sugna Posted April 14, 2021 Share Posted April 14, 2021 21 hours ago, jamamafegan said: Rubbish photo but proof that I’ve just seen my first ever Ring Ouzel! Never seen one, a record shot would be plenty! Are you able to say where that was? I remember there were some sightings around Lochore Meadows a couple of years ago. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sugna Posted April 14, 2021 Share Posted April 14, 2021 22 hours ago, davidkennedyshand said: Up until about 4 years ago I'd never seen a Nuthatch here but they seem to be spreading North fairly quickly. Regularly see them at Rozelle Park in Ayr and very occasionally in my garden Saw my first Nuthatch around Edinburgh in early 2019, same for the Borders. Now I see them regularly. Went for a walk with my son yesterday, and he pointed out half a dozen regular nuthatch sighting spots on Corstorphine Hill. About half of those featured nuthatches on the day, and there were a few other places where we could hear them. An absolute transformation. I thought that our experience reflected the 5000%+ rise reported in the latest SOC survey when I read those results; but then I clocked that the survey was actually from several years earlier. So their prevalence has shot up, then (maybe about) a decade later, they are becoming more visible to us normal punters. Here's one from yesterday. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davidkennedyshand Posted April 14, 2021 Share Posted April 14, 2021 Cheers guys. It's starting to appear more at the feeder now. Timid as anything. The finches and tits generally don't give a f**k if open the back door, which is only about 10 feet away, but any kind of movement and that one is away. Yeah the very infrequent ones in my garden are away at the slightest movement. Only the woodpeckers bugger off quickerHowever ones in parks get quite tame and are quite willing to come within a few feet for some peanuts. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davidkennedyshand Posted April 14, 2021 Share Posted April 14, 2021 Saw my first Nuthatch around Edinburgh in early 2019, same for the Borders. Now I see them regularly. Went for a walk with my son yesterday, and he pointed out half a dozen regular nuthatch sighting spots on Corstorphine Hill. About half of those featured nuthatches on the day, and there were a few other places where we could hear them. An absolute transformation. I thought that our experience reflected the 5000%+ rise reported in the latest SOC survey when I read those results; but then I clocked that the survey was actually from several years earlier. So their prevalence has shot up, then (maybe about) a decade later, they are becoming more visible to us normal punters. Here's one from yesterday. The first I heard of them in Ayr was a blurred photo from Rozelle a long time ago. Everyone assumed it was a random vagrant.Ring necked Parakeets and Holly Blue butterflies are also rapidly expanding their territories.Anyway here's my efforts from Ayr harbour todayBlack Guillemots and a Red Throated Diver 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Black Pennel Posted April 14, 2021 Share Posted April 14, 2021 ^^ "Everyone assumed it was a random vagrant". Aye,...wee tramps, so they are,... 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melanius Mullarkey Posted April 14, 2021 Share Posted April 14, 2021 Swan still incubating along at the pond. Been there a couple of weeks now. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hillonearth Posted April 14, 2021 Share Posted April 14, 2021 9 hours ago, sugna said: Saw my first Nuthatch around Edinburgh in early 2019, same for the Borders. Now I see them regularly. Went for a walk with my son yesterday, and he pointed out half a dozen regular nuthatch sighting spots on Corstorphine Hill. About half of those featured nuthatches on the day, and there were a few other places where we could hear them. An absolute transformation. I thought that our experience reflected the 5000%+ rise reported in the latest SOC survey when I read those results; but then I clocked that the survey was actually from several years earlier. So their prevalence has shot up, then (maybe about) a decade later, they are becoming more visible to us normal punters. Here's one from yesterday. Yeah, they've exploded into Scotland over the last decade...there were always a few pockets of them like the dozen or so pairs in the Dalziel estate, but they're on the verge of becoming a common garden bird now. I remember it being a red letter day when I saw the first in my garden a few years back, but now they've turned into part of the regular birdlife. I think I mentioned earlier in the thread that it's a source of some frustration to the Clyde area bird recorder who's trying to chart their spread...they've become so common so quickly that people aren't even sending in records anymore...he was trying to create a map of where they were present, but it would probably be easier to create one for the places they're NOT present by now. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Black Pennel Posted April 14, 2021 Share Posted April 14, 2021 Well,...it turns out my wee joke backfired on me a bit as I didn't realise that "vagrant" was an actual, real, term that you chaps used for this type of thing. I stand corrected. p.s. Lots of smashing pictures...Jolly good... Carry on all, as you were... 