Wknd 7-8 July

A sentinel Oyc here with large chick being tended by mate just beyond on derelict car park at Oak Tree, Haddington (first spotted earlier in week by Abbie!); another Oyc on roof of Commerce Centre, perhaps that's were the nest was?

Siskins everywhere at present locally - seems wherever you stop one can be heard; saw 10+ at Letham Mains with juvs, most likely bred there but hard to prove now.

At Seton Chapel drew a blank yet again on Spot Fly so early June record perhaps just passing through? More positively in the remaining rough ground between Seton Chapel woods and Seton Sands caravan park singing Grasshopper Warbler, Reed Bunting and Skylark, also Sedge Warbler there and Goldcrest and Stock Dove in song nearby. Gropper song post just inside NT47C where not yet confirmed - last year's success was on same slope about 200m E. Did a stake-out but after half an hour had not even sighted the singing bird, never mind proof of breeding. In the interim very loud disco music had started booming out of the caravan park "...everybody look to the left, everybody look to the right...", Mr Gropper ignored it. A further compensation in finally locating the local Kestrel nest and seeing 4 well grown juvs begging as an adult came in with prey, one was out on a branch whilst another still had a couple of bits of down on back of the head - they will fledge very soon hopefully.

Deja vu with the disco music, Yellow Wag stake-out a couple of weeks ago was accompanied by a full pipe band which struck up in a shed in Macmerry industrial estate just near where I was standing. And before that going to remote tetrad NT45E in April and finding the whole area overrun by scrambler bikes!

Sunday - 355 Sandwich Terns on Gosford Sands were making a racket mid-afternoon, many still courtship feeding and now 19 juvs amongst them begging for food! Seems this is the highest first half of July count since 1992 (634 Aberlady 12/7/92, 1/3 juvs). An Ythan red darvic again and two banded light-green over red (2008 Forvie chicks). 3 ad RNG off Ferny Ness, also a raft of 55 Velvet Scoter there. Off Seton harbour 9 RTD together on sea and 25 Common Scoter flew past.

Atlas additions included Sedge Warbler confirmed at Longniddry c/p 2 bog - saw FF bird which came out to scold a Stoat which appeared on the path in front of me! Early morning also got a juv Tawny calling in Barebanes Wood, Whitekirk, also Crossbills and Jay there. The Peffer Burn was way higher and wider than I've ever seen it:

I usually leap over here, sometimes with a run up, or if I chicken out cross at a sluice where the level drops several feet. There was no sign of the sluice gate today, just a ripple on the surface:

Monday morning - back at Penston in the rain, Yellow Wag appeared in song flight as soon as I did my Quail whistle (hmmm, must be a poor impression, perhaps that's why no Quails ever respond?!) - flew a long way south dropping into sheep field towards Boggs (NT47K) presumably to feed there. From office window confirmed Goldcrest breeding in pines directly opposite, just 2nd confirmation in NT27 (Edinburgh).