With westerlies since Monday, this weekend was going to be much quieter than last. At Kilminning this morning there were about 50 redwings, double the number of blackbirds and a handful of song thrush, fieldfare and bramblings. A couple of barnacle geese passed overhead. The only summer migrant – and it might well be a wintering bird now – was a single chiffchaff at Balcomie Farm cottages. Possibly my odd bird from last week – very dull and brownish and making a “shew-aaa” call, more normal chiffchaff call than last week and tending more to a Siberian type call.
The twite flock is back at Balcomie Golf Course in the same place as all last winter – the north end along the coastal path. There were 20 twite at least on the beach, the rocks of the shore or perched on the cattle field fence when disturbed. I hope they stay in residence all winter. After five years of no twites, we have been spoilt the last two.
At Fife Ness there was a steady flow of kittiwakes, moving slowly north, dipping down to the sea and feeding as they went. There were smaller gulls with black underwings among them doing the same – little gulls. It has been a very quiet year for little gulls – some years we have hundreds – this year just a handful. It was reassuring to see them passing. They have probably been here all along, just too far out to see. I counted 46 in thirty minutes and there were probably many more out in the horizon heat haze.
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