Over the Border

 Friday April 21

Another lovely day. Less than ten miles to the Scottish border, very few more to the delightful village of St Abbs. More accurately, the adjective applies to the coast. The parking lot is on the edge of the extremely rocky harbour, surrounding tall cliffs shining brightly with their whitewash of accumulated guano. The tenements of Guillemots and Razorbills massed in rows of miniature penguin outlines along the ledges. Kittiwakes and Fulmar more outspread on their  nests. 

The sea had a heavy swell from today's strong northeasterly, many birds dotting the heaving water, included Shags and Eider, whilst there was a constant stream of my much loved Gannets passing by out to sea.

Tearing ourselves away, we passed Tantallon Castle to find the small car parking area we found last year, overlooking Bass Rock. My immediate impression was that the gaps of last year, brought about by the decimation of avian flu, had been filled by maturing three year old birds which had escaped the disease by remaining at their wintering grounds. Or do they stay out at sea?

Our first Tree Sparrow of the year was perched on overhead wires at the entry to Skatteraw Bay, where we found a very low tide had exposed an expanse of low rock and some sandy beach. As Pam said, it looked as though someone had pulled the plug out. The surrounding weedy areas and trees yielded the padders of Greenfinch, Goldfinch, Pied Wagtail  and Linnet. Eiders and Gannets out at sea.

Negotiating the elaborate maze of roads approaching and encircling Edinburgh before reaching the Forth Bridge, is always a time of tense concentration. The excellent satnav of Google Maps, helped considerably.

We don't actually walk Vane Farm RSPB  at Loch Leven, a large gateway enables scope viewing of much of the area. Several hundred Pink-footed Geese were yet to make their way north, grazing the marshy meadows between the large pools, two Barnacle Geese were a surprise. Gadwall. Pochard, Tufted Duck, Little Grebes, Mallard and Coot padded the day list.

The wooded reserve car park - Pam went into the shop for ice-cream - had Chaffinch, Willow Warbler, Chiffchaff, Great Tit and Blue Tit.

Still a little early to confine ourselves to the Travelodge at Kinross where we were to spend the night,  we drove to Leven. The waterside carpark here is where I infamously changed the dressings on my infected open wound knee replacements (both knees) after twitching a Masked Shrike. High tide splashed water up to the sea  wall, Lesser Black-backed Gulls perched on the wall, others bobbing in and out of sight out to sea, along with two Red-breasted Mergansers, Guillemots, Common and Velvet Scoter, Eider and Shags. I had a glimpse of a diver but it dived before I could ID it.

Clouded over by now, we made our way back inland to Kinross for the night.

I have many photos from today, but a new card reader has me flummoxed. I spent too much time trying to work a problem out. Manana.