KGbirder

Today’s imm male White-winged Scoter off Aberlady was clearly different to the two ad drakes seen in the wider area y’day. It’s getting increasingly tricky to know just how many individuals there are in the Forth these days. @birdinglothian

A drake Green-winged Teal at Aberlady this morning, downstream of the wooden bridge. Two Red-necked Grebes, 12 Slavs and 2 Great Northern Divers offshore. @birdinglothian

This presumed drake Black Scoter was with the scoter flock in Ravensheugh Bay this afternoon. Always distant and tricky in a bitingly cold wind and a very rough sea. Hopefully it’ll stick around until the weather and sea state improves. @birdinglothian

Chuffed to relocate y’days Fife Bridled Tern offshore from the Eskmouth at Musselburgh for 10 mins from 08:55 and glad that 3 others managed to connect before it became too distant and was lost to view. Drake White-winged & Surf Scoter both still present @birdinglothian

Continuing the recent green colour ring theme, this 1cy Caspian Gull at Gullane Point yesterday had been ringed as a pullus at IJsselmmer, NL on 9 May (and last noted there on 18 July) from an apparently pure pair @birdinglothian.

The American Black Tern (complete with its green ring) was back at Tyninghame today having been absent y’day. It flew out to sea at 14:15 and hadn’t returned by 17:00 (also 4+ Roseate Terns). WWS and Surf Scoter still at Musselburgh this am @birdinglothian

Thanks to apetrosus.bsky.social who noticed my Black Tern at Tyninghame y’day (posted on the ‘fair weather’ channel) is green ringed and so presumably then the returning American Black Tern from Northumberland?(tho difficult from my pics to be sure which leg is green ringed).

Sunny pre-work visits to the Musselburgh scrapes = rubbish light, but nice to find this ad White-rumped Sandpiper this morning. @birdinglothian

I dread to think how many pictures I’ve taken of the various White-winged Scoter in Lothian this year, but the total has increased again this am with another close swim past at Musselburgh. It looks like it should be a 2cy but has a wholly dark belly? @birdinglothian

I don’t know what’s in the Musselburgh water this year that’s making the scoter show so well, or what’s caused the apparent change in White-winged Scoter status, but both are welcome. The new WWS found y’day still present this am as well as the drake Surf @birdinglothian

The White-winged Scoter doing the business again off the Musselburgh seawall this morning. It's not often when scoter watching that your scope is redundant! @birdinglothian

A few more pics of the White-winged Scoter at Musselburgh this morning. There has to be a good chance it will hang around for the next few months while it undergoes its moult. @birdinglothian

Nice to see a familiar face amongst the Eider at Musselburgh river mouth just now. The 3cy White-winged Scoter showing rather better than when Ist seen it previously!

Drake Green-winged Teal new in on the Eskside lagoon at Musselburgh early am (& 2 Temminck’s Stints still) @birdinglothian

This smart Kentish Plover at the north end of the Tyninghame saltmarsh early afternoon 🙂 @birdinglothian

A couple more fantasy Lothian birds from the productive marshes at Akrotiri, Cyprus this afternoon: Collared Flycatcher and Collared Pratincole. The Namaqua Dove also present is probably pushing things too far.

A couple of fem Currucas from Paphos, Cyprus this am: Ruppell's & Eastern Subalpine. It would be nice to think the refresher would come in useful back home some time soon.

A White-winged Scoter this morning, with Eider off Yellowcraig, had a much-reduced eye tick compared to the recent Gullane birds so seems likely to be a second-winter? One ad drake WWS still in Gullane Bay late pm @birdinglothian

Both the drake White-winged Scoter still off Gullane Point this am (one to west, one to east). Also the 2cy White-billed Diver off the west end of Aberlady beach early pm (& 2 Black-throated Divers & 1 Great Northern) @birdinglothian

I could only manage extreme record shots of the White-winged Scoter off Gullane Point this am, but at least it was something having been far too distant when first found last week. @birdinglothian