Bird Watching

Bird Watching at The Ecology Centre

Two volunteers from The Ecology Centre are carrying out weekly surveys to record the number of different species and volume of birds in and around Kinghorn Loch. Danny Wallace conducts the surveys and Rena Wallace collates the information. Their findings will provide a permanent record of the seasonal fluctuations in the bird population frequenting our site.

June 2010

At the end of June we had large numbers of young birds around swelling the numbers of various species, particularly Swallows, Coots and Mallards. The Mallards (pictured right) have really thrived this season with one female seen with 12 chicks. The Coots and Mallards feed mainly on weed and aquatic insects. The Swallows seem to rely on airborne insects but have been known to catch insects from the surface of the water.

Pictured right, Mallards, and below Sedge Warbler.

A new species spotted was a Sedge Warbler (pictured left), seen in the large car park to the east of the loch

July 2010
In July, Long Tailed Tits were spotted in the woods at the top of the hill behind the hide. Goldeneye ducks were back on the loch and we now have two pairs of Swans. the Great Crested Grebe and one surviving chick continue to fish together. One of the adults has disappeared and unfortunately the other two chicks did not survive.

No Grey Herons have been seen since 18th April and no Cormorants since 25th May.

If you spot any unusual birds around Kinghorn Loch, please let Rena know by email at Rena.wallace18@hotmail.co.uk. You can also keep up to date by visiting the bird hide and reading the information on the boards. Happy bird watching!

August 2010
The Great Crested Grebe chick is now the same size as the adult bird, although it still has the “zebra” type markings on it’s head. New species spotted, Amber listed Grey Wagtail. A Sedge Warbler was also spotted near the pond, it can be recognised by its rattle type call.

Willow Warblers were spotted gathering and feeding, they will soon be migrating south then flying to Africa for the winter. The Grey Heron is back on the loch after a long absence.

There is lots of Swallow activity at the moment, they too will soon be migrating.

Two Kingfishers were spotted by a fisherman. On another sighting, a Kingfisher was being pursued over the loch by a Pied Wagtail. 

Tree Creepers are evident on the Tree Top Trail. The Little Grebes appear to be catching fish regularly now and the presence of two Herons and a Kingfisher suggests there are plenty of small fish available just now.

Ron Morris, one of our volunteers has very kindly donated a scope and tri-pod and has proved invaluable to Danny when conducting his surveys .

Pictured below from left to right, Swallows & Willow Warbler

September 2010
Week 1 - The coots are still producing chicks. Fishermen were present and so were the Tufted ducks. Tufties are note by fishermen for feeding on the ground bait they put out but the fishermen don’t mind as when the tufties move out this usually means the fish have scared them off and they are likely to catch some fish.

Week 2 - There were lots of gulls of different species and juveniles present in one large group. As there was quite a lot of human activity on the loch that day, it may have had an impact on the number of birds visable. only three swans were spotted on the loch, no sign of the forth bird which tended to be a bit of a loner anyway.

Week 3 - Canoeists and fishermen present on the loch so many birds hiding under the trees on the far side. Large contingent of common gulls arrived on departure of canoeists. Still only three swans and no sign of the Great Crested Grebes. The swallows have finally packed their bags and are on their long journey to their winter feeding grounds.

Danny is likely to have access to a dinghy in due course and this will enable him to spot many more birds on his surveys! Watch this space.

Pictured below from left to right, Dunnock and Swan.

October 2010

Week 1 - A large contingent of Gulls arrived with many juveniles among them. Some were Herring Gulls in winter feathers. Goldcrest spotted on woodland walk beyond the hide. Coots were also very prominent in the area where fishermen had previously been laying ground bait.

Week 2 - Treecreeper at Treetops walk. It is regularly spotted here. Listen out for groups of 3-4 low pitched trills. Long- tailed tits seen and heard at back of hide. At least 100 gulls out on loch.

