Welcome to 2022! Hopefully this year will be a great year for birds! Once again injury and recovery from operations including an operation of the heart are taking their toll.
The House Sparrows have really taken up home in the garden, as the garden is transformed from a place where pesticides and weed killers were used for 40+ years into an organic garden and hopefully wildlife wonderland, the number of insects and soil life has increased dramatically. I have been removing the showy plants that had no wildlife value and replacing with plants that benefit bees, butterflies and birds. There’s a list of plants I have put together over here: Plants to help bees, butterflies and birds.
Once again I am using Garden Birds* food due to the great price and excellent service, the most popular in my garden is now the UltivaÂź Wheat Free Seed Mix* the basic: UltivaÂź Everyday Seed Mix* is also popular with almost every bird that visits the garden especially the house sparrows.
Eurasian sparrowhawk (Accipiter nisus) on the back fence.
*
2022 Edinburgh Garden Bird List:
Black-headed gull – July 10th – FO
Blackbird – Jan 1st
Blackcap – Jan 7th
Blue Tit – Jan 1st
Bullfinch – May 5th
Carrion Crow – Jan 1st
Chaffinch – Jan 4th
Chiffchaff – March 3rd – in the wildlife hedge.
Coal Tit – Jan 1st
Collared Dove – Jan 1st
Common Buzzard – Jan 11th – FO
Dunnock – Jan 1st
Feral Pigeon
Fieldfare – November 12th – FO – landed Dec 11th
Goldcrest – Jan 22nd
Goldfinch – April 21st
Great black-backed gull – July 10th
Great Tit – Jan 1st
Grey Herron – April 8th
Herring Gull – Jan 9th
House Sparrow – Jan 1st – First Bird of the Year.
Jackdaw – Jan 1st
Lesser black-backed gull – July 10th
Lesser Redpolls – December 23rd
Long-tailed Tit – Jan 9th
Magpie – Jan 1st
Mute Swan – November 21st – FO
Oystercatcher – May 12th – Heard at night – FO
Red Kite – July 10 – FO* – first time I’ve seen one, not common in Lothian region.
Redwing – December 22nd.
Robin – Jan 1st
Siskin – May 6th
Sparrowhawk – Jan 4th
Starling – April 14th
Swift – May 13th – FO
Woodpigeon – Jan 1st
Wren – Jan 1st
Yellowhammer – Feb 24th – This is the first Yellowhammer I’ve ever spotted in the garden; it was along the region we planted up called “the wildlife hedge”. December 18th – Also had a flock of yellowhammer in the garden, the weather has been bad, and they must have been able to find food in the garden easier.
* the Red Kite was flying amongst 100s of gulls and swifts as it was an ant day. I was shocked to see it and will admit, let out a yell “KITE” and pointed, such a stunning bird. A few friends have told me they are quite rare around Edinburgh and the Lothians. Sadly the sighting was short and didn’t have a chance to grab a camera. The Black-headed gulls never seem to land but the Lesser black-backed gull, Great black-backed gulls and herring gulls are regular visitors. The Lesser black-backed gulls are the most common in the garden and we have named one Steven Seagull.
I know this site is dedicated to birds but one of the important things for birds is their food and a great way to help wildlife and hopefully attract more birds in to your garden is by increasing the number of insects. The fantastic people at Butterfly Conservation (savebutterflies on twitter) have put together a brilliant list of plants that are nectar rich and perfect for insects many not just for butterflies but bees, moths and some berry producing ones great for many birds.
Plants for attracting butterflies, bees and birds.Â
Iâve searched the internet for places that sell plants or seeds recommended by Butterfly Conservation, for those that I couldnât Iâve linked to suggested searches on ebay. I will be trying to grow many of these to attract as much wildlife to the garden as possible to help the wildlife and in the hope of being able to photograph birds, mammals and insects from home while Iâm not able to walk very well.
Painted Lady on Sunflower Vanessa cardui on Helianthus
Sadly I lost all the links to where you could buy the plants, I hope to fix this once my new gardening website is up and running.
