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ZEISS DTI thermal imaging cameras. For more discoveries at night, and during the day.

My Highland garden (1 Viewer)

Weather has hit us, and the birds I would guess, hard.

This weekend we had no heating, and a slight thaw on Saturday saw us have at least three burst pipes and at that point we had no water and on Saturday we had no electricity either. Brrr it's cold.

Some updates;

- three red kite over on Saturday, our fourth raptor species (kestrel, sparrowhawk and buzzard are daily sightings)
- lots of geese coming in to roost and a small group of pink feet are in the snow outside, they don't look well, but probably trying to conserve energy
- found some fresh hedgehog footprints in the snow by the back door so have put some food down
- frustratingly little coming to our feeders, a blue tit was a new garden visitor at the weekend, just hoodies and jackdaws on the ground feeders
- plenty of thrushes, goldfinch and skylark still coming over
 
Good numbers of birds in the past week;

- Over 700 Wigeon feeding in the garden
- 3 Song Thrush fighting over the Apples
- Upwards of 1000 Common Gulls In the channel
- 2000 Grey geese coming in at dusk, 200 or so in the dayime
- 200 + Lapwing roosting in the garden at high tide
- 15 Fieldfare looking at the Apples, come on fella's dive in!
- Cracking (and huge) female Peregrine became 5th BOP on the garden list, a real beauty.

Furher out
- 5 Long Tailed Duck
- 3 Red Breasted Merganser

Best of all a Woodcock which landed on our roof at about 10 in the morning.

The cold weather has left a dead Greylag in the garden. Thought about what to do with it and will probably move it to a spot where the scavengers can get it more easily. A Red Kite nearly flew into our fence trying to get at it today. A pair of Buzzards had a scrap near my newest hide - pics to follow. Late in the afternoon a beautiful male Sparrowhawk picked off a Linnet from our flock of 50 or more.

Broadband, heating and water all working now for three whole days! Woo hoo!
 
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The main news is that the goose disappeared overnight so I think a fox may have taken it. Either that or a very early buzzard. Though we don't normally get the Buzzards until the afternoon. The thaw has taken away most of the snow so there are no tracks. There are no feathers left so the bird wasn't plucked on site either.

- 25 long tailed ducks on the water, easily visible but some distance out. About 5 are very dapper looking males.

- 13 Scaup drifted by on yesterdays tide

- Goldcrest new for the garden as we had a couple this morning.

- Peregrine over again

- One woodcock on the lawn late last night

Still very little visiting the feeders though
 
A few from the back yard buzzard hide :t:

Could do with a bit more DPP and NR, but it gives an idea of the visitors - and probably possible to ID by the plumage variations too
 

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2011, Garden year list.

Seems a good place to kick this off and keep a running total -aiming for over 100 species.

Grey Heron Ardea cinerea A
Mute Swan Cygnus olor AC
Whooper Swan Cygnus cygnus A
Pink-footed Goose Anser brachyrhynchus A
Greylag Goose Anser anser AC
Eurasian Wigeon Anas penelope A
Eurasian Teal Anas crecca A
Mallard Anas platyrhynchos AC
Greater Scaup Aythya marila A
Red-breasted Merganser Mergus serrator A
Common Buzzard Buteo buteo A
Eurasian Oystercatcher Haematopus ostralegus A
Bar-tailed Godwit Limosa lapponica A
Eurasian Curlew Numenius arquata A
Common Gull Larus canus A
Herring Gull Larus argentatus A
Great Black-backed Gull Larus marinus A
Common Wood Pigeon Columba palumbus A
Sky Lark Alauda arvensis A
Rock Pipit Anthus petrosus
Common Blackbird Turdus merula A
Eurasian Jackdaw Corvus monedula A
Rook Corvus frugilegus A
Carrion Crow Corvus corone A
Hooded Crow Corvus cornix A
Common Starling Sturnus vulgaris A
House Sparrow Passer domesticus A

So that's 27 so far.
 
Severe man flu has left me bed stricken nearly all week.

I have had a peek or two out onto the garden and we recorded our first Dunnock! Only took 3 months. Most impressive sighting occurred today when a Buzzard took a Wigeon from the flock feeding on the lawn - never knew they had it in them.

Several geese looking in a sad state now, and we have snow falling again.
 
Given the weather this week, it seems rather premature to me. Geese are still leaving roost early and returning late here, which should keep them safe(r).

Rob
 
I counted nearly 1000 Wigeon in the garden today. Three Skylark grubbing around in the snow with the 40 or so Linnets.

Not much out on the Firth lately - perhaps the forecast Northeasterly will blow some goodies our way.
 
Hi Phil,

View from the kitchen - not that big - you can see some Wigeon coming and going.
(a 50mm lens so you get the idea how close they are too)
Cheers
 

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Flat calm out on the Firth today and got some nice new birds!

3 x Slavonian Grebes, possibly 4

and

3 x Eider (1 drake, 2 female)

- Also 5 Brambling over with Fieldfares.
- A count of 11 Long Tailed Duck
- One male Goldeneye
- One Auk sp, prob Guillemot

Will update the yearlist shortly, but on birdtrack we have already recorded 50 species.
 
Blimey Marcus, you live exactly opposite my house! Shall we agree that our territorial rights extend out to a mid-line along the Firth? If I'm down at Avoch sewage works (a favourite place) and see a smudge over your side I'll text you to get it identified.
 
ring ouzel said:
Blimey Marcus, you live exactly opposite my house! Shall we agree that our territorial rights extend out to a mid-line along the Firth? If I'm down at Avoch sewage works (a favourite place) and see a smudge over your side I'll text you to get it identified.
Click to expand...

Deal!

Did you hear about Black Gillie and GND both at Chanonry today - gutted I missed them from the house.
 
Nice thread Marcus, Wigeon in the garden eh? They feeding on the fat balls or seed feeder? :)

King Eider if full plumage off Burghead just now if your heading this way. Plus flock of 10 Whoopers in field beside main A96 on the Nairn side of Inverness airport roundabout.

Dave
 
Pretty quiet out back since the snow went. Three buzzards was a good count today. A few birds singing again - wren and robin are great to hear that they made it.

Very choppy out on the water. Just the usual Mergansers and Goldeneye. All the Wigeon and Geese must be on some unfrozen water elsewhere.
 
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