Bogs Bridge across the Water of Leith has now been repaired (I'll post photos of the bridge at the weekend) and is open again so I can get closer to the hornbeam tree that I had chosen to study for the Tree Year Project. As you can see from this admittedly not very good photo, the catkins are just budding and will open up into the most beautiful chandelier like shapes later in the year.
The birds were all very busy along the river today. I had a very close encounter with a treecreeper which was very low in a tree and kept poking its head round the trunk and then disappearing again. Also got very close to a goldcrest, a tiny bird that often stays right up in the top of the trees, but this one was flying from branch to branch just above my head. I saw a dipper collecting nesting material in a different part of the river to the ones I saw doing this last week. The tits were all very excitable, chattering away and dashing around from tree to tree, including a medium sized flock of long tailed tits that were flurrying around one particular tree. Robins were singing beautifully, as were chaffinches and a song thrush.
It definitely feels like Spring!
As ever, red text in this post, includes hyperlinks to take you to other websites where you can find out more!
10 comments:
I'm so jealous of the Goldcrest! I believe I have seen them once, but only high up in a conifer, skittering about ... so it was hard to watch through binoculars or to take photos.
I thought your catkin photo was really clever: the catkins looked like a strand of fairy lights and showed off their golden colours against the bark!
There is something fascinating about trees, isn't there?
oh wow, sounds like a lovely time. All that wonderful, living nature that you got to experience :)
I love that you are focused on trees. I find them magnificent..and you know I love to hug a tree!!! I finally put my outside table and chairs beneath our old decrepit cottonwood because that is where all the birds hang out! nice post!
We seem to have a pair of tree creepers in our garden now. I love watching them spiraling up a tree trunk, although they are very well camouflaged when they stay still.
Looks like an elephant!
Our birdys are still in their winter underwear - it is sooo cold and clammy.
How exciting that you are once again able to view the hornbeam after the repairs, and it sounds like the birds are excited, too! What an amazing variety of birds you saw ~
The catkins are strung just so, and I look forward to see how they change over the seasons.
Great news about spring and of course the birds! Have you noticed how colourful they are? Obviously got the best breeding plumage on!!! Love all your pictures of trees btw :)
Looking forward to what happens around your hornbeam during the coming year Juliet. Fancy seeing a Goldcrest and Dipper. I have seen neither except in books.
I am very cross at the moment. I live opposite an internationally known "birder" and he has zillions of feeding stations in his garden. I was feeding their cats (yes they have cats and birds) whilst they are away and I spotted a lovely Goldfinch. We used to have them feeding from our niger seeds but I see he has enticed them over the road...hmmm.
Thanks for the top blogs site. I will pop over and have a look.
I thought this was a wonderful picture too, a real characterful tree. And I love catkins. Nice post xx
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