St Andrews Biodiversity Literacy Group

Want to know what some of the birds that have been singing in the past few weeks are? The chiffchaffs have just started singing in the past couple weeks, and they are a great first one to pick out since they are so distinctive!

Check out this link to hear what they (and other birds around St Andrews) sound like! Maybe you'll recognise one of them next time you're out and about...

Bird Song Identifier | Audio of Garden Bird Calls - The RSPB Identify common bird calls and songs with audio clips from the most common British birds, based on the results of this year's Big Garden Birdwatch and dawn chorus species.

Hi everyone, it's Clara again! Due to popular demand, this week we're learning about greenfinches! They live in Scotland year round, and we spotted some along Grange Road at sunrise. The bodies of these finches are covered with grey and lime-green feathers which blend into a beautiful olive-green, and in females, the breast is a more pure grey. Their wings are grey with bright yellow streaks visible when they fly, as well as streaks visible on the leading edge of their wing and base of the tale at all times.

They eat seeds and insects, and so love bushes, hedges and trees. Sadly, although greenfinches had been recovering well from a population dip at the end of the last century, they are now threated by a disease called trichomonosis, which is spread by parasite and can be combatted by keeping bird feeders clean!

Thanks to John Anderson for the amazing photographs!

[image 1: Greenfinch standing on a branch. Image 2: Greenfinch lunging at tree sparrow]

Hey everyone, it’s Sasha again with another great opportunity to get involved with biodiversity! This time its about how biodiversity in rivers can show us how clean the river is! Find out more below and in the attached PDF.

There is a fantastic free opportunity being advertised by transition to be upskilled by BugLife Scotland on how to monitor water quality in our local rivers (Swilken and/or Kinnessburn).

Theory and practical training dates are as follows:

The theory session via Zoom is proposed for 6-9pm on Thursday the 23rd March

The practical face-to-face riverside session on Saturday 25th either 9am-12 or 2-5pm

Places are limited and allocated on a first come first served basis. If anyone's interested, please email Anya with availability at [email protected].

Week 7: Common Scoter

Hello, Iona here! The bird for this week is the Common Scoter. These are dark sea ducks which you can spot flying in small groups across the ocean, often on the horizon off East or West sands. The male is totally black and the female is lighter with a pale face. Their main diet is molluscs which they dive for. Worryingly, their breeding population has declined hugely, making them a red-listed species. Because they spend much of the winter offshore, they are susceptible to oil-spills. As the spring and summer comes round, these ducks will come inland to breed on lochs, particularly those in West and North Scotland.

Photos once again provided by John Anderson.



[photo 1: string of black ducks flying over the sea. Photo 2: black duck floating on wave]

Interested in helping out with an art project by planting some trees?

A Fife based artist is looking for locations to plant 200 oak trees as part of a Fife wide project. The artist is looking for locations to plant individual oaks that he has grown from seed. Participation involves planting an oak tree, gifted by the artist, in the gardens, parks, common lands and green spaces of the Kingdom and caring for these trees, engaging in a physical and symbolic cycle of participation, nurture, growth and renewal. akin is both an old Scots word meaning, 'consisting of oaks', and an English word suggesting similarity, connection, or common origin. You can find further information about akin here: www.colinandrews.org/project/akin and contact the artist Colin Andrews [email protected]

akin | colinandrews.org akinpixelpilot2023-01-31T10:21:50+00:00 Site Specific Sculpture (200 oak trees, documents, maps, GPS record) 2013 - present akin is a long-term, large scale, participatory, public artwork in which oak trees are to be planted across the region of Fife, in Scotland, to create a ‘future forest’. Be...

Interested in getting more involved with trees?

A new network called Fife Tree Wardens is launching soon, with loads of opportunities to learn more about trees and volunteer in tree care!

The best thing about it is no prior experience is required, all training will be provided so all you need is an interest in trees.

If you want to know more; information about training, Tree Warden Inductions, and a Tree Warden Forum - Exploring Resilient Treescapes in the face of Climate Change, is all posted below.

Fife Tree related training is being provided by a range of partners across Fife, throughout the year and is shared through the Tree Training (padlet.com) padlet.

