"Wind 'n' Pish!".

Ring-necked Duck (eclipse drake) at Angle Park GP's, Fife 15 July 2010.

Loch Leven from the Burleigh Sands shore, Perth & Kinross, 15 July 2010.

"Wind 'n' Pish!" That's how Angie's Nan, Jean (missed by us all) would've described the weather in Central Scotland over the last few days. So bad in fact, that work in the glens was postponed today and relieved of my duties I found myself with an unexpected day off.


This morning's weather was predictably poor (well, the British Open has started after all), but after a morning in the flat, a visit to the local supermarket and sausage and bacon sandwiches the urge to venture out during a break in the rain won and I made the trip into Fife and Rossie Bog (above). The water levels had increased since the weekend and there was no sign of last weekend's Pec' Sand' or any of the waders present then other than a single Black-tailed Godwit and 30+ Lapwings. A passing Sparrowhawk spooked all the Teal and several Wigeon but no sign of any Garganey.

A short drive to "Angie Park" (renamed after Mrs B's weekend visit) produced the Ring-necked Duck once again, fresh from its recent visit to nearby Loch Gelly. A few Tufted Duck broods were on show again and this site seems to have a healthy population of Little Grebes with many young out on the water this afternoon.

The huge flock of Mute Swans at Loch Leven this afternoon at Loch Leven, 15 July 2010.

Driving back to Dunning I just had to stop off on the north shore of Loch Leven near Burleigh Sands. This is a superb loch for wildfowl but the size of this immense body of water means that many are often too far from the shore for scrutiny. Today there was a nice small raft of Tufted Ducks not too far off the Burleigh car park and the flock contained a drake Aytha hybrid. Larger than the Tufteds, and rather bulky on the water it was immediately identifiable as such by virtue of its dark grey back (although this did contain a few "dusky" eclipse feathers) and noticeable inverted black triangle on the nail of the bill, covering most of the tip. Conveniently it also sat up, flapped its wings and revealed a total white wing bar (rather than the two-tone bar of a Lesser Scaup for example).
Leven holds internationally important numbers of wildfowl in the winter months, but is certainly impressive in the summer as well. Beyond these close birds I could see several hundred Tufted Ducks in long linear rafts, a few Greater Scaups, Goldeneye, Great Crested Grebes and a sizable flock of Mute Swans. An Osprey nearly slipped by behind me if it hadn't been from a call from the warden as he sped off on his pushbike. A wonderful place and I hope to return in the winter months sometime, but with "wind 'n' pish" seemingly imminent I made for the car.


See ..... Nan Jean was right - "wind 'n' pish!".