Tag: Magpie

Happy New Year! Birds enjoying the sunny weather.

Happy new year everyone, hope you had a great night last night, it’s wonderfully and sunny in Edinburgh today and the birds are busy on the feeders:

  1. Blackbird x 2
  2. Blue Tit x 1
  3. Bullfinch x 1
  4. Chaffinch x 1
  5. Coal Tit x 4
  6. Dunnock x 1
  7. Greenfinch x 4
  8. Woodpigeon x 1

I know I’ve already added an update today, but just went outside and noticed that the magpies are back making a lot of noise and as I watched them a flock of 50+ waxwings settled on the tree in the neighbours garden, rose once, settled again then flew off.

  1. Magpies x 12
  2. Waxwings x 50+

From the Lothians birders news on yahoo groups there’s been a sighting of 200+ at the Ice Rink, Murrayfield between the two bridges on Water of Leith.

Sadly the website was lost and this is the first record I’ve been able to find internet archives.

Very few Garden birds out today, a photo from Edinburgh’s Torchlight procession.

Another very quiet but very windy day in the garden! Mix of rain and I’m pretty sure sleet. Here’s my list as of 11.12am for Hogmanay:

  1. Blackbird x 3
  2. Coal Tit x 1
  3. Dunnock x 1
  4. Magpie x 2

I thought I’d do an afternoon count as this morning was so low, however the afternoon only added:

  1. Chaffinch x 3
  2. Robin x 1
  3. Woodpigeon x 2

It was nice to see a Robin first time in a few days.

I hope everyone has a great New Years Eve, here’s photo from the Edinburgh’s Hogmanay torchlight procession a few years ago, sadly wasn’t there last night due to my torn ankle tendons, hopefully next year! Hope this gets you in the mood for NYE:

Edinburgh's Hogmanay torchlight procession

Edinburgh’s Hogmanay torchlight procession

Snow’s on the Pentland Hills south of Edinburgh & Blue Tits back!

A few more blackbirds today, but not as many as 10 – the most I’ve seen in the garden at one time – and great to see a few Blue Tits as well I’d started to wonder where they’d got to, maybe the cold has brought them out , looking across the hills I can see the Pentlands are white with snow.  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 – fly overs
  • House Sparrow x 10
  • Magpie x 1

Boxing Day Garden bird list – very still and quiet!

It’s been a very quiet morning in the garden today, everything’s so still and a lot of insects flying around so guess the garden birds don’t need to use the feeders, also one of the feeders is currently down for cleaning, I rotate which ones come down on different days so there’s always at least one up.  Here’s my garden list for today:

  • Blackbird x 1
  • Chaffinch x 1
  • Coal Tit x 2
  • Dunnock x 1
  • Greenfinch x 2
  • Herring Gull x 1 flying over
  • House Sparrow x 3
  • Woodpigeon x 1

Update 13.00, not as many as Christmas day but 16 magpies have just shown up all being very raucous and chasing one another around from tree to tree, to roof to antenna.

  • Magpie x 16

Merry Christmas, had a bumper morning for birds at my place!

Merrry Christmas everyone! I hope you all get to see a few more birds than just turkey today!  I think this is actually the most viewed for me in my WBIST counts so far, especially with the 23 magpies, although only 7 of them were in my garden the trees around my house were alive with their cackles, so great to see on Christmas, here’s today’s list:

  • Blackbird x 5
  • Black-headed gull x 1 – Fly over.
  • Bullfinch x 1 – Female
  • Chaffinch x 2
  • Coal Tit x 1
  • Dunnock x 1
  • Greenfinch x 3
  • House Sparrow x 7
  • Magpie x 23
  • Woodpigeon x 1

46 Birds in total, very nice for a suburban area!