Waders

Back to the Fife coast today, there was talk of a Surf Scoter being around, but as we scanned the very choppy waters of Largo Bay all we could find were Velvet Scoters. Conditions weren't exactly ideal with the ducks just appearing as they rode the crest of a wave before disappearing into the trough. We were then approached by another birder who'd seen the Surf Scoter earlier, and once we got chatting it turned out that this was Malcolm, the recorder for Fife to whom we had sent details of the Red-footed Falcon that Mrs L had photographed and turned out to be only the second ever record for Fife.

Knowing the Surf Scoter was out there we settled down and continued scanning. It wasn't until we heard Malcolm reel off a list of waders that we turned round and immediately behind us they were congregating on a wee sand bank that was to be their high tide roost where they would await the tide going out and they could return to feeding on the shoreline. Just another sign that it pays to know where and when to look, if it hadn't been for Malcolm we could have missed this completely, as it was I'm sorry to report we did miss the Surf Scoter completely

Have a look in Large and see if you can identify the individual species - Turnstone (dark with orange legs), Sanderling (wee & whitish), Grey Plover (the big ones with short bills) & Dunlin (grey with slightly downturned longish bill).

Congratulations to those that spotted the Knot in among the Bar-tailed Godwits in yesterdays blip, Gladders and MsGable take a bow - it took me a while to be sure and I had better views.