd), three Curlew Sandpipers were still at the Eden Estuary LNR (22nd), an adult Little Gull was seen at St Margaret’s Marsh, Rosyth (22nd), c20 Crossbills and a late Swift were noted at Cameron Reservoir (22nd) and the seawatching day count at Fife Ness (23rd) was one Grey Phalarope S, one Black Guillemot N, three Sooty Shearwaters N, 38 Manx Shearwaters N, two Arctic Skuas N, 28 Little Gulls, 1645 Pink-footed Geese S, 34 Barnacle Geese S, seven Sandwich Tern, S, two Common Terns, 62 Common Scoters, three Velvet Scoters, 56 Red-throated Divers, four Teal, five Goosanders and 131 Swallows S. A Curlew Sandpiper, one Ruff and six Greenshanks were at Tayport (23rd), two Curlew Sandpipers and four Greenshanks were at Guardbridge (23rd) and the highlights from Ferry Hills (23rd) were 35 Barnacle Geese, 1200 Pink-feet, 20 Red-Throated Divers, two Arctic Skuas and 190 Lesser Redpolls. A Barred Warbler was trapped and ringed in The Patch, Fife Ness (23rd), three Manx Shearwaters, one Bonxie, four Arctic Skuas, two Arctic Terns, nine Common Terns, c12 Sandwich Terns, c35 Barnacle Geese and 57 Pink-feet were seen from Dalgety Bay (23rd) and one juvenile Rednecked Grebe, eight Slavonian Grebes, one juvenile Little Stint, one juvenile Curlew Sandpiper and c5 Arctic Skuas were seen from Out Head (23rd). At the Kenly Burn, Boarhills, c240 Canada Geese, nine Pale-bellied Brent Geese, one Barnacle Goose, one Greylag and two Pink-feet were noted, a lone Whooper Swan was seen flying in from the E at Craighead Farm, Fife Ness (23rd), a single Crossbill was at Clatto Reservoir (23rd) and from Out Head (24th) one juvenile Red-necked Grebe, four Slavonian Grebes, one juvenile Curlew Sandpiper, seven Pale-bellied Brent Geese and 12 Barnacle Geese were seen. Five juvenile Curlew Sandpipers, five Ruff, one Greenshank, three Black-tailed Godwits and an adult Mediterranean Gull were at Guardbridge (24th) and seen from Fife Ness (24th) were two juvenile Black Terns, 15 Little Gulls, six Manx Shearwaters, one Arctic Skua S, one Little Egret, one Bar-tailed Godwit and 31 Barnacle Geese S. c60 Golden Plovers were seen from the Eden Estuary Centre (24th), with a White-tailed Eagle seen on one of the posts off Out Head (24th). 20 Barnacle Geese passed Kincraig Point S (24th), a juvenile Long-tailed Skua, seven Arctic Skuas and 17 Barnacle Geese SW were seen from Tentsmuir Point NNR (24th) and along from there at Tayport a Little Stint, one Whimbrel, five Grey Plovers, two Common Terns and a Kingfisher were seen (24th). From Kingsbarns south to the Kenly Burn, c350 Barnacle Geese S, eight Snipe, 35 Corn Buntings c300 Canada Geese, three Pink-footed Geese, one Whitethroat, four Wheatears and a Peregrine were seen (24th), two Wheatears were noted at Preston Island, Culross (24th) and six Curlew Sandpipers along with six Ruff were seen from the Eden Estuary Centre (25th). Seen from Kinghorn (25th) were one Bonxie W, three Arctic Skuas, c10 Manx Shearwaters, c150 Little Gulls, c150 Meadow Pipits and 50 Swallows, a juvenile Little Stint and a juvenile Ruff were at Tayport (25th) and seen at Bogward Road, St Andrews was a Spotted Flycatcher, with a Black Tern seen offshore at St Andrews also (26th). A Great Shearwater was reported flying past Kinghorn (26th), five Curlew Sandpipers were seen at Guardbridge (26th) and seen at Loch Fitty (26th) were five Crossbills, four Mistle Thrushes, one Kestrel, one Great Spotted Woodpecker, 12 Great Crested Grebes, two Little Grebes, seven Tufted Ducks, five Mute Swans and three Swallows. Around Kittock’s Den, Boarhills a female Goshawk, one Lesser Whitethroat, one Whitethroat, two Chiffchaffs, one Stonechat, 564 Swallows SW and 127 Pied Wagtails W (26th). Seen from Hawkcraig Point, Aberdour (27th) were two Black Terns E, one Little Gull, three Manx Shearwaters, c10 Arctic Skuas, two Bonxies and c6 Red-throated Divers, three Curlew Sandpipers and two Arctic Skuas were noted at Out Head (27th) and a Hooded Crow was seen at East Wemyss (27th). The seawatching day count at Fife Ness (28th) was one juvenile Pomarine Skua N, five Arctic Skuas N, 43 Purple Sandpipers S, 84 Barnacle Geese S, 12 Wigeon S, eight Teal S and 11 Common Scoters, three juvenile Black Terns were seen off Coble Shore (28th) with an Arctic Skua and a Kingfisher seen from Edenside (28th). A Red Kite SE, 235 Barnacle Geese, one Chiffchaff and a Blackcap were seen around South Fairmont, St Andrews (28th), c150 Golden Plovers, two Red-throated Divers, c60 Knot, one Whimbrel, three Common Gulls, c5 Goldcrests c5 Treecreepers and a Wheatear were seen around the Ruddons Point/Cocklemill Burn area (28th). A juvenile Curlew Sandpiper S and a Red-necked Grebe N, were seen passing Fife Ness (28th). The Mediterranean Gull count rose to 81 at East Wemyss (28th), 47 Barnacle Geese, 14 Little Egrets, one Pintail, one Scaup, 50 Knot, two Greenshanks, four Ruff, four Curlew Sandpipers, 10 Ringed Plovers and two Red-throated Divers were seen from the Eden Estuary Centre (28th).

Angle Park GP still had two Green Sandpipers and 33 Snipe present (30th). Seen at the Kenly Burn, Boarhills (30th) were c260 Canada Geese, 21 Barnacle Geese and three Pale-bellied Brent Geese, a single Barnacle Goose passed over Kinghorn (30th), the Mediterranean Gull count at East Wemyss had dropped to c36 by (30th) and another Honey-buzzard passed over Ferry Hills (30th), this time a juvenile. A remarkable run of sightings at this site this year. Seen at Fife Ness was a ringtail Hen Harrier S, 15 Common Terns, three Sandwich Terns, c300 Pink-footed Geese and a Little Egret (30th), with four Chiffchaffs seen in The Patch, Fife Ness that day also. Along at lower Kilminning, one Whinchat, seven Stonechats and 300 Pink-footed Geese S (30th) and at Loch Gelly, one Barnacle Goose, c600 Greylag Geese, c50 Pink-footed Geese and 64 Pochard were counted (30th). A single Barnacle Goose was seen over St Monans (30th) and noted at Cameron Reservoir were a Short-eared Owl W, a juvenile Marsh Harrier S, a juvenile Green Woodpecker and c20 Crossbills (30th). A Red Kite was seen to the W of Leslie (30th) and the last seawatching day count of September from Fife Ness produced 23 Red-throated Divers S, 17 Common Scoters S, one Common Tern N, two Red-breasted Mergansers S, one Bonxie S, one Shelduck S and five Sandwich Terns N.

