Introduction
This short blog provides information on seawatching at Fife Ness; access, what you might see, the best conditions for seawatching, and when to go. Further information can also be found on the SOC Where to Watch Birds in Scotland App, and an excellent article by Jimmy Steele published in the 1986 Fife and Kinross Bird Report and reproduced in Scope 115.
The Fife Ness seawatching hide is located on the end of Fife Ness itself, just below the navigation light and right by the coastal path (the access code is available to FBC members from the Membership Secretary). The hide offers shelter from the elements, and provides a comfortable and stable platform for seawatching. As well as in the hide itself, seating is also available infront of the hide and the WWII gun emplacement immediately to the north of the hide. The location of the hide, access routes and parking options are indicated on the map.
Birds can pass by Fife Ness at all distances, meaning that often a ‘scope is required to pick up and identify a high proportion of birds. However, there are times of the year or particular weather conditions where birds pass close by (or indeed over) Fife Ness, providing good binocular views and opportunities for photography. The conditions that provide closest viewing opportunities are during periods of strong northerly winds or winds with an easterly component.
It is also worth bearing in mind that birds sometimes fly directly over or even behind the hide, this is particularly the case during periods of diver and wildfowl passage when it is not uncommon for birds to cut across the Ness itself. For these birds, using the hide is a disadvantage as they are hidden from view.
Birds tend to be seen for relatively short amounts of time (10’s of seconds to a couple of minutes) as they fly past and so it can be very difficult to see fine plumage details. Key to identification for many species can be structure and flight pattern/ behaviour, and this can take time to get familiar with. A good strategy can therefore be to spend time in the hide (preferably at the same time as more experienced observers) focusing on closer birds, slowly increasing the distance at which you pick up and identify birds. June and July can be a great time to familiarise yourself with Guillemot, Razorbill and Puffin as they are in breeding plumage, passing by in very large numbers, and can be close inshore.
Viewing conditions & strategies
On clear or sunny mornings the light can be poor for seawatching at Fife Ness, which faces east, due to the sun glare off the sea and silhouetting of birds. Mornings with complete cloud cover provide much better viewing conditions, though the light in the afternoons is best and can be superb, with the sun being behind the observer.
Days with reduced visibility i.e. when the Lothian and Angus coasts are not visible can increase the number of birds passing closer to Fife Ness. Rain showers or patches of mist can result in birds approaching closer to shore during these periods of reduced visibility, becoming visible to the observer during clearer breaks in the weather.
Days with heavy easterly swell can result in birds being hidden behind waves, reducing the chances of spotting them or successfully tracking them as they pass by. Very strong winds can also result in sea spray that can greatly reduce (or totally eliminate) the visibility. These issues can be further exacerbated when the tide is in, when the hide effectively loses up to 4 metres of elevation. Seawatching during stormy weather can therefore sometimes be extremely frustrating and unproductive, and it may be a better strategy to wait until the weather has started to abate and viewing conditions have improved. The time immediately following stormy weather is often when birds are re-orientating themselves and can pass close by Fife Ness.
Strategies for seawatching vary with individual birders and conditions. If busy and birds are predominantly moving in a single direction e.g. north past the hide, it may be sensible to be watching to the south of immediately infront (12 o’clock) from the hide so that the time that birds can be watched is maximised. Many seawatchers will watch a particular quadrant of sea with little or no scanning, and any scanning will be done very slowly to maximise the chances of picking up moving birds against what can often be a ‘noisy’ background. The prevailing light or glare conditions will also influence where the best quadrant for viewing will be. At other times, for example if there are large numbers of foraging birds or feeding flocks, it can be worthwhile scanning the full field of view. If there are a few people present, it can be a good idea to have someone checking for birds flying very close inshore or overhead as these birds (particularly divers, wildfowl, gulls) can often be missed when using a ‘scope.