The padlet can be found here: https://padlet.com/rebeccalogsdon/tree-training-o6c3sbd86jq651u4

Events include...

Tree Warden Induction:

Face to Face: Thursday 16 March @ CLEAR Buckhaven and Methil 1.00pm-2.30pm - Limited places

To reserve your spot visit: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/fife-tree-warden-scheme-introduction-tickets-537162005017
CLEAR Buckhaven and Methil will be planting trees on the morning of 16th March. To join in, please email [email protected]

Online: Monday 27 March 6.00-7.00 pm
Please note that this session is for people who live in Fife.
To reserve your spot visit: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/fife-tree-warden-scheme-online-induction-tickets-537677516927

Exploring Resilient Treescapes in the face of Climate Change – BOOK NOW!
Saturday 18 March 2023
10.00am -4.00pm (tea, coffee and pastries will be served from 9.30am)
The Botanic Cottage, Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh Arboretum Place Edinburgh EH3 5NZ
£8.00 per person

To BOOK visit: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/exploring-resilient-treescapes-in-the-face-of-climate-change-tickets-537817545757

Exploring Resilient Treescapes in the face of Climate Change Join the Perth & Kinross and Fife volunteer Tree Wardens as we explore tree health, species adaptation and the value of hedgerows.

Hey all, its Sasha here!

Hope you've all had a great reading week, and maybe even saw some nice biodiversity either in St Andrews or elsewhere . I know I did! Seeing Egyptian geese in the Netherlands was definitely a surprise.

There are some great opportunities for those interested in learning more about trees, including tree warden courses, a forum on trees and climate change, and an opportunity to help an artist with a tree related project!

More information to follow in the next few posts...be on the lookout!

Week 6: Long Tailed Tit

Hi everyone, I’m Sasha and I’ll be sharing the bird of the week this week!

This week’s bird is the Long tailed tit. I’ve been seeing a lot of them around St Andrews lately, both outside the Union, Uni Hall, and along the Kinness burn, and some of you might have too!

These little guys tend to be in groups, flying around between tree branches or hedges. They can be seen year round, chirping away in wooded areas and clusters of trees looking for insects and seeds to eat.

Along with the distinctive long tails that give them their name, these birds have clear black and white colouring usually with some pink and cream mixed in. Juveniles are darker with more black feathers, and have a red ring around their eye. Their roundish bodies and small beaks make them some of the cutest little birds you can find around here!

Happily, the RSPB classifies their UK conservation status as green, so these guys are doing great.

See you next week!!

As always, we have some wonderful photos provided by John Anderson.



[Image 1: Adult Long Tailed Tit on a small branch] [Image 2: Juvenile Long Tailed Tit on a branch]

Week 5 – Kingfisher

Hello, my name is Erica and this week I am going to be talking about the Kingfisher! They are smaller than one may think and are beautiful in their blue and orange hues. They hunt fish and aquatic insects by flying rapidly low on the water. They can be found around the UK, but are currently increasing their range in Scotland! Their wingspan is about 24-26 cm and sometimes can be hard to spot due to their small size, but they are so rewarding to see! They have been spotted around St Andrews recently near Kinnessburn on the way to East Sands, so keep an eye out for this speedy bird! Fun fact: Kingfisher chicks have fluorescent beak tips so their parents can find them in the dark!

Photo credit (John Anderson)



[A Kingfisher perched on a green branch]

Want an easy way to see a fun bird? Head down to Castle Sands and look for the Fulmars in the cliffs!
All of us here in the Biodiversity Literacy Group love these guys because of the way they fly, kind of like their wings are wooden planks they move up and down. They're great gliders too!

Here's some of John Anderson's wonderful photos so you know what to look for next time you're in the area. Happy birding!!

Hellooo, Leela here :)

Welcome back to Bird of the Week!


I want to share with you a little information on the red-breasted merganser, or as Will Cresswell fondly called it the other morning on our bird walk “little dragony things.”



The red-breasted merganser is most commonly found in the winter months along the coast of St. Andrews – so now is a wonderful time to keep your eye out for them. They are a medium sized, streamlined diving duck with sharp teeth that help the them catch and hold fish. They tend to eat mostly fish, small frustrations, insects and worms.



