DECEMBER  Highlight of the month was the continued presence of both the Lesser Yellowlegs at Aberlady (found in July) and Baird’s Sandpiper in White Sands Bay (found in November), unfortunately though, the Yellowlegs now looks to have departed after an amazing 151 days on the burn around the wooden footbridge. The Baird’s Sandpiper remained all month on the beach at White Sands and for the most part showed extremely well, even staying into the new year to the delight of several 2010 year listers.
Best of the rest were a Bittern at Aberlady on the 20th, a 2nd winter Glaucous Gull in Port Seton Harbour on the 13th - 14th, the returning female Smew on Linlithgow Loch from the 6th (for at least it’s fifth winter) and up to 4 Water Pipits with the Barns Ness bird staying from November and being joined by a second on the 20th, and others at Skateraw (also 20th) and one occasionally being seen at Musselburgh (4th & 13th).
Other notable sightings included Waxwings reported from Kirkliston (28) 18th, Linlithgow (12) 22nd and Musselburgh (10) 23rd. A Black Redstart was at Skateraw on the 12th, 2 Green Sandpipers at Tyninghame on the 8th, an adult male Hen Harrier at Aberlady on the 28th-29th with at least 3 Short-eared Owls also there during the month, 2 Snow Buntings at Musselburgh on the 10th and a high count of 28 Common Crossbill at East Rigg (near Bavelaw) on the 11th. There was an impressive amount of Woodcock reported in the second half of the month with well into double figures from the 22nd onwards. An adult Night Heron seen in flight on the Water of Leith on the 31st is most probably one originating from Edinburgh Zoo.

NOVEMBER  For what is normally a quieter month as Autumn ends and Winter begins, November was surprisingly busy with plenty of rare birds. Even some of our longest serving county listers and most experienced birders had new birds to chase in what was arguably month of the year in Lothian.
Bird of the month, and year for so many was a Wilson’s Phalarope on the wader scrapes at Musselburgh found on the morning of the 14th. This cracking Phalarope is only the fourth Lothian record and the first since August 1987, needless to say it was a very popular bird especially with the locals and continued to show well in front of the hides until the 26th.
A Red-rumped Swallow around Aberlady Village from the 3rd - 5th was another popular bird and only the fifth Lothian record of this species, and the first since May 1998. The Swallow was another bird which most needed in Lothian and one that thankfully did hang around long enough for most to see, at times along side an equally late Barn Swallow. Quickly following the Swallow was yet another rarity and again it was an American Wader in the form of a juvenile Baird’s Sandpiper, found in Belhaven Bay (Dunbar) on the 7th this is only the sixth record of this species in Lothian and the first since the Threipmuir (Pentlands) bird in 2003. Again it was another twichable rarity in the county and remained in the area until the 11th at least, what was presumably the same bird was then relocated by the original finder in White Sands Bay on the 30th. The bird has remained into December and may well winter, just as we expect the Yellowlegs to. Those who saw the Baird’s Sandpiper at Belhaven had the wonderful chance to see 3 species of American Wader in such a short time, with the Wilson’s Phalarope being found just a few days after the last sighting and the continued presence of the adult Lesser Yellowlegs (found in July) throughout the month.
Scarce birds not quite up to the same standards but a good supporting cast included an adult white morph Snow Goose in the Longniddry and Aberlady areas from the 24th - 27th, Marsh Harriers from Musselburgh on the 7th & 14th, an excellent showing of at least 4 Water Pipits with birds at Musselburgh (7th-11th), Skateraw (17th), Barns Ness (21st) and Scoughall (28th), a probable 2nd-winter Yellow-legged Gull was at the Seton Burn Mouth on the 21st.
Other notable sightings were a 1st winter Iceland Gull at Musselburgh on the 29th, a single Lapland Bunting at Broxmouth (Dunbar) on the 7th, the Black-necked Grebe off Ferny Ness reported several times in the first week and a late Sandwich Tern at Seton Sands on the 23rd. The hybrid Common Pochard x Red-crested Pochard returned for at least its second winter on Seafield Pond, Belhaven (Dunbar).

OCTOBER  can often be the best month of the year for rare and scarce birds in the UK and this year was no exception. There was undoubtedly birds to see during the month, but unfortunately there was a distinct lack of real rarities on show in Lothian despite some cracking birds on the east coast including an Eastern Crowned Warbler (to the south) in Northumberland and a Pied Wheatear (to the north) in nearby Fife.
Bird of the month within the county was a very brief Dusky Warbler at Skateraw on the 15th, the last being one at Scoughall in October 2005. The Lesser Yellowlegs at Aberlady (found in July) remained throughout the month, and despite being last reported on the 26th is presumably still in the area. The adult white morph Snow Goose from September also remained in the Aberlady area and was last seen on the 16th, when it then relocated south of the border.
Scarce migrants included a late Barred Warbler at Torness on the 13th - 14th, a popular Firecrest near Skateraw from 21st - 23rd and up to 7 Yellow-browed Warblers including 2 on the 10th and one at Hounds Point on the 17th.
Other highlights included the returning Black-necked Grebe reported off Ferny Ness on the 2nd, drake Mandarin Duck again on the Water of Leith from the 19th - 26th, a high count of 8 Pomarine Skua off Hounds Point on the 20th, White-fronted Geese at Tyninghame on the 11th (13), near Kingston on the 26th (4) and Threipmuir Reservoir on the 28th - 29th (1), single Black Redstarts were at Thorntonloch on the 21st and Torness on the 24th and finally up to 3 showy Water Rails at Bavelaw / Threipmuir throughout.

