The Long-tailed Shrike at Old Barns, Crail this afternoon. Hidden in the hedge the vast majority of the time, it did occasionally perch out in the open. It’s quite breezy. Take your ‘scope. #birdingFife #rarebirdsUK

Strange day. Just leaving for the cinema when a WhatsApp messaged photo of a ‘Lesser Grey Shrike’ near Crail arrives. Looked weird and I queried Long-tailed. Three hours later (post movie) I’m watching a Long-tailed Shrike 2 miles from home 🥳

Long-t Shrike- Park at Barnsmuir Farm fruit shack W of Crail. Walk E along track to Oldbarns sign, then N following tarmac road to farm house past the first farm buildings you come to. Don’t park on roadside, farm tracks or field entrances. @birdguides.bsky.social @rarebirder.bsky.social

Vagrant Yellow-browed Warblers don't come from near edge of range, but from ~2,000km east of the western limits. Suggests mass misorientation in near reverse direction. www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6... #birdingscotland @alexanderlees.bsky.social @scottishbirding.bsky.social @btoscotland.bsky.social

A joy as I parked the car to see a brood of 3 Ringed Plover in the East Neuk (watched from car to avoid disturbance). Fingers crossed they make it. Basically a fluffy stomach being transported around on very long legs (with added Star Wars AT-ST Walker vibes?) #birdingFife

Started going through pics from yesterday’s pelagic to the north of Madeira (I took quite a lot…)

A visit up to Pico do Ariero on Madeira last light for Zino’s Petrel. Stunning scenery

The kilt density at Edinburgh airport is through the roof this morning. Some ‘lively’ flights to Boston in the next few days I think

Summer plumaged Brunnich’s Guillemot seen just offshore of Cape Wrath this afternoon, seen from a boat (not by me, I’m in Fife) #birdingScotland #rarebirdsUK

A female Common Scoter well up the Eden Estuary at Guardbridge yesterday evening, plus less unexpected Grey Heron and Woodpigeon #BirdingFife

Increase in Manx Shearwater past Fife Ness this evening in the strong SE winds, with several flocks of 20-30. Presumably birds breeding on the West coast of Scotland (Rhum?) heading back following foraging trips into the North Sea #birdingFife

Still a few broods of Eider appearing around the Fife coast, these at Boarhills this morning #birdingFife

Fantastic news @rainewilson.bsky.social 🎉🥳🎉🥳

So apparently this is real and not a hoax! Honestly so, so honoured to get to be part of this award alongside such stellar books. Massive thanks to the judges 🖤

Corn Bunting and Roe Deer at Boarhills #birdingFife

Sand Martins from this morning, busy feeding into the breeze over a pool at Cocklemill Burn #birdingFife

Fair to say that the White-winged Scoter is showing well at Kirkcaldy this morning, though it’s a bit sleepy #birdingFife #rarebirdsUK

New in #BirdStudy When surveying birds, older people detect fewer birds and species than younger people. Middle-aged observers have least bias in long-term recording: Age-dependent observer effects in Austrian long-term monitoring data of common breeding birds doi.org/10.1080/0006... #ornithology

Turtle Dove at Lower Kilminning 🙂Now trying to relocate it #birdingFife

Not a great pic but the apparent moult line halfway down this Red Squirrel is striking. Either that or it’s actually two halves of different squirrels that have been sewn together to make this one 😬

A small pod of Bottlenose Dolphin past Fife Ness this evening. Some distinctive fins and images submitted to the Citizen Fins project at St Andrews Uni

Two Purple Sandpiper in striking summer plumage at Fife Ness yesterday #birdingFife

Very few migrants, so here’s a Roe Deer in the Patch at Fife Ness yesterday

Strange May weather when the best birding option seems to be scoters. The Black Scoter eventually showed okay at Kirkcaldy alongside two White-winged, a Surf, 300 Common & 4 Velvet. Half an hour at Innerleven produced two more White-winged Scoter. Another 5 scoter sp day #birdingFife #rarebirdsUK

Fife Ness this evening felt more like November than May in a strong and chilly northerly wind. Two Arctic Skua south and a Minke(?) Whale a long way offshore #birdingFife

Nothing to see here, just 22,400 Sabine's Gulls in one flock... 🤯🇨🇦😍 ebird.org/checklist/S3...