Monthly sighting summaries are based on information submitted to the Fife Bird News WhatsApp group. A full list of contributors is published in Scope. Thank you.

The first sightings reported in February were two Marsh Harriers on the 1st at Newburgh then a Black Guillemot was at Fife Ness the next day. The 3rd was a return to the norm with the female Ring-necked Duck at Birnie Loch and the drake Smew at Cameron Reservoir. An adult Little Gull was off Leven and at Tayport a 3rd winter Glaucous Gull was a good find. A 1st winter Iceland Gull was seen on Kirkcaldy promenade on the 4th with a Tundra Bean Goose and a Short-eared Owl noted in the St Andrews area. A Black Guillemot was off Lower Largo on the 5th with at least three Red-necked Grebes at Leven and the drake Smew was at Cameron Reservoir up to the 7th.

An excellent count of 48 Snipe was made at Valleyfield on the 8th and the female Ring-necked Duck was still at Birnie Loch from the 9th to the 12th. The drake Smew was reported again at Cameron Reservoir on the 11th and two Black-throated Divers and a Red-necked Grebe were seen between Pathhead and Dysart. A Great White Egret was a good find at Loch Fitty on the 12th and a 1st winter Iceland Gull was seen flying over Bleachfield Meadow heading towards Coaltown of Balgonie, presumably the same individual seen there between December and February. A Green Sandpiper was seen on the Nature Reserve at Lochore Meadows CP along with a Great White Egret, possibly the Loch Fitty bird relocating. Counted off Leven on the 12th were six Red-necked Grebes, two Slavonian Grebes and up to five Black-throated Divers, a Great White Egret was again at Loch Fitty on the 13th, with a European White-fronted Goose also reported from that location on the 14th. A Red Kite was seen near Easter Cash Farm on the Falkland to Strathmiglo road on the 14th.

Noted off Kinghorn on the 16th were 14 Common Scoters, four Long-tailed Ducks, 140 Red-breasted Mergansers, six Guillemots, 15 Razorbills and two Red-throated Divers. The drake Smew was still showing well at Cameron Reservoir on the 16th and nearby in St Andrews a possible Northern Bullfinch, 12 Crossbills S, seven Siskins and a Raven were seen. Two adult Mediterranean Gulls were seen off Pettycur on 17th, a Barnacle Goose and a Greenland White-fronted Goose were seen amongst 2000 Pink-feet in the Bow of Fife area and adult Mediterranean Gulls were also seen at both Guardbridge and Tayport. A Manx Shearwater went N past Fife Ness on the 18th, a Black Guillemot was off Leven and the Great White Egret was still at Loch Fitty. Also on the 18th at Ruddons Point were one Red-necked Grebe, one Slavonian Grebe, three Purple Sandpipers and 25 Twite. The Green Sandpiper was still to be seen on the Nature Reserve at Lochore Meadows CP on the 18th with a Jack Snipe and an excellent count of 52 Snipe at Cocklemill Marsh, also on the 18th. On the 19th a drake Ring-necked Duck, 64 Pochard, 93 Goldeneye and 74 Tufted Ducks were seen at Loch Gelly, with a female Ring-necked Duck seen at The Wilderness, with this bird presumably being the bird previously seen at Birnie Loch up until at least the 15th. Further east a Hooded Crow was seen on the beach at Boarhills on the 19th, with five Dark-bellied Brent Geese, 13 Pale-bellied Brent Geese and one Greenshank also seen in the area, a Raven was also seen flying over East Wemyss that day. The drake Smew was still at Cameron Reservoir on the 20th, while the female Ring-necked Duck was seen back in the NW corner of Birnie Loch and at Fife Ness a Short-eared Owl was watched coming in off the sea. The Great White Egret was still being reported from Loch Fitty up to at least the 21st.

The female Ring-necked Duck was seen at Angle Park GP, as it continues to tour around the central Fife waterbodies. A Greenland White-fronted Goose was noted at Loch Fitty on the 22nd, it was amongst Canada Geese, Pink-feet and Greylags. A Chiffchaff was seen in Dunfermline, with one heard at Magus Muir also and not far away from there at Craigtoun Park, a Green Woodpecker was heard, with five Woodcocks and two Ravens noted there too. On the 23rd at Loch Fitty a European White-fronted Goose, 10 Pink-footed Geese, 24 Canada Geese, 164 Greylag Geese and four Gadwall were noted, a Black Guillemot went S past Fife Ness and an adult Mediterranean Gull was seen from the car park at Burntisland on the 24th. eight Red-throated Divers, one Black-throated Diver and two Manx Shearwaters passed Fife Ness, with a Black Guillemot and one Manx Shearwater seen passing there on the 25th. two Snow Buntings were at Out Head on the 25th, with the drake Ring-necked Duck and 63 Pochard still present at Loch Gelly, 13 Brent Geese, three Greenshanks and a Little Egret were seen at Coble Shore and the wintering Whimbrel was seen once again at Shell Bay. At The Wilderness were two Pintail and three Whooper Swans, a Great Northern Diver was seen from Kincraig Head and on the 26th two Black Guillemots and 35 Purple Sandpipers were seen at Fife Ness. The female Ring-necked Duck was seen again at Angle Park GP, two Tundra Bean Geese were seen with Pink-feet at Luthrie and at Tayport three Little Egrets were seen. Nine Snow Buntings, nine Slavonian Grebes and four Pale-bellied Brent Geese were seen at Out Head, a Greenland White-fronted Goose was seen with 400 Pink-feet near Bow of Fife and at Coble Shore 34 Pale-bellied Brent Geese were seen. A Raven passed over Letham Pools and at Buckhaven Harbour on the 27th were 200 Common Scoters and 56 Velvet Scoters. 28 Redwings and 18 Fieldfares were seen in Strathkinness on the 28th, two Nuthatches were seen at Rankeilour, 114 Pochards, 97 Tufted Ducks, 82 Goldeneye, three Shelducks, three Great-crested Grebes, two Lesser Black-backed Gulls and three Whooper Swans were counted at Loch Gelly and seen from Kincraig Head were one Red-necked Grebe and a Red-throated Diver. Nearby at the Cocklemill Burn, seven Twite were seen. A Hooded Crow, 17 Whooper Swans and 101 Wigeon were seen at Craigluscar and the female Ring-necked Duck was still present at Angle Park.

Information supplied courtesy of Malcolm Ware

The New Year began with a single Waxwing seen on roadside wires near Largoward, a Red-necked Grebe at Ruddons Point and two White-fronted Geese near Kilrenny. Early birds on the 2nd were treated to three different Barn Owls between Falkland and Strathmiglo sitting on roadside fences. The female Ring-necked Duck was again seen at Birnie Loch on the 2nd and 3rd with the two drake Smew at Cameron Reservoir on those dates. A Little Auk was seen off Kinghorn on the 2nd when 67 Pintail and c35 Brent Geese were counted at Out Head. Another Little Auk was at Fife Ness on the 3rd with a Little Gull feeding offshore there. The female Velvet Scoter was still showing at Carnbee Reservoir on the 4th with the two drake Smew at Cameron Reservoir and were also seen there the following day. On the 5th there was a Slavonian Grebe and an impressive count of over 200 Goldeneye at Pathhead, reminiscent of years gone past here. A Little Gull was again seen at Fife Ness on the 6th with a Black-throated Diver also seen there. Cameron Reservoir had good counts of 300 Wigeon and 200 Teal as well as the two drake Smew on the same day. Two Black Guillemots flew south at Fife Ness on the 7th when the female Ring-necked Duck was still at Birnie Loch, the two Smew were still at Cameron Reservoir and three adult Mediterranean Gulls were at Burntisland.

