Fairly hungover trek across Earlshall Muir near Leuchars paid off when I found a male Hen Harrier hunting. Truly beautiful birds, the first I’ve seen in Fife. #birdingfife

Happy to find this young Iceland Gull at the Eden Estuary this morning. Sadly found a dead WBD on the walk back home:(. #fifebirding

A pleasant mid-afternoon break in the sunshine to see the Common Crane that was found just outside St Andrews by the Uni Bird Club #birdingFife

WBD - photo by friend Leah Donald

This morning with the uni biodiversity project we finally scored a White-billed Diver off St Andrews during this influx here in Fife. Also present were 3 otters! #birdingscotland

Great day’s birding with friends at Loch Leven today. 59 species seen, highlights: Marsh Harrier, GWE, Kingfisher, Slav Grebe, and self found White-fronted Geese! #birdingscotland

Disturbance from dog walkers meant the 1000s of gulls on West Sands were impossible to grill. However a few Little Gull close to shore and a Snow Bunting made for a good walk. A few dead auks along the beach. #birdingFife

New year’s trip to Shetland ended up lasting several more days than expected as we got snowed in. Some great birding done to start the year, all by foot. Highlights: a very close in Little Auk, Iceland Gull, Jack Snipe, and Merlin hunting. #BirdingScotland

Nice to see Rob’s White-winged Scoter - only 10 minutes from the uni library - yesterday! Good views for an hour or so, very happy after dipping it both in Shetland and Fife in the last year or so. #BirdingFife

Great morning at Crail and Fife Ness with the bird club. Saw 70 species, highlights: Black Redstart, Red-necked Grebe, Twite, Purple Sandpiper, Scaup, and Wheatear. #birdingFife

What a bird! After dipping it in dying light yesterday, very happy to connect with the White-billed Diver. Great bird to see less than a mile from home. #birdingFife #ukbirding

Nice to finally have time to go for the Barred Warbler at Balcomie, it gave excellent views. A walk around Kilminning was disappointingly quiet in terms of migrants though. #BirdingFife

At least 2 Curlew Sand and 2 Ruff at the Eden today. Also 2 Osprey, 1 GWE, 3 Common Sand, 1 Brent Goose. Good start to the new semester! #FifeBirding

Good walk with friends near Elie produced a Short-eared Owl and Wheatear. The last beach cricket match of the summer at Elie Beach delivered a flyover Crane! Lifer, and about annual in Fife! Great day out! #FifeBirding

Great day at the Fife Bird Club sea watch outing yesterday at Fife Ness, nice to see some familiar faces. Pom (lifer), Bonxie, and Arctic Skua. Sooty Shearwaters, though the highlight has to be the Bridled Tern, incredible bird, and very kind of it to choose yesterday to be in Fife! #FifeBirding

Short article for BirdGuides on finding the GSP in July. #birdingscotland

6 weeks in Shetland done. Some quality birding: Short-eared Owl, Red-backed Shrike, Red-necked Grebe, Baird's Sandpiper Quail, Cuckoo, Merlin. Breeding Dunlin, Whimbrel, and Red-Throated Diver. Highlight has to be self finding a 1st for Shetland Greater Sand Plover. #birdingscotland

Willow Warbler at Norwick this morning was my first warbler of autumn passage, also had my best views yet of the Cuckoo I found on Tuesday. Flock of 6 Twite were my first on Unst. A few singing Quail this afternoon (one from my window!) were great to hear #birdingscotland

After dipping it yesterday, I connected with @brydonthomason.bsky.social's Baird's Sandpiper at Baltasound today, and saw my first Ruff since being up here. Also found a juv Cuckoo in Norwick on an evening walk. Autumn passage seems underway... #rarebirdsUK #BirdingScotland

Went down to the south of Unst today. Saw a few good birds, Golden Plover, Whimbrel, and Common Sandpiper with young. Highlight was bumping into the Osprey that has been hanging around the island for the last few weeks. #BirdingScotland

Twitched (3 minute bike ride) 2 of my absolute favourite birds this evening. Short-eared Owl hunting, and a Red-backed Shrike getting ready to roost. Will definitely miss it up here. #Unst #birdingscotland

Just thought I would check the beach on the way to the pub, a bit of a heart in mouth moment to figure out what I was looking at

Thought I would check Haroldswick beach on my way to the pub tonight. Did not expect to find this Greater Sand Plover, a 1st for Shetland!!! Very happy and glad others got on to it #birdingscotland #rarebirdsuk

Great evening walk to Hermaness, Bonxies, Puffins, and Gannets galore. Cracking views of summer plumage Dunlin. A Quail singing just before midnight on the walk back truly the icing on the cake #birdingscotland

Last reported on the Fife chats Sunday 22nd I think. But nothing negative after that

Up in north Unst for another 5 weeks, don’t think that’ll be enough time to get bored of both skuas daily, puffins, and breeding wheatears. #BirdingScotland

Twitched @simonpinder5.bsky.social ‘s gorgeous Spotted Redshank at Angle Park today. Very happy to also find a Hobby briefly there (scarce in Fife). #fifebirding

Back up in Fife so went for the Iberian Chiffchaff today. After 4 hours without anything obvious it finally decided to sing and give us decent views! #FifeBirding #birdingscotland

Great birding with a friend in Surrey today. Lots of Dartford Warblers, a pair of Tree Pipit, great views of Hobby, and singing Woodlark (lifer). Also Common Lizard and Slow Worm.
#ukbirding #surreybirding

Oh what are the odds, didn’t notice you either, what a shame

Near Huntingdon for a friend’s birthday this weekend, so had to nip down to Fen Drayton Lakes to see the gorgeous male Red-backed Shrike. Nice to see it catch and eat a dragonfly #ukbirding