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Graham Sparshott @fifevismig.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

28/09/26 Ferry Hills. Taiga Bean Goose is scarce but annual these days at FH. Not a big surprise as we are on a direct flight line to the Slamannan Plateau. But, its a small population of approx. 200 birds and geese can be challenging to ID in flight. #birdingFife

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Graham Sparshott @fifevismig.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

An uptick in activity around the Forth today 27/9. AM a good overland push of RT Divers at FH with 68.

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Graham Sparshott @fifevismig.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

The week peaked for me on Tues with generally dimnishing returns since despite a fair bit of effort. That said, a Red Kite crossing the Forth from Ferry Hills on 23/9 was not to be sniffed at. This species is more frequent in Fife than it used to be, but still suprisingly uncommon #birdingFife

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Graham Sparshott @fifevismig.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

22/09/26 Ferry Hills. A week off allows not just an AM shift but some PM effort too. Great variety today with 35 species. Three species of diver with a notable group of 3 Black-throats (two in the Pic), 1 GND and 95 RTD heading inland. RTD count highest of the autumn so far. #birdingFife

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Graham Sparshott @fifevismig.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

16/09/2026 FH A cracking summer plumage Black-throated Diver heading W inland at close range was the highlight. The scarcest of the divers here (excluding WBD of course), average annual total around 4. A Jay was a good record too. Average annual total less than the diver: 3 ! #birdingFife

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Graham Sparshott @fifevismig.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

11-14/9/26 Ferry Hills Typical mix of Sept species last few days including Bonxie, RT Diver, Pintail, the first Pinkies. A big push of Mipits continues (1500 on 14th). By contrast, just 2 Tree Pips; somewhere between 15th-20th a typical last date here. #birdingFife

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Graham Sparshott @fifevismig.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

10/09/26 Ferry Hills even busier than yesterday. Difficult to keep up with the Mipits (1870), hirundines (730 Swallow, 200+ each of Sand and H Martin). A light headwind from the S and cloud making birds detectable. Highlight a Juv LT Skua heading inland. #birdingFife

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Graham Sparshott @fifevismig.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

9/9/26 Good conditions for Ferry Hills with a post frontal clearance scenario. Birds keen to move. 2 P-b Brent the most notable, not annual at FH. Also good to see 4 Arctic Skua and 1 Bonxie heading inland, fair few skuas about in the Forth but not many taking the overland route so far.

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Graham Sparshott @fifevismig.bsky.social · 07/09/2026

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

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Graham Sparshott @fifevismig.bsky.social · 28/08/2026

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

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Graham Sparshott @fifevismig.bsky.social · 26/08/2026

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

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Graham Sparshott @fifevismig.bsky.social · 25/08/2026

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.

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Graham Sparshott @fifevismig.bsky.social · 22/08/2026

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

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Graham Sparshott @fifevismig.bsky.social · 18/08/2026

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.

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Graham Sparshott @fifevismig.bsky.social · 18/08/2026

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

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Graham Sparshott @fifevismig.bsky.social · 06/08/2026

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.

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Graham Sparshott @fifevismig.bsky.social · 13/07/2026

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.

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Graham Sparshott @fifevismig.bsky.social · 30/06/2026

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.

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Graham Sparshott @fifevismig.bsky.social · 21/06/2026

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.

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Graham Sparshott @fifevismig.bsky.social · 13/06/2026

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.

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Graham Sparshott @fifevismig.bsky.social · 31/05/2026

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.

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Graham Sparshott @fifevismig.bsky.social · 26/05/2026

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.

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Graham Sparshott @fifevismig.bsky.social · 23/05/2026

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.

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Graham Sparshott @fifevismig.bsky.social · 15/05/2026

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.

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Graham Sparshott @fifevismig.bsky.social · 14/05/2026

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.

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Graham Sparshott @fifevismig.bsky.social · 10/05/2026

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.

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Graham Sparshott @fifevismig.bsky.social · 02/05/2026

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.

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Graham Sparshott @fifevismig.bsky.social · 25/04/2026

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.

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Graham Sparshott @fifevismig.bsky.social · 25/04/2026

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...

trektellen.org

Ferry Hills - vismig (Fife, Scotland)

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

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Graham Sparshott @fifevismig.bsky.social · 18/04/2026

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.

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Graham Sparshott @fifevismig.bsky.social · 15/04/2026

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.