The Ring-necked Duck was at Birnie Loch again on the 8th of the month in its favoured area. The usual suspects were still to be seen at Cameron Reservoir and Carnbee Reservoir in the shape of the two drake Smew and the female Velvet Scoter with 15 Brent Geese at Boarhills. The Ring-necked Duck and the two Smew were still present up to the 12th and an adult Little Gull was off Kinghorn on the 10th. Only one drake Smew was present at Cameron Reservoir on the 13th while in west Fife a 3rd Winter Iceland Gull was at Townhill Loch and a Hen Harrier was noted at Dins Moss in the Cleish Hills. A Grey Phalarope dropped in briefly at Fife Ness on the 14th with 24 Brent Geese also seen at Boarhills that day. The Smew was still at Cameron Reservoir and a Marsh Harrier was at Newburgh.

Two Little Gulls and a Black Guillemot were seen at Fife Ness on the 15th with the female Velvet Scoter still in residence at Carnbee Reservoir. A lone European White-fronted Goose was in a large flock of Greylags at Bowershall on the 16th with one of its Greenland cousins just north of The Wilderness the next day. The female Ring-necked Duck was seen again at Birnie Loch on the 17th and a Black-necked Grebe was off Leven. The Greenland White-fronted Goose and the female Ring-necked Duck were still at the same locations on the 18th when at least five Waxwings were at Buckhaven and a 1st winter Iceland Gull was at Seafield. Two Marsh Harriers were seen at Newburgh on the 19th and a cracking male Hen Harrier graced the north side of Rossie Bog. The female Ring-necked Duck was still at Birnie Loch on the 20th and the 1st winter Iceland Gull was again off the tower at Seafield with a Red Kite noted at Burnturk. Drake Smew were seen at Cameron Reservoir and Coble Shore on the 21st with a Jack Snipe, Snow Bunting and two Twite seen in the dunes at Tentsmuir Point NNR. The 1st winter Iceland Gull, first seen in December last year, was again seen in Coaltown of Balgonie sitting on house roofs on Main Street in the town, an unusual occurrence and location for this “white-winger”.

 A male Hen Harrier, probably the bird seen earlier in the week at Rossie Bog, was seen at Dunshalt, then Auchtermuchty on the 22nd. Seven Brambling were seen near Falkland on the 23rd and next day the female Ring-necked Duck was seen again at Birnie Loch and a drake Smew was at Cameron Reservoir. A male Hen Harrier was noted on the 24th at Balgonie Castle with two Marsh Harriers at Newburgh and a Red-necked Grebe reported from Edenside. Seven Slavonian Grebes and a Black-necked Grebe were off Lower Largo on the 25th with three Black-throated Divers and a Red-necked Grebe off Leven. A diver first spotted on the 23rd from the east car park at Leven was confirmed as a Pacific Diver, a potential first for the county. Also at Leven on the 26th were two Black-necked Grebes, 10 Red-necked Grebes, three Black-throated Divers and a Great Northern Diver. Further east at Lower Largo a Black Redstart was seen and eight Bearded Tits were seen on Mugdrum Island at Newburgh. The Red Kite was again seen in the Burnturk area on the 26th with the Pacific Diver and Black Redstart still at Leven and Lower Largo respectively on the 27th. A Black Guillemot was offshore at Fife Ness on the 28th when the drake Smew was still at Cameron Reservoir and an adult Little Gull was at Kilconquhar Loch. Another Little Gull was noted off Leven while watching the Pacific Diver there and the Black Redstart was performing well at Lower Largo.

The Pacific Diver was showing well despite blustery conditions on the 29th and a Hooded Crow appeared at Boarhills moving between the beach and a ploughed field. The female Ring-necked Duck continued its stay at Birnie Loch as did the drake Smew at Cameron Reservoir. The Pacific Diver, Black Redstart and drake Smew were all seen at the same locations on the 30th and a Velvet Scoter was noted with the latter at Cameron Reservoir.

Information supplied courtesy of Malcolm Ware

A slow start to the last month of the year with only six Snow Buntings seen at Out Head on the 1st. The female Ring-necked Duck was seen again at Birnie Loch on the 2nd, as was the Smew at Cameron Reservoir and three Waxwings briefly in Kirkcaldy. A fantastic record of a Cetti’s Warbler at St Margaret’s Marsh Rosyth on the 3rd will constitute the 2nd record for Fife if accepted, a species we should all be looking out for now. The warbler was present the following day, but elusive and at Birnie Loch the Ring-necked Duck was still favouring the north-west corner on the 5th with three Waxwings at St Andrews that day. The Cetti’s Warbler showed briefly twice during the day on the 6th with the Smew at Cameron Reservoir a bit more obliging as was the female Ring-necked Duck at Birnie Loch the next day.

16 Little Auks and a Little Egret were noted at Fife Ness on the 8th and next day there were two drake Smew at Cameron Reservoir. Also on the 9th the drake Ring-necked Duck was relocated at Kinghorn Loch and two Waxwings were in Dunfermline. The Cetti’s Warbler was again heard briefly at St Margaret’s Marsh on the 10th and a Red-necked Grebe was seen at Pathhead. 33 Little Auks flew north past Fife Ness on the 11th and the female Ring-necked Duck was still at a semi-frozen Birnie Loch. Great Northern Divers were noted at West Wemyss and St Andrews where 14 Snow Buntings were watched coming in off the sea. Nearby there were two drake Smew at Cameron Reservoir, two Waxwings in Dunfermline and the Cetti’s Warbler was heard at St Margaret’s Marsh and seen briefly the following day. The drake Ring-necked Duck was again seen at Kinghorn Loch on the 12th and the following three days with a drake Smew seen at Guardbridge on the 13th, probably relating to the Cameron Reservoir bird relocating due to the reservoir being frozen.

An interesting Aythya at Kinghorn Loch, first spotted on the 13th, caused a bit of discussion before being confirmed as a 1st winter Lesser Scaup and was still present on the 15th. If accepted it would be the second county record.The first was present for two days in May 2007 at Loch Gellybut unfortunately was only seen by the finders. Both the Lesser Scaup and Ring-necked Duck were still showing on the 16th in pretty poor conditions and two Marsh Harriers and a Waxwing were at Newburgh. Six Little Auks went south at Fife Ness on the 17th when c80 Twite were at Coble Shore. The North American double act of drake Ring-necked Duck and 1st winter Lesser Scaup remained at Kinghorn Loch, allowing birders the chance to get it the latter on their Fife lists up until the 20th with the former seen on the 21st. On the 18th a drake Smew was seen at Cameron Reservoir with two drakes there from the 19th to the 26th. Also on the 19th there were 11 Waxwings seen in Dunfermline, a Hen Harrier at Bow of Fife and amazingly three Marsh Harriers at Newburgh. Another Hen Harrier or possibly the bird seen the previous day was watched at Bankhead Moss on the 20th. A Ring-necked Parakeet was seen at Markinch that day and possibly a different individual than the Kirkcaldy birds regularly seen.