Male red breasted mergansers have a speckled brown chest with a white striped neck and a lower white wing panel, whereas the females have a brown head and a paler grey body. Both can be identified by their shaggy feathered heads and their red/orange beaks and eyes.



The red breasted mergansers breed from April to June, making nests on the ground near bodies of water.



I have been seeing them along the coastal path a fair amount lately so if your looking for this “little dragony thing” take yourself out on a little walk and keep your eyes on the sea.



Photo Credit: John Anderson



Image 1: Red Breasted Merganser

Image 2: Red Breasted Merganser

Image 3: Red Breasted Merganser (female)

Hey everyone! RSPB is hosting an event called 'The Big Garden Bird Watch,' which begins TOMORROW! By taking part and posting your birdwatch results, it will help monitor how UK birds are faring in the face of the nature and climate emergency.

Here is what you do:

1. Watch the birds around you for one hour
2. Count how many of each species of bird lands on your patch
3. Go online and post on the RSPB website

Happy birding everyone!

Big Garden Birdwatch | The RSPB Sign up for your free guide and let's look out for birds together on 27-29 January.

Hello everyone! My name is Erica, one of the students in the Biodiversity Literacy project, and this week I have chosen to talk about the endlessly adorable Ringed Plover! This coastal wader can be found near flooded gravel pits, reservoirs, and, of course, by the coast. This bird is the most common plover in the UK, most frequently spotted around January to December, however if you want to catch a glimpse of them in St Andrews, I recommend going to West Sands asap!

The size of a ringed plover averages to be 18- 20 cm with a plump and stout build. Unlike the closely related Little Ringed Plover, Ringed Plovers do not have a yellow ring around their eye and has an orange bill with a black tip. Regarding their distinct markings, Ringed Plovers sport a black chest-band and a black bridle marking on their heads.

Ringed Plovers have a special talent for mimicking the rain! They lure in their prey from under the sand by quickly tapping their feet on the ground to mimic the sound of falling rain drops. They usually hunt for crustaceans and small invertebrates by pecking at the sand, and bird watchers can often see them suddenly running and then standing still as they watch for their prey. They especially love to eat flies, spiders, marine worms, and molluscs!
Their conservation status in the UK is red, so be sure to keep our beaches clean to protect Ringed Plovers and our other coastal friends!


Photo credit: John Anderson

[image ID 1 : a juvenile Ringed Plover standing a rock with green moss in the background.]
[image ID 1 : a Ringed Plover standing a rock facing towards the sun.]

Hello, my name is Iona! This week’s bird is the barnacle goose. You may have heard these birds flying over town during the last month. They’re distinctive with a white face, black neck, white breast, and black wings. They’re relatively small geese, ranging from 58-68cm long. They can be seen flying in straggled ‘V’ formations from October onwards, making loud and chaotic honking sounds. They spend the winters (October to March) in the UK (and other parts of Northern Europe) before migrating further North to Greenland and Svalbard where they breed throughout the summer.

Their diet consists of vegetation – stems, roots, seeds and leaves. Because of this, flocks of barnacle geese can often be seen ‘grazing’ in grassy fields and wetlands.

According to the wildlife trust, it was once thought that barnacle geese hatched from a type of shellfish called a goose barnacle (named so because of its white shell and long black ‘neck’ or peduncle from which it attaches itself to ropes or the bottom of boats). Apart from the similarities in colour of both the barnacle goose and the goose barnacle, people assumed they must hatch from these shellfish because their nests were never found, and without GPS technology, there was no way of knowing about their migratory breeding habits.

Barnacle geese are on the amber list for UK bird conservation, meaning their population size is of concern.

Photo credit: Per Lagerås (left) Ian Fulton (right)



[image 1 of a flock of barnacle geese flying in a ‘v’ formation with low sun lighting them from below. Image 2 of a close-up barnacle goose with a white face, black neck, white breast, and black wings.]

This week’s bird is the collared dove (Streptopelia decaocto), a common sight in many parts of the world including St Andrews.

