Big Garden Birdwatch 2018

For over 30 years now the RSPB has been conducting a garden birdwatch at this time of year. The public are invited to take part by watching and recording the birds they see in one hour in their garden or a park and sending in their results by post or on-line. My results for this year, taken yesterday, were:

Blackbird: 1
Dunnock: 1
Blue tit: 2
House sparrow: 6
Robin: 1
Starling: 2

The count was fairly representative of what we see most days. Other birds that we see regularly are coal tits, great tits, goldfinches and woodpigeons. Occasionally see bullfinches, long-tailed tits and collared doves.

Dipper at the Keil Burn

Looking from the bridge on the main road, spotted this dipper flitting about the rocks in the Keil Burn. It settled on a small rock, close to the pipe that goes across the burn. I have seen them here before but never close enough to get a photo.

The white throat and bobbing motion make it instantly recognisable.

Sparrowhawk

Strange to see a sparrowhawk (Accipiter nisus) standing on a pavement in Lundin Links, as I've normally seen them perched on a post or fence. I thought it might be sick or injured, as I got quite close to it but then it heard some small birds chirping in nearby bushes and off it went diving into the bushes in search of its prey.

Big Garden Birdwatch 2017

For over 30 years now the RSPB has been conducting a garden birdwatch at this time of year. The public are invited to take part by watching and recording the birds they see in one hour in their garden or a park and sending in their results by post or on-line. My results for this year, taken last weekend, were:

Blackbird: 2

Dunnock: 2

Blue tit: 1

Great tit: 1

House sparrow: 3

Robin: 1

Starling: 2

Chaffinch: 1

Goldfinch: 1

The count was fairly representative of what we see most days. The only other birds that we see regularly are coal tits and woodpigeons. Occasionally see bullfinches long-tailed tits and collared doves.

Goslings Amongst the Petrol Pumps

Sometimes wildlife appears in the most unexpected places. Travelling back from holiday along the M74 stopped at the Annandale Water Service Station and was quite amazed to see several geese and goslings wandering amongst the parked cars and on the petrol station forecourt.

Wood Pigeon Nesting

There is a wood pigeon  nesting in the eucalyptus tree in our garden. The nest appears to be just a loose collection of twigs and looks extremely precarious.

Broken Egg Shell

This broken egg shell was lying close to the path in the Serpentine Walk. From the brown colour and size (about the same size as a small hen's egg) think that it is probably from a pheasant's egg. Female pheasants tend to nest under hedges or in tall grass and this was close to the hedgerow at the edge of the field bordering the footpath. Quite often see and hear pheasants in that field. Hopefully the chick will have successfully hatched from the egg.

The hedgerow at the field edge in the Serpentine walk.

A Pair of Siskins

A pair of siskins (Carduelis spinus) tucking into the nyger seeds in the garden. The male is on the right, female on the left. They are fairly rare visitors to our garden, not spotted them for several years. The nyger seed feeder primarily attracts goldfinches but the siskins here also seem to be enjoying them. They have a liking for conifer woodland but will also visit mixed woodland if alder and birch are present.

Big Garden Birdwatch 2016

For over 30 years now the RSPB has been conducting a garden birdwatch at this time of year. The public are invited to take part by watching and recording the birds they see in one hour in their garden or a park and sending in their results by post or on-line. My results for this year were:

Blackbird: 2
Dunnock: 1
Blue tit: 2
Coal tit: 1
Great tit: 1
House sparrow: 9
Robin: 2
Starling: 2
Jackdaw: 1
Chaffinch: 2
Goldfinch: 1

The count was fairly representative of what we see most days. Seems to be more sparrows about than in previous years. This month we have also seen bullfinches feeding on the seed heads of the St John's wort and honeysuckle.

Mallard Ducklings

On our way to Yorkshire, stopped off  in Temple Sowerby and in the garden of the hotel, mallard ducklings had just hatched the day before. Apparently, the mallard had lost her first brood, so hope all will go well this time.