129 Scaup were counted off the aquarium in St Andrews on the 22nd with a single Waxwing seen briefly in Cupar. A Hen Harrier was at Cameron Reservoir on Xmas eve, two Marsh Harriers were again seen at Newburgh and a 1st winter Glaucous Gull passed Fife Ness. An excellent record came from Carnbee Reservoir on the 24th of a female Velvet Scoter there, an unusual inland record, it was reported again on the 28th and 29th. The Lesser Scaup reappeared at Kinghorn Loch but due to watersport disturbance relocated to the small boating pond at Beveridge Park, Kirkcaldy. Remarkable to think that in the last two years there has been two North American rarities seen on this unlikely site whose last claim to fame was a Smew that wintered there in the late seventies. The Lesser Scaup was reported from its usual haunt of Kinghorn Loch on Xmas day. On the 26th one birder got a belated Xmas present when a 1st winter Iceland Gull flew past his window in Coaltown of Balgonie and landed on his next door neighbour’s roof. The Lesser Scaup was again off the Ecology Centre at Kinghorn Loch on the 27th and a solitary Little Auk went past Fife Ness. On the 28th the Lesser Scaup was seen briefly at Kinghorn Loch before being disturbed and resettling at Beveridge Park, Kirkcaldy.

On the 29th one drake Smew and a Hen Harrier were seen at Cameron Reservoir. The last day of 2022 started with 21 Purple Sandpipers at Seafield, then two redhead Smew were found on a roadside flood near Kingskettle before being flushed by shooters. They were relocated at The Wilderness later and the two drakes were apparently still at Cameron Reservoir but not reported to FBN.

Another exceptional year for the county and thanks to everyone who contributed. Hopefully 2023 will continue the trend.

Information supplied courtesy of Malcolm Ware

The month of November started with a late Swallow and a Great Northern Diver at Ferry Hills, with single Little Gull and Little Auk seen at Fife Ness on the 2nd. Two Black-throated Divers were off Kirkcaldy promenade on the 3rd, with two Sandwich Terns seen nearby at Seafield. Four Taiga Bean Geese was seen from Ferry Hills on the 4th with a Marsh Harrier at Newburgh and a Swift sp. seen briefly at Cupar. 46 Little Auks and a Great Northern Diver went past Fife Ness on the 5th with a Snow Bunting also seen there and 27 Twite were at Wormiston. It was certainly a “diver” day in the inner Forth with four Great Northern Divers and 59 Red-throated Divers seen passing Kinghorn early morning and three Great Northern Divers, a Black-throated Diver and 74 Red-throated Divers at Ferry Hills. A juvenile Arctic Tern and a female Pintail were also seen from Kinghorn that morning. The next day was very similar with 24 Little Auks past Fife Ness and, at Kinghorn, four Great Northern Divers, 56 Red-throated Divers and seven Little Gulls were noted. Twite were seen at the Stinky Pool, Fife Ness, with 50 counted, and 22 were at Boarhills later in the day. On the 7th a juvenile Little Stint was seen on the salt marsh at Edenside and a Lesser Whitethroat was seen in St Andrews.

First light at Kinghorn on the 8th saw 54 Red-throated Divers flying west with four Little Gulls offshore while later at Fife Ness, five Little Auks were seen. The following day, a Marsh Harrier was seen at Newburgh and a Bonxie was off Lower Largo. On the 10th from Kinghorn, 38 Red-throated Divers and a Great Northern Diver passed going west with the latter probably relating to the bird seen heading inland at Ferry Hills. Four Little Auks were seen at Fife Ness and one lucky observer at Ruddons Point watched an aerial skirmish between a Goshawk and a Buzzard. A winter-plumaged Black Guillemot was seen at Fife Ness going north on the 11th. The 12th was a busy day in the county with 18 Little Auks, a Great Northern Diver and a Little Gull past Fife Ness. Kinghorn had seven Taiga Bean Geese and 28 Little Gulls (27 of which flew high to the west in one flock) while at Ferry Hills a Tree/Olive-backed Pipit was heard but couldn’t be located on the ground, with 61 Red-throated Divers noted flying inland. A Hawfinch was seen and heard calling in St Andrews before nearby, on the Eden Estuary LNR, 19 Brent Geese and c55 Scaup were seen. A Red Kite was at Moonzie before flying off north and at least seven Bearded Tits were on Mugdrum Island viewed from Newburgh. The 13th began with 49 Little Gulls west at Kinghorn with 30 Red-throated Divers also seen. This number paled in comparison to the 159 seen at Ferry Hills that morning, the consensus being that a lot of these individuals were already in the Inner Forth area and headed inland at first light. Also seen there were a Great Northern Diver and a Snow Bunting with Short-eared Owls watched at Boarhills and Kilminning. At Fife Ness c48 Little Auks and a Little Gull were seen and at Out Head a Pomarine Skua, Great Northern Diver, 51 Little Gulls and two Snow Buntings were reported. 2000 Fieldfares flew south-west over Ferry Hills on the 14th and a Waxwing was seen in Crail. Coble Shore had six Brent Geese and c50 Scaup with a Pomarine Skua and a Great Northern Diver passing Fife Ness, where Little Auks were reported passing but unfortunately no information on numbers was given.

17 Little Auks were off Fife Ness on the 15th with a single Sooty Shearwater and five Little Gulls also noted, along with two late Swallows going south. The next day, 12 Bearded Tits were seen on Mugdrum Island and 400 Golden Plovers were at St Monans. A wet and windy day at Fife Ness on the 17th produced seven Little Gulls and single records of Pomarine Skua, Sooty Shearwater and Great Northern Diver. At Anstruther on the 18th a Little Auk and a Great Northern Diver were seen, with one of the latter also noted at Fife Ness along with 11 Little Gulls and a Sooty Shearwater. Further west, three Bonxies and two Little Gulls were at Kinghorn with a Great Northern Diver and a Little Gull off Dalgety Bay Sailing Club. 46 Little Gulls, a Great Northern Diver and two Red-necked Grebes flew west past Kinghorn on the 19th. A Taiga Bean Goose flew up the Forth at Ferry Hills, where three Great Northern Divers and a juvenile Pomarine Skua were watched flying inland. At Fife Ness a Grey Phalarope, Pomarine Skua, two Great Northern Divers and 148 Little Auks were seen and, nearby, c75 Twite were between Balcomie Beach and the Stinky Pool. Another Grey Phalarope was watched at Out Head and three Little Auks were also there and in St Andrews a Ring Ouzel was reported. Cameron Reservoir turned up a first calendar year drake Smew, and two Green Sandpipers were at the gravel pits at Angle Park. The 20th was a busy day in the county with a Great Northern Diver, 64 Red-throated Divers, three Black-throated Divers, 36 Little Gulls, 55 Little Auks, a 1st winter Black Guillemot and two Red-necked Grebes seen at Kinghorn. A Grey Phalarope and 16 Little Auks were at Fairmont St Andrews with a Great Northern Diver at Ferry Hills. Kingskettle hosted both single European and Greenland White-fronted Geese with a Water Pipit and 48 Twite at Cocklemill Marsh. Fife Ness excelled with nine Grey Phalaropes, 655 Little Auks, 59 Red-throated Divers, a Black-throated Diver, six Great Northern Divers and nine Little Gulls. The following day there were just 50 Little Auks at Fife Ness and three Great Northern Divers, with six Little Auks, eight Little Gulls and a Great Northern Diver at Kinghorn. The two races of White-fronted Geese were still at Kingskettle with 41 Whooper Swans and at Out Head two Grey Phalaropes, seven Little Auks, a Great Northern Diver, three Little Gulls and 92 Scaup were seen.

