Long-tailed Duck

A male long-tailed duck (Clangula hyemalis) swimming off the pier at Lower Largo. This is the first time that I had seen this duck but it is quite unmistakable with its black and white colouring and long pointed tail which is 10 to 15 cm (4 to 6 in) long . The bill is dark grey crossed by a deep pink band.

The long-tailed duck in the foreground with a black-headed gull above.

Long-tailed duck, two black-headed gulls and on the rocks opposite the pier oyster-catchers and two herring gulls.

On the Move in the Forth

With Berwick Law in the background the barge carrying a giant sub-sea jacket for use in the oil industry being towed by the tug Toisa Elan. Its eventual destination will be the Solan field west of Shetland.
Can also just see a gannet flying in front of Berwick Law and a line of wind turbines on the hills beyond. (Click to enlarge)

A few days ago, final preparations for loading the jacket on to the barge were being made at the BiFab yard in Methil.

Can see the tug the Toisa Elan, that will be used to tow the barge, waiting off-shore.

The large wind-turbine at the same site.

Also off Largo Bay in the Firth of Forth this week, the world's largest semi-submersible heavy-lift ship Dockwise Vanguard carrying the Ocean Patriot drilling rig.

A Delicate Structure - Identification

About a year ago I found the bird skull (pictured here in the first two photos), on the beach near Lower Largo Harbour. I thought it was that of a small diving bird, a tern, perhaps, but wasn't sure. The mystery was solved on a recent trip to the Isle of May. On a tray in the splendid new Visitor Centre there was a variety of objects that had been found on the island and I was surprised to see a bird skull that looked virtually identical to the one that I had found. Helpfully labelled by the Scottish National Heritage Staff as a guillemot skull, I had the identification for my find.

The guillemot skull displayed in the Isle of May Visitor Centre.

Guillemots, Razorbills and Others

A colony of guillemots on the Isle of May.

Guillemots (Uria aalge) and razorbills (Alca torda) are both members of the auk family. The easiest way to tell them apart is by the shape of the bill, the guillemot has a pointed bill and the razorbill a shorter flatter bill crossed by a white line. Both are present in this photo, two razorbills bottom left, guillemots top and right.

Lesser black-backed gull and two chicks. These gulls are voracious  predators. Special measures using garden canes and tiny wooden tents have been introduced into the tern breeding areas to protect the eggs and chicks from these gulls.

Lesser black-backed gull nesting.

Eider ducks nesting.

Nesting shags taken on a previous visit to the Isle of May some years ago. Beautiful dark green sheen on the feathers, bright yellow patch on each side of the bill and a crest of feathers on top of the head, distinguish the shag from the cormorant.

Kittewakes nesting on the rocks opposite.

Dive-Bombing Terns

Arriving at Kirkhaven on the Isle of May, have to run the gauntlet of the arctic terns to get to the new visitor centre. They are ground nesting birds and protect their eggs and chicks by dive-bombing all comers. A hat is essential!!

Arctic terns (Sterna paradisaea) perching on the fence in front of the visitor centre.

Two tern chicks peek out from under a little wooden tent. These have been erected to protect the chicks from predating gulls. Garden canes have also been stuck into the site to deter the gulls.

Isle of May - Puffins

Puffins (Fratercula arctica)- the most colourful of the seabirds with their brightly coloured bills and bright orange legs.

 

Good to see them with their beaks full of sand eels - food for the chicks, also known as pufflings. The parent birds raise a single chick in underground burrows.

Lesser Black-backed Gull

Have seen lesser black-baked gulls (Larus fuscus) near the pier at Lower Largo, but never as close as this one on the wall at the terrace on top of the National Museum in Edinburgh.The bright yellow legs differentiate it from the great black-backed gull (Larus marinus).

A Delicate Structure

Found this bird skull on the beach between Lundin Links and Lower Largo. Not sure what bird this skull (about 10cms in length) belonged to but what a wonderfully delicate and intricate structure. The beak is slender so possibly a small diving sea bird.

Update

Finally identified as a guillemot skull. See post for 8th July 2014.

Sleeping Eider Ducks

Two male eider ducks asleep on the Lower Largo Harbour slipway.

I tried not to disturb them as I took a photo but they must have heard the camera shutter and next moment they were off into the water joined by another that must have been round the corner.

There were more eider ducks swimming in the shelter of the harbour.

Eider Ducks at Lower Largo

Often see eider ducks on the rocks opposite the pier in Lower Largo. Today though they were in the harbour. Most of them seemed to be sleeping.

Male eider duck (Somateria mollissima).

High Tide on the Rocks

With high tide approaching sea birds congregeate on the rocks opposite Lower Largo Pier. Here there are cormorants including a juvenile with a white breast also herring gulls and a greatblack-backed gull.

Eider Duck Creche

Female eider ducks with their ducklings swimming in the harbour at Lower Largo. They operate a kind of creche system, and team up to share the work of rearing the ducklings. There were no adult males in the group.

Two female eider ducks with three ducklings

Eider ducklings

Eider Ducks with Ducklings

A pair of eider ducks with ducklings swimming just off the pier in Lower Largo.

Terns at Lower Largo

Could hear the terns before I saw them. They have a very characteristic, quarrelsome sound. They were gathered on the rocks opposite the pier in Lower Largo. Because of the shaggy crest, I think that these were sandwich terns.

From the pier usual round walk, along to the Temple then up the Serpentine Walk to Upper Largo and back along the road to Lundin Links. Heard a cuckoo just at the beginning of he Serpentine Walk - the first one that I've heard for years.

Black Guillemot at Oban

A very poor quality photo but it was taken through a window of a guest house in Oban. There was a pair of these birds swimming close to the esplanade. I couldn't identify them until I saw Countryfile this evening when they were featured on the wildlife of Galloway and I realised that I had seen black guillemots or tysties (Cephus grylle). The smallest of the auks they are striking birds with white wing patch and bright red legs and I've since read that they are a common sight along the shore and harbour at Oban.