My Bird Photographs and the Stories Behind Them

Update

2008-08-30T11:30:00.001Z

All has been uneventful in the garden over the summer months with no new sightings to report.

For a while there were several Goldfinches coming to the Nijer Seed feeder but I have not seen any for a few weeks now.

There has been a GSW on the peanuts from time to time and our adopted Blackbirds still come for their fix of sultanas though not so frequently now.

No new photographs to add today but I am now posting photos of all sorts to my Flickr account under the same Username.

Springwatch

2008-06-24T17:36:00.004Z

It has been a busy time both in our garden and on the river with lots of young fledglings appearing on the scene.

Although we don't normally see many sparrows in the garden there are currently several adult birds and lots of youngsters coming to the feeders. I have purchased a new Nijer seed feeder which is much better than one we previously had and which constantly spilled seed on the ground. We now have several Goldfinches and Siskins sitting on the feeder for lengthy spells without fear of being harassed by other birds which are not attracted to this type of seed.

On the river there has been a huge increase in the population of Grey Wagtails and a female Goosander has raised a family of 10 chicks without any casualties as far as I am aware. A pair of Oystercatchers have raised a single chick and the Kingfishers appear to have now vacated their nest but I don't know how many young they have had. I saw 2 Kingfishers flying upstream a few days ago and I think that one of them may have been a juvenile.

2008-05-15T19:31:00.008Z

It has been a fairly quiet month both in the garden and on the river.

Our resident Blackbirds visit every day for their sultanas and have recently produced offspring one of which is pictured. Starlings have become regular visitors and are competing with the Blackies for the sultanas. We are seeing Siskins on a regular basis along with the odd Goldfinch, Great Tit and Blue Tit. Chaffinches and Wood Pigeons are also daily visitors, Greenfinches to a lesser extent.

The riverbank population of Dippers, Grey Wagtails and Goosanders have been supplemented by a pair of Oystercatchers which have taken up residence on an island in the river. I still see Kingfishers on a regular basis but getting decent photos remains a problem! Meanwhile the Mallards are producing ducklings in large quantities as usual though their numbers are greatly reduced by the large number of predators looking for an easy meal.

Busy at the feeders

2008-04-10T21:06:00.005Z

The poor weather which we are currently experiencing has resulted in an increase in the number of birds coming to the garden feeders.

Today there were a number of Siskins along with a couple of Goldfinches, a Coal Tit and two Great Tits in addition to the usual daily visitors. I also noticed a Brambling in our cherry tree though it did not come to any of the feeders. The Starlings and Rooks continue to demolish any fat balls which are put out.

Meanwhile down at the riverside I am even more convinced that the Kingfisher is nesting at the spot I have seen it on several occasions over the past couple of weeks. I took my camcorder with me today but although I saw the bird several times I did not get a chance to film it as it was either flying past me or leaving it's perch before I had the camera ready.

Lean times

2008-03-27T15:12:00.006Z

The last few weeks have been very poor for spotting birds as there has not been too many to be seen. The weather may have been a factor as there has been high winds and Baltic temperatures much of the time.

After last month's large variety of photos there have been little or no opportunities to snap birds these last few weeks. Even the common Herons which I normally see lots off have been posted missing for several weeks though I did manage to see one this morning. That is possibly due to the fact that their breeding season can start in February. Anyhow sightings on the river have been restricted to Mallards, Goosanders, Gulls and the occasional Dipper and Grey Wagtail.

The one highlight was a sighting of a Kingfisher two days ago, the first for several weeks and in a spot where I have seen one before. It is quite possible that the nest is very close by.

It has been equally quiet in the garden though we are now getting a lot of unwelcome visits from Rooks. They and the Starlings are managing to see off the fatty balls alarmingly quickly! We still see a couple of Robins now and again and today we had rarer visits from a Wren and a couple of Siskins. There have been Blue Tits at the nesting box briefly but I haven't seen them return so far.

Good weather for February!

2008-03-08T16:16:00.010Z

February was a very mixed month as far as weather was concerned. However there were several days where a hard frost in the morning was followed by beautiful sunny conditions with blue skies.

I took my DSLR with me on my morning walks on these days and was duly rewarded by several photo opportunities which I was happy to accept.

The highlight for me was seeing a pair of Kestrels though unfortunately they were just a little too far away for me to get the best of photos.

Now we are in March and the weather has deteriorated again and there is little point taking my DSLR out with me at the moment. Fingers crossed that things will improve soon.

Spring is near!

2008-02-10T19:59:00.001Z

It was such a beautiful day today that I decided to take out my DSLR with me on my morning walk with the dog. It did not take long before I saw the Kingfisher by the river and I followed it upstream for a good distance before losing sight of it. I was quite pleased with the photos as my digital compact is just not able to produce the same kind of results when it comes to depth of field and shooting at high ISO for faster shutter speed. However I have still not got as good a shot of the Kingfisher or Grey Wagtail as I am aiming for. I think there will be a few early rises once we start getting sunnier weather regularly again as that is the best time to photograph these birds.

A little bit of history in the garden today when I spotted a Brambling on the Sunflower Hearts feeder for the first time ever. Previously they have just sat and watched as the other finches fed.

