Sunday 3 January 2010

Winter thrushes and other birds


I said yesterday that I would update you on the birds we had seen over Christmas. On Christmas Day morning, I noticed a lot of big thrushes sitting in a tree in a neighbouring backgreen and flying over our roof. We then went out into our backgreen and found over 50 fieldfares sitting in the trees and flying back and forth. I've never seen so many anywhere, and in Edinburgh I've felt lucky to see any at all, as they're not really an urban bird. Later that morning we wandered over to Princes Street Gardens, which were full of redwings (see photos, taken by Crafty green Boyfriend, the building in the photos is Edinburgh Castle, click on them to see a bigger view). These are another thrush species and I've often seen them in Edinburgh parks, but never this many - there were hundreds, flying across the gardens, landing in rowan trees and stripping them of their berries (they did a good job as you can tell from the first photo!).
We also saw a very large flock of long tailed tits along the Water of Leith. They're a beautiful bird, that I've seen in much bigger numbers in the last couple of years than I used to. As we stood still to watch them, they fluttered towards us, chattering away under their breath....

16 comments:

Golden West said...

I love your second picture - what a great capture with the building in the background!

Jasmine said...

Enough to make the heart sing!

You must have a good camera. My camera is good for most things yet birds always appear as a blurry speck on my photo's.

Crafty Green Poet said...

Golden West, that's Edinburgh Castle!

Jasmine - Crafty Green Boyfriend's camera is very good, also cropping the image helps....

Joe Todd said...

Great photos. Just went outside to fill my bird feeders and found coyote tracks going through my back yard. (and I live in town)

Pamela Terry and Edward said...

I enlarged the castle and bird photo.
It is magnificent!

steven said...

juliet there are changes afoot and in the air. i am seeing birds here that normally leave for the winter. how they have adapted to the below twenty celsius temperatures is beyond me but here they are! the photographs you have shared here are beautiful. thankyou. steven

Howard BME said...

Last weekend I also saw a flock of redwings right in Edinburgh city centre, feasting on berries on the trees outside St Cuthbert’s Church. A couple of times I’ve thought maybe I’ve seen a fieldfare, but the light was too poor to tell, and I thought ‘they’re not an urban bird!’ I wonder whether the relatively severe weather is driving normally rural, timid birds further into cities in search of food. I’m still waiting and hoping for waxwings, though!

Michael said...

I've also noticed more Long-tailed Tits this year.
I did visit the castle on a school trip in the very early 80s. I still remember how steep it was and the cobbles.
Nice pictures.

•°°• IcyBC •°°• said...

Love to see and hear birds singing, and your photos are terrific! Birds are too fast for my camera..

Dave King said...

I have to agree with Golden West - that is a great picture. I am very envious: we seem to be suffering from a world shortage of birds just now.

Deb G said...

Love these photos! Do you know what type of tree the birds are sitting in?

Crafty Green Poet said...

Hi Deb - its a yellow berried rowan...

deb said...

Mmm. Rowan and thrushes -- makes me feel I've traveled. Beautiful.

deb said...

Mmm. Rowan and thrushes -- makes me feel I've traveled. Beautiful.

Gena D said...

Great Scenery! looks soooo cold!
thanks for stopping by my vblog
Gena @ thinking aloud
http://tobethinkingaloud.blogspot.com/

RoadBunner said...

Oh, what gorgeous photos! I can't wait to get back to Edinburgh one day!