Mini Meadow
Mini wildflower meadow Empathy mini wildflower meadow â Iâm going to be trying this one in my garden
Buddleia / Buddleja
butterfly bush Buddleja âLochinch’
butterfly bush Buddleja davidii âWhite Profusion’
butterfly bush Buddleja davidii âBlack Knight’ â I really like this one
Butterfly Bush Buddleja davidii âRoyal Red’ â RHS Perfect for Pollinators
Buddleia Nanho Purple 1 Plant 3 litre | Buy Plants, Shrubs and Trees Online | Shrubs
Mint
alpine mint bush Prostanthera cuneata â alpine mint bush
peppermint seeds Mentha piperita â peppermint
herb collection â mint, rosemary, thyme, parsley & sage or lavender Herb Collection â(6 Mixed Herbs)’ â mixed herbs
Tasty Herb Collection 12 Jumbo Ready Plants | Garden Vegetables | Jersey Plants Direct â mixed herbs
Black eyed Susan
black-eyed Susan Rudbeckia âLittle Gold Star’
black-eyed Susan Rudbeckia fulgida âEarly Bird Gold (PBR)’
black-eyed Susan Rudbeckia fulgida âEarly Bird Gold (PBR)’
Honeysuckle
mandarine honeysuckle Lonicera âMandarin’
early Dutch honeysuckle Lonicera periclymenum âBelgica’
English wild honeysuckle Lonicera periclymenum âHeaven Scent’
Daisy
shasta daisy Leucanthemum Ă superbum âSnowcap’
shasta daisy Leucanthemum Ă superbum âPhyllis Smith’
fleabane Erigeron âSommerneuschnee’
black-eyed Susan Rudbeckia âLittle Gold Star’
coneflower Echinacea purpurea âKimâs Knee High (PBR)’
coneflower Echinacea purpurea âWhite Swan’
coneflower Echinacea purpurea
coneflower Echinacea purpurea âVintage Wine (PBR)’
New England Aster Aster novae-angliae âVioletta’ â I really like this one.
coneflower Rudbeckia hirta âAutumn Shades’
pot marigold Calendula officinalis
feverfew â organic seeds Tanacetum parthenium
shasta daisy Leucanthemum âBanana Cream’
shasta daisy Leucanthemum âĂ superbum Sunny Side Up’
shasta daisy Leucanthemum âSante’
Teasel
teasel Dipsacus fullonum â be very good to get goldfinches in the garden!
sea holly (syn. Blue Dwarf) Eryngium planum âBlauer Zwerg’
Nyjer / Thistle seed â Nyjer / Thistle seed
Sneezewort
sneezewort Achillea ptarmica â(The Pearl Group) The Pearl (clonal)’
Onions â Iâve chosen ornamental onions, but obviously there are great benefits from standard onions â like being able to eat them!
giant ornamental onion Allium giganteum
ornamental onion Allium schubertii
Virginia stock
virginia stock seeds
Petunia â make sure theyâre single flowered as often the double arenât great for wildlife.
40 plus 20 FREE large plug plants Petunia âFantasia Mixed’
Petunia Surfina Classic (Trailing) Red 24 Jumbo Ready Plants | Ready Plants
Cotoneaster â these are great for birds too, I had a few small plants in my old garden and a fieldfare came and devoured all the fruit in one day. Was happy to see it!
cotoneaster Cotoneaster frigidus âCornubia’
cotoneaster Cotoneaster dammeri
Buttercup â 4000 seeds can cost around ÂŁ5:
buttercup seeds
Eranthis hyemalis â winter aconite
winter aconite â In The Green Eranthis hyemalis Buddleia is by far the best nectar plant and is first favourite with 18 species: Brimstone, Comma, Common Blue, Gatekeeper, Green-veined White, Holly Blue, Large Skipper, Large White, Meadow Brown, Painted Lady, Peacock, Red Admiral, Small Copper, Small Skipper, Small Tortoiseshell, Small White, Speckled Wood and Wall Brown.
Check ebay for more great wild flower and meadow plants & seeds:
wildflower
I was hoping to have this list up a lot earlier today as itâs from 22nd of May however I was so busy doing the http://www.saverscene.com.au/finance/  (now closed as I move into gardening as a profession) updates for Australian best savings, credit cards and due to the fact many Aussies have to pay for bank accounts the best free bank account offers it took longer than expected as their saving interest rates are going the same way as the UK ones.