Kingfisher

2008-01-13T17:05:00.000Z

This week I got closer to a Kingfisher than I ever dreamt possible. As I was on my morning walk I discovered it sitting quite happily on the river bank just above a cauld searching in the shallows for it's staple diet of small fish. I must have been no further than 20 feet away from the bird which was completely unfazed by several passers by including a jogger who passed within 6 feet.

Couple of pics

2008-01-05T20:00:00.000Z

I was delighted to get these photos of two elusive birds in the snow. Although the Dabchick can regularly be seen it has a habit of diving underwater at the wrong moment. The Brambling is a seasonal visitor and from my past experience can say that this bird doesn't stay in the area too long. In fact it only seems to appear when there is snow on the ground, hangs around with the local chaffs for a few days, then disappears again.

Little Grebe

2008-01-03T21:10:00.000Z

Finally managed to get a photo of a lone Dabchick which has been around for the past few weeks. Not an easy task as every time I got it in focus it decided to dive and then reappeared several yards away!

We saw the old year out with a brief visit to the garden by a small squadron of Long Tailed Tits which disappeared again before I had a chance to grab my camera. As their previous visit to the best of my knowledge was just after Christmas 2006 we are probably in for a long wait for them to visit again.

Today we had a decent fall of snow and I was able to identify a lone Brambling amongst the many Chaffs which gathered at our much in demand feeders. Once again my attempts to grab a photo failed miserably partly due to the fading light as it was mid-afternoon when I saw it.

Fantastic Experience

2007-12-30T17:06:00.000Z

What a way to end 2007!

Returning from walking the dog today I decided to go to a spot where I had seen a Kingfisher on several previous occasions. As I reached the location the first thing I saw was the Kingfisher flying low above the water towards me. It landed on a tree branch on the opposite side of the river from me, a distance of around 15 yards.

For the next 20 minutes I stood transfixed as the bird dived into the water several times, returning with a small fish each time. It completely ignored me and a couple of other passers by as it sat patiently watching the water waiting for it's next catch.

Fortunately I had my digital compact TZ3 with super duper 280mm zoom lens with me and although the sky was very overcast and there wasn't a lot of light I did manage to get some half decent shots, certainly the best ones of the Kingfisher so far.

I will be returning to the same spot with my DSLR when we get some decent sunlight to try for some much better shots.

Incidentally I have changed the title of my blog to more truely reflect the subject content.

To anyone who may read this I would like to wish you a Happy New Year and best wishes for 2008.

In the bleak midwinter.........

2007-12-21T20:43:00.000Z

........the birds rely on a helping hand from us more than ever for food.

The temperature here fell as low as -10 degrees last night and the frost has never lifted all day. The good thing was that there was some reasonable sunshine which made photography a little bit easier and more enjoyable.

The garden feeders are very busy just now and the birds did not even mind too much when I took my camera out into the garden to try for some closer shots. I counted 3 different Robins flitting around at one point.

Return of the sun

2007-12-18T17:57:00.000Z

Very cold here the last 3 days although at least there was no frost this morning.

Plenty of action around the feeders though mainly Chaffinches as usual. There has been a couple of Robins flitting around the garden but I am still unsure if it is a pair or 2 males/females.

One new and unwelcome visitor has been a Grey Heron raiding our fish pond. I managed to rescue one large goldfish and returned it to the pond but unfortunately lost another goldfish which had been left lying in the middle of the lawn for some reason. A net has now been put over the top of the pond to protect whatever fish may be left and the Heron has not been back since.

Dank dismal December

2007-12-09T19:11:00.000Z

I hate this time of year when the hours of daylight are so short, the ground is permanently wet and muddy and if it isn't raining then it has just finished or is about to start. Taking photographs just now isn't easy, there is either insufficent light to get a good shutter speed or the camera is going to get wet from the rain. More often than not both these scenarious occur simultaneously.

There has been nothing of note in the garden and I am still waiting hopefully for visits from Waxwings or Bramblings. Meanwhile we continue to feed the Chaffinches, Blue Tits, Blackbirds, Starlings, the odd Goldfinch or Siskin the latter of which have not yet arrived in large numbers, and Great Tit. I have had a glimpse of the Sparrowhawk but she has not caught anything else in our garden since the previous catch in late summer. There seems to be plenty Blue Tits around just now and we can have several in different parts of the garden at one time. We also have two Robins which seem quite tolerant of each others company so they may be a pair although the females are reputed to leave the breeding territory or even the country during the winter.

The rivers are fairly high now and I have seen less of the Kingfishers and Grey Wagtails though they are still around. On the contrary I have seen many more Dippers recently and a Swan has also taken up residence. The annual Salmon run is still in full swing though the fishing season is now over and there are many dead Salmon littering the banks of the Tweed by the park. One crow struck lucky finding he had Salmon on the menu for Sunday lunch.

More river life

2007-11-07T23:31:00.000Z

There is still little activity in the garden due no doubt to the incredibly mild and sunny autumn we have experienced. Visitors have included a Wren, a Robin, Starlings and some Blue Tits.

It is a little alarming that the common Blue Tit may soon become an endangered bird after a very poor breeding season for them this year. Although there are plenty adult birds around just now there must be a big concern over the number of chicks which have fledged this year. Hopefully next Spring will be much better for them otherwise Blue Tit numbers will fall dramatically.

