December 30th

9 flyover Waxwing  livened up a shopping trip to Dunfermline Aldi

January 1st.

A new year begins. Always has been a tradition for me to get out birding on New Years Day and my motivation was helped by the bright, if breezy weather.
In a very layed back tour of a few Fife sites, my first port of call was Rossie Bog. There was a decent number of Whoopers on the main pool, a nice count of 76, along with over 100 Greylag. Couldn't pick out anything scarcer. Nearby I found 150 Pinkies but once again nothing different with them.

I ended up at Lochore Meadows, another good place for wildfowl but also a place with a history of attacting redpoll flocks including the occassional Common (Mealy). The numerous paths criss-crossing the site make it relatively easy to locate flocks in the stands of birch and alder. I quickly came across a small flock and was surprised to come across a spanking male Mealy with at least 6 Lessers, plus another bird that looked good but after checking out ID articles may not necessarily be one. All a bit of a learning curve for me as when i was living down South just finding a flock of Lesser Redpolls was notable.

Whoopers at Rossie Bog

This bird attracted attention because of it's pale supercil and surround to ear coverts and lightly streaked flanks on a pale background. It also had pale tramlines down the centre of the mantle. I was bit concerned that greater coverts show a buffish wash, perhaps too much for  a Mealy?

In typical fashion, this cracking male Mealy refused to pose for the camera but I saw it well through the Bins. It had a very pale off white supercil and greater covert bar, whitish rump etc. In the pic the relatively lightly streaked flanks on a pale ground colour can be seen and the bird gives a bulky impression.

A male Lesser looking typically heavily streaked and buff washed.