Now to birds thanks to the suggestion of Wes and the ease of getting to the WWT â Wildfowl & Wetland Trust in London Wetland Centre â see their twitter account here:  @WWTLondon I managed my best bird list for the UK this year, sadly I didnât have my camera and my legs didnât hold out for a long time, it was still great getting 28 different species at the WWT London and finishing it off with a kestrel at Luton airport for the longest list of the year so far!
2 new birds were on my list for life, and they were both cracking views, there was a pair of reed warblers nesting almost directly outside the Observatory which gave amazing views, they came right up to the reeds in front of the windows.  The other new bird was the Little Greeb I had amazing views of it feeding in clear water under the bridge just before you get to the Wildside hide,  Fantastic to see!
The bird list for May 22nd from WWT London Wetland Centre:
Feral Pigeon
Reed Warbler
Mallard Duck â with young
Moorhen
Coot â with chicks
Woodpigeon
Starlings
Carrion Crow
Jackdaw
Egyptian Geese
Mute Swans
Cormorant
Grey Heron
Blackbird
Pied Wagtail
Common Tern â new for the year
Tufted Duck
Lapwing
Swallows
Magpie
Robin
Black-headed Gull
Great Tit
Little Grebe
Canada Geese – new for the year
House Martin – new for the year
Swift – new for the year
Greylag Geese
1 more bird seen at Luton airport, hovering over the grass:
Kestrel
Fantastic day of birding, canât wait until I can walk for longer times and see more, I would often get 40 to 50 species at Musselburgh east of Edinburgh.
Whilst looking for bird sightings as Iâd thought Iâd seen something that Iâm used to up in Scotland but wasnât sure, I came across this Open University site:Â http://www.ispot.org.uk/Â fantastic service and great for finding if a bird has been seen in the area!
Below are comments that got lost when the website went down.Â
2 responses to Wildfowl & Wetland Trust London Wetland Centre Bird list for 22nd of May 2013.
Excellent list â glad you managed to get there and have some good sightings including the 2 new ones for you
KiwiGav said on May 25, 2013
Wes, I really appreciate the suggestion, was great, wish I could have made it to a few more of the areas, next time! Iâm sure my feet have to get better soon, looking at two more operations, hopefully after that Iâll be out and seeing loads of birds.
The ridiculous thing is Little Grebe is so easy to see around my area in Lothians, if you go to the right place, Iâve just not been able to drive so havenât got there yet. Going to try and get a lift from a fellow birder and watch them more intensely, the view through the water was great, but after that it was gone.
sorry if Iâm rambling a bit just back from a wedding at Edinburgh Zoo, great fun!
Managed a good day at Chelsea, ankle only went out twice and added 1 new species to year and life list (although I think I have seen one silhouetted on the sky last time I was in London.
Blackbird
Blue Tit
Feral Pigeon â probably a few 100 today
Great Tit
Jackdaw
Magpie
Robin â a few of these in the were in the Grand Pavilion.
Rose-ringed Parakeet â new to life list.
Woodpigeon
If I do go next year Iâll be catching the train, my preferred means of transport when I can afford it, even booking 6 weeks in advance East Coast Railways wanted ÂŁ240 per person return â Edinburgh to Kings Cross, I booked flights for ÂŁ45 return, then 2 days later ECR wrote saying they had ÂŁ28 tickets each way!  Still more expensive but I was rather frustrated as I knew  the train would have got me into the centre instead of Gatwick on the way in and Luton on the way out and I could bring back plants if I purchased any, instead I flew and couldnât buy anything at Chelsea!
There were even a few places giving out free plants and I had to say no! Â Terrible, they had a nice Rowan which would have been perfect for my garden, and hopefully attracting waxwings for years got come. Â Wish I had of been able to, next year! Â Now ECR need to get their cheap tickets up 6 weeks in advance like they used to!
Below are comments that got lost when the website went down.Â
2 responses to Birds of Chelsea Flower Show
Wes Donze said on May 22, 2013
i am thinking of planting a couple of Rowan.
I was there yesterday too â didn’t see a magpie though.
Saw the Robins in the main Pavilion.
There was also a Blackbird in there for a while â it looked a bit agitated as one stand was playing birdsong that happened to be a blackbird song so the real one was wondering where it was as it could not see it
Hope you get to come along another year â or maybe check out the Hampton Court show â it is on a bit later in the year
Thanks Wes, hope you had a great time and I really want to do it again. Also the WWT was a great suggestion, managed 2 new species for my life list. Will get the list up tomorrow, about midnight here and exhausted.