I am still trying unsuccessfully for a quality photograph of a Kingfisher. Typically on the one day that I got fairly close to the bird I did not have a camera with me! Taught me a valuable lesson that did.

Just a few photos from the last couple of weeks all taken beside nearby rivers and not the best quality unfortunately including two of the Kingfisher flying away from me, the only view I get of them most of the time!

Kingfisher

2007-10-14T13:34:00.000Z

I took my small digital compact camera with me this morning walking the dog up the River Tweed and I was so glad that I did.

Approaching the park on the way back into town I noticed what appeared to be an object sitting on top of an old branch about 30 yards away. Still unsure as to what it was, as I was setting the camera up the object moved. My camera has a maximum zoom of 280mm and one glance at the LCD screen told me that the object was indeed that most elusive of birds, the Kingfisher!

I managed to take a couple of shots before it dived into the water and out again on to the branch. A few seconds later it flew off low across the water, past me heading upstream.

What I found surprising was that the bird was in quite an exposed location in full view of a footbridge about 100 yards away and there were quite a few people out walking at the time.

The original two pictures have been drastically cropped and enhanced to produce the two close- ups shown above.

No pictures today!

2007-09-28T18:01:00.000Z

After spending the first fortnight in the month on a Mediterranean cruise and the past week trying to get back into the real world again I have not had much chance for snapping the birds in our garden, not that there has been much to capture anyway.

Have not seen any Siskins since our return. However we are getting lots of visits from Blue Tits, Great Tits, Coal Tits, Sparrows and Starlings all of which are being attracted by the fatty balls we are putting out. The Starlings are also going for the sultanas we feed to the Blackbirds.

I am still trying to get a photo of Kingfishers which I have seen on the River Tweed when walking the dog in the mornings. I had a definite sighting of one again a couple of days ago but did not have the camera with me. Took the camera with me this morning but it was all to no avail. However I will keep trying!

Interesting point from the holiday was the appearance of two birds on the ship. They looked very much like either House Martins or Sand Martins and they were hitching a free lift south on board. During the day they would fly alongside and over and around the ship and at night I noticed them sitting in plastic palm trees which were situated on the sun deck. As soon as the ship turned to sail north again they vanished. Very clever indeed!

Update

2007-08-30T13:41:00.000Z

Nothing much happening in the garden over the past couple of months until today!

Our racing pigeon stuck around for a couple of weeks but was very wary of any attempts to catch it. We even went away for a short break of 3 days and on our return he was still on our roof ! He eventually vanished as suddenly as he appeared in the first place and it is quite possible that a raptor or cat got him.

On the subject of raptors we had a visit from a female Sparrowhawk today which took one of the Blackbirds which regularly come for sultanas. She was very obliging and kindly posed for photos before flying off with the remains of her prey grasped in her talons.

Bed and breakfast

2007-07-22T22:45:00.000Z

There was an unexpected visitor camping out in our front doorway last night sheltering from the heavy rain. It is definitely a racing or homing pigeon going by the rings on it's legs and it appeared to be a little distressed when it first appeared. I fed it on some wild bird food but it ignored the bread which I also put out. I attempted to catch it this morning to get the full registration number in order that I could report it as a stray. However it flew off but it has reappeared again this evening. Let's see if it is still here tomorrow.

We had a good day out this week at the Seabird Centre, North Berwick. As there were no boats operating to the Bass Rock we finished up visiting Dunbar Harbour to see Kittiwakes nesting followed by Musselburgh lagoons where there were a large number of birds including Curlews, Cormorants, Eiders and Oyster Catchers. We also caught sight of a Godwit and a Whimbrel.

Meanwhile, back at the riverside.

2007-07-15T18:38:00.000Z

After the excitement of last week's Osprey chick ringing it was going to be hard to follow that up but I think I managed to do it despite not having the photographic evidence to prove it.

While walking the dog by the river one morning I found myself looking at a Kingfisher perched on a branch just above the water level, about 10 yards in front of me. It quickly cottoned on to the fact that it was being observed and flew off within a matter of seconds, it's bright blue body flashing across the water. I also saw it the following morning but from a much greater distance and it will be quite a challenge to get some photos of it.

Another bird which has proved elusive for the last couple of years is the Barn Owl but we saw one of these in the distance whilst walking round farmland adjacent to our house one evening last week. I am also fairly certain that I saw an Osprey flying over the garden one afternoon.

Although I failed to capture the Kingfisher on film I saw this dipper on the opposite bank and grabbed a few shots. The bird wasn't as close as I would have liked it to be so the pictures are not as clear as they could have been.

Osprey chick ringing-4th July 2007

2007-07-05T23:22:00.000Z

This day will stay in my memory for a long time to come. In the morning I was on duty at Ospreywatch and was able to watch the ringing at the televised nest on CCTV. A film crew from Border Television were in attendance and the event was covered on the local evening news the following night. In the afternoon another volunteer and I attended a ringing at a different nest.

When we arrived at the nest the parent birds could be seen circling the nest at a distance and in fact a third Osprey also appeared briefly and all three could be seen in the sky at one time.

When the chicks were lowered to the ground each was taken from the bag in turn and weighed and measured before being ringed. A vet was also in attendance and she checked each bird thoroughly before taking a blood sample. After the formalities were over there was time for us to be photographed with the chicks before they were returned to the nest.

