Sunday 10 October 2010

Wknd 9-10 October

vis at Ferny Ness on Sunday failed to produce any thrushes, though 3 adult Med Gulls on the shore, amongst only 400-odd small gulls (full counts). All seemed to be unringed.

Redwing heard later at Seton East, where 2 Swallows were still hiding in the barn by the farm shop, presumably the recently fledged birds but after a couple of circuits inside flew off and could not relocate!

Around WeBS and doing the grey goose survey in the afternoon: 100 Mute Swans at East Fenton included just 2 juvs and 2 ringed birds (orange and white, i.e. Clyde and Borders origin); remarkable to see so few with rings!

Fields btwn Chapel and Prora were stuffed with birds, 590+ Lapwing, 560 Herring Gull, 40+ Golden Plover and 3 juv Ruff (2 m, f), plus small gulls, corvids, starlings, etc; remarkably, amongst feeding Lapwings were 15 Buzzards on the ground clearly taking worms, one pale morph bird entirely cream coloured below. On resr, 69 Teal, f/imm Shoveler and 279 Greylag which then flew to fields flushing feeding waders, along with domestic geese hybrid friends who accompanied them last year.

At Scoughall, a Hooded Crow in fields by the entrance road; very pale grey in right places, but when I got camera out to get some evidence flew off towards Lochhouses and not relocated. This is my first proper one in Lothian, but it is a description species so will depend on it being accepted!

Back to Newbyth at dusk, no Greylags to roost, just a single domestic goose, but this was more than compensated by good views of an otter snorkelling in the main pond; a Tawny Owl was calling nearby.

No comments:

Post a Comment