A male Merlin was seen at Plains Farm, Dunshalt (3rd), 16 Long-tailed Ducks, six Red-throated Divers, one Slavonian Grebe, one Great Crested Grebe and one Guillemot were off Out Head and seen passing Fife Ness were two Little Auks N, two Puffins, five Common Scoters, 11 Long-tailed Ducks and 10 Red-throated Divers. Noted passing Fife Ness (4th) were five Little Auks, four Puffins, 19 Common Scoters, one Velvet Scoter, three Red-breasted Mergansers, 10 Long-tailed Ducks, 60 Eiders and a distant Grey Heron, with 34 Little Auks N, 21 Puffins, 48 Common Scoters, eight Velvet Scoters, 24 Long-tailed Ducks, two Wigeon, one Goldeneye, one Red-breasted Merganser, four Fulmars and 22 Red-throated Divers counted from Fife Ness (5th). Seen in the Kincraig/Ruddons Point area were one Black-tailed Godwit, c60 Yellowhammers, c150 Linnets, one Peregrine and a 2nd winter Mediterranean Gull, with two Jack Snipes and 11 Snipe noted at Cocklemill. Seen from Kinghorn were 36 Little Auks, three Puffins, two Manx Shearwaters, eight Red-throated Divers, one Great Northern Diver on the sea, 43 Long-tailed Ducks and 18 Red-breasted Mergansers and at Kingsbarns were one Great Northern Diver SE, also seen were c100 Twite (80 at Boghall and 20 at Station Road). Also at Station Road were, 127 Corn Buntings, c200 Linnets, c100 Yellowhammers, c150 Chaffinches and c50 Tree Sparrows. 305 Greylags were seen feeding at Barns Farm (6th) and nearby off Braefoot Point were one Great Northern Diver, four Red-throated Divers, six Gannets and three Guillemots. Five Little Auks passed Dalgety Bay E and off Braefoot Point (7th) were one Great Northern Diver, two Great Crested Grebes and a Raven. Noted off Kinghorn (8th) were 79 Little Auks, c30 Guillemots, six Razorbills, nine Great Northern Divers, four Red-throated Divers, three Manx Shearwaters, two Fulmars, three Kittiwakes, three Slavonian Grebes and 65 Long-tailed Ducks. One possible Brünnich’s Guillemot, two Little Auks, one dead on the beach, one on the sea, seven Slavonian Grebes, two Great Northern Divers, two Red-throated Divers and c400 Shags were at Burntisland and seen from Fife Ness were one Bonxie S, one Great Northern Diver N, five Red-throated Divers N, one Long-tailed Duck S and three Common Scoters N. A female Merlin and six Whooper Swans were at Ballo Reservoir (9th), one Merlin, two Stonechats, c125 Corn Buntings, c35 Twite, 15 Yellowhammers, three Reed Buntings, c41 Tree Sparrows, four Mistle Thrushes and c230 Linnets were noted at Kingsbarns and seen at Out Head were c50 Yellowhammers, three Stonechats, eight Slavonian Grebes and one Great Crested Grebe. One Little Auk, one Guillemot, one Manx Shearwater E, 26 Long-tailed Ducks E, 18 Common Scoters W, one Red-throated Diver E, three Kittiwakes and three Red-breasted Mergansers W were seen off Kinghorn, with four Little Auks S, two Puffins, three Great Northern Divers, 14 Red-throated Divers, six Velvet Scoter N, four Common Scoters, one Long-tailed Duck and one Red-breasted Merganser counted from Fife Ness. Seen on Mugdrum Island (10th) were c10 Bearded Tits and noted on Windmill Road, Cellardyke were 50 Fieldfares, 15 Grey Partridges in a stubble field, one Goldcrest, eight Goldfinches, four Blackbirds and two Robins. Three Great Northern Divers, one adult Mediterranean Gull, two Slavonian Grebes, six Red-throated Divers, 17 Long-tailed Ducks, 28 Common Scoters and 72 Curlews W were counted between Pathhead and Dysart (11th), three Little Auks S, four Puffins, 20 Long-tailed Ducks, 28 Common Scoters, four Velvet Scoters, 21 Red-throated Divers, three Red-breasted Mergansers, 11 Purple Sandpipers, four Fulmars, six Gannets 40 Guillemots N, five Razorbills and a Fieldfare in off the sea were seen from Fife Ness and on the wet grassland at Valleyfield Lagoons, one Woodcock, 15 Snipe, two Greenshanks and a Wren were noted. Seen off Leven were one Black-throated Diver, five Slavonian Grebes, one Puffin and an adult Mediterranean Gull and from Ruddons Point a Great Northern Diver was seen. Three Ravens and a Crossbill were seen at Cameron Reservoir (12th), an adult Mediterranean Gull, two Merlins and 12 Purple Sandpipers were noted between Sauchope in Crail