Although a licence is required to photograph at an Osprey nest I was covered by the fact that the party of ringers was licenced.

This was indeed a once in a lifetime experience which I thoroughly enjoyed.

The photographs shown are a very small sample from the 140 shots which I took on the day!

Nothing much to report.

2007-06-23T22:29:00.001Z

Weather has been very poor over the last few weeks and there is more torrential rain forecast here tomorrow. The garden feeders are constantly busy but always with the same birds, ie Siskins, Chaffinches, Greenfinches, some House Sparrows, the odd Goldfinch, Blue Tit and Great Tit. Jackdaws are now coming to the peanut feeder but they are very camera shy! The Great Spotted Woodpecker has become lesser spotted and the Blackbirds are even more greedy for sultanas. There are a few juvenile birds around now and I have seen a few young Great Tits and Starlings. The Thrush doesn't come to our garden, I caught him on some common ground close by.

Back in the garden

2007-06-17T20:46:00.001Z

With the cold wet weather continuing the feeders have been much busier than usual and there has been a fair bit of aggressive behaviour as the birds frantically try to stake their place in the pecking order. Chaffinches, Greenfinches and Siskins have been to the fore and the Blackbirds are fighting amongst themselves over which one has first claims to the sultanas. The Goldfinches are returning to the feeders after a bit of an absence and I saw four different birds at the hearts one day. Sightings of the Great Spotted Woodpecker have reduced greatly and there has been no sign of him bringing his offspring to the peanuts yet.

More from the riverbank and beyond

2007-06-12T21:53:00.000Z

Walking along the riverbank every morning I can never be quite sure what I will see. A couple of days ago the family of Goosanders came as an unexpected but pleasant surprise and today I was greeted at the cauld by a family of Mallard ducklings including one bright yellow chick which looked more like a soft toy or something you might try to fish out of the water at the funfair! One sombre note however, these ducklings were rather small and there was a Heron at the other side of the cauld barely 20 yards away.

The Dipper remains an elusive bird whenever I have a camera with me though I see it often enough on other occasions. I had to settle for two Black-headed Gulls today instead.

The other photos were taken at a nearby private garden which is open to the public. The Nuthatch is a relative newcomer to this area, no doubt another indication of global warming.

Goosander family

2007-06-11T18:22:00.000Z

I first came across the female Goosander and her chicks yesterday morning whilst out for my morning constitutional with the dog but unfortunately I did not have my camera with me.

I took my small digital compact with me this morning not really expecting to get a 2nd chance and I was delighted to come across the family in the same location as yesterday.

There was a hungry Heron paying some attention to them but I honestly believe that the chicks are now too big to fall prey to a predator who prefers smaller ducklings.

Visit to Buzzard's nest

2007-06-07T18:11:00.001Z

I had the enjoyable experience today of visiting a local Buzzard's nest to ring the chicks.

Our group consisted of around 14 or 15 Osprey volunteers and members of the public together with the Wildlife Officer and an RSPB representative.

We were taken to the area of the nest by two Forestry Commission Rangers who are experienced bird ringers. The group were instructed to spread out and sweep a small area of the forest looking out for evidence of a nest above. Upon locating the nest one of the Rangers had the task of climbing the tree to the nest while the other Ranger waited for the chicks to be lowered to the ground in a large bag.

Upon reaching the nest Ranger 1 advised us that there were four chicks which he duly placed in the bag and lowered it gently to the ground where his colleague removed the birds.
After examining each chick Ranger 2 was able to tell that 3 of the chicks were about 10 days old and the 4th which was much smaller was about a week old. He was also able to tell that the chicks had not eaten today yet although there were 4 dead rabbits in the nest.

After each chick was ringed we were able to handle the birds for a short time before they were returned to the nest.

It was a truly great experience and special mention must be made of the two Rangers who certainly knew their stuff, not only about Buzzards but about wildlife in general. As a special bonus we were also lucky enough to see a Red Squirrel climbing an adjacent tree.

Sunny day

2007-06-04T20:52:00.000Z

I was joined in the back garden today by my female feathered friend for a spot of sunbathing. We haven't seen too much sun lately! I have also had a visitor at the garden pond and have posted pictures on that site.

Weekly Update

2007-06-02T10:14:00.001Z

We have had a few Siskins visiting this week and I managed to snatch these shots. The GSW is still coming to the peanuts many times a day and we have had a few baby birds at the feeders escorted by a parent. Chicks seen so far are Blue Tits, Great Tits and Starlings.

Meanwhile the Ospreys on the main live nest have produced their first chick of the year 40 days after the egg was first spotted. Hopefully another 2 chicks will follow shortly.

More Woodpecker shots!

2007-05-25T17:14:00.000Z

How is it that a bird which I am lucky to see 2 or 3 times a year suddenly decides to come calling 3 days in a row and making several visits each day? It must be the quality of the peanuts! Anyway here are more shots of the GSW and this time I had the kitchen window open.

Woodpecker is back.

2007-05-24T10:51:00.000Z

The Greater Spotted Woodpecker has paid several visits to our peanut feeder this morning. I just love this 300mm lens but think I'm going to have to start using a tripod if I'm going to get really sharp pictures.