A challenge during seawatching can be directing or being directed to a bird that is flying past in a sea with limited or no reference points. Key information to get across is the direction a bird is flying in (usually North or South), the approximate distance (e.g. halfway to the horizon, close to the horizon, above the horizon), and whether the bird has passed any obvious reference points. Markers behind the birds tend to be better than smaller markers close in. These are often absent unless there are ships passing but should be increasingly available (assuming visibility is sufficiently good) as the Neart naa Gaoithe offshore windfarm is constructed. It can be possible to use as reference points the sun, sun glare, or points on the clock (12:00 being perpendicular to the hide). Avoid directions like “over the waves”, “straight out”, and “where I am looking”. Experienced watchers tend to give a mixture of markers because it is difficult to know what different people pick up on. However, please remember, that those providing directions will also probably be trying to get features on the bird. The more time you spend in the hide the better the better you will get at getting onto birds and calling them or providing directions for others.
What to expect during each season
Winter (December – February)
Divers and seaducks are regularly seen moving between the Forth and areas to the north, with Common Scoter, Eider, Long-tailed Duck, and Red-throated Diver the most commonly observed species. There tend to be a few Red-throated Divers, Eider, Razorbills and Guillemots feeding off the Ness through the winter, though their number (and visibility) are dependent upon sea state. Passage numbers of Razorbills and Guillemots are greatest following northerly or easterly winds, which can also produce Little Auks. The rocks just in front of the hide hold Turnstones and Redshanks, and Purple Sandpipers are regularly seen. There are occasional records of Black Guillemots and Manx Shearwaters passing by during the winter. The first Gannets start to reappear during February, having returned from their wintering grounds off Iberia and West Africa.
Spring (March-April)
There is still a lot we have to learn about spring passage of seabirds at Fife Ness. The majority of the locally breeding seabirds have returned by the end of April (the terns and Puffins being the latest arrivals) and can be seen passing by Fife Ness or feeding offshore. Spring seaduck passage is well underway, and Common Scoters, Long-tailed Ducks, and Velvet Scoters are frequently observed, though numbers reduce sharply after April. The chances of seeing Black Guillemots and both Great Northern and Black-throated Divers decline after March. The first Arctic and Great Skuas appear during April, during which month the number of Manx Shearwaters also increases.
Summer(May-July)
The seabird breeding season is underway and truly impressive numbers of adult birds commuting between nesting and foraging sites can be seen passing Fife Ness. This can include birds close inshore, particularly during periods of onshore winds. The numbers of Manx Shearwaters (presumably involving birds breeding on the west coast of Scotland, but also perhaps non-breeding or immature birds) builds up, with 100+ days not uncommon. During July the first returning waders begin to appear, mostly adults and still in breeding plumage, and late July is also when the first Sooty Shearwaters start to appear.
Autumn (Aug-Nov)
Autumn is the most exciting period for seawatching at Fife Ness with dispersing local birds being joined by wanderers from much further afield. The numbers of Gannets commuting between the Bass Rock and feeding areas peaks during August, with the first fledged juveniles appearing in September. The numbers of Arctic, Common and Sandwich Terns peak during August and September, with birds from the local area being joined with post breeding birds from the south and the north. August and September are also best times to look out for Roseate, Little and Black Terns which occur in small numbers in most years. The abundance of terns decline from mid-late September and have largely disappeared by mid-October. Returning skua numbers increase through August, when Arctic, Great and small numbers of Long-tailed can all occur. As with waders, the first birds to appear are adults with juvenile birds appearing a few weeks later. Pomarine Skuas tend to be later in the autumn, but can be seen from August onwards. The first Little Gulls appear during August, peaking during late September/ October. Red-throated Divers begin to return during August, and smaller numbers of Great Northern Divers and Black-throated Divers from mid-September. Numbers of Red-throated Divers peak during September, but during October and November for Great Northern Divers. October and November are also the peak months for the much, much rarer White-billed Diver. Large numbers of Manx Shearwaters can be seen passing by during August and September, and this can be a good time to see birds close inshore as they exit the Firth of Forth on their way north. Sooty Shearwaters become more frequent during August with numbers increasing through to mid-September before declining through October, with small numbers sometimes observed into November. Fulmar move away from the area during late Sept/ Oct following breeding, slowly reappearing during late autumn/ early winter. The first returning geese to appear are pale-bellied Brent Geese at the end of August/ beginning of September, with Pink-footed Geese appearing from mid-September and Barnacle Geese from early October. It is always worth looking (and listening) out for Bean or White-fronted Goose, both of which have been observed at Fife Ness. The majority of geese arriving in the autumn are heading west up the Forth and during strong westerlies can pass very close inshore and low to the water, providing superb views. Migrant passerines (song birds) can be seen arriving from Scandinavian for the winter from September, but the most impressive arrivals occur in the second half of October when the largest arrivals of thrushes occur. At this time of year it is also possible to see Woodcocks and the ‘eared’ owls arriving in-off the sea, or Sparrowhawk and Merlin awaiting the arrival of smaller migrants.