and Kilminning. A Chiffchaff was seen on Bogward Road, St Andrews (13th), seen off Burntisland (14th) were two Great Northern Divers, one Slavonian Grebe, four Red-throated Divers and an adult Little Gull and a ringtail Hen Harrier was seen at Mugdrum Island. A Black-necked Grebe was seen and photographed off Burntisland (15th), with another seen from Leven (19th), along with six Slavonian Grebes, one female Scaup, 20 Goldeneye and five Razorbills there. A Pomarine Skua was seen from Fife Ness and seen at Kilconquhar Loch were a 1st winter drake Scaup and two Water Rails. Counted on Loch Gelly were 24 Pochards, 48 Goldeneye, 68 Tufted Ducks, 149 Teal and 41 Cormorants, 27 Whooper Swans and 76 Wigeon were counted at Craigluscar, a Common Chiffchaff was seen at Rumblingwell, Dunfermline and noted off Kinghorn were three Manx Shearwaters. 24 Snow Buntings were seen on the edge of the dunes just north of the beach car park at Tentsmuir, the Black-necked Grebe was still present off Leven (20th), with three Slavonian Grebes and c50 Long-tailed Ducks also noted. An adult Mediterranean Gull was at Anstruther and seen at Cocklemill Marsh (21st) were nine Twite, with two Great Northern Divers seen close by from Ruddons Point. The highlight at Torry Bay waseight Pintail and a Barn Owl was seen near Freuchie. Seen from Drony Road, Kingsbarns (22nd) was a ringtail Hen Harrier, c10 Twite were seen well at Kilrenny Mill, c800 Pink-feet were in fields opposite Clayton Caravan Park and a mixed flock of birds (c75) at Cellardyke included Yellowhammers, Reed Buntings and Tree Sparrows. Two Wigeon W, 16 Red-throated Divers W, one Black-throated Diver W, two Great Northern Divers W, two Manx Shearwaters, 1E, 1W were seen from Kinghorn (23rd), with an adult Little Gull and four Manx Shearwaters lingering offshore there the next day. Noted at Kinghorn (25th) were a 1st winter Glaucous Gull just off the car park throughout, 100 Curlews W, 68 Long-tailed Ducks W, 25 Common Scoters W, five Red-throated Divers W and 2E, two Great Northern Divers E, c200 Shags offshore and three 1st winter Kittiwakes. Noted there the next day were a 1st winter Glaucous Gull flying E past car park, c655 Shags, 74 Curlews, 56 Long-tailed Ducks, 36 Common Scoters, two Great Northern Divers offshore and 1W and two Red-throated Divers W and 1E. Also seen were one Red-necked Grebe, two Manx Shearwaters, 55 Great Black-backed Gulls, one Purple Sandpiper and 12 Turnstones. At Valleyfield Lagoons (27th) were 28 Snipe, one Woodcock, one Water Rail and a Snow Bunting on the sea wall. A ringtail Hen Harrier was seen hunting at Rossie Bog, with 18 Snipe also noted there. Nine Slavonian Grebes and two Great Crested Grebes were seen from Out Head, three Water Rails, 54 Goosanders, 110 Wigeon, 40 Goldeneye and five Gadwall were counted at Lindores Loch and seen in Anstruther Harbour were a Red-throated Diver, with c25 Rock Pipits seen going to roost. The Black-necked Grebe was still present off Burntisland and seen from Kinghorn (28th) were two Manx Shearwaters E, 75 Curlews E, c744 Shags, 115 Long-tailed Ducks W, 28 Common Scoters, three Red-throated Divers, two Velvet Scoters E and two Puffins W. A Barn Owl was seen just outside Kirkcaldy on the Kinghorn road, 24 Snow Buntings were on the beach close to the car park at Tentsmuir and seen on Windmill Road, Cellardyke were one Redpoll, one female Bullfinch, two Great Tits, four Blue Tits, four Coal Tits and two Blackbirds, with three Kestrels seen on Blacklaws Road, Kilrenny. Seen passing Fife Ness (29th) were 85 Long-tailed Ducks S, 32 Common Scoters S, four Velvet Scoters S, one Puffin N, 20 Red-throated Divers, 10 Fulmars, 13 Gannets N, one Purple Sandpiper N and three Golden Plovers S, a Jack Snipe was seen at St Andrews and at Cameron Reservoir (30th) were an adult drake Smew, one Black-necked Grebe and 19 Pintail. A Red-throated Diver was seen at Anstruther Harbour, a Barn Owl was seen at Shiells Farm, near Freuchie and the Black-necked Grebe was still present off Burntisland (31st), with the drake Smew also still present at Cameron Reservoir. Counted at Boghall, Kingsbarns were 30 Twite.
Information supplied courtesy of Malcolm Ware