The Blue Tits are no longer visiting the nesting box though I sometimes see them at the feeders (if it is the same pair?). I will clear out the box later in the summer and find out if there was any trace of eggs or not.

Our Ospreys are currently incubating 3 eggs which are due to hatch on Bank Holiday weekend. There were a couple of crows at the nest last week which caused a slight panic. Fortunately they were unsuccessful in their attempts to lure the Ospreys away from the eggs. Crows are clever birds but our Ospreys are old hands now at rearing a family and knew how to defend the eggs.

More Blackies!

2007-05-18T20:11:00.000Z

There's never a dull moment when the Blackbirds are around. Top picture is the same one that comes in through the kitchen window when it's open and he has little fear of humans. In fact he was perched on my leg for a good 20 seconds this week whilst feeding on sultanas I had placed on my lap.

This female in the lower picture must think she's a Blue Tit as she can't stay away from the fatty balls.

Elsewhere the Blue Tits continue to use the same nesting box but there has still not been any signs of them bringing in food to feed chicks. I'm beginning to think they're just using us as a 2nd home!

Still loads of Siskins and Starlings about and we even had a Jackdaw on the peanuts today which is unusual. There was a couple of Goldfinches at the feeders today also but they still haven't found the Nyjer seed. All the more for the Siskins then!

Busy day

2007-05-12T16:49:00.000Z

It has been busy on the feeders today, probably due to the wet weather. Lots of Siskins, a few Starlings, loads of Chaffinches with a Great Tit and Goldfinch thrown in.

The Blackbirds of course are still needing their daily fix of sultanas and the young male has a new party trick of coming in through the kitchen window which I open to get better photos of birds on the feeders.

Now for a sad tale. Whilst walking the dog this morning I had to put her on the lead when we met a female Mallard walking down a path towards the river with ELEVEN little ducklings following behind. My worst fears were soon realised. After crossing over the river further upstream then heading back down the opposite bank I came to the spot where the mother and chicks would have entered the river. Suddenly there was a small commotion coming from the other bank and a Heron appeared flying over the river with one of the ducklings in it's beak. Needless to say the Heron did not take long in swallowing the unfortunate chick. That is nature for you.

A quiet morning at Osprey Watch

2007-05-09T16:22:00.000Z

Not many visitors to the centre this morning so it gave me a chance to venture out of the hut with my camera. The Swallows are back in numbers and hopefully they will return to the nest which is covered by CCTV.

The Ospreys are now incubating 3 eggs with the chicks due to hatch around the end of this month.

Not much

2007-05-04T17:19:00.000Z

Fairly uneventful in the garden just now.

The Siskins have been seen at the Nyjer seeds on several occasions. There are quite a few Blackbirds around just now and some are tamer than others. One walked into the kitchen today looking for more sultanas as the ones we leave on a plate outside had all gone. A couple of the males will quite happily feed from my hand.

We are optimistic about there being a Blue Tit nest in one of our boxes as a bird is going in and out of the box from time to time and staying in the box for long periods. It shouldn't be long before we know for certain. If there are chicks hatched then there will have to be a constant supply of caterpillars to the box.

Meanwhile, at the Ospreywatch centre I can confirm that the same pair have returned from West Africa to their man made nest and have successfully mated again and they are currently incubating at least two eggs. Last year they raised 2 chicks, two years ago they raised 3 chicks.

There are several Herons around just now and I saw two flying side by side above the river one morning this week.

Love birds

2007-04-24T22:41:00.000Z

Out of all the birds which visit our garden there is absolutely no doubt that the Wood Pigeons and Collared Doves are the most attentive to their partners needs. This pair regularly have a date on the top of the trellis and on more than one occasion their necking session has progressed to greater things. Lots of baby Wood Pigeons will be on the way methinks.

Out and about

2007-04-17T18:33:00.000Z

We have a large number of Buzzards in the neighbourhood and I spotted these ones today which were locked in aerial combat with the local crow population! The crows don't like these large birds getting too close to their offspring.

The Oyster Catchers are having a tough time of it just now as the ground is baked hard.

More birds

2007-04-15T20:00:00.000Z

I have set up a new Blog for my garden pond.

http://muffinman-mygardenpond.blogspot.com/

I hope to be able to get some more photos of Oyster Catchers which can be found in fields close by, also photos of Nuthatches which are nesting in an old tree trunk not far from us for the 2nd year in succession.

More Heron and Blue Tits

2007-04-13T17:24:00.000Z

Another fairly quiet week in the garden.

The Blue Tits are still fairly frequent visitors to the box though there can also be lengthy absences which causes me a little concern. Both they and a Chaffinch are visting the window feeder and today I spotted a Greenfinch on the new Nyjer seed feeder, the first bird to visit it. I had hoped to attract more Goldfinches but so far they are only feeding on the Sunflower hearts on their rare visits.

The first tadpoles are emerging from the frog spawn and I have scooped up a large number and put them in an old bath filled with water from the pond to keep them out of the clutches of my fish.

I spotted some Dippers at the river this morning and went back with my camera. However all I saw was my old friend the Heron and a pair of Grey Wagtails which were too quick for me to snap.

Weekly Report

2007-04-07T12:01:00.000Z

This has been a very quiet week in the garden. With the recent fine weather the birds are not coming to the feeders in their usual numbers and the sun flower hearts are now into their third day without needing topped up. Normally this feeder is completely empty every morning.