The light-coloured plumage and distinctive dark collar makes the collared dove easy to identify from the other common pigeon and dove species. While not as large as wood pigeons or feral pigeons, they live in proximity to human settlements and possess a distinctive 3-note pulsed coo which can often be heard near trees where they nest. Do be on the lookout (and listen) on trees and lampposts around town!

Originally native to parts of the middle east and Asia, the modern worldwide distribution of collared doves is testament to its ability to colonise and inhabit human-settled areas much like many other pigeon/dove species. In the UK, where they were first discovered in the 1950s, over 800,000 breeding pairs are now found. They nest in trees starting from March, producing several clutches per year with an egg-to-fledgeling period of 4-5 weeks. Juveniles in spring can be distinguished by their lack of the dark collar, and if you’re lucky enough you might get some nesting just outside of your window.

Despite their massive population boom in many countries around the world, having led them to be considered invasive species in North America and Australia with the risk of carrying bird pathogens, The UK population has been in slow decline for some time. One major reason may well be simply competition from the bigger pigeons which occupy its nesting and feeding sites around towns. Given their past record and present numbers though, it seems unlikely for the collared dove population to be in any significant danger for the time being.

As always, many thanks for the photos provided by John Anderson.

Welcome to this week’s edition of the bird of the week!

The characteristic drumming noise of a distant woodpecker holds a special place in many birders’ hearts. Chances are that you’re hearing the display of a Great Spotted Woodpecker – the most common of the three species found in the UK. Enjoying a varied diet, owing to its uniquely shaped beak, the Great Spotted Woodpecker can eat seeds, insects and nuts. Their beaks are long, sturdy and powerful – adapted for their drumming, which they used to mark their territory. You would think that this high-impact drumming would cause damage to the bird’s brain, but recent research into the woodpecker’s protective bone structures is likely going to be incorporated into helmet design as it is so effective!

Weighing between 85 and 100g, the Great Spotted Woodpecker can be found in a variety of woodland habitats, but if you want the best chance of spotting one in St Andrews, your best bets would be along the Kinnessburn, or heading over to Craigtoun Country Park. They nest in holes in trees, raising clutches of four to six eggs, with both parents equally responsible for incubating the eggs, keeping the nest clean, and feeding the chicks.

Adult males and females can be easily distinguished by the red patch found at the back of the head of the male, and juveniles of both sexes have a distinctive red crown. If you hear the characteristic tapping in the woodland and see a glimpse of red, you might be lucky enough to witness a flight pattern not too far removed from that of Flappy Bird – dipping and bouncing. Typically, these birds are hard to spot – clinging to tree trunks and branches, they will tactically move to the side opposite their observer – so your best bet is spotting them from afar, or in flight as they move between the trees!

Despite their widespread distribution across the Northern Hemisphere, they are rarely spotted in Ireland – but anywhere else in the UK is a safe bet.

Many thanks to John Anderson for the photographs!

[Photo ID 1: Great Spotted Woodpecker (female) clutches a tree branch and looks to camera.]

[Photo ID 2: Great Spotted Woodpecker (male), with closed eyes, pecks his beak into a split branch. The small red patch on the back of the head can be seen, identifying this bird as a male.]

It was an early start for our bird walk this week, meeting in the Eden Campus car park at 8 a.m on Tuesday. After meeting up, we walked along to the shore of the Eden Estuary, where we set up a few telescopes and started scanning the estuary for birds. It was high tide, perfect for viewing close waders and wildfowl!

Immediately, we could see a large flock of lapwings in the air, looking as if they had been disturbed by a predator. When lapwings behave like this, it often means that a peregrine is in the area. Unfortunately, we didn’t see a peregrine, but it was still great to watch hundreds of lapwings in flight!
We soon started looking through some of the ducks on the estuary. Close in were a flock of mallard. Further out, there were lots of wigeon and teal feeding along the shoreline. Differentiating between these species can be difficult, but we soon started to notice the subtle differences in plumage and structure between the two species. Further out were a flock of scaup. These are uncommon winter visitors to the UK, so were great for everyone to see! Scanning closer in revealed a winter-plumaged red-throated diver. The inner Eden Estuary is an unusual location to see one of these birds, which tend to prefer more open coastal waters during the winter. Perhaps it had come into the inner estuary to fish during the high tide? We also picked out a female goldeneye, along with a flock of goosander.
We then spotted a flash of blue and orange darting across the water and landing on a distant post. A kingfisher! Kingfishers are one of the most vibrant and colourful birds in the UK and are always enjoyable to watch. The first kingfisher was joined by a second, although both quickly darted out of view.