The 22nd began with two Little Auks and a Great Northern Diver at Kinghorn and a Drake Ring-necked Duck at Beveridge Park boating pond in Kirkcaldy. A Jack Snipe took advantage of a flooded field just outside Gauldry and, similarly, an Iceland Gull did likewise at Luthrie. An apparent Hooded Crow was seen at Out Head with the Greenland White-fronted Goose still near Kingskettle and Water Pipit at Cocklemill Marsh. Seawatching at Fife Ness rewarded the participants with a Grey Phalarope flying south and 46 Little Auks. On the 23rd Little Auks were still to be seen with 15 noted off Kinghorn in a brief seawatch. Two Little Gulls and three Little Auks were at Fife Ness on the 24th with three Little Auks also at Seafield, just offshore. A lone Waxwing was in a private garden at Newburgh with both the European and Greenland White-fronted Geese again at Kingskettle and five Snow Buntings at Out Head. The 1st winter Iceland Gull was again seen at Luthrie on the 25th while a Grey Phalarope was a good find off Burntisland. 12 Waxwings flew over St Michael’s golf course and the Smew was still at Cameron Reservoir the following day. Also on the 26th, six Little Auks flew past East Braes, Kinghorn and a female Ring-necked Duck was at Birnie & Gaddon Lochs LNR and apparently had been present since the 24th. The 27th started with a Swift sp. at Ferry Hills, just as it was getting light, but frustratingly was not seen again. The 1st winter Iceland Gull, female Ring-necked Duck and Water Pipit were seen again at Luthrie, Birnie Loch and Cocklemill Marsh. A Grey Phalarope was off Burntisland on the 28th and was present for a couple of days previously but unreported. At Fife Ness a Great Northern Diver passed and the female Ring-necked Duck continued to afford great views at Birnie Loch.

A Drake Surf Scoter was a good find for this once Fife speciality at West Sands, St Andrews. First light on the 29th the female Ring-necked Duck was still in the north- west corner of Birnie Loch and, nearby, the Greenland White-fronted Goose was at Kingskettle with a Black-throated Diver off Burntisland.

Information supplied courtesy of Malcolm Ware

One Sooty Shearwater and 30 Little Gulls were seen from Fife Ness on the 1st with a juvenile Black Tern seen on the Eden Estuary. A Spoonbill was reported from Dalgety Bay on the 2nd with 68 Mediterranean Gulls at the roost at East Wemyss. The following evening at the same location the record was again broken with 135 individuals counted. Also on the 3rd a Hawfinch flew over Bogward Road, St Andrews calling and at Guardbridge at least seven Curlew Sandpipers and 13 Little Egrets were seen. Two Todd’s Canada Geese were briefly at The Wilderness on the 4th with 88 Mediterranean Gulls at East Wemyss. Seven Curlew Sandpipers and three Ruff were at Guardbridge on the 5th with eight of the former there the next day. The Scottish record count was again smashed on the 6th when an unbelievable 170 Mediterranean Gulls were present at the evening roost at East Wemyss and 126 were there on the 7th.

A Lapland Bunting was at Wormiston on the 8th and a Snow Bunting came in off the sea at Fife Ness. A Great Northern Diver was seen at Ferry Hills with another the next day with a Curlew Sandpiper showing at Edenside on the 8th and 9th. 162 Mediterranean Gulls were counted at East Wemyss on the 8th with 121 the following evening when 28 Sooty Shearwaters passed Fife Ness. The 10th began with a Long-tailed Skua and two Great Northern Divers at Fife Ness then a Yellow-browed Warbler turned up at the Eden Estuary Centre. Four Curlew Sandpipers were seen there later that day and another count at the roost at East Wemyss heralded another Scottish record count of Mediterranean Gulls with 175 noted. Early morning at Kinghorn resulted in a Great Northern Diver, three Little Gulls and nine Mediterranean Gulls being seen on the 11th when a Yellow-browed Warbler was found at Crail. A Pomarine Skua and 48 Little Gulls were off Fife Ness on the 12th with 22 of the latter off Kinghorn later that day with a Black Guillemot also seen there. A Green Sandpiper was at Angle Park GP with a Ruff and two Curlew Sandpipers at Edenside and seven Greenshanks and nine Little Egrets at Morton Lochs NNR. An American Wigeon was found at Ballo Reservoir on the 13th with 41 Little Gulls heading inland at Ferry Hills. Fife Ness continued its run of excellent seabirds with a juvenile Sabine’s Gull being seen with a Sooty Shearwater, two Pomarine Skuas and 17 Little Gulls also noted. Two Little Auks at Fife Ness on the 14th were early for this species with two Sooty Shearwaters and c500 Redwings also there. 156 Little Gulls and c1200 Razorbills were off Kinghorn with a Snow Bunting seen going over St Andrews. The American Wigeon was still showing at Ballo Reservoir and c30 Little Gulls were at Kinshaldy where a Jack Snipe was a good find in the dunes. 95 Little Gulls flew west past Kinghorn on the 15th with a Jack Snipe seen at Cocklemill, a Hawfinch and an impressive 3900 Redwings were seen at Ferry Hills and a Hen Harrier was noted at Boarhills. The next day began with eight Little Gulls and two Great Northern Divers past Kinghorn in blustery conditions with a Jack Snipe found at Cameron Reservoir. The American Wigeon was still to be found at Ballo Reservoir on the 17th with two Bramblings the highlight at Fife Ness that day. Two Jack Snipe were at Tayport and a late Sand Martin was seen flying over the road at Freuchie. 11 Bramblings flew over Bogward Road in St Andrews on the 18th, a Marsh Harrier passed over Mugdrum Island, Newburgh and a Pomarine Skua and 31 Little Gulls were off Fife Ness. The wind changed to easterly on the 19th and migrants started to arrive with a Yellow-browed Warbler, Lesser Whitethroat, 15 Bramblings and a Short-eared Owl all in the Fife Ness area. Yellow-browed Warblers were also found at Denburn Wood, Kittock’s Den and St Andrews where there was another Lesser Whitethroat and 13 Bramblings also noted. Off Dysart, a juvenile Pomarine Skua and four Little Gulls were seen in the afternoon. Fife Ness Muir played host to two Red-breasted Flycatchers, a Redstart and a Yellow-browed Warbler on the 20th with a Lesser Whitethroat nearby at Craighead and a Black Redstart at Kilminning. Two Little Auks and three Little Gulls went past Kinghorn with a Black-throated Diver at Dalgety Bay. The 21st was a very productive day at Kilminning, with a Barred Warbler, Black Redstart, Yellow-browed Warbler, possible eastern Lesser Whitethroat and the second Red-flanked Bluetail of the autumn seen. A Red-breasted Flycatcher was still at Fife Ness Muir with a Black Redstart, Siberian Chiffchaff, Yellow-browed Warbler and a Lesser Whitethroat also seen. Two Yellow-browed Warblers were at Balcomie with a Black Redstart at Craighead and a Waxwing seen in Crail.

