An adult Mediterranean Gull was at Out Head (1st), 10 Manx Shearwaters passed Cellardyke heading E, with 103 noted passing Fife Ness heading N, along with 53 Common Scoters passing S. Four Common Sandpipers were on the foreshore at St Margaret’s Marsh (3rd) and counted at Glen Vale were five adult and 11 juvenile Stonechats, with six adult Whinchats, but no juveniles seen. Two Manx Shearwaters passed Cellardyke E, there was a single Common Sandpiper at Cameron Reservoir (4th) and counted at the gull roost at East Wemyss (5th) were three adult and one 2nd summer Mediterranean Gull with six Manx Shearwaters also noted passing E, with a further 116 Manx Shearwaters noted passing heading E. An adult Mediterranean Gull was off Downing Point, Dalgety Bay (6th), 18 Manx Shearwaters passed W at Seafield, where a Lesser Whitethroat was still present in the car park, highlights at Newmills were three Common Sandpipers, eight Greenshanks, two Grey Wagtails, a hybrid Hooded Crow and four Sandwich Terns. A Spotted Flycatcher, the first of the year, was at Kilmany (8th) and the Mediterranean Gull count at East Wemyss was three adults, one 2nd summer and two 1st summer birds, with another adult bird seen at the Scoonie Burn, Leven. A Nuthatch flew in from the west and landed in gardens at Ferry Hills (9th) and at East Wemyss, the Mediterranean Gull count was three adults, two 2nd summers and one 1st summer bird. Seen off Cellardyke (10th) were 44 Common Scoters and a Red-throated Diver, with 153 Gannets, a Sandwich Tern, 12 Common Scoters and 25 Kittiwakes noted there (12th). An adult Mediterranean Gull was on the roof of the treatment plant at Pathhead, with 58 Goosanders also offshore, an adult Mediterranean Gull was also in Dalgety Bay. Counted at Out Head were one Bar-tailed Godwit, 37 Black-tailed Godwit S, one Whimbrel, four Sanderlings, three Ringed Plovers, 33 Dunlins, one Little Gull and one Osprey. Counted from Cellardyke (13th) were 114 Gannets E, 44 Common Scoters E, 15 Black-headed Gulls W, two Sandwich Terns W and a Fulmar E,two 2nd summer Mediterranean Gulls were at East Wemyss and noted at Tentsmuir Point NNR were a 2nd calendar year Little Gull, c220 Sandwich Terns, one juvenile Wheatear, two Green Woodpeckers (anadult and a recently fledged juvenile) and an Osprey. Seen from Cellardyke (14th) were 65 Gannets E and 45 Common Scoters E and noted at East Wemyss were 10 adult, three 2nd summer and five 1st summer Mediterranean Gulls. At Seafield (15th) were a Whinchat, seen between the car park and the sea wall, two Puffins and c100 Goosanders. At Buckhaven were an adult and a 1st summer Mediterranean Gull, with three adults and a 2nd summer Mediterranean Gull seen at East Wemyss. Noted at Tayport were one Osprey S, one Whimbrel, one Greenshank, 13 Black-tailed Godwits and 91 Bar-tailed Godwits and seen at West Wemyss (16th) was an adult Mediterranean Gull roosting on rocks with Black-headed Gulls. A Little Ringed Plover was sound recorded overnight at Inverewe Place, Dunfermline and at Ferry Hills (17th) an adult Pomarine Skua came in high and U-turned. Also, two Tree Pipits were seen, while the first two of the autumn were recorded here on 16th. Two Common Sandpipers were noted at Cellardyke, a juvenile Cuckoo was seen at Wormiston and at Cocklemill Burn four Common Sandpipers were seen as well as a Long-eared Owl unusually hunting in the bright sunshine, giving unbelievable views! Counted from the Eden Estuary Centre were two Scaup and one Tufted Duck, one Barnacle Goose, six Common Sandpipers, four Greenshanks, one Whimbrel, two Ospreys and a Kingfisher. The Long-eared Owl was again seen at Ruddons Point (18th), with a Whimbrel also noted there. Counted from Cellardyke were 146 Gannets E, 35 Common Scoters E, two Mallards W, a Kittiwake W, two Red-breasted Mergansers W, an Arctic Tern W, a Whimbrel and nine Stock Doves W, with 23 Manx Shearwaters noted heading E from Anstruther. The lone Barnacle Goose was still at Guardbridge (19th) and seen at Ruddons Point were a juvenile Red-necked Grebe, 26 Goosanders, two Arctic Skuas W, two Puffins on the sea, one Greenshank and two Common Sandpipers, with the Long-eared Owl also seen well. Counted from Cellardyke were three Sandwich Terns W, 104 Gannets E and two Red-throated Divers E. There was a good find of a female Redstart at Cameron Reservoir, the eclipse drake Garganey was still at the Wilderness, along with 20 Curlews and four Snipe. The Long-eared Owl was calling and sitting in pine trees at Ruddons Point (20th), an adult Long-tailed Skua flew high west at Kinghorn and in fields E of Chance Inn a Quail was heard calling. A seawatch at Cellardyke produced 366 Gannets E and 5W, a Whimbrel and a Red-throated Diver, a female Marsh Harrier was seen hunting over Crail Airfield (21st), three Bonxies and 118 Goosanders were noted at Pathhead, a juvenile Cuckoo was seen at Sypsies Farm, Crail