SEPTEMBER  An unconfirmed report of 4 Glossy Ibis flying west past North Berwick on the 28th would undoubtedly be the months highlight should they be accepted, and despite being an extremely rare bird in the UK this years influx down south which has totalled well into double figures certainly makes the record acceptable. Also towards the months end an adult white morph Snow Goose, found on the morning of the 29th at Aberlady, remained in the area into the 30th but at the time of writing it remains to be seen whether or not it will settle into a routine and hang around for the majority of birders to catch up with it. Those lucky enough to see the Goose had the chance to see 2 rare birds at one location, with the continued presence of the adult Lesser Yellowlegs around the wooden bridge (Aberlady) throughout the month which is still hoped will winter. Another really good find during September was made at Musselburgh on the 18th when a good candidate for an
American Black Duck was painfully confirmed to be a hybrid (probably Black Duck x Mallard) that same afternoon.
Other good Lothian records during the month included a Little Stint around Tyninghame on the 4th, an eclipse darke Mandarin Duck on the Water of Leith from the 5th - 10th, a Barred Warbler near Skateraw on the 13th, a juv. Black Guillemot off Musselburgh and a European Storm Petrel off Barns Ness both on the 16th and a Little Egret on the border at Blackness from the 17th. An almost certain adult Yellow-legged Gull was seen several times by the burn mouth at Seton Sands between 13th - 16th but was seen only by a lucky few and as its still a very scarce bird in the county is well worth a mention.
Also notable, was a more than noticable movement of Geese especially at the months end which included impressive counts of pale-bellied Brent Geese with high counts at Tyninghame (45) Musselburgh (27), Cramond (25), Aberlady (21) and Belhaven Bay (20) all on the 30th. The water levels dropping on local reservoirs sparked some interest among birders in Lothian, but unfortunately despite Bavelaw and Gladhouse being reasonably well watched, the highlight from these sites were a pair of showy Water Rails around the bridge at Bavelaw / Threipmuir from the 24th. On the 30th a Long-tailed Skua passed South Queensferry along with
141 Great Skua, at least 46 Arctic and 3 Pomarine Skua with a further 16 Pom's past Dunbar on the same day... by far the best day for Skua's this September.

AUGUST  Highlight of the month was the continued presence of the adult Lesser Yellowlegs at Aberlady Bay, found on the 22nd July it has remained faithful to the burn around the wooden bridge and car park to at least the months end. It is now hoped, after nearly 6 weeks here, it will stay and winter in the area with the local Redshanks. For those birders who saw the Yellowlegs in July, the discovery of an adult Common Crane at Tyninghame on the 25th which stayed until the 29th before being seen in flight over Aberlady on the 30th was bird of the month. Although news of the Crane didn’t really break until the 27th those keen enough to see it had the opportunity when it was confirmed as still present on the afternoon of the 27th. It then stayed around the Inner Bay on both the 28th & 29th giving weekend birders the chance to see this impressive bird on the ground. Those looking for it on the 30th drew a blank though and it was then seen that afternoon over Aberlady, during its stay at Tyninghame a handful of lucky observers saw the bird at close range in fields along the wear road to the west of the Bay… at the time of writing it remains to be seen whether the bird will be tracked down again.
August was again a pretty good month for scarce waders and as always Musselburgh pulled more than its fair share. A juv. Curlew Sandpiper between 26th - 31st was joined by a second on the 27th & 28th, Ruff where reported on most days during the month with the high count being 9 on the 14th, 26th & 27, single Green Sandpiper’s on the 1st & 3rd, a good showing of Black-tailed Godwit’s with the high count being 33 on the 2nd, several Greenshank which peaked at 4 on the 14th and the largest flock of Whimbrel being 18 on the 6th and all of these sightings coming from Musselburgh and the wader scrapes in particular. Good waders away from Musselburgh included a Green Sandpiper at Barns Ness on the 23rd and good counts of 13 Greenshank at Tyninghame on the 30th and 3 at Cramond on the 17th.
Other notable sightings from Lothian during August included a Common Eider at Gladhouse Reservoir on the 25th which is thought to be the first ever county inland record, at least 2 sinensis race Cormorants at Musselburgh on the 1st, a Hooded Crow at Seafield (Edinburgh) on the 17th, 2 Osprey’s at Aberlady on the 22nd with 2 Short-eared Owl’s also there on the same date, a group of 5 Black Terns off Hound Point on the 24th with a single bird seen past Ferny Ness on the 25th, a female Greater Scaup on Blindwell's on the 22nd and an unconfirmed, but unsurprising report of a Marsh Harrier near Yellow Craig on the 24th. Seawatching off Hound Point in late summer and autumn has became traditional and the 5 Black Terns were the highlight here during August, but a juvenile Long-tailed Skua on the 28th, and a single Pomarine Skua, 8 Bonxie’s and 18 Arctic Skua’s on the 31st off Hounds Point was hopefully a sign of things to come this September.
Although no longer a rare bird in the county there was a good showing of Mediterranean Gulls which deserves a mention, Musselburgh and Seton Sands are undoubtedly the hot spots for this species with at least 3 at Musselburgh on the 1st & 19th and a high count of 4 at the Seton Burn Mouth on the 29th. Also worth a mention, the guaranteed arrival of Red-necked Grebes in Gosford Bay resulted in a good count of 45 off Ferny Ness on the 11th.