Lots of good birds were still around on the 22nd with the Red-flanked Bluetail still present at Kilminning with a Barred Warbler, Yellow-browed Warbler and Ring Ouzel also in that area. A Richard’s Pipit was flushed from the path to Wormiston from Crail and later a very interesting “Eastern Stonechat” was seen opposite the airfield. At Balcomie there was a possible Olive-backed Pipit, heard three times but not seen subsequently. A Lesser Whitethroat and two Yellow-browed Warblers were also to be seen in and around Balcomie. At St Andrews, a Lesser Whitethroat, Black Redstart, Ring Ouzel and a single Lapland Bunting were noted with the Lesser Whitethroat thought to be of Eastern origin. The following day the “Eastern Stonechat”/possible Stejneger’s, was still present in the same area with Yellow-browed Warblers seen at Balcomie and Kilminning while Lesser Whitethroats were seen at Fife Ness Muir and St Andrews. The “Eastern Stonechat“ was seen again opposite the airfield at Crail on the 24th with two Ring Ouzels and two Lesser Whitethroats nearby at Kilminning. A Lesser Whitethroat and a Yellow-browed Warbler were at Fife Ness Muir and a Ring Ouzel and Snow Bunting were sighted around St Andrews. On the 25th the “Eastern Stonechat“ was still in its favoured place opposite the airfield at Crail in the fenced off compound. Kilminning had three Ring Ouzels and a Lesser Whitethroat was still present with a female Black Redstart well inland on a roof in Dunshalt. At Elie Ness 12 Little Auks, a Great Northern Diver and an adult Little Gull were watched from this headland. The 27th started with three Hawfinches at Ferry Hills and two Short-eared Owls in off the sea at Out Head with a Lesser Whitethroat still residing at Kilminning. At East Braes, Kinghorn nine Little Gulls were seen on the 28th and an immature Marsh Harrier was on Mugdrum Island.

Fife Ness had nine Little Gulls on the 29th, three Black-throated Divers, two Little Egrets, a Little Auk and four Pomarine Skuas, were all seen passing with a Lapland Bunting showing well on the path at Wormiston Spinney and seven Snow Buntings were at Tentsmuir. Early morning on the 30th at Kinghorn, saw 92 Little Gulls move west and a Ring Ouzel at Bogward Road, St Andrews. Kilminning had a fall of thrushes that day with 680 Redwings, 390 Fieldfares, 330 Blackbirds and two Ring Ouzels counted. A late Swallow was noted in Kirkcaldy on the 31st and Fife finally got in on the influx of Swifts when two presumed Pallid Swifts were watched in Tayport in the afternoon, another potential Fife first.

Information supplied courtesy of Malcolm Ware

Two juvenile Long-tailed Skuas, c7 Sooty Shearwaters and 200 Manx Shearwaters at Fife Ness started the month off. At Fairmont, St Andrews a Pomarine Skua, two Little Gulls and 17 Whimbrels were seen and at Letham Pools a Curlew Sandpiper, 31 Black-tailed Godwits and two Little Ringed Plovers were affording good views. Nine Little Egrets were at Morton Lochs NNR on the 2nd with the Curlew Sandpiper still at Letham Pools. At Fife Ness during the day there were two Long-tailed Skuas, 41 Sooty Shearwaters, 161 Manx Shearwaters and a Pomarine Skua with one of the latter also seen from Kinghorn. The 3rd began with a Hobby and 23 Ravens at Lindores Loch with 13 Little Egrets and eight Greenshanks at Morton Lochs NNR. Fife Ness highlights were at least two Long-tailed Skuas, a Pomarine Skua, 13 Sooty Shearwaters, 150 Manx Shearwaters and a Pied Flycatcher in The Patch. A juvenile Long-tailed Skua passed Boarhills along with 14 Little Gulls and seven Ruff and Fairmont, St Andrews had similar sightings with a juvenile Long-tailed Skua, two Sooty Shearwaters and 11 Little Gulls. Two Pomarine Skuas, a Sooty Shearwater and 300 Manx Shearwaters were off Kinghorn that evening. The next day at Fife Ness another Great Shearwater went north with 344 Manx Shearwaters, eight Sooty Shearwaters, nine Long-tailed Skuas, seven Pomarine Skuas and 104 Little Gulls counted during the day. In and around Fife Ness there were at least seven Pied Flycatchers and three Redstarts. Another Redstart and a Wood Sandpiper were seen at Cambo with the sandpiper coming in off the sea calling. A Redwing over Bogward Road, St Andrews was the first reported of the autumn and nearby at Fairmont, a Barred Warbler was elusive and two Pied Flycatchers were also present with a juvenile Long-tailed Skua off Kinghorn. The 5th saw seven Sooty Shearwaters, a Pomarine Skua and two Great Northern Divers off Fife Ness and at least four Pied Flycatchers in the surrounding area. Letham Pools had a Wood Sandpiper, 31 Black-tailed Godwits and six Ruff present, while at Guardbridge there were c8 Curlew Sandpipers,15 Little Egrets and a Spotted Redshank. A juvenile Turnstone at the Wilderness was a fantastic record for this species at an inland site in our county. A Cory’s Shearwater passed Fife Ness on the 6th with three Sooty Shearwaters and a Pomarine Skua also seen. Two Pied Flycatchers were at Kilminning with five Curlew Sandpipers and the Spotted Redshank still at Guardbridge. There were at least seven Pied Flycatchers around the Fife Ness area on the 7th with a Curlew Sandpiper at Out Head. At Ferry Hills 738 Meadow Pipits and 31 Tree Pipits were counted.

