Very grey and wet again today and little action in the garden, Iām wondering if maybe the Long-tailed Tits are nesting nearby as theyāre around a lot of the day at the moment, they flit from my garden to the next and back, great to hear them, one of my favourites!
It was grey, misty and wet here in Edinburgh today, I thought that will bring the birds to the garden searching for food, but I was wrong, a very slow day on the feeders however there were 2 magpies breaking twigs off the tree in the front garden and preparing for a nest, be great to know where theyāre nesting! Ā Hereās my garden bird list for today:
I received an email about aĀ free packaging and postage voucher code for the RSPB shop when you spend over Ā£25, more details can be found here:
RSPB free postage voucher codeĀ ā not sure how long the voucher code goes for as there didnāt seem to be an expiry date.
It
was weird to come back from a few days away and find that the feeder hasnāt gone down at all, at least Iāve not missed any rare species dropping by while I was away! Ā Today although back at home was busy indoors working on a site for my Australian friends who asked for a version of the finance pages Iāve made for the UK and this is what Iāve managed so farĀ Saver Scene Australia Finance (now closed as I move into gardening as a profession)Ā it looks at the best deals for credit cards, cash savings and due to the fact many Australian banks charge for bank accounts, yes; the standard current account we get free here in the UK, Iāve added a section to help my Aussie friends and family find free bank accounts!
Over the next few days Iāll try to write up a bit about Focus on Imaging that I went to in Birmingham, where Iād hoped to get out for some birding, but spent every day at the NEC seeing as much as I could in the time I was there. Ā Danny Green showed some great photos if you havenāt seen his work he does some great wildlife photography Danny Green PhotographyĀ well worth checking.
If you havenāt already make sure you cut back your Buddleia/Buddleja so that new growth can sprout new growth which will bring more flowers, see whatĀ Lyn from Butterflies and Gardens did to hers over the weekend here:Ā Buddleia pruning.Ā Hope to have my own gardening advice website up and running in 2019.
Wow what a wonderful day in Edinburgh, I actually think I got sunburnt! Ā It was definitely T-shirt weather, great for being out in the garden and there were a lot of birds around, finally got a full set of tits that visit my garden in one day, hereās the list:
Not sure where the chaffinches, robins and wrens have got to this year, the wren hasnāt even made it on the list yet and weāre over 2 months in!
Iām not sure if Iāll have internet access for the next few days, so donāt worry if Iām not here. Ā I will try and do the finance updates for SaverScene & Saver Scene AustraliaĀ (now closed as I move into gardening as a profession) and any bird lists that I get to see if I have internet access, if not theyāll be a few days late, but will keep record.
Another busy day today, but the afternoon was glorious and sunny so I went out to cut back theĀ Buddleia in my garden, the plant recommend on the Butterfly Conservation top 100, while doing this I was treated to the wonderful chirps of the little bobbing long-tailed tits, there were 2 feeding on the fat in the RSPB half coconuts, absolutely superb birds full of character, Iām pretty positive there were more near by but I didnāt see them, so just 2 have been added today:
I was glad to see 6 starlings at the end of today as thereād only been 2 woodpigeons earlier, the day was hectic again, my carpal tunnel is getting better and Iāve started working on the Australian version of finance site Saver Scene ā Saver Scene Australia (now closed as I move into gardening as a profession) again as Iād taken a lot of time off to try and get my hands to heal. As well as the workmen still putting in the new central heating system so no access to the back garden again and only looked out the front and had 2 sightings. there were gulls high up and I couldnāt identify them, so this is it for today:
The fog has gottenĀ incrediblyĀ thick here in Edinburgh tonight, whoās bright idea was it to get the central heating replaced in February? Ā Oh thatās right mine! Ā Itās freezing! Ā Due to works going on in all the back rooms today I didnāt really get a chance to see the back garden and instead had to watch a small part of hedge in the front and got one good surprise hereās what I was lucky enough to see:
I donāt think Iāve used this photo on here, but one of my regular carrion crows that flies over the garden:
Carrion Crow
Yesterday I posted up about wildlife gardening and wanted to mention another great post that gives good information about planting not only nectar rich flowers and plants for adult butterflies but also adding plants for caterpillars:Ā Gardening for butterflies ā adults v caterpillars | Butterflies and Gardens
Iāve had a very busy day today, weāre getting a new central heating system put in and itās been a bit hectic, I did have time to do Monday updates on ISA, Savings and Credit CardsĀ and to put together the list of 100 best plants for attracting wildlifeĀ to your garden. Ā I also manage to get out and see a few birds in or over the garden, including 13 starlings that I got to watch for about 10 minutes as they zigged and zaggedĀ Ā through the sky, diving in close and checking their roosting place then flicking back into the sky high over the roost, watching it from every angle, amazing to watch, I hope to one day see one of the huge murmurationsĀ as seen in Wexford.
Hereās the list of the birds I did have theĀ fortuneĀ to see today:
What a wonderful day for Scottish Rugby! Ā Today started with snow, a lot of snow but a few hours later there was almost none lying, by the end of the day it was just a boggy mess. Ā I would have expected a lot more birds around however thereās also a lot of insects about so the birds arenāt needing the feeders as much as a few weeks ago. Ā Itās amazing how many moths are about, talking to others theyāve had almost none but Iām having to remove and release up to 5 a day from the house, so there should be a lot more out and about. Ā Hereās my list for today:
Spent most of the day doing DIY or taking glances at the rugby, didnāt have a lot of time for birdwatching only when outside with the dog, that said still got a good list and it was fantastic to see a pair of long-tailed tits, I heard them long before I saw them, theyāve got such a great call. Ā Hereās the list for today:
