January Blog

Here we are in a new year 2019 has started and I’ll like to wish you all a Happy New Year. I hope you had a lovely Christmas, I did was lovely to be with family and look at the birds in the garden. Before Christmas started I went Birding, on Twitter I was pleased to hear Waxwings were in the area of Balgreen in Edinburgh were I was lucky to see them a few years ago. I got off the tram and headed to the area and wondered around. There were Twitchers around with their binoculars and cameras, I did see the Waxwings fly about they disappeared somewhere so I decided to go for a walk around incase they suddenly appeared. A walker passed me asking ‘have you seen The Waxwings? I replied ‘ no but they are around’ she walked on saying ‘good luck’ I carried on walking on a street were I noticed a flock of birds on a tree. I thought I would investigate and on arrival I heard a familiar call and looked up and there they were The Waxwings, they were everywhere and they even flew down to the little tree next to me so managed to get a few shots, I stood watching them before they all flew off and I said to myself ‘that was a fantastic Twitch’.

Unfortunately I caught the cold before Christmas so I didn’t really go Birding much but thought I’d end my Birding tour of the year at St Margaret’s Loch In Holyrood. It was a great day despite it being very wet so managed to get a few shots and watched families feed the Swans, Mallards, Graylag Geese, Tufted Ducks & Black Headed Gulls.

Between then and through Christmas I’ve been happy watching the birds in the garden they are loving their Frosty The Christmas Snowman Feeder I put out for them every Christmas time and my Great Spotted Woodpecker has been a frequent visitor too.

I have done this a few years now but every Hogmanay (New Year’s Eve) when the sky is darkening I look out and see what my last bird of 2018 will be, it was a Magpie.