Definition: ‘dippers’ – birders who travels to see a scarce or rare bird but fail to locate it.
In this post, I am not referring to the charismatic diving songbird that frequents fast flowing rivers and streams (the White-throated Dipper), I am talking about dipping a rare or scarce bird, seeing a White-throated Dipper is a preferred dipper to missing out on a rare or scarce bird.
The Plan…
A rare White-winged Scoter had been present off Kirkcaldy in the Kingdom of Fife for quite some time. It had been showing exceptionally well at times. Having been lucky enough to see the close cousin of this scoter species, the Stejneger’s Scoter in Ireland back in 2011, I was keen to see this current White-winged Scoter. The identification challenge could be interesting!
I cannot drive a car, due to medical conditions, so I decided to travel to Kirkcaldy by train. This was going to be an adventure!
To let you know how big a deal my proposed trip was to me, I have to give you a little context. For the past fifteen years it has become harder and harder for me to leave my home for anything other than solitary running. This has been due to avolition and anxiety, caused by my bipolar symptoms. Thankfully the medication combination that I am prescribed is working well, the reality is that most days can still be a struggle, but things are a little bit easier to manage at the moment. My return to birding has definitely helped get me out the house and into the fresh air a lot more.
I was under no illusion though, this trip to Kirkcaldy was a big ask, I was quite nervous about it, but I was prepared and ready to give it a go.
The first two legs…
My alarm woke me up at 6am, I got up, got dressed, ate breakfast, took my medications and sat down for a nice cup of black tea. Just before seven I was catching my bus to Carlisle. I had just under an hour in Carlisle before my train It was nice to have time for a decent coffee and a toilet stop.
My train was on time and I boarded quickly with my cumbersome birding gear. I found a seat and settled in, ear buds in and Creeper blasting. The music helps to distract me from my mind, which definitely helps to keep things calm.
In just over an hour the train arrived at Edinburgh Waverley and it was a mad dash to disembark and find the correct platform for my connecting train to Kirkcaldy. Phew, found it in time and I was soon on my way to my destination. It was great to be crossing the famous Forth rail bridge, a first for me! The views across the firth were spectacular. Before long, the train arrived in Kirkcaldy and it was time to do some birding…
The art of the dip…
Having got my bearings, well partially at least, I took a somewhat convoluted route to the esplanade overlooking the sea. I saw a few small groups of Common Eider, some with chicks. The White-winged Scoter was reported to be associating with a group of Common Eider, so I spent some time scanning the flocks on the water and those on the sea wall.
Next, I made my way around to Path Head Sands over looking Kirkcaldy Bay. There was a moulting flock of Common Eider loafing in the bay, very close to the shore. I checked through these birds and the whole bay time and time again, anticipating that in the next scan I would locate the seemingly elusive White-winged Scoter.
After six hours of searching all the areas the bird had recently been seen in, it was becoming very clear that I wasn’t going to see the scoter. I was a dipper for the day! That’s just the luck of the draw, some you see, some you don’t! I couldn’t be upset about how the day panned out. I’d had a great day exploring a beautiful new area, having the pleasure of watching Common Guillemots, Razorbills, Northern Gannets, Arctic Terns, Sandwich Terns and spending time with Common Eiders. It’s hard to be upset about that!
The return legs…
Having squeezed all I could put of the day, I arrived at Kirkcaldy Railway Station just in time for my train back to Edinburgh. The sun was shining and the views across the Firth of Forth were even more spectacular. After arriving at Haymarket Station I had eight minutes to find the right platform for my train back to Carlisle.
As I found the platform the train arrived and I was on my way back to Carlisle. I could put my music on and relax! After arriving at Carlisle it was a short walk to the bus station for a longer than anticipated wait for my bus home. I finally arrived home just before 10pm, some 15 hours since I left that morning! What a day though.
In all honesty I’d had a fantastic day, despite the dip! This adventure had been huge for me, considering my mental health. It opens up some exciting possibilities for some hopefully more successful twitches by train…