October 20th

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.

Two of the twite down at Balcomie this afternoon

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.

Little gull