The Blue Tits are still visiting one of our boxes on a regular basis though I have seen little evidence of nest building. On the one occasion that I saw a bird with a load of moss in it's beak it managed to drop it and never made any attempt to retrieve the moss before going into the box.

I managed to capture a rare visit from a common House Sparrow which I'm afraid to say is one of the highlights of the week!

Down by the river

2007-04-03T22:46:00.000Z

Spotted this pretty little Grey Wagtail while walking the dog, picture could have been sharper and the problem seems to be a slow shutter speed of 1/25 sec. The sooner I master this camera the better! The Grey Heron is quite oblivious to passing humans and dogs and it is easy to get very close to it.

Meanwhile in the garden today I had to try and stop a fight between two female Blackies who were having a real set to on the lawn. However my presence only made them move to a more distant area of the garden where they continued their brawl!

More birds

2007-04-02T12:38:00.000Z

Blue Tit activity increasing

2007-04-02T10:24:00.000Z

"wonder what's in here"

"anyone looking?"

"this seems a nice area"

"this one will do nicely"

"I think this must be a Great Tit box"

"Good fast food facilities on the doorstep as well!"

Loving my new camera, just shooting in Auto mode at present and I have an awful lot to learn but I am enjoying the results!

First pictures with my new Nikon D80

2007-03-31T14:02:00.000Z

I think that I am going to have a lot of fun with this camera once I have learned how to use it properly!

W/E 31/3/2007

2007-03-31T09:56:00.000Z

Frog spawn

Dragonfly (taken during summer 2006)

HIGHLIGHTS THIS WEEK

Increased Sparrowhawk activity around the garden including one particularly impressive but unsuccessful swoop. It looks like the same young male returning time after time.

Lots of activity around two nesting boxes by Blue Tits. No sign of nest building yet but the birds are very interested and constantly chase other birds away.

A pair of Wood Pigeons canoodling then mating on the trellis in front of our kitchen window.
Discovery of frog spawn in a shallow area of our garden pond(pictured above).

Getting up very close to Grey Heron (within 3-4 yards) while walking the dog. Could have had a really good photo if I'd had my camera, even the 3x zoom on my Powershot would have been sufficient.

On that theme I am now the proud owner of a Nikon D80 and just await memory cards coming in the post. I can't wait to test it out. I used the software to crop the photo shown above which I took last summer of a dragonfly.

Ospreys are back!

2007-03-22T14:53:00.000Z

The 2007 Osprey season is almost on us and birds have already been sighted in this area.

I attended a refresher course today for the Tweed Valley Osprey Watch volunteers and the two viewing centres will be re-opening at Easter. Hopefully all our birds will have returned safely from Africa in time for mating.

Although the location of the nests are a closely guarded secret there is live coverage by CCTV from one of the nests which is broadcast in the viewing centres.

I am hopeful that this year I will be one of the volunteers who is chosen to visit a nest site in July when it is time for the chicks to be ringed.

Another "game" bird

2007-03-17T13:03:00.000Z

We thought this was a Grouse at first when it appeared on the garden fence this lunchtime. However on closer inspection it appears to be a diferent breed of Pheasant to our previous visitor though I have been unable to establish exactly what type it is.

Game bird

2007-03-09T13:52:00.000Z

Nothing much to report on this week and there have been no sightings of birds visiting our nesting boxes. I spotted the Blackcap one day visiting the ground feeder but the highlight this week has to be the return of a pheasant to our garden, probably the first one this year. I have seen several in the fields whilst out walking the pup first thing in the morning and there certainly seems to be a general increased activity in the pheasant population.

Kingfisher

2007-02-26T09:21:00.000Z

Last time I wasn't absolutely certain what I saw as it passed me so quickly. However while walking the dog this morning there was no doubt at all that it was indeed a Kingfisher. It came out from under a small bridge a short distance in front of me and flew upstream away from me. I saw the bright blue body momentarily as it was caught in the morning sun. Wonderful!

Weekly Report

2007-02-25T00:17:00.000Z

Main highlights this week;

There seems to be a few more Siskins visiting than before.

The elusive Blackcap put in a brief appearance yesterday morning so he is still around! His habits are very similar to the Dunnocks who are also fairly shy birds. They emerge from the undergrowth in neighbouring gardens and common land and come into our garden through the gaps in the fence to feed on a ground feeder which is actually sitting on an old bench.

Not had many Starlings for a while but I've noticed 2 or 3 in the garden since I put out some new fatty balls!

New sightings out and about this week consist of a pair of Dippers on the riverside and a couple of Treecreepers in nearby woodland. Unfortunately I did not have my camera handy on either occasion.

Riverside

2007-02-18T12:25:00.000Z

Mallards

Grey Heron

Pair of Goosanders

OK, I confess, these were not taken in my garden! I have started dog walking my mother's new Miniature Schnauzer pup and as she is only 4 months old her walks are restricted to 15 minutes along the nearby riverside. Apart from 2 Herons and a pair of Goosanders I have also seen a Grey Wagtail and caught a brief glimpse of a Kingfisher as it flashed past me. There is also a large population of Mallards resident all year round.