Optimal Weather Conditions
The quality of seawatching at Fife Ness can be very dependent upon both local weather conditions and those further afield. At a local scale, winds with an easterly component can move birds closer inshore. However, far more important are the weather conditions at the larger scale, with strong northerly winds that stretch to the north of Scotland pushing birds from the northern North Atlantic into the North Sea. These birds then pass by Fife Ness as they reorientate themselves and return north. This phenomenon can occur at any time of year, though the species involved will of course be season specific. To illustrate this point, a few examples of the weather conditions that resulted in particularly impressive (in terms of numbers or species) seabird passage at Fife Ness are provided below.
A prolonged period of strong northerly winds resulted in the Fife Ness record count of 50 European Storm Petrels being seen on 24.07.2011, which were thought to have been driven south from their breeding and foraging areas around the Northern Isles and Norway. Map from www.Ventusky.com
Late summer and early autumn 2021 saw unprecedented numbers of Fea’s-type Petrels in the North Sea, particularly NE England and Orkney. The period was dominated by unusually protracted periods of N or NW winds that had followed a series of weather systems moving in from SW of Ireland. The Fea’s-type Petrel at Fife Ness on 30.08.2021 was seen in just such conditions, on which date 17 Sooty Shearwaters, 18 Manx Shearwaters, 101 Little Gulls, 8 Great Skuas, and 5 Arctic Skuas were also observed. Maps from Ventusky.com
The record count of 376 Sooty Shearwaters at Fife Ness on 26.09.2020 was preceded by periods of strong NNW and N winds that extended from north of Norway and Iceland. Perhaps surprisingly only 7 Manx Shearwaters were observed on the same date, alongside 285 Little Gulls, 26 Great Skuas and 7 Arctic Skuas. Maps from Ventusky.com
Sabine’s Gulls at Fife Ness are most often associated with periods of strong NW winds from the Arctic circle, with easterly winds then increasing the chance of birds being moved closer to the Fife coast. On 29.09.2022, three juvenile Sabine’s Gulls were observed from Fife Ness, the maximum day count for the site. On the same day 1 Great Shearwater, 68 Sooty Shearwaters, 885 Manx Shearwaters, and 3 Long-tailed Skuas were also observed at Fife Ness. Maps from Ventusky.com
Wind conditions the day preceding and the day of the Fife Ness record Little Auks count of 2,473 in two hours on 11.11.1995. Strong northerlies from east of Iceland pushed birds into the North Sea with the subsequent strong easterlies across the northern North Sea pushed birds close inshore. Maps from Ventusky.com
The only record of Brunnich’s Guillemot from Fife Ness (and only the 2nd ever in Fife) was seen and photographed flying north on 01.12.2021 during a period of very strong northerly winds that originated from the Arctic. The same day 35 Little Auks, 1 Black Guillemot, and several Common Guillemots that appeared to be of the northern subspecies hyperborea were also observed. During the same period, several Brunnich’s Guillemots were also seen from seawatching points in NE England. Map from Ventusky.com
Jared Wilson