field day at gullane

 

26-12-23

Boxing day was the only forecast that didn't have rain in it this week. We thought it best to get the car out as it doesn't do Winters any better than I do. It started first time like a champ, we scraped the ice off the windscreen, and set off to Gullane. It would seem that we weren't the only ones to have this idea and the car park was as mobbed as mid-Summer.

I would normally be inclined to head West to Aberlady but Mary suggested East for a change. And considering how many cars we saw parked around Aberlady there would be no chance of seeing owls or kestrels as a hundred folk out walking would discourage anything from hanging about. So East it was, staying inland going out, and coming back nearer or on the beach.

The first thing very apparent was loads of fieldfares. Like several hundred. In and around the trees just along from the car park and overflow car park. They weren't hugely flighty but if you got close they would fly off, and not just to the next tree along. You could hear them calling especially when flying. It made the place very cheerful to have so much calling and "chacking" about. 

this was about a quarter of the fieldfares in one area alone

fieldfare in flight

We walked down to the next bay where posh people park their fancy cars to walk their dogs and kids on the beach. Just before, there is a path through the woods. As we were entering we noticed flights of various small birds: coal tits, long-tailed tits and a treecreeper. And possibly more, they were doing far too good a job of hiding in the coniferous trees. My new camera was great for discerning the birds from the branches and drawing a box round them, and doing its best to focus on their eyes. I really enjoy that helping hand and am surprised when I use my older camera and it forgets to do likewise. That said Mary matched all my decent photos of fieldfares almost exactly and you couldn't tell who had spent 10 times more than the other on their camera from the results. Hmmm!

treecreeper

closer

coal tit

As we returned we noticed the place was hoaching. Also the tide was right up the beach as far as it ever gets. The full moon was obviously influencing things. We went back inland looking for birds rather than face a thousand people and several dozen dogs on the beach. The weather was fab all day and it was great to see a bit of sun before it disappeared again for a few days. Back to grey and glum. Roll on Springtime.

there were a few redwing about (the other Winter thrush)
but not in numbers like the fieldfares

that special moment!