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KnightswoodBear Posted April 14, 2021 Share Posted April 14, 2021 1 hour ago, davidkennedyshand said: Yeah the very infrequent ones in my garden are away at the slightest movement. Only the woodpeckers bugger off quicker However ones in parks get quite tame and are quite willing to come within a few feet for some peanuts. Yeah, the woodpecker that comes to our feeders is like lightning at the first sign of movement. I was sitting having a coffee at the kitchen table that's only about 10 feet from it one morning and obviously hadn't moved for a bit and it came and started feeding. I sat as still as I could for a bit and watched it, when I did eventually move it shot off at about a million mile and hour. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Mantis Posted April 15, 2021 Share Posted April 15, 2021 On 14/04/2021 at 11:35, sugna said: Never seen one, a record shot would be plenty! Are you able to say where that was? I remember there were some sightings around Lochore Meadows a couple of years ago. They’re around the Pentland Hills and there’s quite a few in Glen Shee, or is it Glen Clunie, the bit between the ski centre and Braemar. Just going by reports, I’ve never seen them myself. You also get migrating Dotterel on the highest tops of the Pentlands for a couple of days in May and on the way back in the autumn. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PWL Posted April 15, 2021 Share Posted April 15, 2021 30 minutes ago, The Mantis said: They’re around the Pentland Hills and there’s quite a few in Glen Shee, or is it Glen Clunie, the bit between the ski centre and Braemar. Just going by reports, I’ve never seen them myself. You also get migrating Dotterel on the highest tops of the Pentlands for a couple of days in May and on the way back in the autumn. I'm positive I heard one in the Carron Valley when I was walking Meikle Bin last year. I tried to use BirdNet to record it but lack of signal meant i couldn't catch it. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
philpy Posted April 18, 2021 Share Posted April 18, 2021 Buzzard in musselburgh today. 8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Mantis Posted April 25, 2021 Share Posted April 25, 2021 Here's a greedy wee Dipper down the Esk 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Mantis Posted April 25, 2021 Share Posted April 25, 2021 On 15/04/2021 at 14:27, PWL said: I'm positive I heard one in the Carron Valley when I was walking Meikle Bin last year. I tried to use BirdNet to record it but lack of signal meant i couldn't catch it. Never used BirdNet and not really sure how it works, but a couple of times I've used the Voice Memos native app on the iPhone and you can edit out the silent bits. I got some good recordings of stags roaring at night near a house in Glen Brora, and a Tawny hooting away right next to Edinburgh Castle Esplanade one night. Maybe it can upload to Birdnet later? 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tamthebam Posted April 25, 2021 Share Posted April 25, 2021 I took a walk through Butterdean Wood today (Gladsmuir). I saw my first two goldcrests. Lovely wee birds. Actually the head plumage was more orange than gold but I'm not going to assume they were the rarer firecrest (although it would be typical of me to have spotted a firecrest and not realised). Also saw my first treecreeper. And on a day I didn't have a camera with me! 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hillonearth Posted April 25, 2021 Share Posted April 25, 2021 31 minutes ago, tamthebam said: I took a walk through Butterdean Wood today (Gladsmuir). I saw my first two goldcrests. Lovely wee birds. Actually the head plumage was more orange than gold but I'm not going to assume they were the rarer firecrest (although it would be typical of me to have spotted a firecrest and not realised). Also saw my first treecreeper. And on a day I didn't have a camera with me! Firecrest have got a really obvious white stripe over the eye, and as you say are extremely rare in Scotland. There was one hanging around in Hillhead a few winters ago...went up to try and see it a couple of times at lunchtime before I connected...unfortunately the street the wee arsehole picked to frequent was right next to a school and it was one of the most uncomfortable birding experiences I've ever had, as turning there up with a pair of bins automatically made you look like OFTW. Luckily enough, there were always enough other weirdos there trying to see it that I suppose it was borderline acceptable. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
philpy Posted April 25, 2021 Share Posted April 25, 2021 1 hour ago, tamthebam said: I took a walk through Butterdean Wood today (Gladsmuir). I saw my first two goldcrests. Lovely wee birds. Actually the head plumage was more orange than gold but I'm not going to assume they were the rarer firecrest (although it would be typical of me to have spotted a firecrest and not realised). Also saw my first treecreeper. And on a day I didn't have a camera with me! I nearly went to butterdean today . Ended up doing the longniddry railway walk. Saw a bit of everything, bullfinches, blue tits, yelllowhammers, goldfinches and chaffinches. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
philpy Posted April 25, 2021 Share Posted April 25, 2021 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Marly Posted April 28, 2021 Share Posted April 28, 2021 Brooding swan on it's nest 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hedgecutter Posted April 28, 2021 Share Posted April 28, 2021 (edited) I know that this is a very poor image, but any thoughts on what this thing is? My immediate reaction was that it was a chaffinch due to a red-brown tint (not really coming across in the image) and similar size, but it has a black face, seems more brown and I couldn't see much in the way of white colourings. Saw it in the long grass right beside a burn if that helps. Edited April 28, 2021 by Hedgecutter 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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