JULY  Late summer can often be dominated by Waders and Seabirds and in July this year this was certainly the case. Waders were undoubtedly the highlight in what was a busier month, the star of the show could only have been the superb adult breeding plumage Lesser Yellowlegs at Aberlady. Found on the morning of the 22nd this rare American Wader proved to be an extremely popular attraction and stayed to the months end at least and at times showed really well around the wooden bridge by the car park. This Lesser Yellowlegs was only the 4th record of this species to reach the Lothian's and the first since 1999, it was one that many county listers still needed. The years second American wader was not far behind though, a Pectoral Sandpiper at Cramond on the morning of the 26th was another fantastic find. Other good waders during the month included a Little Stint at Musselburgh on the 23rd, Green Sandpiper also at Musselburgh from the 27th, Greenshank at various locations including 4 at Tyninghame on the 1st and 3 at Aberlady on the 22nd & 28th, a good scattering of Black-tailed Godwits including 15 at Musselburgh on the 2nd and 6 past Seafield on the 19th and excellent numbers of both Whimbrel and Common Sandpipers throughout.
Although early in the year some favourable winds produced some good seabirds, the highlights were 2 Balearic Shearwaters passed Dunbar on the 7th with a single bird also off Barns Ness on the 15th. Great Skuas were also seen with birds passed Barns Ness on the 9th (1) and 18th (12), and a single bird off Seafield on the 19th. Arctic Skuas passed Barns Ness on the 12th (1) and 18th (2) and Manx Shearwaters passed Dunbar on the 7th (1+) with 3 passed Barns Ness on the 12th & 18th.
Single Mediterranean Gulls were seen at Musselburgh on the 8th, 10th, 14th, 18th, 22nd, 28th & 31st and a single bird was at Seton Sands on the 16th, Little Gulls were also fairly numerous although the high count was only 3 at Musselburgh on the 18th. Other notable birds during July were 2 Roseate Terns off Port Edgar on the 15th and the returning Red-necked Grebes in Gosford Bay peaked at 12 on the 22nd. This years Quail influx has been remarkable but very difficult to summarize, there will be an article coming soon to give a feel of this arruption.

JUNE  As is often the case, June was a very quiet month away from breeding birds and a very frustrating time for rarity hunters. Despite several spells of easterly winds very few migrants were reported and there were none of the hoped for Red-backed Shrikes that have been seen in recent years around June.
What could easily have been bird of the month was seen briefly at Skateraw on the 24th, what was thought by the finder to be a Nightingale species would have been extremely popular regardless of the final identification. On the 7th a sinensis race Cormorant at Musselburgh was a fantastic find and although not a separate species, this is a very rare bird in Scotland and a real test of your observation skills. In a fairly good year for Quail, at least 6 birds were reported from 5 different locations including one bird near Drem Pools from the 19th - 21st at least. On the 10th an adult Spotted Redshank visited the wader scrapes at Musselburgh, the only
Black-tailed Godwits of the month also came from here with 5 on the 16th and 2 on the 18th. At least 3 Mediterranean Gulls (possibly 4) were in the county during the month with 2 1st summers together near Dalmeny on the 16th, a single 1st summer at Cramond on the 17th (presumably one of the Dalmeny birds) and an adult at Tyninghame on the 23rd. Greenshank were at Cramond in the second half of the month with 2 present on the 27th, other singles were at Abercorn also on the 27th and Musselburgh on the 18th.
Other notable birds reported throughout the month included an Osprey in the Pentlands on the 6th, 2 Red-throated Divers past Barns Ness on the 4th, a singing Lesser Whitethroat at Aberlady on the 8th, 2 Raven over Penicuik on the 14th, a Merlin at Tyninghame on the 16th and a flock of at least 40 Lesser Redpolls near Mount Lothian and a Manx Shearwater past Barns Ness all on the 27th. Whinchat were a popular subject with the county's photographers with at least 2 pairs in the Cockmuir Bridge (Mount Lothian) area giving them something to point their cameras at during the quiet spells. Attention on these birds resulted in some fairly good local finds, Tree Pipit and up to 5 Grasshopper Warblers were reported from here towards the months end.
There was an interesting report of a Spoonbill seen Inchcolm Island (Firth of Forth) on the 21st, apparently viewed from the Fife side.