Weekend Garganey (?)

The biggest success of the weekend, and bonus bird,  was undoubtedly the almost immediate showing of the predicted Garganey. Remarkably, though, I didn't also predict Tufted Duck, which ought to have gone with it. The first Tufty group that carried the Garganey was too far out, I thought, to be worth trying to photograph. The second group (see below), was slightly closer, but not by a huge amount. Given the result, I definitely should have tried to photograph the Garganey, but you live and learn. I had kind of hoped that it would be in the harbour, but I'm not complaining! The rareness of these shouldn't be underestimated, with only one sighting in spring last year. This means that on both occasions I have seen Tufties I have seen a Garganey with them. Perhaps even more oddly, there have been 10 Tufties both times.Last year's were on 31st April.

(I have since found out that there was a Scaup in Inverkeithing harbour with Tufties yesterday, and am wondering whether the pale upperwing of a Garganey could be mistaken for the pale upperbody of a Scaup at that distance. Could I have made that mistake? Sadly, I don't think that's entirely impossible. I may have to "reject" that record as unsatisfactory, which is a a bit of a blow. Even worse, I didn't see the Scaup)

More predictably than that, Willow Warbler and Swallow both turned up at Hill of Beath, with WW in every square of my HOB route and a couple of single Swallows, or possibly one that was following me.

Westward bound Tufties

cropped and oomed