Weekly Report

2007-02-18T12:14:00.000Z

Sick Chaffinch

Greenfinch

Wood Pigeon

Not much to report from the garden this week. I haven't seen the Blackcap for several days and this morning I found a sick Chaffinch which was only able to fly a very short distance at a time. I have made a new friend in a young male Blackbird which took sultanas from my hand when I went out to fill the feeders today.

Sprawk is back!

2007-02-13T15:18:00.000Z

Didn't see him but found this compelling evidence on the roof of the bird table which is a favourite plucking post. Looks like the remains of a Siskin. :<(

Weekly Report

2007-02-11T11:30:00.000Z

Our resident Robin.

Blackcap can just about be seen in middle of photo.

Our resident Robin again.

Resident female Blackie.

Nothing of note seen this week apart from the usual visitors. The Blackcap has not been scared away by the icy freezing conditions we have experienced this week and can still be seen most days. The Siskins are still around and a Coal Tit has popped in now and again. No activity to report at any of our boxes yet either. We have two Blue Tit boxes one of which was occupied a couple of years ago and two boxes suitable for Great Tits or Robins. There are a large number of Blackbirds around also, many of which are visitors to these shores and they are always waiting for their sultanas every morning.

Gotcha!

2007-02-04T18:01:00.000Z

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Woody paid a return visit to our garden today and I was lucky enough to spot him on the feeder. I managed to grab my camera and get some shots of him through the kitchen window.

More from the back catalogue.

2007-02-03T23:50:00.000Z

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Not much activity in the garden this past week though the Blackcap has now shown up again following his temporary absence which unfortunately coincided with the Big Garden Birdwatch.

I have once again had to look out photos from last summer. These were taken last August at our local Agricultural Show. The birds shown are a Kestrel, Goshawk, Golden Eagle and Buzzard. The Golden Eagle in particular was difficult to photograph as it got quite spooked by my camera.

Big Garden Birdwatch

2007-01-28T11:47:00.000Z

I did my recording between 10am and 11am this morning, the results are as follows.

Chaffinches 8
Greenfinch 4
Siskin 2
Blackbird 2
Robin 1
Dunnock 1
Blue Tit 1
Great Tit 1
Coal Tit 1
Goldfinch 1
Sparrowhawk 1

Presumably it was due to the presence of the Sprawk in the neighbourhood that the birds tended to come to the feeders in waves. There were long periods where there was not a bird to be seen then suddenly the feeders were covered in birds for short spells. It was only near the end of the session that the Sparrowhawk suddenly appeared, on this occasion he was unsuccessful with his attempts to make a kill. He perched above the feeders for around 30 seconds before flying off again. I was very disappointed that the Blackcap did not make an appearance as I have seen him every day over the last week.

Update - 26th January

2007-01-26T21:41:00.000Z

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Nothing much happening over the past 5 days. Most of the regular visitors have been seen at some point though the Great Tits are keeping themselves scarce. The Coal Tit has put in a brief appearance as has a Wren but the highlight of the week has to be the fact that I am now seeing the male Blackcap on a daily basis which is remarkable considering I hadn't seen one in the garden at all for the past 7 years! We have put out a margarine tub which was past it's sell by date and I sprinkled some mixed seed on the top. The Blackcap and some of the Blackies can't keep away from it! I have seen no sign of the Sprawk this week though a neighbour has informed me she sees it sitting on their fence every morning almost. As I have no new photos to post I have looked out some more from last summer to remind me of the warmer weather ahead.

Daily Report 5

2007-01-21T16:34:00.000Z

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I was pottering around in the kitchen this morning prior to going for a bit of shopping when I heard an ominous thump on the kitchen window. Rushing outside my worst fears were realised when I saw a male Siskin lying stunned on the slabs. When it was obvious there was going to be no instant recovery I picked up the poor creature carefully and took him into the warm kitchen and left him to lie quietly for a while. After half an hour the bird had come to but was reluctant to fly off despite my giving every encouragement. A while later he managed to fly from the back door to a nearby Amelanchier bush but after he had perched there for around 5 minutes without moving I became concerned about his body temperature in the cold weather and lifted him back into the house by the side of a warm radiator. Once again he seemed to come to his senses and I opened the conservatory window to release him again. This time he flew off more strongly and I did not need to do any more for him. Let's hope he is ok and is able to feed alright. There did not appear to be any damage to his wings and there was no blood coming from his beak either so I am confident he will survive. I have always found Siskins quite oblivious to people, often during the summer when I am close to the feeders and after all the other birds have flown off there is still a Siskin or two munching away quite happily.

I also have seen the male blackcap very briefly this morning and also observed a Blue Tit who must have thought he was a Great Tit or a Robin as he disappeared inside their nesting box rather than his own! Although there has never been a nest in that box yet, a Great Tit was roosting in it last summer and he returned to the box every night over the course of a few weeks!

Siskin photos.

2007-01-19T09:40:00.000Z

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Photos taken this morning from kitchen window. Not brilliant but the best I can do with a Canon Powershot on 12x digital zoom from 20 feet away in low light!

Daily Report 4

2007-01-18T14:37:00.000Z

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Nothing much happening today, all the usual visitors including Siskins and also a Starling and Woodpigeon.

Weather poor but no snow at lower levels or high winds at least.

