Feathering Your Nest

Have been rather neglecting this diary of late what with the weather being so cold etc we have not been out our bird watching very much so I though I would tell you of something I saw the other day that I thought was very clever.  The picture above is a large patch of short grassland at Birnie Loch, I have mentioned this place before as we do visit it and walk round it quit often.  We were passing late on Monday afternoon after one of our many visits to St Andrews. This piece of grass is a roosting ground for the Mallard and the gulls and it is also where people 'Feed the Ducks. ' I think you can just about see all the feathers lying about, now there is a Rookery just behind where this photograph was taken. As we sat in the car watching what was going on we noticed that a pair of Rooks were gathering up all the feathers, great beak fulls for their nests, it was not long before other pairs joined in this activity but they were not so adept at this and the feathers kept escaping from their beaks. They say Corvid are very clever birds they seem to be learning from one another all the time.  You have maybe noticed on the motorways that they feed right up to the white line on the hard shoulder but don't venture onto the road and the young learn this from their parents and so the learning goes on very clever not the prettiest of birds but when the sun shines on their lovely black/blue feathers they are something else.  Hoping to get some nice notes next week when we are away.

                                                    Joan.

St Andrews on a Spring Like Day

Will just let the pictures tell the story of a glorious day.

The Big Twitch

        

No, I have not been out bird watching again in fact I have been in bed with the cold, told you I was of unsound mind on Tuesday.  I found the  picture  above taken 30th October 2004 at a place called Kilrenny in Fife. On that particular day we were at Fife Ness the very tip of Fife in fact it is the most easterly point of Scotland. We had word that there was a Red Backed Shrike at Kilrenny (Via Pager very modern us birders) so we headed back to that location.  When we got there a small amount of birders had assembled.  The Warden from Vane Farm was with us and he started to doubt the identification. Red Backed Shrikes are quite rare but not what we call a mega bird (great terms we have).  The bird had been caught and ringed and measured and would you believe it, it was a first for the British Isles it was a Masked Shrike.  Now you may all think that birding on the scale I do it is rare, the picture above is of the site the next day as birders from all over Britain flocked to see it and it was like that for many days to come as the little bird was very accommodating and gave us all tremendous views. I have had a lot of trouble with the picture as my copy is not all that clear but I think you can get an idea of the amount of people our little friend entertained.  It was the biggest twitch I have ever been on and was a real exiting day imagine it, the very first time this bird had been seen in Great Britain and I saw it.

                     

The Star of the year The Masked Shrike.

Swans and more Swans.

27th February & 28th February.

Did you know that there are three different kind of swan here in the wintertime I know you can't see them in the photo but they are all there.  There are 8 Mute Swans 99 Whooper Swans and 1 Bewick Swan, and guess which we were looking for.  We knew that there was 1 Bewick Swan just a few mile away in a flock that has been with us all winter so we had to see it before they head north for their breeding grounds. We were lucky we got parked in a spot where we could view this field from the car, Stu popped into the back seat so we were both sheltered for that north wind. I have a clamp for my telescope that fits it onto the front window so I was happy not having to stand out on the cold.  We scanned the whole flock and no signs of the Bewick. We had been told it was wearing a blue collar so it should have been easy to pick out HA HA. Bewick Swans are a good bit smaller than your Mute and Whooper and there is a difference around the yellow area on their bills.  There were a few of the swans asleep and we thought one looked a bit smaller but at that distance it was hard to be sure. After a while this particular swan held it head up and low and behold it had a blue collar on. We were very pleased at that as it is some years since we have seen one.

                      

                        Bewick's Swan

                                 

                                 Whooper Swan.

                                 

                                  Mute Swan.

Tuesday being of unsound mind we set of again for Scone Palace.  It was a bitterly cold day but we were determined to see the Hawfinch properly and the Snowdrops. As I have told you in Joan's Musings the snowdrops were beautiful and there were thousands of them but the Hawfinch were not to seen. We wandered about in a freezing cold wind but no luck.  There was however a Great Spotted Woodpecker drumming very close by so we set off to see that after about 15 more freezing minutes we gave up it must have seen us coming and flew off. When we passed this way later it was drumming again but we still could now see it plenty of woodland birds but no woodpecker. So I'm afraid a disconsolate and frozen Joan and Stuart headed back to the car and a coffee shop.  Better luck another day.

