Garden Birdwatch

At the weekend I did my RSPB's Big Garden Birdwatch and this I think it had to be my worst one yet and here are what I saw 4 Blue Tits, 1 Dunnock, 1 Goldfinch, 7 Long-tailed Tits, 7 House Sparrow and 1 Woodpigeon.

My extra helper who spotted my Woodpigeon

Woodpigeon

Blue Tit

I Will Always Remember

Sadly just before Christmas my Momma passed away with cancer and she was the special person who got me into wildlife and Birdwatching and has been a part of my life since. It started when I was 5 years old and went to Norfolk for a week and one day we went to Titchwell Marsh were doing a Wildlife Day for youngsters, in the first picture I am colouring the right colours for a Blue Tit. The back at the caravan they bought me a RSPB pocket guide and got hooked looking at Tufted Ducks and the House Sparrow. So I just wanted to dedicate this post to my Momma.

Me at Titchwell Marsh

After that getting hooked up reading about Tufted Ducks

Christmas of 2012, Poppa and  Momma 

Last Birding day of 2013

On the 30th I went with my friend to do some birding in the county we were going to Eyebrook for the Smew which had been around for a few days, Swithland Res as a Juv Black-throated Diver, and Rutland Water Dam for a possible Great-northern Diver and a Black Redstart.

We started off at Eyebrook with rain and wind so I stayed in the car and put the window down, and from this got nice views of Goldeneye, Tufted Duck, Red Kite and Kestrel.

Then went all the way to Swithland for the Black-throated Diver, when we got there it was raining quite heavenly, at first we thought we had found the Diver but ended up to be a Cormorant, then after 10 minutes of searching it ended up to be feeding 5 meters away from us, getting some nice shots here is my favourite.

Juv Black-throated Diver

Red Kite

Then headed to Rutland Water dam for a Great-northern Diver but we never did see it as we had gale force winds, even a man fell of his bike, also it was very hard not to get blown over, then when we were just about to give up a odd gull flew past us after discussion's we think that it was a Yellow-legged Gull but if anyone thinks it is something else please leave a comment!

Possible Yellow-legged Gull

Possible Yellow-legged Gull

The next day in the afternoon I walked the dog along my patch and on the way back a falcon of some sort was flying over my head, I had no idea what it was until I looked at the photographs and to me it looks like a Peregrine to me it is the first one in the county that I have ever seen and probably the best bird I have seen around my patch plus it ended up to be the last bird I saw in 2013, what a way to round of the year!

Peregrine 

Peregrine 

Happy New Year to everyone.