Week 3 - Group of male Pochard ducks at the road side of the loch. The number of Coots continues to grow. They tend to move to larger areas of water in the Autumn, so we may have incomers. As there is a great deal of cover at the road side of the loch, it is difficult to see the full population. It will be interesting to see how many we count when the loch ices up again. A similar trend is occurring with the little Grebes who also migrate to larger areas of water in winter. It is interesting to note that some of the Little Grebes counted were in groups of half a dozen or so. During the year they have tended to be individuals or pairs except those with chicks. Mallard count is down but there is usually a group of 20 or so on the road side of the loch.

Week 4 - Great Spotted Woodpecker seen at hide. Sparrowhawk seen from hide on a partly submerged tree at south west of the loch. Pochard duck numbers have increased and they mainly favour the road side of the loch. Tufted duck numbers have also increased. 8 Goldfinch, 1 Greenfinch, 2 Blue Tits and a possible Siskin were all feeding on one tree at the top of the hill as you descent to the hide. There are two young beech trees and the birds were feeding on the nuts.

Pictured Below, Woodpecker, Long tit and Sparrowhawk

November 2010

Week 1 - Pheasant spotted on Tree Top Trail and a Redwing in the vicinity of the north side path from the Allotments. Not many Pochards and Tufted duck, and Coot numbers falling due to un-seasonally mild weather. Swan numbers increasing. Wild Mallards back on far side of loch. 

Week 2 - Two male Goldeneye ducks on loch. Treecreepers spotted on Tree Top Trail. Four adult swans left the loch during the count heading towards Kirkcaldy. Of the remaining five, two are in their first winter. The remaining three swans are our usual trio. Pochard numbers are back up and our Cormorant was back.

Week 3 - A group of Siskin were recorded for the first time this year. Around twenty feeding at Woodland Walk a little beyond the hide. Spotted in larch tree which had little cones on which the birds were feeding. Goldeneye ducks on the increase with females also present. Sightings of a Treecreeper, Long-tailed Tits and Bullfinches all spotted in Tree Top Trail area. The Swan with the FXC/ring is part of a pair. The other adult was relegated to going about with the two juvenile swans. Pochard numbers also on the increase.

Unknown small bird spotted in Tree Top Trail. It was the same size as a Blue Tit but with small delicate dark/black beak and dark legs. Body was rounded and pale grey colour. It looked very like a Chiffchaff but they apparently migrate south at the end of September.

Week 4 - Weather cold with snow showers. New species sighted being Fieldfare. They were identified by their call which is quite distinctive. They were spotted in the Pond area and flew to the tall trees on the nearby Woodland Walk. Two Redwings spotted at the Hide. Large increase in ducks due to the cold temperatures.

Pictured below Siskin, Bullfinch and Pochard.

December 2010

Week 1 - Weather was fair but cold. A large flock of Fieldfares were feeding on hawthorn berries and also on the larch trees. A male and female Wigeon sighted on the loch. Big increase of Graylag Geese in the area. 200 counted. Water Rail sighted near Hide. There appears to be less Mallard ducks as the ice has deprived them of the shallow areas at the road side of the loch where they normally like to spend their time.

Week 2 - Weather was fair but cold. There are still two Wigeon on the loch. Greylag Geese numbers down to six. Pochard and Tufted ducks numbers are also well down from last survey. This is thought to be due to the weather and the fact that there is very little open water available to the birds as most of the loch is completely frozen over. The Mallard ducks are down to the semi-domesticated residents who are more or less relying on visitors providing them with food. Interestingly, two of these were mating! A few mallards are residing in the pond at the hide which still has some open water.

Week 3 - Weather was fair but cold. The loch is almost totally frozen over. The only open water is at the stream feeding the loch at the waterfall. A small area of pond is free of ice in front of the Hide. The Wigeon and Goldeneye have left, as have most of the Pochard, Greylag Geese and Tufted Ducks. The Swans remain as do the majority of the Coots and the usual group of resident ducks and geese. A few Little Grebes also remain. Most of the remaining birds are relatively inactive. Nearly half the total of water birds present responded to food being provided by humans. Wild birds that don’t normally depend on human assistance are desperate enough to overcome their natural inhibitions. Perhaps without human intervention these wild birds would move on to find some open water elsewhere, though they might have to go some distance to find it.

Pictured below Fieldfare, Greylag Geese & Kinghorn Loch