Wknd 5-6 June

With young birds at large all over the place, prime time for atlas top-up work (young Starling right in garden, prior to creeping Pitta-like around flowerbed, surprisingly black but I guess plumage fades quickly). Started in Fernyness Wood attempting to confirm Treecreeper, still needed for 10-km, but after several pursuits failed to see any food carrying, most of their time way up in tall trees! Did add Goldcrest though, taking total confirmed in my home tetrad to 27.

Afternoon visited tetrads in south of NT47, adding 9 confirmed (including Blackcap and Chiffchaff) at New Winton (NT47F, previously none confirmed after 2 TTV's, for whatever reason!) then targeting Tyne for Kingfisher. After 2 or 3 hours hanging around had finally given up and nearly at car when heard one calling, new species for NT47 taking total to 143 (minus 2 grouped species = 141, minus hybrid crow = 140, minus White Wag = 139, minus domestic Mallard, Black Swan and Indian Peafowl = 136 proper species).

Rain commenced during the evening, set to continue for 24 hrs, putting a damper on things, but a flock of moult migrant Canada Geese heard low N over house at 23:38hrs certainly the highlight of the day, being a garden tick (species 86)!

Sunday, following up a few leads, fresh Barn Owl pellets found in Garleton Hills then a Woodpecker nest at Craigmoor Wood, Balgone, missed during recent TTV (also re-examined egg shells there and now suspect Buzzard, not Tawny Owl).

Later on coast Manx Shearwaters NE past Ferny Ness and Port Seton (2), also a Canada Goose on sea at latter location. Also off Ferny Ness, 25 Common Scoter SW past, 2 RTD and a Puffin with a beak-full of fish setting off NE for its burrow, which if on Fidra would be a journey of c. 7 miles/12 km [BWP "most birds feed close to colony, probably c. 2-10 km away; at Skomer, most apparently within 8km, 85% within 3 km].

Also last week, Quail article published on birdinglothian, but just at the same time a new set of local atlas maps published showing lots more records (6 new tetrads in east which I was not aware of, and the single West Lothian record referred to in both my articles now vanished!).