I've been able to get Ferry Hills on a regular basis the past week for hour and half or so due to working at home on reports.
There has been a trickle of passage including Crossbill and Brambling on most visits (peak of 12 Crossbill on 2nd, 33 Brambling on 4th.) but generally diminishing returns as the week progressed, it is getting late in the autumn.
Then just when I thought it was nearly over Sat 10th saw an upturn in general passage and a Scottish rarity/Fife mega, a Woodlark flew low west giving its distinctive yodelling fluty call. The views were good as it passed at eye level in good light giving me a chance to pick up some diagnostic plumage features (the black and white carpal markings and the striking head pattern) but really the combination of the call with the shape of the bird (broad rounded wings, short tail) and the flight action (flight even more undulating than Skylark, almost woodpecker like) was distinctive enough in its own right.
When I was down south Woodlark was an uncommon but near annual autumn passage migrant on the Isle of Wight, always nice to see but an anticipated autumn highlight. Its a different story up here, I knew it was a Scottish rarity but didn't realise quite how rare it was in mainland Fife (so excluding Isle of May)-there appears to be no records since before 1950!
My rarest bird of the year, a Woodlark at Ferry Hills. |
Also on the 10th a Jack Snipe was another first for the site, picked up trying to join a flock of Woodpigeons then heading off west up the Forth. Sunday 11th couldn't quite match the excitement of the previous day but there was a good variety of species. A distant Long-eared or Short-eared Owl was watched very high over the Forth heading south, just too far to be certain but the shape of the wings and rather plain dark appearance would make me favour Long-eared. There were good numbers of Red-throated Diver (99) and Kittiwake (259), with both species there was a mixture of birds flying up towards the bridges but then U-turning, while others headed inland. Also single Black-throated and GN Diver, a flock of 21 Black-T Godwit that also contained 3 Knot, yet more Brambling and 137 Fieldfare to boost the variety.
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