Looking forward to Spring, here are some garden photos to remind me of sunnier times!

Daily Report 3

2007-01-17T15:06:00.000Z

Birds seen in garden today over and above usual daily visitors. Much nastiness at the sunflower hearts feeder between the chaffinches, greenfinches and siskins!

Wren
Goldfinches(2)
Great Tit(2)
Siskins(2)

Seen outwith garden

Grey Wagtail
Black Headed Gulls
Jackdaws
Crows

Weather cold with heavy snowfall around lunchtime which is lying on the hills but not at lower levels.

Daily Report 2

2007-01-16T23:56:00.001Z

Very few birds seen yesterday.

Weather was cold wet and windy.

More activity today, sightings included Dunnock, Goldfinch and Blue Tit.Went out early to fill feeders and was aware of a movement behind me in the dark. On turning round I saw a male blackie almost at my feet who was waiting for his sultanas to be put out. As soon as this was done the female also appeared as if by magic and the sultanas did not last long.

Very frosty first thing this morning and the bird bath was completely frozen. I had to boil up a kettle of water to de-ice it. It was a beautiful day later on but I had to deliver my car for servicing so did not have much time for observing the bird life.

Daily Report 1

2007-01-14T13:22:00.000Z

Birds seen at feeders today;

Chaffinches (lots)
Greenfinches (few)
Robin
Blue Tits(2)
Goldfinch
Blackies(several taking sultanas from plate)

Sparrowhawk seen swooping across garden on 3 occasions and Blue Tit inspecting nesting box.

Weather - Quite windy easing slightly later in day, rainy spells, cold.

Woody is back!

2007-01-13T12:15:00.000Z

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After the atrocious weather of the last couple of days the weather has improved slightly though there are still strong gusts of wind. Haven't seen too many birds over this period, mainly the Chaffs, Robin and Blackies. Looking out of the kitchen window this morning however I noticed a flash of black and white in a neighbour's cherry tree and a quick look through the binos confirmed the return of the Greater Spotted Woodpecker. After a minute or two he had flown into our Rowan tree where he appeared to be looking for insects. A closer inspection through the glasses and I was able to see that it was an adult male with the distinguishing red patches. He was soon off again and from past experience I can tell he is very sensitive to movements around about him. He had not been gone too long when the birds at the feeders scattered very quickly and I noticed an object flash across the back garden and though I did not see it clearly it could only have been the Sparrowhawk in pursuit of his breakfast. I later saw him again chasing something over the garden fence. Not much else to report apart from a couple of Blue Tits on our Tibetan Cherry tree.

Rarer visitors to the garden.

2007-01-11T00:01:00.000Z

Bullfinch
Greater Spotted Woodpecker
Waxwings
Blackcaps (male and female)
Brambling
Long Tailed Tits
Goldcrest
Chiffchaff
Nuthatch
Pied Wagtail
Grey Wagtail

Occasional visitors to the garden.

2007-01-10T23:52:00.000Z

Great Tits
Wren
Collared Doves
Starlings
Jackdaws
Rooks
Pheasant
House Sparrows
Song Thrush
Sparrowhawk

Other birds seen in the area.

2007-01-10T10:41:00.000Z

Barn Owls
Buzzards
Peregrine Falcon
Kestrel
Lapwings
Oyster Catchers
Fieldfares
Grey Herons
Ospreys
Meadow Pipit
House Martins
Swallows

Our blackies.

2007-01-10T09:55:00.000Z

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We put out a plate of sultanas on a regular basis and are rewarded by visits from several blackbirds including what appears to be a pair. The female is quite tame and will feed from the hand whereas the male which is ringed is less brave. He has however found his way into our conservatory last summer and got into quite a panic before being shown the door!

Our Garden Pond

2007-01-10T09:42:00.000Z

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At this time of year there is little or no action around the pond area and the fish are rarely seen. I currently have five Golden Orfe and seven Goldfish but they stop feeding during the short winter days and any food put in the pond is just left to contaminate the water. These are a few photos which remind me of the pond last summer.

My garden, as it is now and as it was in 1998.

2007-01-09T23:14:00.000Z

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Current regular visitors to our feeders.

2007-01-09T22:56:00.000Z

Chaffinches (large numbers, can be a dozen or more at a time)
Greenfinches (also visit in large numbers)
Blackbirds (4 or 5 regulars, in particular a ringed male and a fairly tame female)
Robins (1 regular and another smaller bird-female or juvenile less frequently)
Blue Tits (as many as 2 or 3 at one time)
Coal Tits
Dunnocks
Wood Pigeons
Goldfinches (can be 2 or 3 at one time)
Siskins

Sparrowhawk

2007-01-09T22:01:00.000Z

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Photos of a male Sparrowhawk taken in my garden on 20/3/2006.

Birds seen in garden over Christmas/New Year 2006/2007

2007-01-09T21:24:00.000Z

Apart from the usual hordes of Chaffinches and the resident Robin and Blackbirds I have been lucky enough to spot both a male and female Blackcap on separate occasions, a group of around half a dozen Long Tailed Tits at the peanut feeder one afternoon and a Greater Spotted Woodpecker on a fleeting visit. We also had a quick visit from a Sparrowhawk which we have not seen in the garden for some considerable time. On this occasion it did not find any birds at our feeders!