By far the best views (closest and great light) I’ve had of the East Wemyss Scoter and the bill looks fine for Stejneger’s. Incredible how different the bill looks at distance /in crappy light #birdingFife #rarebirdsUK
It’s been a right pain to get decent views and I’m a bit shocked by how different the bill appeared today compared to when the bird was distant (when it basically looked uniform yellow). Still not close enough for helpful pics/video unfortunately. #birdingFife #rarebirdsUK
The poor white eye tick and poorly formed bill ‘horn’ seemingly okay for sub-adult male Stejneger’s Scoter, but there doesn’t appear to be anything in the plumage that suggests non-adult (no brownish or paler areas anywhere).
#birdingFife #rarebirdsUK
No pinkish or yellow extending behind the nostrils. Remaining questions for me are the yellow ‘saddle’ halfway down bill and whether the bill colour should be darker red by now rather than pinkish.
Finally the Buckhaven scoter closer, in neutral light and calm conditions conditions this morning. Bill reddish pink with the clear yellow lower border strip of Stejneger’s, though yellow also appearing to wrap over the top of the bill about halfway between bill tip. #birdingFife #rarebirdsUK
Some more truly dreadful video and stills from this morning here:
ebird.org/checklist/S3...
#birdingFife #rarebirdsUK
I’m waiting for someone to get a photo’ of it where there’s some certainty that colouration and pattern aren’t lighting/blur artefacts. Views today were in good light but bird not particularly close- stills and video reflect bill pattern through ‘scope (pale=yellow)
#birdingFife #rarebirdsUK
The bill on this bird consistently appears to show lots of yellow-from tip to nostrils- and lacks the patterning and colouration of ad or imm male Stejneger’s. Is anyone aware of Stejneger’s with such a Velvet-like bill pattern/colour?
#birdingFife #rarebirdsUK
Velvet x Stejneger’s Scoter again at Buckhaven #birdingFife #rarebirdsUK
Nice to see the Bridled Tern write-up in the new issue of Scottish Birds @scottishbirding.bsky.social #birdingFife #rarebirdsUK
So THE SALT ORACLE is a finalist for the BSFA awards! And my amazing designer, Sam Gretton is a finalist for the cover too! 🙌🏽
Truly delighted for Sam & very, very grateful to everyone who voted for my strange, briny why-pick-one-genre-when-you-can-pick-four book 🤗
@solarisbooks.bsky.social 🖤
A note’s on the ‘wreck’ is being written up for Scottish Birds. Lots of questions…
A sad end for another White-billed Diver, this one at the Eden Estuary #birdingFife #rarebirdsUK
The Stejneger’s x Velvet Scoter-thing @ Buckhaven this morning. Remarkably tricky (distant) getting actual bill pattern and colouration- yellowish towards tip grading to some reddish tones towards the nostrils today’s best guess, pattern still not fitting Stej #birdingFife #rarebirdsUK
Just the 45 years too early 😀
Does anyone have or is anyone aware of any photos or sightings of juvenile/ 2nd calendar year White-billed Divers during Jan-Feb 2026 from E Scotland or NE England? #birdingScotland #NEbirding #rarebirdsUK
I’ve not birded in England very much at all for a long time so still think of the east coast as being ‘awash’ with Twite, Snow Bunting and Lapland Bunting (and I’m not going to mention Cattle Egret). The eBird data map isa bit of a shocker
Graph of the number of Lapland Bunting in Fife each year from 1980-2026. Very low numbers in most years with very obvious spikes in the late 1980’s, 2010/11 and 2020/21
This is Lapland Bunting in Fife 1980-2025. Spikes in the late 1980’s, 2010/11 and 2020/21. Observer effort/coverage will have varied considerably across the decades but the patchiness of occurrence years I think reflects the general pattern here
chatterstanes.wordpress.com/2026/01/23/a...
We get a good autumn/ winter every now and then but otherwise really tricky, so a bit feast or famine here
#birdingFife #birdingUK #rarebirdsUK
Some headlines are Smew, Little Tern, Wood Warbler & Lapland Bunting are added, whilst Long-tailed Skua and Roseate Tern are removed. Balearic Shearwater remain on the description list (just) and Cory’s Shearwater would likely be removed very soon if it hadn’t only just been taken of the SBRC list
So I reviewed the frequency of locally scarce species in Fife and applied a standard set of criteria to update the Fife local description species list.
#birdingFife #birdingUK #rarebirdsUK
#rarebirdsUK
Person facing away pointing a camera towards the sea in the background, with a White-billed Diver visible on the sea
Fife Ness getting in on the White-billed Diver action this weekend. Nice to appear in a photo with one! (photo courtesy of Will Cresswell) #birdingFife
19 European White-fronted Geese at Cameron Reservoir this morning was a 90 minutes of scanning the 2000+ Pinkies well spent #birdingFife
We’re gonna need a bigger boat
The hybrid Velvet x Stejneger’s/ White-winged Scoter still in bay between East Wemyss and Buckhaven. Quite distant but good diffuse light and pale areas of bill still appear to be yellow #birdingFife #rarebirdsUK
The review of the week slightly off the mark for Fife, with 9 different White-billed Diver on the 13th and 2 adult male White-winged Scoter (simultaneous sightings of birds at Leven and Carrick Villa) also on the 13th #birdingFife
A distinctly clawless Little Egret at Cameron Reservoir at the weekend #birdingFife
