And another tale of virtue bringing rewards. I was chafing to get back out to add to the year list this morning but ended up doing chores in the garden when a pair of greenshank flew over “tu-tu-tuing” away (no. 146 for the Crail year list). I had been wanting to get out to the mouth of the Kenly Burn to try to find a greenshank today but they came to me. Greenshanks are like whimbrel and call a lot when migrating which is always nice: you can hear greenshank passing over anywhere in Europe or Africa spring or autumn. Of course I wait for one all year and then three come at once. When I did finally get down to Balcomie another greenshank flew over calling (and a whimbrel!).
Sea watching at Fife Ness was not a patch on yesterday. The wind was pushing things further out and there were almost no terns and only a few small flocks of kittiwakes passing. The only skua was a great skua (very welcome though – first for the year making the list now 147 and well ahead – in all previous years I only get to this total late September or October). It looked massive compared to the long-tailed of yesterday even as it flew past with a gannet. There were also only two manx shearwaters past in an hour: I can’t believe the sooty shearwaters weren’t there, they must just have been passing too far out to see today.
It was a beautiful afternoon. Butterflies are finally appearing in numbers this year with red admirals and peacocks both sunning themselves in my garden. In the evening I heard a couple of late migrating swifts screaming high over the High Street – another reminder that summer is still with us even if many things are moving on.
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