Redshanks on the Pier

Two redshanks on the crumbling pier at Lower Largo. The smaller bird in the foreground is I think a turnstone.

In front of the redshanks there were two resting eider ducks.

Eider Ducks Sheltering

 Two male eider ducks sleeping in the shelter of the slipway to Lower Largo harbour. There are also two redshanks in the picture. Scroll down for clearer pictures.

 One of the eider ducks has woken up. Clearer picture of one of the redshanks.

Now both of the eider ducks are awake, probably alerted by the warning cry of the redshanks as they flew off on my approach.

Winter Lochans - Dumbarnie Links

Looking from Dumbarnie Links Wildlife Reserve over the wartime defences to a winter lochan.

An extensive partly frozen winter lochan at Dumbarnie Links yesterday, with Largo law in the background. In winter these lochans are formed in the hollows of short rabbit-grazed turf and moss.

A redshank and its reflection at the edge of the winter lochan.

(Click on pictures to enlarge)

Largo Bay Waders

Curlew, large wader with that amazing bill.

Redshank at the edge of the water.

Oystercatcher

A group of dunlin with an oystercatcher and a redshank far right. (Click on photos to see larger images)

Oystercatchers, redshanks, curlew, and dunlin are four of the waders that one is most likely to see on any winter walk along the shore in Largo Bay and these photos were all taken on my walk yesterday. The Fugi 1000 fd camera that I got for Christmas has a 12x optical zoom so it's easier to obtain resonable photos of the birds from further away. The black and white oystercatchers are numerous and probably the easiest to spot. The curlew is large and the curved down-turned bill is unmistakeable. The redshank is the sentinel of the beach and flies away with a warning cry when disturbed. The dunlin gather together in large groups and at high tide often huddle on a piece of exposed rock.

A Walk Round Lower Largo

Yesterday (Sunday) was the first really sunny morning that we had had since Christmas, so armed with my new camera, I walked down to the harbour at Lower Largo. The tide was coming in, so I then walked through the village, and then along the old railway path towards Ely and then back along the beach, until I had to once more go up to the path because of the rising tide.

This photo shows the pier at Lower Largo, the bridge across the Keil burn and the old railway viaduct in the background. (The railway line was closed in the 1960s)

This bronze statue of Robinson Crusoe is in the Main Street in the village. Alexander Selkirk was born in Lower Largo. It was his real life adventures that inpired Daniel Defoe to write his famous book.

View looking back along the beach towards the Temple area of Lower Largo, so called because it was thought to be linked to the Knight's Templars.

Another view looking back to the village.

View looking down on to the harbour and the Crusoe hotel

Lower Largo has a thriving sailing club, and there are often small yachts in the bay. The faint outline of Berwick Law can be seen through the mist on the opposite side of the Forth.

Not a great photo, but the scarlet legs of the redshank can be clearly seen. It tends to be the first bird to react as one approaches, with it's warning cry, it's said to be the sentinel of the beach.

Turnstones along the shoreline, searching for food.

Oystercatchers can be seen not only on the beach, but in the fields above.

Not many flowers in bloom in January, but the gorse adds a bit of brightness.

Ivy covers some of the fences along the old railway track. Its yellow-green flowers bloom late and are a good source of nectar for wildlife, and its dense foliage provides shelter.

Again along the old railway track, teasel heads blow in the breeze. Birds particularly goldfinches feed on the seeds.