Firstly I would like to apologise for the lateness of this blog. I thought since I took the month of August off from Birding, I decided to wait till I started Birding again in September and would write my blog on a later stage after I done some Birding but it has been a great month for Birding and some exciting news too all will be revealed.
I started my Birding whilst on holiday in Benbecula in The Outer Hebrides it was great to be back there. Unfortunately the weather wasn’t great but I still managed to go out on walks there was only one really wet day but this time I couldn’t leave my window open due to high winds so I couldn’t hear the sound of birds in the morning I like listening to in the morning. On my walk to Culla Bay I took this photo of nearby Graylag Geese on the field, during the week I saw a lot of Geese flying around and I could hear them too but it’s always great to see Geese at this time of year, to me they are the first sound of Autumn.
The highlight of the week was during a trip round Loch Druidibeg in South Uist I noticed this Bird Of Prey hovering and perching on the ground. It was too small to be a Eagle so that was out of the question, at first I thought is it a Buzzard? Too small is it a Kestrel? Not the right colouring is it a Sparrowhawk? Not the right colouring either or habitat I thought maybe a Merlin? I typed up Merlin on my phone, was it a Merlin? Yes it was the picture was the exact bird I was looking at through my Binoculars I was so excited it was my first ever Merlin. I actually saw more Merlins during the week the other two I saw during a walk on Langass Lodge in North Uist. During my week I saw two Owls a Barn Owl & Short Eared Owl but I also saw my first ever Hen Harrier so it wasn’t all bad. I did see the usual birds you normally there Lapwings, Oystercatchers, Turnstones,Curlews,Redshanks & Ring Necked Plovers so not a bad for my Autumn Birding.
As I mentioned in previous posts I was approached by Suzy Buttress from The Casual Birder Podcast in July asking would I be interested in being a guest on the show in a future episode. I was truly honoured to be asked and said yes, Summer was a bit hectic for me so I suggested we do it around the autumn time. The schedule date was to take place on the 19th September and I really loved it as it was my first time ever being a guest on a Birding Podcast talking about how I got interested in birds etc. You will be able to listen to the interview in a few weeks time.
Yesterday I went Birding at The River Esk in Musselburgh as I have mentioned before it’s a great place for birds. It wasn’t as busy with birds last time I was there but I still had a good time Birding watching Canada & Graylag Geese,Mute Swans,Herring,Black Backed & Black Headed Gulls,Feral Pigeons,Mallards,Moorhen & Wigeons.
I have a few trips planned in October and I can’t wait to tell you about it in the next blog until then enjoy your Autumn Birding.
The Edinburgh Birdwatcher 