Click HERE to download a copy of the Fife Bird Site Guide

The site guide is dedicated to the memory of Gerry Owens (1957-2013). 

The introduction and acknowledgments from the guide are reproduced below:

A few years ago, on a rain-soaked morning on one of the Shetland Isles, Fife Bird Club member, Anthony Mallon, chatted to our FBC Chairman about the idea of a new guide for Fife which would help members negotiate the main birding sites in the Kingdom. The Scottish Ornithologists’ Club had produced a valuable guide in 1991 but some of the sites mentioned have become less attractive since those days and others have gained more prominence. Prior to that chat with Anthony, the idea of a new guide had been mentioned more than once in FBC circles and gradually the project began to build momentum.

Since then, there has been the advent of the SOC’s ‘Where to Watch Birds in Scotland’ phone app. It was felt that we could complement this, particularly by providing information in a traditional hard copy format that would appeal to those less familiar with and/or enamoured with, modern  technology. So, although it’s taken longer than expected, we now have the finished product. One of the aims of the guide is to highlight not only well-known rarity hotspots but also other locations which may be less well-watched but worthy of attention. If an unusual species turns up at one of these lesser-known sites, then the guide will be useful for those wishing to access a site which may be unfamiliar to them. A further purpose is to raise awareness of the many sites in Fife worth protecting, this being particularly important in a time of significant loss of biodiversity. The listed sites are also spread across the county, helping those who wish to limit their carbon emissions to explore areas local to them without having to travel too far.

It hasn’t been possible to include every site of note, the final selection being determined by those contributors who had the relevant knowledge and the willingness to share it with others. We are indebted to their efforts since the guide would not have been possible without their participation. We are also very grateful to the family of the late Gerry Owens whose kind donation has provided the funding for the final product.

Lastly, to return to that chat on Shetland – Anthony, we hope we’ve done it justice!

Editorial Team (Keith Ballantyne, Anne Galbraith, Derek Robertson, Graham Sparshott, Malcolm Ware).

Acknowledgements

The following contributors have provided the information for the various sites included in the guide. Our thanks go to them all. Rob Armstrong, Keith Ballantyne, Harry Bell, Kim Blasco, David Boggon, Allan Brown, Will Cresswell, Tony Davis, Dougie Dickson, Tim Drew, Norman Elkins, Andy Falconer, Anne Galbraith, Caroline Gordon, Dave Heeley, Jim Husband, Alastair Inglis, Willie Irvine, Elizabeth Irwin, John Irwin, Alex Kidd, Willie McBay, Ian McKenzie, John Nadin, Jonathan Nugent, Marilyn Nugent, Derek Robertson, Tommy Ross, Ken Shaw, Richard Smith, Graham Sparshott, Jean Stewart, Ranald Strachan and Malcolm Ware. We are also grateful to Pandaprint for their printing expertise and to the SOC Fife branch for their co-operation in this production. Our grateful thanks also go to Keith Ballantyne and Malcolm Ware for the scenic images and special thanks go to John Anderson who has provided all the colour bird images.