06/09/26 Seawatching has been hard work last few weeks on the Fife side of the Forth compared to such delights as Great, Cory's, Balearic and Sabs on Lothian side. But two migrant raptors were excellent compensation at Kinghorn. Osprey south across the Forth AM and Honey Buzzard PM, latter with JSN

27/08/26 Having a week off allowed me time to make a rare visit to Fife Ness. My luck with large shearwaters was out but It was a very enjoyable seawatch. Highlights were 4 species of Skua, 2 Roseate Terns and Sooty Shearwater. #birdingFife

26/08/26 AM and PM watches at Kinghorn. Shame the Great Shearwater over at Gullane didn't come a bit further E up the Forth. That said, some nice stuff to be seen including 5 Roseates and close BN Dolphins AM and a dark Juv LTS PM. AM in the fine company of John Nadin #birdingFife

24/08/26 Good start to a week off, with a new species for the Ferry Hills list- a Great White Egret flying west, enjoyed in the good company of John Nadin. Bit overdue given the recent change in status in Fife/Scotland. Other nice records were a B.T. Diver west inland and 45 Tree Pipit.

22/08/26 Ferry Hills Fine adult Long-tailed Skua circling with 3 Arctic Skua, didn't come inland but drifted back east. 2nd LTS of the year on a more typical date than the first; a second calendar year in June. Also, two images to prove that not everything just flies over Ferry Hills. #birdingFife

16/08/2026. I was pleased to get a Wood Sandpiper at Stenhouse Marsh. A bit of a brief encounter, the bird flying up calling as I arrived. But I'll take it, the site always looks promising for passage waders but is often disappointing.

As hoped, the first 3 fig count of the year at Ferry Hills in the peak Tree Pipit month of August with 228 on 10/8/26. A respectable count in the FH top 10, but a bit of a long way to go to the record day count of 926. #birdingFife

Tree Pipit numbers starting to build up as we head into their peak passage month of August at Ferry Hills. Best count so far 48 on 31/7/26 but hopefully some 3-fig counts to come.

12/07/26 Two rare ducks at Loch Gelly. Picked up a fem/Juv Red-crested Pochard flying in with Pochards, plus the Lesser Scaup pesent a while. RCP pretty rare in Scotland, first I've seen in Fife (or anywhere in Scotland) compared to five Lesser Scaups.

Missed the Caspian Tern twice 26-28.6.26. But I really enjoyed going to Loch Leven, ashamed to say its ages since I've been there, despite it being closer to my home than some parts of Fife. Combined highlights were 3 Osprey, 3 GW Egret, 7 Little Egret, Green and Common Sands, Kingfisher.

An interesting mix of movers the past week at FH. Now we are in the 2nd half June, most of the movement marks the start of autumn e.g., west bound curlew up the Forth, the first 2 Tree Pipits, a G N Diver W inland. A Bonxie heading north inland was maybe a late spring migrant.

FH 12/06/2026 Migration never really switches off completely but it can be pretty slow going in June. But it only takes one quality bird to make your day. Cracking 2cy Long-tailed Skua battling inland into the wind.

29/5/26 Ferry Hills is a good vis mig site but didn't think it could be a gull site. After a convincing Yellow-legged earlier in May, I've now added Caspian to the FH list. The flooded quarry below the hill attracts loafing gullls and I saw a striking 2cy gull with white underwings fly in.

25/5/26 Made the most of a Monday off with a rare trip out east to Kilminning. No E wind, so not really ideal conditions but the warm southerly airflow did have me thinking about Bee-eater. The reality was somewhat different but there were a few migrants. Nice views of 2 Spot Fly and wheatear.

It's easy to focus on the very quiet spring for migrants up here, but need to remember everytime I go up to Ferry Hills I'm surrounded by bird song. A very nice list of breeding species with Linnet, Yellowhammer, Whitethroat, Song Thrush, Blackcap, Willow Warbler and Chiff.