After enjoying watching the kingfisher, we got to grips with identifying some of the waders that had begun feeding on the exposed mud as the tide retreated. There were dunlin, lapwing, redshank and curlew present, with smaller numbers of black-tailed godwit. Later, project coordinator Will Cresswell picked out a couple of little egrets and a large but distant flock of golden plover.

Overall, it was a very enjoyable bird walk despite the early start and cold conditions, with lots of exciting species seen!

[Image: Biodiversity literacy VIP members]

Hello everyone and welcome to week 8! I’m Megan, one of the students in the Biodiversity Literacy project, and for this week’s bird I’ve chosen the Barn owl.

Barn owls are widely distributed across the UK and across the world, with an estimated 4,000 breeding pairs in the UK. They are medium-sized birds, with a length of 33-39 cm and wingspan of 80-95 cm, long wings, long legs (sometimes dangling) and a characteristic pale, heart-shaped face. They can be recognised in flight by their wavering and elegant wingbeats, sped up in hunting flight, and by their very pale plumage. Their pellets can have a characteristic dark, glossy appearance, while their call can be identified by a drawn-out purring shriek, and their song by a drawn-out rattling/gargling shriek.

Voles make up the main part of barn owls’ diet, with mice, shrews, rats, frogs, and insects also regularly included, and occasionally, some larger mammals and small birds. Traditionally, barn owls have been known to nest and roost in old barns and hollow trees, but they often settle in nest boxes placed in trees and spaces in modern farm buildings and barn conversions, too. A pair of barn owls usually hunts within 2km of their nest site during the breeding season.

Field edges, the edges of watercourses, and grass strips alongside woods provide ideal hunting habitats for barn owls. They are resident in the UK, so look out for them year-round in open country, along field edges, riverbanks, and roadside verges. Barn owls are nocturnal and crepuscular, so you are most likely to spot them at dusk, however they can also be seen during the day.

The UK’s barn owl population is in decline, mainly due to declining areas of rough grassland causing a reduced food supply, in addition to a loss of old barns for roosting and increase in road deaths in some areas. A pair of barn owls needs 20-25km of edge with several suitable roosting sites, so grants and incentives to help create and maintain these habitats may soon be set up. The main ways to help encourage population growth in barn owls are to plant blocks/wide strips of both tussock-forming grasses and short soft grasses, and to set up nest boxes 500m apart, with a density of one per kilometre.

Once again, thanks to John Anderson for the photos!

Independent Learning Week saw our VIP group meet with our project coordinator Will Cresswell in Crail to spend a day birding and improving our tree identification. A mighty total of 67 different species! Crail churchyard yielded many of the classic garden birds (including Blackbirds and Great T**s). The farmland beyond produced several sightings of Corn Buntings, plus the recently arrived Redwings. The farmland led our group to the coast around Fife Ness, with sights of typical shorebirds (Oystercatcher, Redshank, Curlew). The return route included a trail through the soon-to-be wildlife sanctuary next to Crail airfield, and a final walk through the caravan parks, with Kestrels, Skylarks and a Peregrine making appearances. A special mention must also go to our honorary team member Nutty!

Welcome to the week of the Dipper (Cinclus cinclus)!

The female dipper lays 4-5 eggs starting at one year of age. Pairs stay together over subsequent breeding periods and keep the same territory throughout their lives, the longest of which was recorded at 10 years. The birds hunt for small fish and invertebrates in streams and rivers using the characteristic "dipping" technique, swallowing food underwater while keeping their balance in the fast water using their wings and by gripping debris on the streambed with their feet. Dippers regurgitate pellets of food which could not be digested.

As mentioned above, dippers feed in swift, shallow streams and rivers, and this is one of the most likely places to spot them. The most recognizable feature is their white throat. In most of Scotland, adults present a brown hood and band across the breast with black (or dark grey) wings, back and tail. Juveniles have a light chest and grey back, both speckled with darker grey.