Love to go to Hampton Court! Will see how Iâm placed, Iâll be trying to be in Heidelberg Germany on the 13th or 14th for catching up with a friend thatâs doing a talk there on I think the elemental make-up of distant galaxies, itâs been a while since Iâve seen her work and sheâs now back in Oz, so not 100% sure what sheâs working on⊠It all depends on cash, I havenât travelled since October 2011 and then this year itâs finally been a bit busier! Iâve missed it.
As for the Magpie it was down towards the band stage when I first got there at about 9.30am.
Didnât notice the stand playing the blackbird or see it in the Pavilion, so many things to see and do, missed a few Iâm sure!
In London for the Chelsea Flower Show and trying to get around London to see a few things, I canât manage a lot of the wandering so a lot of sitting and eating, far too much!  I did get to to â Calthorpe Projects which has a small but decent nature garden right at the back including bees nests and a pond, for the first time ever I saw newts, who would have thought the first time I saw newts would be in the centre of London!  So impressed.  While there I also managed to see:
Blackbird
Magpie
Starling
Wren
There were a lot of butterflies as well, and a few moths, but didnât pick up what types, think small white was pretty common, but canât be sure.
Other birds from today, all over the place
Dunnock
Blue Tit
Feral Pigeon
Woodpigeon
Not a big list for today, but was very happy with the newt!
These were comments added before the website went down
6 responses to Calthorpe Projects London, little bit of wildlife in the city, small bird list.
Wes Donze said on May 20, 2013
I am heading to the Chelsea flower show tomorrow â it is the 100th anniversery of the 1st show â have not been for 3 years so looking forward to the show â itâs right by the Thames so you might get to see some birds there as well as in the normal gardens on the site
if you do have a spare day or part thereof you might like the London Wetland centre http://www.wwt.org.uk/visit/london/
There is a direct bus from Hammersmith to the centre
KiwiGav said on May 20, 2013
Hey Wes, Thanks for the info!
Iâll be there tomorrow as well, canât wait, my first Chelsea.
Iâm going to see how my feet are on Wednesday and see if I can make it out to the London Wetlands, I didnât bring scope, bins or even a long lens for my camera. Just didnât have the space in my bag for carry on luggage for the flight down. Itâs on my list if I can, Iâm sure I can still get a good list with eyes only.
KiwiGav said on May 21, 2013
Have a good day Wes? Would have suggested meeting up, but was unsure of what my parents and wife wanted to see and do. I hope to be back next year!
Wes Donze said on May 20, 2013
yes iâm sure you will still get to see plenty â i believe there may be binocular hire there too
KiwiGav said on May 20, 2013
Thanks Wes!
KiwiGav said on May 21, 2013
Told my dad this today and he said âIâve got mine, you can borrow them!â YAY! I know where Iâm off to tomorrow!
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I was in the garden a fair bit today, between rain storms, however very few birds showed, hereâs a very minimal list:
Blackbird x 1
Blue Tit x heard only, an alarm call and sounded like a few birds. Couldnât see them, they were in a neighbours garden.
Carrion crow x 2 â at different times but 1 had a lot of white in itâs wings, the other was very black.
Dunnock x 3
Long-tailed tit x 2
Woodpigeon x 1
For those trying to attract wildlife to your garden, I learnt about a different very nice looking variety of Buddleia the variety Buddleia Weyeriana, thanks to a post on one of my favourite wildlife garden blogs: Buddleia Weyeriana from Butterflies and Gardens.
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Wes Donze said on May 24, 2013
Excellent list â glad you managed to get there and have some good sightings including the 2 new ones for you
KiwiGav said on May 25, 2013
Wes, I really appreciate the suggestion, was great, wish I could have made it to a few more of the areas, next time! Iâm sure my feet have to get better soon, looking at two more operations, hopefully after that Iâll be out and seeing loads of birds.
The ridiculous thing is Little Grebe is so easy to see around my area in Lothians, if you go to the right place, Iâve just not been able to drive so havenât got there yet. Going to try and get a lift from a fellow birder and watch them more intensely, the view through the water was great, but after that it was gone.
sorry if Iâm rambling a bit just back from a wedding at Edinburgh Zoo, great fun!