04/03/26
Got the vis mig underway for 2026 at FH last few days with signs of spring passsage. I'm also including observations from St Mags Marsh as its next door. A visit there with J Nadin on a calm morning saw some obvious movement.
www.trektellen.org/count/view/1...
22/02/26
Up to 3 WBD remain in the St Davids-Carlingnose area. Its easy to get blasé about species when you get influxes and long staying birds. But.. got to make the most of it, this probably won't happen in the Upper Forth again. One bird very close in, enjoyed in the good company of J Nadin.
One bird fairly pale and bigger than Pinks but neck looked shorter and bill finer than regular Canada. Second bird always asleep but looked quite dark.
14/02/26
Due to diver excitement and time constraints I haven't had a chance to look into a couple of Canada Geese that I had in a field with 700 pink-feet near Otterston Loch. In with Pinks is interesting they are the carrier species for genuine vagrants.
14/02/26
The White-billed Diver madness continues. I was happy enough to see one on Thursday but today 3 different birds could be seen with one sweep of the scope across the bay.
An uprecendented influx of White-billed Divers along the E coast of Scotland the past week, at least 10 birds. No doubt driven in by constant strong easterlies. So a local WBD was on my radar, but you never really think it will happen.... dreams can come true though. Carlingnose Point 12/02/26
08/02/2026
A paultry number in the context of the big influx into the UK lately, but I was pleased to see 3 Russian White-fronts at the W end of Loch Fitty. In fact, I'm always pleased to see anything slightly different there as dosen't seem to happen that often despite being a nice looking site.
6/2/26
The frequent E storms brought small numbers of Little Auks into the Forth which I was doing a good job of avoiding. So, nice to finally see one past Pettycur. Also 5 Little Gulls lingering.
A fairly quiet start to the year for me. At least one Water Pipit still at St Mags Marsh early in the month (suspect 2). The cold snap early in Jan froze over lots of lochs but as usual, Kinghorn Loch stayed mainly open and had decent numbers of ducks. A couple of Greater Scaup but nothing rarer.
The year closed fairly out fairly quietly. A typical late Dec arrival of Scandi Herring Gulls at a few W Fife sites. Late skuas at Kinghorn: Juv Arctic on 19th and Bonxie on 21st. Water Pipit around St Mags Marsh until at least 20th.
03/12/25
Water Pipit still around St Margarets Marsh. Hard to see as often on pools hidden by reeds. At one point I got lucky when it flew up into a tree.
29/11/25
Pettycur/Kinghorn
A suitable wind out of the North, but rather late in the season. So it was a big suprise to get a Juvenile Long-tailed Skua, my latest ever. A look on Trektellen indicates records aren't that unusual in the 2nd half of Nov in European waters, but hardly any in Dec.
Still a scarce bird in Fife, we don't seem to get the numbers they do along the Lothian coast but this subtle species is perhaps overlooked.
25/11/25
St Margarets Marsh delivers again with nice views of a Water Pipit on the seawall. I've now had this species here each winter since 2023-2024, perhaps even the same individual as they are known for site fidelity.
It seemed like colonisation was imminent but perhaps the winters are still a little on the hard side up here.
Time to start looking at my winter patch at St Margarets Marsh. A good start with the 3rd Cettis Warbler for Fife. The first Fife record in 2021 was quickly followed by the 2nd, also at St Mags, in 2022.
Autumn migration pretty much done now at Ferry Hills. If the 14th November turns out to be my last visit of the year it was a decent finish, with divers and kittiwakes heading overland for the W coast. A few Little Gulls hiding in the Kitt flocks too.
www.trektellen.org/count/view/1...
Early November has started in the same quiet vain as late Oct although a drizzly day on the 8th was brightened up by 7 big, pale Bullfinches at Ferry Hills showing features of Northern birds. Coincided with a few down the E coast/N Isles.
Second half of October was hard work on the vis mig front at Ferry Hills. Often a really good time but a bit pedestrian this year. 10 Taiga Bean Geese on 25th was nice to see. I expect them annually on route to Slamannan Plateau but still a rare bird in Fife.
20/10/2025
Some Annual Leave meant I could make my first visit of the year to the the E Neuk. The promising migrant weather had a lot to do with; E winds and heavy overnight rain followed by a calm morning. Not a big fall but I enjoyed close views of Eastern Lesser Whitethroat and YBW.
Double-figure Poms (11) were also feature of a nice seawatch at Kinghorn/Pettycur on 19th which also produced a Juvenile Sabines Gull.
www.trektellen.org/count/view/2...
An influx of Pom Skuas into the Forth has been very enjoybale, starting from around the 13th October and culminating for me with an awesome flock of 21 at Ferry Hills on 18th.
www.trektellen.org/count/view/1...
11/10/2025
Good variety on the move at Ferry Hills including a vocal Pectoral Sandpiper.
www.trektellen.org/count/view/1...
5/10/25
A fairly small, dark, square headed and small billed Canada Goose with a normal Canada in a flock of 350 Greylag at the E end of Loch Gelly. In terms of carrier species, probably better if it had been with the 1000+ Pinks at the other end of the loch, but still an interesting looking bird.
Leach's a very good bird in the Forth, especially if you don't include the exceptional happenings during storm Babet in October 2023.
4/10/15
Kinghorn/Pettycur
Morning after the passing of storm Amy. Generally not much happening during the seawatch but two birds made it more than worthwhile; Leach's Petrel and a migrating Taiga Bean Goose battling into the wind.
Other misc highlights across the week included an obliging Kingfisher at Hersey Nature Reserve (almost taken by a Sprawk), Southern Hawker and Clouded Yellow.
IOW Trip 22/9-25/9
The best was saved to last, literally, in my last few hours spent at St Catherines Point, one of my favourite Island spots. I almost stepped on a cracking Wryneck which proceeded to give great views. Two Juv Hobby hawking insects added to a nice finish to the week.
Vis mig highlight was the hirundine passage, on a scale I just don't see up here in Fife. Best day was 23/9 at Whale Chine when we estimated 20,000 hirundines battling into the NE breeze over a 3.5 hr period (Approx. 60/40 Swallow/House Martin). Spectacular, never can do it justice in photos.
Grounded migrants generally in small numbers in the sunny weather but we pulled out some nice birds including Ouzel, Pied Fly, Lesser Whitethroat and close views of 2 Grasshopper Warbler amongst more numerous Chiffchaff and Blackcap.