There were twelve ducklings all together and the female mallard gently shepherded them up the garden to a small pond.

Baby Blue Tit

A baby blue tit close to the path in the Serpentine Walk. So vulnerable at this stage. Here's hoping that the parents were close by and would look after it before it came to any harm.

It still has the yellow gaping mouth.

Grey Wagtail at the Keil Burn

Looking down from the road bridge over the Keil Burn in Lundin Links spotted this grey wagtail (Motacilla cinerea) on a boulder in the burn.

It had an insect in its beak and was showing characteristic behaviour, continually bobbing up and down and wagging its long tail.

Pheasant at the Largo Burn

Often hear the unmistakeable squawk of a pheasant and see them in the fields on each side of the Serpentine Walk but rarely close enough to get a reasonable photo. However, today one flew on to the bank of the Largo Burn which runs at the side of the path. It was going backwards and forwards and seemed to be trying to figure out a way to get through the wire fence into the field.

At this time of year male pheasants are at their most colourful.

Big Garden Birdwatch 2015

For over 30 years now the RSPB has been conducting a garden birdwatch at this time of year. The public are invited to take part by watching and recording the birds they see in one hour in their garden or a park and sending in their results by post or on-line. My results for this year were:

Blackbird: 2
Dunnock: 2
Blue tit: 2
Coal tit: 1
Great tit: 2
House sparrow: 4
Robin: 2
Starling: 5
Wood pigeon: 1
Jackdaw: 2
Chaffinch: 1

The count was fairly representative of what we see most days (particularly in frosty weather). Goldfinches usually feature but were absent. This month we have also seen long-tailed tits and bullfinches.

Blue tits like the fat-filled coconut shell.

A Cold Snap Brings Bullfinches

Cold wintry weather always seems to attract bullfinches (Pyrrhula pyrrhula) to the garden. Rarely see them the rest of the year. They seem particularly fond of honeysuckle berries and the seeds of St John's wort so I don't prune those bushes until the spring.

Male bullfinch feeding on honeysuckle berries.

Some Speyside Birds

At RSPB Loch Garten the best views of the osprey nest, eggs and adult birds  are from the webcams at the visitor centre. The above photo shows the osprey nest. Can just see the head of the adult bird in the middle of the nest.

A siskin on one of the feeders at the centre. Looks like it contains black sunflower seeds.

Great spotted woodpecker on another feeder.

A heron taken from the Heron Trail, Milton Loch at Boat of Garten.

Spot the treecreeper in these last two pictures, taken on the Speyside Way  between Aberlour and Craigellachie.

Pheasant Feather

The distinctive colours and pattern of a male pheasant tail feather that I found lying on the road between Upper Largo and Lundin Links.

Big Garden Birdwatch 2014

For over 30 years now the RSPB has been conducting a garden birdwatch at this time of year. The public are invited to take part by watching and recording the birds they see in one hour in their garden or a park and sending in their results by post or on-line.


Did the count on Saturday morning. The weather was horrible, windy, rainy though still quite mild; there were few birds about (I suspect most of them were sheltering) and the count was not at all representative of what we normally see. I thought about doing the count again later if the weather improved, but it remained pretty much the same all weekend. However my results for this year were:

Blackbird: 1
House sparrow: 4
Robin: 2
Wood pigeon: 1

Yellowhammer at the Top of the Tree

Often hear a yellowhammer in the Serpentine Walk, with its distinctive 'a little bit of bread and no cheese' call and sometimes there is a flash of yellow as it flies across the path but don't often see them clearly, especially when the trees are in full leaf. However, today this male with its bright yellow head was singing at the top of the tree.

Great Spotted Woodpecker

Great Spotted Woodpecker - Dendrocopus major

During our recent trip to Cumbria saw this woodpecker from a hide in the National Trust property at Acorn Bank. I have never seen one in Lundin Links although some friends in the village have had them visiting their bird feeders.