A mild spring day in Linlithgow and Bo'ness produced numerous singing birds and a general feeling of re-awakening after the winter. One of the first birds of the day was the long-staying Long-tailed Duck giving excellent views as it plowtered in Linlithgow Loch just a few meters offshore. Nearby, a drake Goldeneye was in vigorous display. A group of Goosanders in the extreme south east corner of the loch included the recently-arrived female Smew. Presumably the bird seen in the last four or five winters, it gave great views, again down to a few meters.
Walking over the fields to Bo'ness, Bonnytoun Farm again failed to produce any Tree Sparrows. Bo'ness itself was full of common birds. The foreshore area produced some good sightings including a female Red-breasted Merganser, a male Goldeneye and a Little Grebe on "the Dock", a Grey heron in the harbour and Teal, Mallard and Shelduck on exposed mud. A patch of disturbed ground associated with recent waterworks held a pair of Bullfinches, two Redwings and an  immature Pied Wagtail (moulting into adult plumage and showing a lemon-yellow face). Redwings were actually encountered at several other sites, including at the railway bridge just a few hundred metres from home.Perhaps the best sighting of the day concerned nine Golden Plovers circling in low cloud over the "windmill field" next to Fishers' Brae. Also notable nearby was a mixed flock of nine Mistle Thrushes, four Redwings and eight Starlings on wires. The complete bird list for the day was as follows: Mute Swan, Shelduck, Teal, Mallard, Domestic Mallard, Pochard, Tufted Duck, Long-tailed Duck, Goldeneye, Smew, Red-breasted Merganser, Goosander, Cormorant, Grey Heron, Little Grebe, Great Crested Grebe, Buzzard, Moorhen, Coot, Oystercatcher, Golden Plover, Curlew, Redshank, Black-headed Gull, Common Gull, Herring Gull, Feral Pigeon, Woodpigeon, Collared Dove, Magpie, Jackdaw, Rook, Carrion Crow, Blue Tit, Great Tit, Long-tailed Tit, Wren, Starling, Blackbird, Redwing, Mistle Thrush, Robin, Dunnock, House Sparrow, Pied Wagtail, Chaffinch, Bullfinch, Greenfinch and Goldfinch (49 species).