For August my bird of the month post is a tribute, a fond farewell, to the swifts. A goodbye for another year.
Seasons
For August my bird of the month post is a tribute, a fond farewell, to the swifts. A goodbye for another year.
This blog post is an ode to the turnstones in Campbeltown harbour. When the tide was high the turnstones grouped together, huddled and impatient, just above the water line on the harbour wall. Looking down on them from the harbour wall, their chestnut brown summer plumage looked like camouflage against the stones. They were wobbling …
My bird of the month for July is the dipper. I wanted to chose something joyful and light-hearted. Seeing a dipper ALWAYS brings me joy. We’ve spent a lot of time down by the river in the past month. The weather has been pretty glorious. Sometimes we take our tea down to the river after …
The choice for my bird of the month for June was an easy one. I’ve chosen the Carrion Crow. Even before we found an injured juvenile crow in our garden last week, crows were featuring heavily in my month. In June in Scotland there is a lot of daylight. The summer solstice marks the longest …
I have chosen the siskin as my bird of the month for May. These little yellow sweethearts have been our constant companions in the garden this month. We haven’t really seen siskins on the feeders here before – except the odd fleeting sighting in the winter – but this spring there has been at least …
I’ve chosen the oystercatcher as my bird of the month for April. I’ve always loved oystercatchers. They were my Gran’s favourite bird (and I have a Mairi Hedderwick oystercatcher print that was hers). They are seaside nostalgia. They are noisy and bold and a bit extra. They eat cockles like Londoners. There’s nothing not to …
I have chosen the jay as my bird of the month for March. Jays are woodland birds and we are lucky to live on the edge of a wood. Our neighbours have lovely mature gardens with lots of trees which brings the jays into the gardens. We’ve seen one on our feeders several times. Every …
My bird of the month for February is the mute swan. Here’s why: Swans have been really visible this month. At the start of the month the pond near us, at Tweedbank, was frozen solid and the swans stood awkwardly on top of the ice. I always think swans look funny standing. They are so …
This year I am going to feature a ‘Bird of the Month’ on the blog as the year goes by. This is the first in the series. My bird of the month for January is the heron. It took me all month to decide. Then on Monday I was walking down by the river and …