Doesn’t seem that long since I wrote my January blog on New Year’s Day, the month of January went in fast. No one really likes January but I didn’t mind it as much because I did a lot of exercising and watched birds.
My first Birding outing was down at Cramond Beach. There were lots of Waders around because the tide was out but the main bird I saw more of and heard was The Oystercatcher. There were Redshank & Sanderlings as well but I was enjoying the Wader sounds.
I visited a new place which I never been before it’s a Nature Reserve & Country Park called Gartmorn Dam. I was mainly there to walk around the place but I had to do some Birding as well and I’m glad I did because I saw my first Great Crested Grebe on what actually has been ages since I last saw one so that was the highlight. Other birds I saw were Mute Swans, Black Headed Gulls, Mallards, Goldeneye, Canada Geese & Tufted Duck. I hope to visit again when the weather is a bit better.
I returned to Cramond Beach but I wasn’t Birding on this occasion, I was out for a walk and during my walk I spotted a male Gooseander with a female so I had a rest and watched them for a bit until they swam out of sight. Few days later I returned and on the same spot I spotted the male with two females this time. Again I had a rest and watched them until I walked back home.
One morning I enjoyed a bit of Garden Birding. I had moved my feeder station pole away from the nest boxes because there has been some birds checking them out so didn’t want to put the birds off from nesting just in case big birds mainly Crows & Magpies turn up causing the birds not to move in the nest box. I had moved the pole near the window of the lounge and in this particular morning I watched a Robin on the window feeder which a Blackbird went to yesterday but on this day The Bkackbird was expecting the dish full of mealworms but wasn’t brave enough to have some. A Robin went to the dish and took some mealworms and a Great Tit was walking about on the ground.
I hope you managed to take part in The RSPB’s Big Garden Birdwatch between 28th-30th January, I was planning on doing mine on the Friday but it was rather a dull day so decided to do it the next day. However the next day I had to postpone it again because it was wet & very windy I didn’t even see a single bird in the garden. Sunday was a lovely sunny morning so that was the day for my Big Garden Birdwatch. The hour just flew in very quickly and my Big Garden Birdwatch 2022 results were 9 Woodpigeon, 12 Blackbird, 1 Dunnock, 1 Great Tit, 4 Blue Tit, 4 Robin, 1 Magpie, 2 House Sparrow, 2 Goldfinch, 1 Chaffinch & 4 Greenfinch.
February is going to be a special month because I celebrate my 20th anniversary as a Birder in 2 weeks I’m really looking forward to that but before then planning more Birding trips, have a great month.
The Edinburgh Birdwatcher 