Local Birding (Loch Leven, Loch Ore, Seafield & Kinghorn)

 We are so lucky to have some great places on our doorstep. Loch Ore is a 10 minute walk, Loch Leven is less than a 15 minute drive, then Kinghorn and Seafield are about 25 minutes in the car. So here a few pics from all of those that we visited in the second half of July.

Kinghorn:

We are in process of joining Shorewatch, this is a group of volunteers that monitor Cetaceans  (That's Dolphins, Porpoise and Whales to you and me!) on the east coast of Scotland and Kinghorn is one of the watch points, as it affords fantastic views over the Firth of Forth. So recently we have been going there a lot, but as yet we have come up with no sightings, we have been terribly unlucky as others have seen them at all times of the day! However there is always plenty to enjoy there. Watching Gannets and Terns fishing offshore. The nesting Fulmars on the cliff face less than a hundred yards from where we sit, so we have been watching the chicks grow up from tiny fluff balls to now quite large fluff balls!

A Fulmar on the nest, I have some chick photos still on the camera, so will add those when I get chance in a new post.

Some views from Kinghorn:

Inchkeith Island,

a distant Bass Rock,

and Kinghorn Harbour.

Lochore:

As I've probably said before Loch Ore Meadows is only a short walk from out house, it has a small nature reserve, with a (poorly designed) hide, which we visit as often as we can as you never know what turns up:

A couple of Snipe among the Lapwings. (it was a dull day so the photos are pretty poor)

Lapwing,

Curlew:

Elsewhere around the Loch there's always plenty to see:

Great Crested Grebe,

Greylag Geese,

Black-headed Gulls,

Jackdaw

a young Robin,

Great Spotted Woodpecker,

and a Grey Heron.

Loch Leven:

Loch Leven is big! It's about 13-14 miles to walk around, compare to just 3 for Loch Ore. But we have lots of different spots that we go to around it. The following photos are from the RSPB reserve at Vane Farm on the Loch.

Wild flowers at the reserve,

Orchid,

Goldfinch & Redpoll,

Young Swallow,

Goldfinch,

Little Grebe

That will do for now, I'll do Seafield (near Kircaldy) in the next post!

TTFN!

A Lochore Meadows Walk

 We took a stroll around our Loch on Wednesday, so we were out a while, with a stop at the visitor centre for a coffee and to buy a butty as we hadn't planned to be out as long as we were!

It was a dullish day at first and a bit rainy so we stopped at the hide to let the drizzle clear a bit and see what was about. Sadly the first thing we saw was that some scumbags had made a fire on the bench and burnt through the wooden seating, there was just enough space for the two of us at either end.

The reeds on the pools are still quite high, so visibility across to the scrape is limited, but there were lots of Teal and Mallard, but not much else could be seen. After we left the hide a load of Redwing were seen along the pathway to the Loch, but very flighty, sadly not staying put for a photo.

Unlike the Mute Swans at the Loch itself:

Some Pink-footed Geese in the fields,

along with Greylag Geese.

Always plenty of Black-headed Gulls by the visitor centre

as well as Pied Wagtails

and Jackdaw.

Away from the visitor centre on our way back a couple of Wren were zooming around the Loch edge.

The local rowing team were out, the cox wanting them to get on with it by the look of it!

Then in the large pool at the Kelty end of the Loch a couple of Whooper Swans were found

along with some Wigeon. Another lovely walk with loads to see, just a few minutes from our front door! 

A Few Days in Cornwall

Last week we took advantage of a Groupon offer and had 4 nights down in Cornwall in Harlyn Bay just outside Padstow. It's six years since we were down that neck of the woods, so it was nice to visit some of favourite places and walks.

We started off with a walk around Pentire Head and the Rumps, which we had done a two or three times in the past and have our favourite coffee stop at the Rumps where we sit and watch. What we had forgotten is that to get there from the NT Lead Mines Car Park is quite up and down and that we are six years older, but we managed it and completed the circular walk back via Polzeath.

Of course along the way there were some birds! Unfortunately for some inexplicable reason I had left the camera in our hotel room! What a plonker! Only realised just before we got to the car park and didn't want to turn back, so just have to make do with a list of what we saw and a scenic snapshot taken on my phone.

The birds..... 

Blackbird, Blackcap, Buzzard, Cormorant, Fulmar, Herring Gull, Jackdaw, Kestrel, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Linnet, Meadow Pipit, Oystercatcher, Pied Flycatcher, Pied Wagtail, Robin, Rock Dove, Rock Pipit, Rook, Shag, Skylark, Swallow, Twite, Wheatear, Willow Warbler, Wood Pigeon and Wren.

The view....

So next day I did remember my camera and we went for a walk from Harlyn Bay along the coast towards Padstow, a nice flat walk, with quite a few birds about..

Oystercatchers,

 Jackdaw,

 Skylark singing,

 Nice views,

 Fulmar on approach!

 Bee, sorry don't know what sort,

 and Rook

In addition Pipits, Goldfinch, Greenfinch and Stonechat were about. We then went into Padstow for an obligatory Cornish Pastie, but the weather was now turning nasty, so other plans were shelved and we did some coastal driving for what scenery we could see through the rain!

Last day took us to Trevose Head for a walk down to Booby Bay and back again  fantastic scenery and more birds too...

Our destination ahead,

 and on the way, A Skylark or two,

 and where we started from,

 Linnet,

Beetle.... any offers for what species?

 Herring Gull,

 Meadow Pipit,

 Crazy Surfers

and a look back to where we had been.

