Month: January 2013

Snow has started again and the birds are all in hiding.

The snow started falling at about 9am today, but even before that Iā€™d only seen 1 blackbird and since not much has changed, probably the biggest number of Blue tits Iā€™ve had at one time in the garden but very little else:

  1. Blackbird x 3
  2. Blue Tit x 5
  3. Coal Tit x 1

Iā€™m hoping to take a gentle stroll around a pond later today after seeing the surgeon that did my last operation which sadly hasnā€™t worked. Ā Maybe able to add a few more birds.

Great to hear 12 house sparrows in the garden.

The garden bird list today is a bit short, but I was very happy to see 12 house sparrows theyā€™re so great to hear the noisy chatter in the garden:

  1. Blackbird x 3
  2. Blue Tit x 4
  3. Carrion crow x 1
  4. Chaffinch x 2
  5. Coal Tit x 1
  6. Greenfinch x 1
  7. House Sparrow x 12
  8. Robin x 1Ā added 13.20
  9. Woodpigeon x 1

The SOC Laurie Campbell nature photography exhibition and snow!

Managed to get out to Aberlady to the SOC Waterston House to see the newĀ Laurie Campbell nature photography exhibition ā€“ find out moreĀ as with all of Laurieā€™s work it was fantastic! The crowd was very small, by the time it was closing only 1 other person was there, however we didnā€™t get there until quite late due to work and slow going on the roads due to snow.

With the snow I thought thereā€™d be a lot more birds in the garden, especially as I was outside filling the feeders at about midnight so I knew theyā€™d be full for the morning, hardly anythingā€™s been touched, hereā€™s my list so far, hopefully update later in the day:

  1. Blackbird x 4
  2. Black-headed Gull x 2 ā€“ fly overs
  3. Blue Tit x 2
  4. Bullfinch x 3
  5. Carrion crow x 1 ā€“ fly over
  6. Coal Tit x 2
  7. Dunnock x 3
  8. Greenfinch x 1
  9. House Sparrow x 9
  10. Robin x 1
  11. Woodpigeon x 3

Ground frozen solid and the garden birds not staying around.

The ground has frozen solid in my garden and the birds seem very busy flying around but not settling long enough to see what they are, they donā€™t seem that interested in the feeders today, I had noticed a fair few insects in the air yesterday which surprised me for such a cold winters day. Off to watch BBC Winterwatch on the iplayer and see if Chris Packhamā€™s added any more Madness song titles to his list, hereā€™s my very cold morningā€™s garden bird count:

  1. Blackbird x 4
  2. Blue Tit x 2
  3. Carrion crow x 1
  4. Chaffinch x 1
  5. Coal Tit x 2
  6. Dunnock x 1 added 11.34
  7. House Sparrow x 11 updated 11.34
  8. Magpie x 1 added 11.34
  9. Robin x 1 added 11.34
  10. Woodpigeon x 3

Chris Packham and Winterwatch Madness, my garden bird list.

Just watching BBCā€™s Winterwatch on the iplayer ā€“ I donā€™t have a TV licence so canā€™t watch it live ā€“ I had started noticing that Chris Packham has been adding Madness song titles, but I donā€™t know enough of their songs so I probably missed a few. Ā My gardenā€™s been slightly quieter today, but I hope to get a bit more bird watching in later during a lunch break. Ā I did get lucky and spot 2 bullfinches out of the window whilst watching winterwatch:

  1. Blackbird x 2
  2. Blue Tit x 2
  3. Bullfinch x 2
  4. Coal Tit x 2
  5. House Sparrows x 5 ā€“ added 12.47
  6. Woodpigeon x 3 –Ā updated 12.47

BBCā€™s Winterwatch great footage of Long-tailed Tits, Garden bird list.

The snow is still lying on the ground but there seems to be very few birds around in my garden. Ā Iā€™ve just been watching BBCā€™s Winterwatch episode 2; if youā€™re a fan of Long-tailed Tits thereā€™s a great piece about 9 or 10 minutes in: BBC iplayer WinterwatchĀ Iā€™ve only seen them roosting once before, but not nestling down, just a pure accident. Ā Hereā€™s my garden bird list so far, hope to update later in the day.