and another female Marsh Harrier was watched near Drumoig. Counted at the gull roost at East Wemyss were 12 adult, two 2nd summer, five 1st summer and one juvenile Mediterranean Gulls. This included a returning ringed bird, 3ERA, which has been annual since 2017. A juvenile Cuckoo was seen from the coastal path near Crail (22nd), the count at East Wemyss was 15 Mediterranean Gulls, comprising seven adults, four 2nd summers and four 1st summers. Also 92 Manx Shearwaters and 70 Common Scoters were noted. A Crossbill was heard in song on the Rankeilour Estate (23rd) and at Ruddons Point an adult Roseate Tern was favouring the beach 100m west of the Cocklemill Burn, along with Arctic and Sandwich Terns. Also noted here were one Red-necked Grebe, one Long-tailed Duck and one Red-throated Diver. At Tentsmuir Point NNR (24th) one Arctic Skua, one 2nd calendar year Little Gull, c600 Sandwich Terns, one Red-throated Diver, one juvenile Peregrine, 257 Goosanders and c300 Bar-tailed Godwits were counted, the Roseate Tern was seen roosting with the tern flock at Ruddons Point, an adult Mediterranean Gull and one Common Sandpiper were at St Margarets Marsh, Rosyth (25th), three Pochard (two drakes), 96 Tufted Ducks, eight Goldeneye, four Common Sandpipers and one Snipe were noted at Loch Gelly and at Lindores Loch were 61 Mallards, 27 Tufted Ducks, four Mute Swans (two pairs with six & five juveniles), one Heron and one female Goldeneye, with two Mallards at Black Loch, also a fleeting glimpse of a female Marsh Harrier over far side over the marsh at Black Loch. One Arctic Skua passed Cellardyke E, a female Marsh Harrier was watched quartering fields NW of Kilrenny, a Nuthatch was seen well beside a path at Dunnikier, Kirkcaldy and seen off Fife Ness were one Bonxie and two Manx Shearwaters N. A Grey Plover was at the mouth of the Cocklemill Burn, counted passing Cellardyke were 430 Gannets E, one Fulmar W, 64 Common Scoters E, four Sandwich Terns E and two W, one Arctic Skua E and two Manx Shearwaters E and a Grasshopper Warbler was heard reeling at Blebo Craigs. Noted at Guardbridge were one Little Egret, one Osprey, one Whimbrel, one Barnacle Goose and two drake Scaup, whilst at Ruddons Point one Red-necked Grebe, one Roseate Tern, two Red-throated Divers, one Whimbrel and one Common Sandpiper were seen. A Cuckoo was seen east of Pittenweem (26th), a Little Egret was south of the bridge at Guardbridge, three Arctic Skuas were seen chasing terns on the beach at Burntisland at low tide, five adult and a 2nd summer Mediterranean Gull were on the grassy area at Pathhead, which equals the record count for this site, also c110 Goosanders. Three Ravens, five Kestrels, five adult and four juvenile Stonechats, one adult and three juvenile Whinchats, one Lesser Redpoll and one Siskin were noted in Glen Vale, an adult Mediterranean Gull, one Greenshank and one Whimbrel were at Dalgety Bay, an Osprey was seen at Tayport and over at Crail a male Merlin was seen. At East Wemyss, 13 Mediterranean Gulls, nine adults, two 2nd calendar year and two 3rd calendar year birds. Also 42 Manx Shearwaters E, 12 Velvet Scoters and c30 Swifts were noted. 236 Gannets E, 24 Oystercatchers W and two Velvet Scoters W was the count off Cellardyke, at Pathhead (27th) three adult and a 2nd summer Mediterranean Gull, one Peregrine and 37 Goosanders were present, a female Merlin was watched at Wormiston and seen at Tentsmuir Point NNR were five Little Gulls, three adults and two 2nd calendar year birds, seen at the lagoon just south of the reserve fence. Counted passing Fife Ness were 592 Gannets N and 302E, also two Manx Shearwaters N, a Green Sandpiper was noted at the Wilderness and at the East Wemyss gull roost, a count of 18 Mediterranean Gulls, included one juvenile and a Sooty Shearwater passed Cellardyke E. At Dysart East Beach (29th) an adult Mediterranean Gull was present, but was noted losing its summer plumage, an Osprey and c15 Mistle Thrushes were watched passing over Kilmany (30th), at Guardbridge a Greenshank and three Common Sandpipers were seen south of the bridge, close by on the Eden Estuary LNR, 18 Greenshanks, one Whimbrel, four Common Sandpipers, two Black-tailed Godwits, two Little Egrets, two Ospreys, one Barnacle Goose, two Kingfishers and four Peregrines were counted and at Craighall Den a juvenile Spotted Flycatcher and six Tree Sparrows were seen, at Fife Ness (31st) were one Sooty Shearwater N, 78 Manx Shearwaters N, four Common Scoters N, three Bonxies N, one Arctic Skua N, two Whimbrels N and two Purple Sandpipers on the rocks. A Cuckoo was seen at the west end of Cameron Reservoir. Off Kinghorn were two Arctic Skuas, one Manx Shearwater, 12 Fulmars, 68 Gannets, 80 Kittiwakes, 12+ Puffins, 45 Common Terns and 26 Sandwich Terns then the month finished with 24 Greenshanks and 14 Common Sandpipers at Guardbridge.
Information supplied courtesy of Malcolm Ware