After this we went to the National Trust at Lanhydrock for another Cornish staple, a cream tea and it was very nice thank you! With only a Buzzard (with a dodgy feather) troubling the camera.

Cornwall, The North Coast

We have just had a week staying in our Niece's cottage near Wadebridge, apart from the Bank Holiday Monday when then weather was appalling, we had a really sunny week, so took the opportunity to go for lots of walks. So not a birding specific break, but just picked up what we could whilst doing various coastal walks.

Our first venture out on the Sunday was around:
The Rumps and down to Polzeath
This is one of our favourite walks and we had really been looking forward to it as the views are simply stunning. But what about birds you might ask, well...
Picked up a rock pipit:

Our first Skylark of the year (but first of many for the week):

An obliging Kestrel:

and a very obliging Buzzard:

I took so many photos of him it is difficult to pick one to put in the blog, so I have gone with this one, but will add some more to the gallery later.
Apart from the above, we also saw our first Fulmars of the year, but just couldn't get a photo. Never mind all comes to he who waits. So what else; Stonechat, Cormorant, Oystercatchers, Great Black Backed Gulls, Linnet, Swallow, House Martin, Sand Martin, Jackdaw and other corvids, but as we walked inland up from Polzeath back to the NT Car Park, a Marsh Harrier came out of nowhere and disappeared as quickly.

As I said Monday was a wash out! Tuesday I was working, 'the wonders of broadband' but we did get out later and had a walk around:
Trevose Head and Booby Bay
The number of Skylarks here was amazing, the singing was everywhere, just brilliant:

So other highlights, 2 Fulmar nesting on the cliffs, more Pipits, our only Wheatear of the week:

A Merlin, but not the feathered kind!

A very nice Jackdaw:

Again lots of Stonechat (but all too far for a decent shot), a nice mixed bunch of Waders though (Sanderling and Dunlin):

A solitary Gannet:

A a pair of Linnet:

But the real highlight was a pair of nesting Kestrel, I'm not going to say where exactly, coming across this was real fluke: The male is sitting in the sun not far from the female who's tucked away in the shade:

A great end to a great walk!

So another working day, and instead of a walk we visited the Public Hide at the:
Walmsley Sanctuary (CBWS) and Amble Marshes:
The hide didn't produce much but there were a couple of highlights, a Little Egret and a pair of Jackdaw busily going to and fro to a nest box just to the left of the hide, so we had a coffee and waited but only Coot, Moorhen, Mallard and a number of Heron's troubled the scorekeeper.
We then wandered down to the estuary, picking up a couple of Buzzard, a Marsh Harrier, Shelduck, Mute Swan and more Little Egret:

Then after a little drive we picked up our first Cream Tea of the year!! with some Newts in the Tea Room garden.
Right! Now I'm on holiday so no work to get in the way. Today we decided to walk the:
Camel Trail from Egloshayle to Padstow
and see what we could find along the way:

 There were plenty of Little Egrets along the way, we must have seen a good dozen.

Some Shelduck

 There were 4 or 5 Curlew about and this Whimbrel all on his own

An Orange Tip

and a Red Legged Partridge was a lucky find.
So on to our final day, this time off to:
Bedruthen Steps
Again Skylarks were in abundance as were Pipits and Stonechats, I finally managed to get a half decent photo:

Fulmars were about as well:

So a very productive non-birding week! 47 Species in all:

Blackbird  ("Turdus merula")

Buzzard  ("Buteo buteo")

Carrion Crow  ("Corvus corone")

Chaffinch  ("Fringilla coelebs")

Collared Dove  ("Streptopelia decaocto")

Coot  ("Fulica atra")

Cormorant  ("Phalacrocorax carbo")

Curlew  ("Numenius arquata")

Dunlin  ("Calidris alpina")

Dunnock  ("Prunella modularis")

Fulmar  ("Fulmarus glacialis")

Gannet  ("Morus bassanus")

Goldfinch  ("Carduelis carduelis")

Great Black-backed Gull  ("Larus marinus")

Grey Heron  ("Ardea cinerea")

Guillemot  ("Uria aalge")

Herring Gull  ("Larus argentatus")

House Martin  ("Delichon urbicum")

House Sparrow  ("Passer domesticus")

Jackdaw  ("Corvus monedula")

Kestrel  ("Falco tinnunculus")

Kittiwake  ("Rissa tridactyla")

Linnet  ("Carduelis cannabina")

Little Egret  ("Egretta garzetta")

Magpie  ("Pica pica")

Mallard  ("Anas platyrhynchos")

Marsh Harrier  ("Circus aeruginosus")

Meadow Pipit  ("Anthus pratensis")

Moorhen  ("Gallinula chloropus")

Mute Swan  ("Cygnus olor")

Oystercatcher  ("Haematopus ostralegus")

Pied Wagtail  ("Motacilla alba")

Red-legged Partridge  ("Alectoris rufa")

Reed Warbler  ("Acrocephalus scirpaceus")

Rock Dove / Feral Pigeon  ("Columba livia")

Rock Pipit  ("Anthus petrosus")

Rook  ("Corvus frugilegus")

Sand Martin  ("Riparia riparia")

Sanderling  ("Calidris alba")

Shelduck  ("Tadorna tadorna")

Skylark  ("Alauda arvensis")

Stonechat  ("Saxicola torquatus")

Swallow  ("Hirundo rustica")

Swift  ("Apus apus")

Whimbrel  ("Numenius phaeopus")

Willow Warbler  ("Phylloscopus trochilus")

Woodpigeon  ("Columba palumbus")