  1. Blackbird x 2
  2. Black-headed x 2, One of them didnā€™t have a tail, it seemed to be doing very well though!
  3. Blue Tit x 3
  4. Bullfinch x 3Ā Ā –Ā updated 11.13
  5. Carrion crow x 2
  6. Dunnock x 1
  7. Herring Gull x 1
  8. House Sparrows x 5 –Ā updated 11.13
  9. Magpie x 1
  10. Woodpigeon x 3

Out for a gentle stroll to the park.

As many regular viewers of the site would know Iā€™ve had 3 torn ankle tendons in the past 4 years and major screw ups from the NHS causing long lasting pain but I was a landscape photographer (canā€™t currently work at that) and really NEED to walk! Ā Itā€™s my hobby, my job, my passion! Ā So when I feel I can do some I get out for gentle strolls with a walking stick, whilst atĀ Saint Margaretā€™s Park I saw my first Pied Wagtail for the year, plus a few other birds:

  1. Carrion Crow x 5
  2. Pied Wagtail
  3. Woodpigeon x 2

Snow on the ground, garden birds for 15th of January 2013

I havenā€™t had a lot of time to look outside today, but the snowā€™s still lying and weā€™ve had a good list of birds already:

  1. Blackbird x 5
  2. Blue Tit x 2
  3. Coal Tit x 1
  4. Dunnock x 1
  5. Greenfinch x 5
  6. House Sparrow x 1
  7. Magpie x 3
  8. Woodpigeon x 2

The Cat is back so very few birds.

Sadly the cat is back, it runs away for 5 minutes and then is back stalking in the grass, Iā€™ve now put some wire around the bottom of the hedge to try and stop it getting in, but sadly it means the fox and badger wonā€™t be able to use the same path, very frustrating! Ā I wonā€™t be able to keep an eye on outside as much as on the weekend as today is the day I update my finance pages today: SaverScence.co.uk [closed June 2018 as I move to a career in gardening after studying horticulture at Royal Botanic Gardens Edinburgh] ā€“ UK finance for the best rates for savings & ISAs, hopefully thereā€™ll be more birds tomorrow. Ā hereā€™s my veryĀ meagreĀ list:

  1. Blackbird x 2
  2. Blue Tit x 2
  3. Coal Tit x 1Ā update 13.55 ā€“ during my lunch break :D
  4. Great Tit x 2Ā update 13.55
  5. Magpie x 1Ā update 13.55
  6. Robin x 1Ā update 13.55
  7. Woodpigeon x 1

Snow falling in Edinburgh and my first Blackcap of the year.

The snow has started to fall again in Edinburgh and thereā€™s been another first for the year a Blackcap –Ā there may have been 2 as one was feeding on some fatballs and another bird flew in and knocked it off, it all happened so fast I didnā€™t see if it was another blackcap. Remember if you have seen any Blackcaps during January theĀ Ā is currently running. Also addedĀ Feral Pigeon to the list today, I would have thought itā€™d be one on the list for the year by now but due to the fact Iā€™ve been stuck at home due to injury and itā€™s not overly common in our garden I hadnā€™t seen any!

  1. Blackbird x 4
  2. Blackcap x 1 ā€“ Female.
  3. Blue Tit x 2
  4. Carrion crow x1
  5. Chaffinch x 2
  6. Coal Tit x 3
  7. Dunnock x 2
  8. Feral Pigeon Ā x 3
  9. Goldcrest x 2Ā updated 15.22 ā€“ this is another first for the year, and a first Iā€™ve seen in my new garden!Ā 
  10. Greenfinch x 12
  11. House Sparrow x 2
  12. Long-tailed tit x 2Ā updated 15.37
  13. Magpie x1
  14. Robin x 1 ā€“ good to see the Robin back!
  15. Woodpigeon x 5

A cat in the garden means very few birds!

The garden is very lively with bird chatter but it all seems to be coming from the house sparrows, I do love to hear the sparrows. Ā Just found out why the garden is so quiet a cat, why is it that cats are allowed to enter someone elseā€™s garden? Ā Dogs arenā€™t, also cats carry more diseases that humans can catch which is terrible if youā€™re someone who eats from a home grown garden. I think itā€™sĀ Latent Toxoplasmosis is one of the really bad ones and Iā€™m pretty sure itā€™s the one that causes a lot of young men to have car accidents, as it slows down reaction time in humans especially 20 somethings men, but is rarely checked for. Ā So todayā€™s bird list is very low:

  1. Blackbird x 2
  2. Blue Tit x 2
  3. House Sparrow x 5
  4. Woodpigeon x 2