Wknd 7-8 May

Sunday's highlight was two roding Woodcock over the garden.

Did Whitekirk BBS first thing Saturday; some small passerine species seemed down, but Woodpigeon seemed up! Tree Pipit over was first recorded during BBS in 6 years. 2 Wheatear near club house. A 2 dead swans under wires south of New Mains, where Mute flock had wintered, but long dead and no sign of rings. House Sparrow pursued two House Martins into nest on the church, after 10 seconds of chattering inside the first martin was evicted, like toothpaste being squeezed, followed rapidly by the other, leaving the spug peeping out victorious; nest site conflict btwn these species is well known and the sparrow tends to win. This is same nest Tree Sparrows have previously occupied, perhaps they've been evicted too? Finally a beautiful leucistic Woodpigeon at East Fortune, surely the same as at Waughton the previous year (1.5 miles NE).

Friday afternoon - confirmed breeding of Kestrel at Seton, with male taking in a mouse from Blindwells; also Skylark FF at Blindwells, 3 female Wheatear and the 6 resident warbler species in good voice. No Garden Warbler yet though, neither at another traditional site checked near Elvingstone. The Blindwells MTS ponds have been disappointing so far, just 2 drake Mallard today, and indeed the entire complex held no waders today - none of the Wood Sands and Temminck's Stints seen elsewhere. It is also now apparent that the Stonechats which colonised in 2008, breeding successfully, have not returned and must have perished in the hard weather, so back to square one for them :(

Down at Seton shore, one drake Long-tailed Duck in the sea.

Quick look into the Monktonhall colliery site (by Newton Village) on way home produced 2 more f Wheatear, 2 Swift and a singing Grasshopper Warbler (in tussocky field by entrance road).