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.

Wk 4-8 October

On Monday morning 2 juv Swallows opposite the nest site watched to dusk on Sunday evening were apparently long out of the nest; an adult was overhead in the evening and battling the wind on Tuesday evening but looks like breeding activity has ceased - will request entry to barn on Saturday to check nest.

Monday also saw 3 Med Gulls in the Seton pre-roost, a new adult with a single metal ring on right leg, plus an unringed adult and the regular 2nd-win. Couldn't find the latter on Wednesday but a right leg red-darvic adult looked very much like Cherry Blossom, not seen since 22 August. A couple of Sandwich Terns on the shore and 19 Barnacle Geese also flew past SW just offshore at dusk.

On Thursday morning a beautiful juv Chiffchaff was feeding along the burn past the Community Centre in Longniddry. Talk on vismig is of an imminent thrush invasion by the wknd, so it will be eyes to the skies again.

On cue, Song Thrushes and Redwing over the house on Friday morning, but no great flood yet. Busy afternoon - 3 Shag darvics at Wrecked Craigs, including blue-CCT seen previously, 2006 onwards, ringed on the Isle of May on 14/7/98 (so 12 yrs old). 49 GBB present, all but 8 being imm, mainly juvs, a new record count for here. First Purple Sand back on harbour wall. 5 Sandwich Tern and a dark presumed Arctic Skua offshore. Amazingly, ad m Swallow still visiting nest at Seton East, calls of juvs in barn now clearly audible, and a fledged juv (previous brood?) coming in to perch on top of door. Calling juv Chiffchaff there. Finally 17 Barnacle Geese SW over house, plus Cormorant N, 16:00hrs.

Friday 8 October "ad m Swallow still visiting barn with food, 14:30, 15:30hrs, juvs inside now clearly audible; one other juv perched on top of barn door; splash of white on left tail streamer of ad".

Wknd 2-3 October

Saturday/Sunday update - off Cockenzie harbour, a dark-phase Arctic Skua chasing; on Seton Burn, the regular pale-headed ad-win Med Gull (above), in 2100 birds. On Longniddry beach at dusk, a/the 1st-win Med Gull, and the Black-necked Grebe still on sea offshore. An adult Med at same spot at dusk on Sunday, sunset pic at foot.

Residual signs of breeding with a Swallow still entering a barn at Seton East [Postscript - looked up info on Swallow 3rd broods and found this in the BirdTrends report, "we have a sample size of 3382 laying dates, and quite a lot less than 1% are on or after the 23 August - the latest five, that are detailed in the standard analysis we do, were: one on the 25th August, three on the 26th August and the latest was on the 30 August, which would fledge in the 1st week of October!"; NB - still visiting nest to dusk on Sunday] and a Rock Pipit in song on Cockenzie shore [Postscript - BWP defines main song period as late March to early July, fairly frequent to early August; song in Feb, Sept (probably not infrequent in fine weather) and Oct noted by Meiklejohn (1948)].

Commencing Friday morning, an adult female Peregrine was seen over the A720 bypass at Newton; pulling in at Crookston off the A1 I was able to 'scope it a few minutes later hunting over the Esk valley, flushing crowds of gulls and corvids. Even better, between these sightings a sharp-winged raptor went S over the A1 at Whitecraig that could only have been a female Merlin, unconfirmed though; Buzzard and Kestrel completed 4 raptors in the area.

On the ballet run in the afternoon a motley collection of RTD off Seton - 2 off Seton harbour and at least 6 off Wrecked Craigs, latter included just one obvious juv, adults ranging from full breeding to full winter plumage. An unringed 2nd-win Med Gull was asleep by the Seton Burn.

Down at Ferny Ness, a couple more RTD and a straight-billed diver, 99% BTD/GND but not refound and flank not seen, plus pr LTD, first I'd seen back. Grebes included 1/2 RNG, 10+ Slavonian and the presumed returning Black-necked Grebe, which eventually showed well - this is probably its 9th return, and it seems earliest yet with only 3 previous October arrivals detected, second earliest being 9 October last year. An intriguing record from Gosford for 21/1/01 may well have been the same (perhaps evaded detection in winter 01/02?) which would make it the 11th return, and 11+ years old - which seems to be well in excess of confirmed longevity record for this species (via ringing) of 7 years; Slavonian has the same max, whilst Little has been confirmed at 13 years and GCG at 19.

Also on the shore, c. 350 Golden Plover.

Thursday - whilst the rest of the country was drowning in rare birds I was at work as usual - the most excitement was a fully leucistic Wood Pigeon on Gilmerton Road, Edinburgh, did not wait for a photo though. Thoughts on "rares" - people are fond of saying "anything can turn up anywhere" (I most recently read this in David Lindo's "urban birder" article BTO Bird Table) but the reality is distribution of rare and scarce species is incredibly non-linear. If you really want to find them you need to be both in exactly the right place and in the right time window. Those at east coast, or island, hot spots this week will have seen many and rarer species in a day than can be seen in a whole year of regular observation in other places. Nevertheless even things like YBW are regularly picked up inland down south, so never give up hope!

Wknd 25-26 September

In recent days Seton Sands pre-roost (above) found to hold a minimum of 5 Med Gulls, perhaps 7 - max together was 3 adults and a 1st-win on Tuesday 21st. Strangely, very few Sandwich Terns this year whilst last year 40+ were regular in September. 150+ Golden Plover are back though.

Just after midnight on Friday the first yapping Barnacle Geese heard over the house, no doubt en route to the Solway, a week earlier than first nocturnal migrants heard last year. Some are satellite tracked and online maps show that one of those remains phenomenally far north, in north-east Greenland.

vis on Saturday morning produced 44 Barnacle Geese past Ferny Ness c. 09:00hrs (full count). 2nd national BigVis count follows tmrw, should be a few counting again in Fife and Angus, would be great to have some counters on the North Sea coast in Lothian too :)

Little improvement on Sunday with not much movement (full count), though a single dark Arctic moved E offshore before settling on the sea; an adult Med (unringed, above) was on Longniddry beach, as is often the case.

