Today...

Back in Fife and a lively start to the birding in 2016. With persistent strong easterlies the number of Little Auks in the Forth has been building the last few days and today I experienced a proper wreck of this species for the first time. A sort of hybrid seawatch and walk between Carlingnose Point and Inverkeithing produced at least 630 Little Auk. A large proportion of these were counted flying into the Inner Bay at West Ness, Inverkeithing; it a was weird experience having flocks of them,almost like small waders, flying into the bay over the breakwater.
The most memorable moment was having one crash land at my feet. Thought it might need some help but when I reached down to help, it scurried off into  the water. On the drive back through Inverkeithing I had one flying over the High Street.
I always have mixed emotions about these sort of events as the only reason these birds are present this far up the Forth is because they have been weakened by storms which have prevented them feeding. As is normally the case with Little Auk wrecks (and other species such as Leach's Petrel) GBB and Herring Gulls were seen to catch and eat many.
A good supporting cast included 2 Med Gull (Back to being uncommon after my holiday down south at xmas), 1 Scandinavian Herring Gull, 1 Sandwich Tern, 132 Kittiwake and a Slav Grebe.

Yesterday a look round the Rossie Bog area produced plenty of Greylag and Pinkfeet to look through but nothing much in the way of scarcer geese with 2 Barnacles the best. I didn't expect a corvid to be the highlight; a handsome Hooded Crow was feeding around cattle in a field near Easter Kilwhiss Farm. This is a surprisingly rare bird in Fife with most records relating to hybrids. This one was certainly the real deal.

This one landed at my feet but then scurried off into the water.

Same bird took a short rest and then got into the water.