Tag: House Sparrows

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

Garden Bird list for Friday 11th of January 2012, Wood pigeons!

Hi all, my carpal tunnelā€™s flaring up pretty bad, so Iā€™ve not been on twitter that much or writing a lot for my other websites, todayā€™s garden birdlist isnā€™t as long as some days, but there are 8 species and 20 birds in total, not too bad:

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

Wood Pigeons already mating and a new bird to the list.

IĀ witnessedĀ wood pigeons mating today, as well as very frisky dunnocks, also added another bird to the year list a Jackdaw, shocked itā€™s taken this long but first Iā€™ve seen so far, hereā€™s todayā€™s garden bird list:

  1. Blackbird x 3
  2. Black-headed gull x 1
  3. Blue Tit x 2
  4. Carrion crow x 2
  5. Chaffinch x 1
  6. Coal Tit x 1
  7. Dunnock x 3
  8. Herring Gull x 1
  9. House Sparrow x 4
  10. Jackdaw x 1
  11. Magpie x 1
  12. Woodpigeon x 2

Only one thatā€™s missing for the year so far that I thought I would have seen by now in the garden is the wren.

Quiet morning in the garden, reports of Fulmers nesting on Salisbury Crags.

Another very quiet but lovely morning in the garden today, very few birds about. Ā Iā€™ve been told thereā€™s Fulmers already starting to nest onĀ Salisbury Crags in Holyrood Park so I hope to go out and have a look for them, hereā€™s my garden list so far today:

  1. Blackbird x 3
  2. Blue Tits x 2
  3. Coal Tit x 2
  4. Dunnock x 1
  5. Greenfinch x 1
  6. House Sparrow x around 20
  7. Woodpigeon x 5

Itā€™s interesting that there was only 1 greenfinch and 1 house sparrow (now updated to 4 ā€“ another update to around 20), Iā€™m used to these being flock birds and if not at least 2 at a time.

Are birds showing spring breeding behaviour?

Wow anĀ incrediblyĀ quiet morning in the garden, Iā€™m not sure why, but as far as I can tell itā€™s not because of the same reason Ian is having just near me: Sparrowhawk. Ā The blackbirds really sound as if theyā€™re trying to setup breeding territories and singing at all hours of the day, dawn chorus was in full swing! Ā Alfred Turner ā€“ thunor1957Ā on twitter said that the birds near him in Birmingham were really showing spring traits and breeding behaviour, checking nest boxes and other such things. Ā I hope they donā€™t try too early as thereā€™s more cold weather on the way. Ā Hereā€™s my very small list today, updated at 15.00 with a few extras:

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

As usual from my garden.

Long-tailed Tit & a mixed flock of tits in the garden today.

Thought it was going to beĀ incrediblyĀ quiet in the garden today as thereā€™d been very little and then a mixed flock of tits came through including 3 of my favourites the Long-tailed Tit ā€“ Know Your Tits ā€“ Long-tailed TitsĀ – something I wrote last year as I was trying to get my hands working again and get myself excited about photography & birding ā€“ okay never lost either passion just hadnā€™t been doing it. Ā I would get a bit down when I heard of a great bird sighting or seeing a fantastic photo as I knew I couldnā€™t get out and see the bird or take photos! Ā Iā€™ve added a photo of a Long-tailed Tit that was shot out of the bedroom window while I was recovering from my first ankle surgery. Ā  The flock included the 3 long-tailed tits, 3 coal tits, 2 blue tits and a great tit:

  1. Blackbird x 2
  2. Blue Tit x 2
  3. Coal Tit x 3
  4. Dunnock x 2
  5. Great Tit x 1
  6. Herring Gull x 1 ā€“ I think it looked to be a juvenile
  7. House Sparrow x 2
  8. Long-tailed Tit x 3
  9. Magpie x 1
  10. Woodpigeon x 3

Long Tail Tit - Aegithalos caudatus - Scotland UK

Long-tailed tit in the rain.

My location as ever at my house, I hope this changes soon!

12 different species of birds in my garden today, plus a photo of a Coal Tit.

I was hoping to get out and see the waxwings that were near Murrayfield today, however due to the tyre blowout on Christmas Eve and not been able to get it repaired during the last week over Christmas/New Years as everything is closed, my wife canā€™t drive me anywhere (I canā€™t drive at the moment due to my ankle tendons popping out when I press the accelerator) so once again my what birds Iā€™ve seen today comes from the garden, Iā€™ve added a photo of a coal tit I shot a while back, hope you like it. This maybe the longest list of species for one record so far:

  1. Blackbird x 3
  2. Blue Tit x 2
  3. Bullfinch x 1 (female)
  4. Chaffinch x 1
  5. Coal Tit x 3
  6. Dunnock x 1
  7. Great Tit x 1
  8. Greenfinch x 5
  9. Herring Gull x 1
  10. House Sparrow x 3
  11. Magpie x 4
  12. Woodpigeon x 4

The photo of the coal tit on a bird seed feeder:

Coal tit

Coal tit on Garden bird feeder.

Seed and feeder supplied by the RSPB.

Very very windy here in Edinburgh

Looks like the wind has scared off a lot of the birds today, I waited and did a second count this afternoon and it was worse than this list from this morning, although was nice to see a Great Tit, theyā€™re not a regular to my garden, the coal tits we can get up 10 at once and blue tits about 5, I think record for my garden for Long-tailed tits was 16!

  1. Blackbird x 2
  2. Blue Tit x 1
  3. Chaffinch x 1
  4. Coal Tit x 2
  5. Dunnock x 1
  6. Great Tit x 1
  7. Greenfinch x 2
  8. Herring Gull x 2 fly overs
  9. House Sparrow x 3

Hereā€™s one of my Coal tit photos:

Coal Tit launching into flight ā€“ Gavin Hamilton

Coal Tit launching into flight ā€“ Gavin Hamilton

Snowā€™s on the Pentland Hills south of Edinburgh & Blue Tits back!

A few more blackbirds today, but not as many as 10 ā€“ the most Iā€™ve seen in the garden at one time ā€“ and great to see a few Blue Tits as well Iā€™d started to wonder where theyā€™d got to, maybe the cold has brought them out , looking across the hills I can see the Pentlands are white with snow. Ā Another day of 9 different species and 31 different birds:

  • Blackbird x 6
  • Blue Tit x 3
  • Chaffinch x 3
  • Coal Tit x 2
  • Dunnock x 1
  • Greenfinch x 3
  • Herring Gull x 2 ā€“ fly overs
  • House Sparrow x 10
  • Magpie x 1