What do you do when the vis mig is slow? Twitch some rare scoters of course. If there was any doubt that Fife is the rare scoter capital then sightings the past week shouldn't leave any doubt. The action has moved west along the Forth to Kirkcaldy with the Black, 2 White-winged and a Surf.

13/05/26 Ferry Hills Same 2cy Yellow-legged Gull as 9th May. This time coming back E over the bridges. The inner primary moult helped me notice the bird and is also a supporting feature for the ID. Three inner primaries dropped would be very advanced for LBB and HG.

Saying the words Yellow-legged Gull in Fife seems to as off limits as actors saying Macbeth in a theatre. But I've got to the age where I don't care anymore.. 9/5/26 FH. On an otherwise V quiet migration watch I noticed a 2cy gull with a very striking tail pattern circling and drifting W.

Almost every year we get a single Red-necked Grebe doing a tour of Fife waterbodies in the spring and summer. That's typically about as far as it gets and pairs have rarely been recorded. Stunning birds.

24/4/26. Fife is maintaining its rep as one of the best places to see rare scoter in the UK. Up to 3 WWS and a Black Scoter at Innerleven with a Stejnegers nearby at E Weymss. I caught up with the Black Scoter and 1 WWS today. Looks good with a golden globe for a bill, bulbous head and thick neck.

Vis mig always hard going in the spring on the Forth compared to autumn. Best so far 7 bean geese sp flying north at Ferry Hills 19/4/26. www.trektellen.org/count/view/1...

Ferry Hills - vismig (Fife, Scotland)

2026/4/19, 06:43-08:35 - Totals: 64 individuals, 11 species, 1:52 hours

trektellen.org

17/4/26 Caught up with the male Northern Eider off Carlingnose Point. Its been around since Feb, found by J Nadin. Appears to be first record of the form borealis in Fife. Our male eiders can have 'sails' but not as big and pointey as these, plus bright bill, different head pattern/head shape.

Spring a bit slow to get going this year with the frequent cold, unsettled conditions. But last weekend 10th-12.4.26 saw quite a few commoner summer migrants around West Fife: Willow Warbler, Swallow, Sand and House Martin, Wheatear, White Wag. Definite highight was a pair of Osprey mobbing a Gos.

13/03/26 A rare trip out of W Fife, I couldn't resist the report of Taiga and Tundra Beans together at Letham. Probably like many Fife birders this weekend, I went down the internet rabbit hole on Bean ID. To confuse things, the bird with the pro-Taiga features is small, presumably female.

04/03/26 Got the vis mig underway for 2026 at FH last few days with signs of spring passsage. I'm also including observations from St Mags Marsh as its next door. A visit there with J Nadin on a calm morning saw some obvious movement. www.trektellen.org/count/view/1...

Ferry Hills - vismig (Fife, Scotland)

2026/3/4, 07:00-08:15 - Totals: 21 individuals, 5 species, 1:15 hours

trektellen.org

22/02/26 Up to 3 WBD remain in the St Davids-Carlingnose area. Its easy to get blasé about species when you get influxes and long staying birds. But.. got to make the most of it, this probably won't happen in the Upper Forth again. One bird very close in, enjoyed in the good company of J Nadin.

14/02/26 Due to diver excitement and time constraints I haven't had a chance to look into a couple of Canada Geese that I had in a field with 700 pink-feet near Otterston Loch. In with Pinks is interesting they are the carrier species for genuine vagrants.

14/02/26 The White-billed Diver madness continues. I was happy enough to see one on Thursday but today 3 different birds could be seen with one sweep of the scope across the bay.

An uprecendented influx of White-billed Divers along the E coast of Scotland the past week, at least 10 birds. No doubt driven in by constant strong easterlies. So a local WBD was on my radar, but you never really think it will happen.... dreams can come true though. Carlingnose Point 12/02/26

08/02/2026 A paultry number in the context of the big influx into the UK lately, but I was pleased to see 3 Russian White-fronts at the W end of Loch Fitty. In fact, I'm always pleased to see anything slightly different there as dosen't seem to happen that often despite being a nice looking site.