An unprecedented day at Fife Ness on the 8th began with both large shearwater species passing within half an hour of each other. Firstly, a Great Shearwater flew north followed by a Cory’s Shearwater soon after. Added to the list were 19 Sooty Shearwaters, 155 Manx Shearwaters, 42 Brent Geese and a juvenile Long-tailed Skua. Up to three Redstarts were around the Fife Ness area and surrounds with Whinchat and Spotted Flycatcher also seen. Nine Ruff were on the golf course at Fife Ness early morning and some of these birds may have accounted for the four at Kilminning later that day. Kinghorn scored with a Leach’s Petrel on the 9th along with a Little Tern, Black Tern and two juvenile Long-tailed Skuas. At Fife Ness 29 Sooty Shearwaters, 23 Little Gulls and two Roseate Terns were counted with Pied and Spotted Flycatchers seen at Kilminning, Boarhills, Cambo and Denburn Wood. An early Red-flanked Bluetail made an appearance near the old fish factory area at Fife Ness on the 10th but proved extremely elusive. From the headland nearby, 20 Sooty Shearwaters, two Pomarine Skuas, Black Tern, Black Guillemot, 82 Manx Shearwaters and seven Little Gulls were seen. Newton Sandpit had a juvenile Spotted Redshank while at Guardbridge ten juvenile Curlew Sandpipers and 14 Little Egrets were counted. Six of the latter were at Morton Lochs NNR with seven Greenshanksand seven Little Egrets also at Tayport. A fantastic count of 23 Ruff on the golf course at Fife Ness were watched being shepherded around the greens by the golfers and a Little Stint was with Dunlin at Ruddons Point. The next day at Fife Ness another good bird was found in the shape of an Arctic Warbler at Craighead. There were Pied and Spotted Flycatchers, Lesser Whitethroat, Garden Warblers and Redstart to be found in and around Fife Ness. 34 Sooty Shearwaters were counted and the 23 Ruff were still to be found on the golf course or commuting to the Stinky Pool. Nearby, a Little Stint appeared at Balcomie Beach at the end of the golf course and another was seen at Ballo Reservoir. A moulting Red-necked Grebe was seen at Kinghornwhile at Guardbridge an excellent count of 15 Curlew Sandpipers was made. The 12th was an interesting day with a Black Kite photographed on the Eden Estuary at Out Head before flying over Leuchars and not seen again. A Yellow-browed Warbler was seen at Spinkie Den in St Andrews, a Hobby was at Kilmany and the Little Stint remained at Ballo Reservoir. The Arctic Warbler was reported again at Craighead on the 13th when 17 Ruff and 54 Black-tailed Godwits were at The Wilderness. Two Green Sandpipers were at Angle Park GP and one was at Kilmany with a Red Kite watched between Dalgety Bay and Braefoot. At Fife Ness on the 14th the Arctic Warbler and c20 Ruff were still present at Craighead and the golf course respectively.

On the 15th there were two 1st winter Little Gulls off the promenade at Kirkcaldy with three Ruff flying west. Two Sooty Shearwaters were seen from Fife Ness, c21 Ravens were counted in the Lomond Hills and 31 Black-tailed Godwits seen at Letham Pools. An eventful day at Fife Ness on the 16th; 11419 Razorbills were counted with a Balearic Shearwater, 37 Sooty Shearwaters, 133 Manx Shearwaters and 245 Little Gulls also seen. The next day at Fife Ness another Cory’s Shearwater was seen along with 68 Sooty Shearwaters, 393 Manx Shearwaters, 67 Red-throated Divers, two Great Northern Divers and 26 Little Gulls with a juvenile Long-tailed Skua off St Andrews. Fife Ness was the place to be on the 18th with another “Big Shear” day with five species of Shearwater noted in total: two Great Shearwaters a Cory’s Shearwater, a Balearic Shearwater, 28 Sooty Shearwaters and 1012 Manx Shearwaters, as well as a juvenile Long-tailed Skua and 366 Little Gulls. Two Yellow-browed Warblers were caught and ringed at Fife Ness Muir on the 19th with 22 Sooty Shearwaters and 407 Manx Shearwaters past the headland. A Red-necked Grebe was at Ruddons Point with a Curlew Sandpiper, eight Slavonian Grebes and a single Little Gull on the Eden Estuary. The 20th began with a juvenile Long-tailed Skua heading inland at Ferry Hills and 2048 Meadow Pipits going through. Two Common Cranes flew over St Andrews and another Yellow-browed Warbler was at Fife Ness Muir with 43 Black-tailed Godwits at Letham Pools. Early morning at East Wemyss on the 21st saw 30 Mediterranean Gulls and a Little Gull present and that evening the number of Mediterranean Gulls rose to 40 with an adult Roseate Tern for company. At Ferry Hills a Great Northern Diver and 58 Red-throated Divers were seen, Kinghorn had six Little Gulls and a Curlew Sandpiper was on the Stinky Pool at Fife Ness.

The next day the Curlew Sandpiper had relocated to Balcomie Beach and the adult Roseate Tern was still showing well at the gull roost at Back Dykes, East Wemyss. At least seven Curlew Sandpipers and eight Ruff were viewable from the Eden Centre on the 23rd with the Roseate Tern at East Wemyss. Two Twite were seen at Dalgety Bay on the 24th with three Roseate Terns at East Wemyss and 21 Mediterranean Gulls at West Wemyss. A juvenile Long-tailed Skua was at Ferry Hills with 12 Sooty Shearwaters seen at Fife Ness. Six Curlew Sandpipers were at Guardbridge and eight were noted at the Eden Centre the next day with a Spotted Redshank whiletwo Roseate Terns were still at East Wemyss and another Spotted Redshank was at Letham Pools. The 26th was a memorable day at East Wemyss with the hundred barrier broken for the first time when 105 Mediterranean Gulls were counted in the evening. Two Roseate Terns were seen there earlier in the day with three Ruff at Anstruther and five Whooper Swans at Angle Park GP. There was another record-breaking count at East Wemyss roost on the 27th with an incredible 129 Mediterranean Gulls present. At Fife Ness c45 Little Gulls were seen and a Marsh Harrier was at Letham Pools. A Balearic Shearwater was off Fife Ness on the 28th with 16 Sooty Shearwaters, a Pomarine Skua and 232 Little Gulls also seen. Four Sooty Shearwaters, a Pomarine Skua and 20 Little Gulls were noted off St Andrews and nearby on the Eden Estuary a Curlew Sandpiper was seen. Mediterranean Gull numbers dropped to 35 at East Wemyss from the record number the previous day but still a good count. Further west 13 Mediterranean Gulls were seen between Seafield and Dysart with four Little Gulls off Seafield.

Another epic day of seawatching at Fife Ness on the 29th resulted in a Great Shearwater, 885 Manx Shearwaters, 68 Sooty Shearwaters, three Long-tailed Skuas and three Sabine’s Gulls all being seen. Yellow-browed Warblers were at Fife Ness Muir, Lower Kilminning, Wormiston and Hammer Inn, Crail with a Common Rosefinch being reported in St Andrews. A Pomarine and a Long-tailed Skua were off Fife Ness on the last day of the month with three Sooty Shearwaters past Anstruther, an impressive 487 Little Gulls at Kinghorn and seven Curlew Sandpipers reported at Edenside.

Information supplied courtesy of Malcolm Ware

The first count of Tree Pipits from Ferry Hills came on the first of the month when 48 were seen. 14 Little Egrets were at Guardbridge and nearby at Dairsie there was a Red Kite noted. Letham Pools had six Greenshanks and eight Black-tailed Godwits on its muddy margins with a Green Sandpiper at Ballo Reservoir the next day. The 3rd began with an excellent record of an adult and two juvenile Little Terns at Kingsbarns. There were Mediterranean Gulls to be seen also, with eight at East Wemyss and three at Levenmouth. The number at East Wemyss rose to an amazing 81(including 48 juveniles) the following day with four adults also seen at Dysart, where seven Little Gulls moved west early morning. The 5th began with 112 Tree Pipits at Ferry Hills, then another White-rumped Sandpiper was found near Kilrenny Mill, the second record for the county, fast on the heels of the first at Letham Pools in July. A juvenile Ruff and 12 Little Egrets were at Edenside, the former being the first reported of the autumn. Then the following day seven Ruff flew west together past East Wemyss with 17 Mediterranean Gulls also there and 17 Little Egrets at Edenside. The 7th saw Green Sandpipers at Morton Lochs NNR and Lochore Meadows CP, six Whimbrels were at Balcomie then four passed Anstruther later.