Later was in Dunbar, but only time for a quick look at the sea - nevertheless, what a contrast with far more passing offshore than in the Forth - various ducks and waders north, plus 4 herons, and a steady stream of Manx; 2 skuas, both very distant. The other contrast is the Gannets - not one adult in the 63+ logged in the Forth last 3 days but off Dunbar great streams of adults and the immatures a tiny minority. Do adult Gannets learn it is not worth venturing into the Forth, or are all those remaining still tied to the rock by young?

First Redwings over on Monday, following widespread reports from vismiggers in the Pennines and elsewhere on Sunday 26 September.

Wknd 18-19 September

On Seton Burn at dusk on Saturday an unringed adult Med Gull, soon joined by a 2nd-win with a lot of black in wing tips; later, though in poor light and with pre-roost on shore being disturbed as usual by both kids and dogs, an adult seen at other side of flock and an apparently different 2nd-win with only one obvious bar in wing tip, oh well, 2 possibly 3 were there for sure. These were accompanied by an influx of Herring Gull, 710 on shore, amongst which the usual range of oddballs and an interesting imm LWHG with dark bill and pale head, generally stocky.

Sunday got out late to do WeBS - very little around though an influx of Teal at Chapel, 60+, and a juv Pec Sand on East Fenton Farm resr, photos above. Seen to within 20m, also very well in flight, uttering its repeated "srrook" flight call. 3 wagtails there included at least 2 White Wags (ad+juv). The only other wader was a Dunlin at Chapel.

En route home called in at Aberlady to see the geese arriving and several thousand were on mudflats - clearly a significant early arrival this year (many reports from early last week, first over our house were on Thursday evening), boosted no doubt by favourable tailwinds from Iceland. Amongst a large flock arriving from SE were two small white geese which alighted well out and though nothing could be discerned due to poor light (19:30hrs) these must have been the pair of Ross's Geese seen there earlier. These presumably same as the "tiny two" which have been regular on east coast for a number of years now, and have indeed occurred in Lothian previously, but were deemed then as possible escapes (listed in LBR 07 Appendix 1 for Category E species). See also info for Norfolk.

Also during the week - a Great Crested Grebe on the sea just off Ferny Ness in stormy conditions on Monday, first I have seen there in a while and probably currently less often seen here than Black-necked Grebe!

Wknd 11-12 September

The wknd dawned fine and I knew the impressive mid-week falls would all have gone, nevertheless headed for Seacliff to have a wee look and check for skua passage into Forth. On arriving a Swift was drifting over the top wood where 50+ House Martins were assembled. The north den (above) is one of my favourite spots in Lothian, with beautiful habitat and thick with flying insects today (below); it is also a place I have repeatedly failed to find any evidence of grounded migrants, despite its apparently excellent location right on the corner, opposite the Isle of May and Fife Ness (which had held, for example, 40 Restart and 44 Pied Flys, respectively, mid week!). This Spot Fly (in dead tree, left) was therefore a welcome "first", perhaps a remnant of a larger gathering?

3 hrs watching the sea remarkably produced zero for skuas, full count. Nevertheless, the scene was spectacular, with the sea awash with Gannets; with good visibility Fife can seem remarkably close (Anstruther visible here, 11 miles distant), and individual Herring Gulls can be discerned on roofs, plus Gannets moving along coast, so how do so many skuas creep into the Forth unnoticed?

En route Aberlady held a hunting ad m Peregrine and the view out over Gosford Bay was atmospheric.

Sunday tried vismig at Ferny Ness, with very low expectation of any significant passerine movement despite promising conditions, but aware guys would be counting in Fife and Angus. True to form, just a handful of Mips (full counts), whilst Chris at Elie Ness had a great movement of them plus hirundines. If they cross at all their arrival must be very diffuse. But effort made worthwhile in seeing a f/imm Merlin coming over the Forth from well out, another "first". 2 Meds on Longniddry shore more expected, but included a very white-headed and beautiful adult, and a 2nd-winter. A different adult with dark mask had been on Seton Burn again on Thursday, also a Bonxie E past Seton harbour Friday (one hour count).

Evening the kids found a moribund immature Shag at Port Seton Wrecked Craigs, it followed them up beach but seems in poor way; they came to inform me having noted its ring (BTO 1452543) and though most have darvics it will be Forth Islands/Isle of May. Brought it home, though it had expired mid evening.

Wknd 3-4 September

3 pale-bellied Brents arrived with Shelduck on sea off Craigielaw c. 16:30hrs, climbed out onto Gosford Sands to preen, depicted at c. 1km distant. Two had obvious white neck patches, but could not make out on third so perhaps a family. This followed a frustrating sighting of 2 definite shearwater sp heading NE past on which I really could not make out any white; there was haze but the warmer brown of these birds suggested they might not be Manx, which is the only regular visitor into the Forth [PS - Sooties reported from Anstruther opposite early evening]. Anyone at Gullane Point would have had a clear view. Full counts.

During the previous wk, the Whinchat remained on Blindwells with the Stonechat family (3+) and stripy juv Little Grebes are out at last. House Martins fledged off the house opposite and we had 16 birds over the house, nevertheless less than half the post-breeding peak we have had in earlier years.

On the Seton shore a different adult Med Gull with a dark mask was present on Thursday. The Mute Swans remain, two darvics amongst them (LPT, LSY). Also saw my first Cormorant darvic (ringed this year on Forth island) on Wrecked Craigs rocks but could not get all the letters, will try again.