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Graham Sparshott @fifevismig.bsky.social · 15/03/2026

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.

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Graham Sparshott @fifevismig.bsky.social · 05/03/2026

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...

trektellen.org

Ferry Hills - vismig (Fife, Scotland)

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

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Graham Sparshott @fifevismig.bsky.social · 23/02/2026

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.

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Graham Sparshott @fifevismig.bsky.social · 16/02/2026

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.

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Graham Sparshott @fifevismig.bsky.social · 14/02/2026

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.

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Graham Sparshott @fifevismig.bsky.social · 13/02/2026

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

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Graham Sparshott @fifevismig.bsky.social · 08/02/2026

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.

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Graham Sparshott @fifevismig.bsky.social · 08/02/2026

6/2/26 The frequent E storms brought small numbers of Little Auks into the Forth which I was doing a good job of avoiding. So, nice to finally see one past Pettycur. Also 5 Little Gulls lingering.

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Graham Sparshott @fifevismig.bsky.social · 01/02/2026

A fairly quiet start to the year for me. At least one Water Pipit still at St Mags Marsh early in the month (suspect 2). The cold snap early in Jan froze over lots of lochs but as usual, Kinghorn Loch stayed mainly open and had decent numbers of ducks. A couple of Greater Scaup but nothing rarer.

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Graham Sparshott @fifevismig.bsky.social · 31/12/2025

The year closed fairly out fairly quietly. A typical late Dec arrival of Scandi Herring Gulls at a few W Fife sites. Late skuas at Kinghorn: Juv Arctic on 19th and Bonxie on 21st. Water Pipit around St Mags Marsh until at least 20th.

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Graham Sparshott @fifevismig.bsky.social · 07/12/2025

03/12/25 Water Pipit still around St Margarets Marsh. Hard to see as often on pools hidden by reeds. At one point I got lucky when it flew up into a tree.

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Graham Sparshott @fifevismig.bsky.social · 07/12/2025

29/11/25 Pettycur/Kinghorn A suitable wind out of the North, but rather late in the season. So it was a big suprise to get a Juvenile Long-tailed Skua, my latest ever. A look on Trektellen indicates records aren't that unusual in the 2nd half of Nov in European waters, but hardly any in Dec.

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Graham Sparshott @fifevismig.bsky.social · 28/11/2025

25/11/25 St Margarets Marsh delivers again with nice views of a Water Pipit on the seawall. I've now had this species here each winter since 2023-2024, perhaps even the same individual as they are known for site fidelity.

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Graham Sparshott @fifevismig.bsky.social · 23/11/2025

Time to start looking at my winter patch at St Margarets Marsh. A good start with the 3rd Cettis Warbler for Fife. The first Fife record in 2021 was quickly followed by the 2nd, also at St Mags, in 2022.

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Graham Sparshott @fifevismig.bsky.social · 23/11/2025

Autumn migration pretty much done now at Ferry Hills. If the 14th November turns out to be my last visit of the year it was a decent finish, with divers and kittiwakes heading overland for the W coast. A few Little Gulls hiding in the Kitt flocks too. www.trektellen.org/count/view/1...

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Graham Sparshott @fifevismig.bsky.social · 15/11/2025

Early November has started in the same quiet vain as late Oct although a drizzly day on the 8th was brightened up by 7 big, pale Bullfinches at Ferry Hills showing features of Northern birds. Coincided with a few down the E coast/N Isles.

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Graham Sparshott @fifevismig.bsky.social · 15/11/2025

Second half of October was hard work on the vis mig front at Ferry Hills. Often a really good time but a bit pedestrian this year. 10 Taiga Bean Geese on 25th was nice to see. I expect them annually on route to Slamannan Plateau but still a rare bird in Fife.

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Graham Sparshott @fifevismig.bsky.social · 21/10/2025

20/10/2025 Some Annual Leave meant I could make my first visit of the year to the the E Neuk. The promising migrant weather had a lot to do with; E winds and heavy overnight rain followed by a calm morning. Not a big fall but I enjoyed close views of Eastern Lesser Whitethroat and YBW.

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Graham Sparshott @fifevismig.bsky.social · 20/10/2025

An influx of Pom Skuas into the Forth has been very enjoybale, starting from around the 13th October and culminating for me with an awesome flock of 21 at Ferry Hills on 18th. www.trektellen.org/count/view/1...

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