The Ruff was still at Edenside on the 9th with four Whimbrels and a Greenshank at Ruddons Point. A Red Kite was again seen just south of the Tay Bridge on the A92 at Newport. The next morning 141 Tree Pipits flew over Ferry Hills and 18 Little Egrets were counted at Edenside later that day. Early on the 11th a Balearic Shearwater headed west into the Forth on a sunny morning at Fife Ness. A juvenile Little Ringed Plover was at Kilrenny Mill and 17 Mediterranean Gulls were counted from Seafield to Pathhead in the evening. The Little Ringed Plover was still at Kilrenny Mill the next day, while a passage juvenile Marsh Harrier was also noted there. A count of five Whimbrels was made on the coastal path from Elie to St Monans, while later that day on Edenside an adult Pectoral Sandpiper was picked out. On the 13th 15 Black-tailed Godwits and 30 Snipe were counted at Letham Pools and eight Greenshanks and an impressive 54 Whimbrels were at Boarhills, the latter flying south-east. 11 Mediterranean Gulls and eight Black-tailed Godwits passed East Braes, Kinghorn and a Green Sandpiper was at The Wilderness. The next day two Green Sandpipers were at Angle Park GP with five Greenshanks and 12 Black-tailed Godwits at Letham Pools. At East Braes, Kinghorn a Great Northern Diver, a Little Gull and five Mediterranean Gulls were noted.

The 15th was Mediterranean Gull day in the Kirkcaldy area with 21 (including 17 juveniles) at Dysart, a fantastic count for there, then six at the west end of the promenade. 17 Black-tailed Godwits were at Letham Pools and single Pied and Spotted Flycatchers were seen at Kilminning. At Fife Ness 128 Manx Shearwaters, seven Whimbrels and a large shearwater species which eluded definite identification, but was thought to be a Great Shearwater, passed. The next day Pathhead had six Mediterranean Gulls (including three juveniles) at first light feeding on the grass and just along the coast at Dysart 17 were counted (including 12 juveniles) with three Little Gulls also noted. A Spoonbill was found roosting with the egrets and herons at Guardbridge, while at Fife Ness two Pomarine Skuas were loitering for a while before heading into the Forth. The 17th was a memorable day at Fife Ness with not one but two Great Shearwaters passing the headland, with five Sooty Shearwaters, 367 Manx Shearwaters and a Pomarine Skua added to the list. Kinghorn had c11 Arctic Skuas and two Mediterranean Gulls and at Tayport three Brent Geese, seven Little Egrets and a Little Gull were seen. Fife Ness highlights for the 18th were nine Sooty Shearwaters, 194 Manx Shearwaters, a Black Tern, a Pomarine Skua and 71 Whimbrels south. Off Dysart a juvenile Black Tern, 71 Manx Shearwaters and six Mediterranean Gulls (including four juveniles) were seen. East Wemyss at midday had 22 Mediterranean Gulls (including 16 juveniles) and four Ruff showed at Letham Pools, rising to five the next day, when 28 Black-tailed Godwits were also present. At Out Head two juvenile Black Terns were feeding in a flock of at least 1000 terns at the estuary mouth on the 19th with one still present the following day. A Ruddy Shelduck turned up at Dalgety Bay on the 20th with five Ruff, 18 Black-tailed Godwits and an adult Hobby seen at Letham Pools. There was a good count of four Black Terns at Fife Ness and 16 Ravens at Lindores Loch were noted. A Fea’s-type Petrel was reported past Fife Ness around midday. A Spotted Redshank was a great find at Cameron Reservoir and other notable wader sightings on the 21st included 29 Black-tailed Godwits and seven Ruff at Letham Pools and four Ruff at Loch Gelly. At Ferry Hills 98 Tree Pipits were counted with a Black-throated Diver and a Green Sandpiper also seen. At Back Dykes, East Wemyss in the early afternoon 30 Mediterranean Gulls were present on the rocks (including 20 juveniles).

Continuing the recent trend of good waders in the county, an American Golden Plover was seen briefly on the Eden Estuary along with a Spotted Redshank, 25 Whimbrels and a Black Tern on the 22nd. Four Sooty Shearwaters and a Roseate Tern went past Fife Ness, seven Ruff and a Green Sandpiper were at Letham Pools and a juvenile Red-necked Grebe was at Pettycur also that day. Two Redstarts were at Ferry Hills the next day, six Ruff were at Letham Pools and two Sooty Shearwaters were seen from Fife Ness. The upper Forth was the place to be on the 24th with Kinghorn having a Long-tailed Skua, 16 Arctic Skuas, three Mediterranean Gulls and a great sighting of a juvenile Little Tern. Nearby at Pettycur Sands there was a juvenile Black Tern and two more juvenile Black Terns and three Pomarine Skuas were off Dalgety Bay, with another Pomarine Skua seen from Ferry Hills later. At East Wemyss there were 74 Mediterranean Gulls at the Back Dykes roost (including 54 juveniles). The following morning at Dysart an adult Pomarine Skua and 14 Mediterranean Gulls (including 10 juveniles) were seen, and Ferry Hills had 18 Arctic Skuas, 13 Whimbrels, six Spotted Flycatchers and 146 Tree Pipits. The juvenile Black Tern was still at Pettycur Sands, with 12 Black-tailed Godwits at Newmills Bay. A new Scottish record count of Mediterranean Gulls of 93 (including 52 juveniles) was recorded on the 25th at Back Dykes, East Wemyss. What makes this area of rocky shoreline in a small Fife village a magnet for this species is the question, but long may it continue. On the 26th at Letham Pools, a Green Sandpiper and eight Ruff were seen and at Ferry Hills 21 Whimbrels, 71 Tree Pipits and a Redstart were noted. Three Little Gulls and 14 Whimbrels were at Fife Ness and a juvenile Spotted Redshank was at Guardbridge. A Honey-buzzard and a Red Kite were seen from Ferry Hills on the 27th and a Wood Sandpiper turned up at the Wilderness. Ruddons Point had at least six Black Terns in the area with two juveniles also seen from Dysart and two Black-throated Divers noted from East Braes, Kinghorn. Five Sooty Shearwaters flew past Fife Ness on the 28th with 120 Manx Shearwaters also recorded. Boarhills was host to a Pied Flycatcher and later that day a Hobby, while at Dalgety Bay an adult Pomarine Skua was seen. Seven Ruff and 17 Black-tailed Godwits were at Letham Pools and a Green Sandpiper was at Holl Reservoir. The highlight from Fife Ness on the 29th was a juvenile Long-tailed Skua, with a supporting cast of 19 Sooty Shearwaters, 183 Manx Shearwaters and three Little Gulls. Eight Mediterranean Gulls were at Dysart with a Pomarine Skua still in the Forth at Burntisland and the Spotted Redshank was on the Eden Estuary. Three Ruff, 18 Black-tailed Godwits and seven Greenshanks were at Letham Pools on the 30th with 16 Sooty Shearwaters and 331 Manx Shearwaters at Fife Ness. The last day of the month started with two juvenile Long-tailed Skuas heading inland at Ferry Hills, with another at Fife Ness, where five Little Gulls, seven Sooty Shearwaters and 179 Manx Shearwaters were also noted with a Pomarine Skua off Kinghorn.

Information supplied courtesy of Malcolm Ware