Lots of passage Harrier action a couple of evenings ago in Piemonte, Italy, with three Montague’s and a couple of Marsh hunting away once the rain cleared. I’ve yet to see an adult Harrier on this trip, perhaps they are already at breeding sites.

Most confused when a ‘subalpine’ warbler started calling from the bush I was watching a Moltoni’s Warbler calling in. Problem solved when an Eastern Subalpine Warbler appeared and starting singing away. Noticeable Honey Buzzard and Beeeater passage today in Piemonte

Been keeping my eye open for passage Lesser Kestrel in this part of southern Piemonte, Italy. Bird 1 of two females together this morning

My first Honey Buzzards off the Piemonte, Italy, trip and lots of Alpine Swifts about (presumably avoiding the rain in the not too distant Alps)

This morning was (mostly) about Rollers

A rare trip out of Fife (a train trip all the way to northern Italy)

So nice having Common Whitethroats back on territories #birdingFife

He spent a long time just blowing bubbles. ❤️ #walrus #Findochty

Frustratingly brief glimpse through trees of a Hobby prompted a dash to a better viewpoint, at which point it landed on the Crail airfield runway, wandered about for a couple of mins & flew off north. Hobby is less than annual for me in Fife (and still a local description species) #birdingFife

Spotted Flycatcher (1st of year for me) and one of several territorial Yellowhammer at Lower Kilminning this afternoon #birdingFife

The new Hotspots Descriptions on eBird is going to be a really useful resource for birders visiting birding spots they’re not familiar with. Similar approach as Wikipedia, with community-based contributions of suggested text #birdingFife share.google/mDmINs0KNoGO...

A decent arrival of 30+ Willow Warbler around Fife Ness this morning (in the haar), plus 6 Whitethroat & 2 Sedge W newly back on territory. Highlight was a female Common Redstart at the Patch #birdingFife

Cracking couple of hours this afternoon scanning the Innerleven Scoter flock. Excellent views of the Black Scoter and I ended up with three White-winged Scoter. Numbers of Common and Velvet seem to have dropped off a little, and not sure Surf have been seen for a few days. #birdingFife #rarebirdsUK

So my run of Fife Bird Club’s Fife rare bird of the year award ends. After Fea’s-type Petrel, Stejneger’s Stonechat, Stejneger’s Scoter and Spotted Sandpiper, the 2025 Bridled Tern has been pipped to the post (I assume by the Iberian Chiffchaff- or perhaps Black Scoter) #EndOfAnEra #PastHisPrime 🌅

Another (the same) Sooty Shearwater north past Fife Ness this morning plus 7 Manx and my first Arctic Tern of the year #birdingFife

Stejneger’s Scoter East Wemyss this morning (viewed from Buckhaven but closer to East Wemyss) with c.15 Velvet Scoter #birdingFife #ratebirdsUK

Recommend Innerleven at the mo for the Scoter-fest (just go on a calm-ish afternoon and soon before they head off). A great afternoon scanning hundreds of Common and Velvet close inshore for 4 Surf and a White-winged Scoter. No sign of the Stejneger’s #birdingFife

An unexpected addition to my Fife Ness seawatching list this pm. I’ve only ever seen a handful of Hooded Crows in the East Neuk, all in late winter/early spring #birdingFife

There are worse views from your desk than Scott’s Antarctic expedition ship Discovery

www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026... I’ve some ‘great’ memories of Scillonian trips to Scilly, being rolled about and trying to keep my breakfast down. Oh the relief of reaching the calm of the Scilly shallows

My first spring Fife Ness Sooty Shearwater this pm. It spending 20 minutes zipping back and forth over the same patch of sea before heading north #birdingFife

Caiplie Caves looking grand this morning. 124 Whooper Swan and a Sand Martin north #birdingFife

Sequence of a Female Leucistic Hen Harrier successfully hunting on The Isle of Man, 2026 🇮🇲

Okay, who nicked spring?#birdingFife