Dippers can be spotted around St Andrews at any time of the year, although they are more known to be resident in the Highlands.

Dipper populations are in decline in some areas of their range (parts of UK and central Europe), but the population as a whole remains stable. Threats mostly come from health issues caused by pollution and acidification of water, which depletes the populations of organisms which the Dipper relies on for food. For these reasons, it is classified as Amber in the RSPB conservation classification system.

Thanks to John Anderson for the photos!

[Photo 1: Dippers nest prospecting]
[Photo 2: Dipper juvenile]

Hey everyone! Welcome to week 5: last one before reading week!

The bird of the week this week is the Guillemot, Uria aalge. Part of the Auk family, these birds are one of the most common species found in “seabird cities” - large cliff nesting colonies. It even has a special pear-shaped egg to stop it rolling off the cliff edge! Only coming to land to breed, they spend most of their lives at sea eating fish and crustaceans.

They are fairly widespread around the coast of the UK in winter, congregating in breeding colonies such as Marwick Head in Orkney from March to the end of July. Most are found around Scotland, though there are some local groups on the South English coast and Wales. Northern England and Northern Ireland also host a few smaller groups. Around St Andrews, they can usually be seen sitting out in the water. Last week we spotted one out near West Sands, and have also seen some near Castle Sands

Guillemots look slightly different in the summer and winter. Their summer plumage is mostly brown-black with a white underbelly, with their faces and more of their lower bodies becoming white in winter. The ring around their eye and the stripe coming off behind it is white in summer (although not all birds will have this, Guillemots breeding in the south tend to have it less), but changes to black in the winter. Both their bills and legs are black.

Their conservation status is classified as Amber, which some of the main threats being oil spills and severe storms. Guillemots are more particularly vulnerable to oil spills since they spend most of their lives in the sea. In recent years, over-exploitation of sand eels, an important food source during the breeding season, has also become a threat.

Thanks again to John Anderson for the photos!!

[Photo ID 1: Guillemot, summer plumage]

[Photo ID 2: Guillemot, winter plumage ]

Welcome to Week 4! Our bird of the week this week is the purple sandpiper, Calidris maritima. Purple sandpipers are small, stocky waders that spend the winter on the coast of Scotland. While they are mostly winter visitors to Scotland, 1-3 pairs breed annually in the Scottish Highlands, making the Purple Sandpiper one of the rarest breeding birds in the UK!

Purple sandpipers breed mostly in tundra regions in the Arctic, with their breeding range extending from Arctic Canada across Greenland as far as Scandinavia and Russia. Interestingly, males incubate the eggs, which take around three weeks to hatch. After the chicks have hatched, most parental care is carried out by the males, and chicks are able to feed themselves.

Purple sandpipers have a varied diet, eating mostly invertebrates including winkles and other molluscs, as well as insects and spiders. Much of their diet consists of seaweed flies, and purple sandpipers often feed amongst seaweed. They also eat some plant material.

Purple sandpipers can be identified by their overall stocky appearance, short orange legs and relatively short, downcurved orange bills. The upperparts are dark grey-brown, although they appear almost purple in some light conditions. The belly is pale white, with some grey streaking on the breast. In flight, purple sandpipers appear darker than other similar-sized waders such as dunlin and turnstone. They also show a thin white stripe on the wing, aiding identification.

In the UK, purple sandpipers are mostly winter visitors to rocky coastal areas, and St Andrews is therefore a good place to find them! Between October and April, Purple Sandpipers can be found anywhere along the shore between the pier and the Golf Museum carpark. At low tide, they often feed very close to the pier, along with turnstones. At high tide, they can be found in mixed wader roosts along with other waders including redshank, turnstone and ringed plover.

Purple Sandpipers are numerous across their range and are therefore categorised as ‘Least Concern’ by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). However, the global population is thought to be declining. In the UK, the decline in Purple Sandpiper numbers has resulted in the species being placed on the Red List of conservation concern.

Photo Credit: John Anderson

[Photo 1 ID: Purple sandpiper standing on rock]
[Photo 2 ID: Purple sandpiper in flight]