                        Love, Joan.

The Return of the Red Kite to Scotland.

           

 

                      

Good Afternoon, Yesterday we set off to go and look for a Great Grey Shrike that we had heard was in our area.  The morning was bright cold and sunny when we left and we headed up to Crieff  once through the little town we drove to The Sma' Glen one our gems it is uphill all the way from Crieff and as we climbed up we saw a wonderful sight 3 Red Kites and 2 Common Buzzard in the sky together we managed to get stopped at the side of the road so we could watch through the binoculars. The Kites are very colourful birds and with the sun on their back they looked magnificent.  Red Kites were reintroduced to Scotland a few years ago and are really doing well they eat mainly carrion so they do not do any harm to farms but we still get one or two poisonings per year.  Back in the cosy car we carried on to the spot we heard the Shrike was.  We parked the car and walked up the hill sun on our backs and all was well.  The bird was nowhere to be seen and after about 15 minutes walking we turned to head back.  There was a wind blowing in our face that would have cut you in two we had not noticed this on the way up but boy did we know it was there on the way back. So no Great Grey Shrike today maybe another day. We continued our run in the car to Loch Tay and Aberfeldy.  Took a lot of pictures which I put in my other journal the one of the Kite is not one of mine.  Where to next?  Love

                                   Joan

Scone Palace and Loch of the Lowes

                                              

 

Monday morning we set off to visit Scone (Skoon) Palace to look for the elusive Hawfinch. They are very secretive birds that live in the very tops of the tallest  trees, hence having to go and look for them when the trees are bare as you never find one when the trees are fully clothed. When we arrived I was a bit disappointed that the main avenue to the castle was not covered in snowdrops as it usually is but we must have got there a week or so earlier this year so I will have to go back. Would you believe just after we arrived someone started shooting so that put an  end to our hopes  of  seeing  these very shy birds.  The shooting did not seem to bother the Robins and the Blue Tits but there was no sign of the Hawfinch. We wandered  around the footpaths for a while but no luck. Just as we were heading back to the car one Hawfinch flew across the road high up in the trees but that was just the one.  There is a flock of about 30 of these birds at Scone so one is not very good and we did not get a good look at it so we will go back another day.  Back to the car and heater on off we went to The Loch of the Lowes which is near Blairgowrie if that is of any help.  This is where the Wildlife Trust have hides and a visitor centre so the public can view a pair of breeding Ospreys.  They have not arrived back from the Ghana yet, it will be the beginning of April before they come back.  When we arrived no, it was not shooting this time, but there was a great deal of hammering and noise as the visitors centre is having total refurbishment so we seemed to have picked the wrong day here as well.  There is a big feeding station behind  the visitors centre and that was very busy with the usual bird table birds but we usually get Woodpeckers and squirrels but the noise must have put them off.  We then went to one of the hides and there was a small number of Whooper Swans and they were very close and calling which is wonderful to hear. The loch itself had been frozen but had thawed.  When I was a little girl I used to walk out to the middle of this  loch with my Mum and Dad as we visited  this area a lot on the motorbike and sidecar ah those were the days. Petrol was still rationed but the motorbike was very thrifty and we could manage a run out on a Sunday. I wonder what birds I would have seen back then when there was virtually no traffic on the roads.  Back to today we had a good day but the birding was not that great but there will be other days.   Love,

                       Joan

In Search of Waxwings.

                                    

It is now teatime and it is dark outside. We have been for a longish walk this afternoon as the weather turned out quite nice the sun actually shone for a while.  We did not see anything unusual when we were out but we have been looking for Waxwings all winter but have not seen any yet.  While I was cooking  the tea Stu check our bird alert on the PC and low and behold a party of Waxwings were seen a 2 o5pm outside our local Summerfield's (yes I used to work there).  We always thought it would be a good place for Waxwings as they seem to favour supermarket car parks schools and gardens. So you can see that we are very annoyed to have missed this as they are such beautiful birds and guess who will be up with the larks tomorrow to see if they are still there.   Love

                                             Joan.